Rallycross
Johan Kristoffersson wins while Timmy Hansen feels the heat in Spa
Three-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson put pressure on Timmy Hansen by claiming his second win in a row in a dramatic World RX round in Belgium.
Part of this story
Johan Kristoffersson takes the lead in the final ahead of Kevin Hansen
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Kevin Abbring had started on pole in that semi, having lit up qualifying with a blistering run. Claiming the lead off the line, Hansen collided into the rear of Abbring, heading into a handbrake turn at Raidillon, knocking the Dutchman into a spin. Abbring soon had to retire with a broken rear suspension while Hansen went on to win the semi ahead of brother Kevin.
At the chequered flag, a clearly emotional Timmy Hansen sprinted over to Abbring to apologise, explaining that he was a passenger in the accident as his Peugeot 208 WRX was, in turn, pushed into the back of Abbring’s Renault Mégane. The Dutchman seemed to accept the apology, but the stewards were less forgiving, giving the Swede a five-second penalty which demoted him to the back of the starting grid.
Kevin Hansen meets the fans at Spa
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
The hairpin was also the site of the definitive moment in the second semi-final as Kristoffersson led from the start but clashed with Niclas Grönholm, knocking the Finn off the racing line and into last place. The result put the three-time world champion Kristoffersson on pole with Krisztían Szabó and Enzo Ide snatching up the remaining places in the final.
Kristoffersson took off brilliantly from the start, with Kevin doing his best to stay in touch. Meanwhile, Timmy tried everything to get past Szabó, pushing on every lap and taking an early joker to find an edge. Still, the Hungarian held on superbly to take a deserved – and emotional – third place. While Szabó celebrated his first podium, Timmy was left ruing the first race this season where he finished off the podium.
Johan Kristoffersson on top
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
The result means Kristoffersson is 12 points off Kevin Hansen’s lead as the championship heads to Portugal next weekend.
You can watch World RX Live on Red Bull TV.
World RX Championship top 10
- Timmy Hansen, Hansen World RX Team, 151 points
- Johan Kristoffersson, KYB EKS JC, 139 pts
- Kevin Hansen, Hansen World RX Team, 151 pts
- Niclas Grönholm, GRX-Set World RX Team, 123 pts
- Krisztían Szabó, GRX-Set World RX Team, 108 pts
- Kevin Abbring, Unkorrupted, 97 pts
- Timo Scheider, Munnich Motorsport, 75 pts
- Enzo Ide, KYB EKS JC, 72 pts
- Juha Rytkönen, 52 pts
- Mattias Ekström, Munnich Motorsport, 37 pts
Part of this story