Johan Kristoffersson (S) has won the seventh race of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Lohéac (F), securing his fifth victory of the season. It was also his fourth win in a row, making the Swedish driver the first to record such an achievement in the World Rallycross Championship. In rainy conditions on a very slippery circuit, the world championship leader from the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team put on a commanding display to claim the win in the final, well ahead of local hero Sébastien Loeb (F/Peugeot), who led the event on Saturday evening, and Mattias Ekström (S/Audi). “I have never been so comfortable in a car in rainy conditions before,” said Kristoffersson after his win. “While it was dry yesterday, Sébastien Loeb put us under quite a bit of pressure but the team did a great job today and put out a superb car.”
The weekend in Brittany did not go according to plan for team-mate Petter Solberg (N). The Norwegian driver did make it to the final but tyre problems with his Volkswagen Polo GTI Supercar caused some problems for the former world rally champion. “We took a big step forward with the car and that is positive for the team,” concluded Solberg. “We have set ourselves an objective this year and we are giving 110 percent for the title. And for Johan’s drivers’ title too, of course!” With three races remaining, Kristoffersson leads the standings with 241 points, ahead of Solberg (195) and Ekström (180). The next WRX race is on 15th September in Riga, Latvia.
FIA European Rallycross Championship
Marklund in fourth place at Lohéac final
Anton Marklund (S) reached the final in the seventh race of the FIA European Rallycross Championship season at the Lohéac (F) circuit, claiming fourth place in difficult conditions. After some sunny weather in Brittany on Saturday, the circuit was transformed overnight by an area of low pressure into a wet and slippery course that took everything out of the drivers. Marklund won two heats and claimed second place in another in his Volkswagen Polo, before a strong performance from the Marklund Motorsport driver in the semi-final saw him finish second, behind local favourite Firmin Cadeddu (F). Marklund’s team-mate Magda Andersson (S) reached the semi-final and finished in ninth place overall. The fourth-place result allowed Marklund to cement his lead in the European Rallycross Championship. He now has 99 points and stays ahead of Thomas Bryntesson (S), who claimed victory in the Lohéac final.
TCR International Series
Two top-five finishes for Vernay in Buriram
Jean-Karl Vernay (F) twice made it to the top five at the TCR International Series race weekend on the Buriram (T) circuit, but lost his overall lead to Honda driver Attila Tassi (H), who finished in third and fourth places in Thailand. In the first race, Vernay drove his Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR to fourth place, ahead of his Leopard Racing team-mate Rob Huff (GB). Victory in this race went to Norbert Michelisz (H) in the Honda. In the second race on Sunday afternoon, Vernay was once again the best Volkswagen driver, recording a fifth-place finish. Huff claimed eighth place on the challenging circuit. “The points were pretty important for us,” said Vernay after the race. “We lost the lead in the championship but we are only two points behind. So there is still everything to play for. I think that we achieved the best result possible. And I think we can still win the title.” The next races in the TCR International Series will take place on 7th and 8th October in Zhejiang (CHN).
Scandinavian Touring Car Championship
Three second places for the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
Strong showing from Kristoffersson Motorsport in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship. In the first race, Fredrik Ekblom (S) crossed the line in second place in the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, while team-mate, compatriot and namesake Fredrik Blomstedt (S) claimed fifth place. Blomstedt secured second position in the second and third races, while Ekblom finished in twelfth and fourth places respectively. Robert Dahlgren (S/Seat) and Daniel Haglöf (S) were the winners of the two races. With one race weekend remaining, Dahlgren (347) leads the championship ahead of Ekblom (271), Johan Kristoffersson (S/217), who was racing in the World Rallycross Championship in Lohéac (F) this weekend, and Blomstedt (198).
