After months without success, Johan Kristoffersson and Volkswagen RX Sweden have scored their first win in the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship, emerging victorious at the 2-4 September World RX of France. Round eight of the series took place at the 1.08km-long track at Lohéac in Brittany, and the young Swede scored a lights-to-flag win behind the wheel of his 600bhp Polo RX Supercar.
Kristoffersson dominated the second day of competition at the signature French RX event, and set the fastest time in both the Q3 and Q4 qualifying sessions in difficult weather conditions. His Polo RX revelled in the changing climate and Kristoffersson lead both the semi-final and final from start to finish to score an empathic first victory of the season.
‘It feels fantastic’
Kristoffersson is the fifth different driver to win a World RX event this year, and the 27 year-old was pleased that his time had finally come. ‘It feels fantastic,’ grinned the four-wheel drive Polo driver who also won the Monster Energy Super Charge Award after beating the other finalists to the first corner of the final.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, though: ‘We couldn’t get it right yesterday – I was P10 after Q2 and the car didn’t feel right. My team worked really hard on the car overnight and in the rain this morning, the car felt amazing,’ Kristoffersson commented.
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of France: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of France: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of France: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of France: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of France: Kristoffersson
After the one-two-three result of 2015, the pressure was on for Volkswagen Motorsport to win again at its home event of 2016, the Rally Germany of 18-21 August. Set around and in the lush vineyards of Trier and the Mosel region, the first all-asphalt event of the season included the legendary Baumholder military track stages, as well as fast Eifel mountain roads and smooth Saarland stages.
Current and three-time world champion Sébastien Ogier was desperate to be back on the top step of the podium, the French driver having had to spend most of the 2016 season ‘sweeping’ the hitherto gravel roads for the competitors behind him, thanks to his first place in the running order. The ninth round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) had a lot to play for and released its secrets over three tarmac action-packed days.
Masterly form
Conditions were not easy, even for the reigning world champion – wet concrete and dry asphalt made tyre selection a risky business. But, the Frenchman and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia once again displayed their masterly form. The French duo fought for the lead with team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger over the first two days, with Ogier and Ingrassia coming out on top on the fearsome 25-mile ‘Panzerplatte’ stage.
And once they had first place, they didn’t let it slip from their grasp. The first time the pair have won a 2016 event since February’s Rally Sweden, Ogier and Ingrassia were initially unhappy with their soft tyre choice for a resulting dry stage, but still managed to record a time 13.5 seconds faster than Mikkelsen and Jæger, after a place-swapping duel separated by just tenths of a second. The French crew eventually won the event by a massive 20.3 seconds over Hyundai Motorsport’s Dani Sordo and Marc Martí.
‘Fantastic feeling’
A jubilant Ogier was in celebratory mood: ‘A fantastic feeling to be back at the top of the podium after this long dry spell. I am over the moon to have repeated last year’s success at Rally Germany. The home win is extremely important to our team, Julien and I made great progress in the direction of the title in the championship standings.
‘The weekend wasn’t easy for me since I really wanted to win here and then it is easy to be a little bit too motivated going into the race. Then there was the weather, which changed constantly and was extremely difficult to predict. In the end, I waited patiently for my opportunity, and with the times on the Panzerplatte in particular, built up the crucial lead over my rivals,’ he enthused.
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia
Remember the Steven Spielberg-directed film Duel from 1971, where a truck with seemingly no driver hunts down Dennis Weaver? Volkswagen and Red Bull do – in a new promotional video, the 318bhp Polo R WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala gets hunted down through the legendary ‘Ouninpohja’ stage of Rally Finland by Dakar Rally winner Ayrat Mardeev in a Kamaz 4326 truck with 1000bhp.
The pair met when Rally Finland was tearing through the stages in July 2016, and the resulting just-over-one-minute clip is spectacular to say the least. The sight of the 10-tonne rally-prepared truck hurtling up to and jumping over Ouninpohja’s numerous crests is fabulous joy to behold, with Latvala’s four-wheel drive, 1.6-litre turbocharged Polo dancing though the stage to equally bewildering and awesome effect.
Amidst the awe-inspiring display of power and precision, the importance of robust machinery and expert maintenance takes center stage. In the world of trucks and high-performance vehicles, reliability is paramount, and that’s where G&R Diesel steps into the spotlight. As these monstrous machines push their limits, ensuring peak performance and addressing any mechanical challenges become crucial. G&R Diesel, a trusted name in the realm of truck repair, stands as a beacon for those who understand the significance of top-notch maintenance in the face of relentless pursuits and demanding terrains.
