The 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Teams’ title will be settled in Rosario on November 27. After this weekend’s fiercely fought action at the Estering, Germany, Team Peugeot Hansen is intent on maintaining the pressure in South America!
- Sébastien Loeb was unable to follow up his victory in Riga two weeks ago with another at the Estering today. The Frenchman’s run ended at the semi-final stage, as did that of his team-mate Timmy Hansen.
- The Peugeot 208 WRXs were unable to convert their speed into results in the complex conditions encountered at the Estering. Team Peugeot Hansen left Germany with a deficit of 17 points to make up in the Teams’ standings following its unhappy weekend.
- In the Peugeot Hansen Academy camp, Day 1 saw Davy Jeanney show his ability at the circuit
which harvested a win for him this time last year. His team-mate Kevin Hansen – the 2016
European Champion – picked up the gauntlet on Sunday to reach the final and finish just shy of the
podium!
Quote, unquote…
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal):
“Estering is a special venue which can spring a few surprises. It was a tough weekend for us, with three and sometimes even four of our cars competing in the same heat. Overall, I think we had the speed but we unfortunately didn’t succeed in converting that into a top result. We have consequently conceded points to Audi but we have no intention of giving up. We will now focus hard on the last round in Argentina where we will do our utmost to defend the title we won in 2015.”
Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #9, Team Peugeot Hansen):
“It really wasn’t a great weekend. I didn’t even reach the final, which clearly wasn’t ideal. My semi-final was a virile affair and the first corner at the Estering is effectively very tricky. I got pushed a few times and I lost ground. At the same time, I think that maybe we were a little bit down on performance. It turned out to be a very complex weekend.”
Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #21, Team Peugeot Hansen)
“I could perhaps have challenged for the victory but the Estering can be a bit of a mystery on occasions. I don’t really understand why, but we just weren’t able to score the sort of result I was expecting. We will give it our very best shot in Argentina.”
Kevin Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #71, Peugeot Hansen Academy)
“It was nice to be back in the world championship this weekend. The first day was a little difficult but I knew that our work had taken us in the right direction during Sunday morning’s warm-up. I went on to finish third and second in Q3 and Q4 respectively. I then pushed for a top-three finish in my semi-final. I don’t really know what happened in the final. The first turn was just crazy. Someone hit me and I ended up fourth, for the second time this year. With two fourth places and the European title in the bag, I am pleased with my season.”
Davy Jeanney (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #17, Peugeot Hansen Academy)
“I think we had the pace in qualifying but the starts were often decisive because of the first corner. I had an engine issue and a misfire during my semi-final. I tried to switch off the ignition and then switch it back on again, etc…. I was also passed twice under yellow flags which is not supposed to happen. Theoretically, I could have taken part in the final but it wasn’t the case. That was such a shame. I had fun this weekend but I am obviously disappointed with the end result…”
FINAL POSITIONS – ESTERING:
1, Kevin Eriksson (OlsbergsMSE, Ford Fiesta ST)
2, Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3)
3, Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS)
4, Kevin Hansen (Peugeot Hansen academy, PEUGEOT 208 WRX)
5, Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1)
6, Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 11 ROUNDS
FIA World Rallycross Championship – Drivers:
1, Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 251 points
2, Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3), 221 points
3, Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 217 points
4, Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS), 210 points
5, Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 194 points
6, Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 174 points
7, Toomas Heikkinen (EKS, Audi S1), 134 points
8, Timur Timerzyanov (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 104 points
9, Janis Baumanis (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 102 points
10, Robin Larsson (Robin Larsson, Audi A1), 95 points
FIA World Rallycross Championship – Teams:
1, EKS, 385 points
2, Team Peugeot Hansen, 368 points
3, Volkswagen RX Sweden, 283 points
ABOUT RALLYCROSS
Rallycross events use mixed-surface asphalt/dirt (60%/40%) circuits of about one kilometre in length and can feature one or more jumps. The drivers are knocked out as the weekend progresses and only the six fastest and bravest of them get to contest the final.
Discover our web series: World RX Inside
2016 CALENDAR (*) rounds which also count towards the European Championship
1. April 16-17: Portugal (Montalegre)
2. May 7-8: Germany (Hockenheim)
3. May 14-15: Belgium (Mettet)*
4. May 28-29: Great Britain (Lydden Hill)
5. June 11-12: Norway (Hell)*
6. July 2-3: Sweden (Holjes)*
7. August 6-7: Canada (Trois-Rivières)
8. September 3-4: France (Lohéac)
9. September 17-18: Spain (Barcelona)*
10. October 1-2: Lithuania (Riga)*
11. October 15-16: Germany (Estering)
12. November 26-27: Argentina (Rosario)
