Götene 2020-04-20,
FIA World Rallycross champion Timmy Hansen and his younger brother, TitansRX and Nitro RX champion Kevin Hansen, were at the forefront of the new World RX Esports Invitational, finishing as the second and third-best real-world pro drivers at the virtual Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Hansen brothers had chosen to join FIA World RX's newly created virtual series after the postponement of the opening rounds of the real-world season. It takes place on the Dirt Rally 2.0 video game, which includes the brothers' Peugeot 208 WRXs from the 2019 season.
In a field featuring several professional esports drivers - including DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Rallycross champion Killian Dall'olmo - Timmy finished qualifying in second place. He also won Q3 outright, making him the only real-world rallycross driver to break the dominance of the virtual racers.
Timmy showed off his trademark speed and consistency throughout, turning in six quick and tidy laps to win his semi-final. Again, he was the only real-world rallycross driver to achieve the feat, with Dall'olmo winning the other semi-final.
Kevin's run to the semi-final was extremely consistent, picking up a fourth place and three sixth places to end qualifying in fifth.
A nightmare start to Kevin's semi-final involved clipping a tyre barrier at turn one, then being hit head-on by Quentin Dall'olmo, which put him eight seconds down after half a lap. But a rousing comeback and a pass on Euro RX Super 1600 driver Marius Bermingrud at the last corner of the race got him to third after a penalty for Quentin Dall'olmo.
As a trio of esports specialists pulled away out front in the final, Timmy engaged in a race-long battle for fastest World RX driver with Kevin Abbring. An early joker strategy to undercut Abbring almost paid off, though contact at the RACC Chicane sent Timmy into a half-spin and demoted the reigning world champion to fifth.
Most importantly the race remained a great spectacle, featuring plenty of trademark rallycross action. After a strong start to the newly created World RX esports series, Team Hansen drivers Timmy and Kevin are already hoping to return for the series' next event, and will be busy participating in other esports events like the iRX All-Stars Invitational and The Race All-Stars Cup until then.