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 at Ouninpohja
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja
At last! It took a while, but Johan Kristoffersson finally achieved the first FIA World Rallycross Championship podium finish for the newly-formed Volkswagen RX Sweden team at the World RX of Canada. The event at Trois-Rivières in Quebec marked the seventh round of the 2016 series and the mid-way point of the season, and 27 year-old Kristoffersson made it onto the third step of the podium.
‘Really good to be back here’ ‘We’ve been so close and finally our hard work has paid off and we are back on the podium – it feels really good to be back here,’ said a jubilant Kristoffersson, who is now just three points off third place in the Drivers’ Championship. ‘Petter Solberg was outstanding in the semi-final and I felt like I couldn’t catch him, but then the rain started and our car works so well in the rain. The first two laps were really good for us and the car worked perfectly,’ he continued.
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
Kristoffersson’s team-mate Anton Marklund also made the final in Canada, but just missed out on a top five finish, coming home sixth. His Polo RX suffered a brake failure and he collided with ex-World Rally Champion Petter Solberg’s Citroën DS3 RX. Marklund subsequently hit a wall on the first lap of the Supercar final, and damaged a rear tyre. Both he and Solberg were taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks, with both drivers being declared fine.
Three consecutive podiums The Canadian round of the World Rallycross Championship has been kind to the 600bhp Polo RX Supercar – the small but powerful Volkswagen has achieved three consecutive podiums at the North American event. Marklund finished second at the famous street circuit in 2014, while the Volkswagen RX Sweden car finished second and third at the 2015 event, with Finland’s Toomas Heikkinen and America’s Tanner Foust.
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson
2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund
Before the event, Kristoffersson reported that a few changes to the super-Polo had taken place: ‘We have made a few updates that will no doubt help us. Last season we were strong in Canada at the start of the weekend, this year we want to remain focussed throughout the entire event.’
Volkswagen RX Sweden Team Principal Michael Schneider confirmed the car is a match for its competitors: ‘When I look back on the first half of the season, I’m very happy with the performance of the car and both drivers. We have produced a very competitive car for 2016.’
Timmy Hansen won the World RX of Canada for Team Peugeot Hansen. the Swede took an unexpected victory after he was promoted to the final when Russia’s Timur Timerzyanov was black flagged after an incident in the semi-final. The next round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of France, which takes place in Lohéac from 2-4 September.
2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS 1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 161
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 157
3 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 132
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 129
5 Sébastien Loeb, Peugeot 208: 121
2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS 1 EKS: 256
2 Team Peugeot Hansen: 226
3 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 188
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 167
5 World RX Team Austria: 126
Once again the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) failed to lived up its 2016 all-conquering Sébastien Ogier expectations, with part-time Citroën driver Kris Meeke stepping onto the winner’s podium at the eighth round of the series, Rally Finland. Finnish Volkswagen Motorsport driver Jari-Matti Latvala was second at his home rally, set in the forests and lakes around Jyväskylä on 28-31 July.
Form in Finland Latvala has form in Finland, having won one of the fastest events on the WRC calendar in both 2015 and 2014, and he set the pace on the pre-event shakedown, 0.5 seconds ahead of team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen, both of whom tied for second. Latvala’s start in Finland – his 164th – saw him surpass Mikko Hirvonen as the most experienced Finnish rally driver in WRC history.
The Finn’s second place in his home country event sees him and co-driver Miikka Anttila climb to third place in the Drivers’ Championship, behind runner-up team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen and fellow Volkswagen Motorsport driver and current world champion Sébastien Ogier. Although a good result, wrc.com reports that a ‘lack of fighting spirit’ was to blame for the Finnish driver not securing a third successive win.
However, it was Ogier’s somewhat uncharacteristic excursion into a ditch following a tight hairpin on stage 10 which made him revaluate his performance. Overall, though, Latvala seemed happy with the result: ‘I am happy with my performance this weekend, even though I came up just short of a hat-trick of wins at the Rally Finland.
‘Very good haul’ ‘Second place and a point on the Power Stage is a very good haul. I also climbed a place in the overall standings. All in all, we could not have done any more against Kris Meeke this weekend. Thank you to all the many fans who supported me. It is always very special to drive here on home soil. We now move on to the asphalt season, which was remarkably good to me last year,’ he stated.
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Finland: Latvala/Anttila
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Finland: Latvala/Anttila
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Finland: Latvala/Anttila
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Finland: Latvala/Anttila
2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Finland: Latvala/Anttila
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