There is no let-up in the pace of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship calendar. As many motorsport disciplines take a break in August, World RX continues with a trip to Hell, near Trondheim, northern Norway, just two weeks after the competition’s visit to Canada which was dominated by Team Peugeot Hansen’s two PEUGEOT 208 WRXs.
Instead of feeling intimidated by the name of the next venue on the season’s menu, the Franco-Swedish outfit is buoyed by the momentum of its recent fruitful outings at Estering (Germany), Höljes (Sweden) and Trois Rivières (Canada). Both Davy Jeanney and Timmy Hansen intend to keep this successful run going, and the Swede will notably be out for revenge following the frustrating outcomes of the last two clashes.
The undulating Norwegian venue is predominantly asphalt so optimising the suspension settings of the two PEUGEOT 208 WRXs will be particularly vital. The circuit also features some reasonably fast corners and several tricky portions, such as a blind turn and an uphill corner, but it’s an exhilarating experience for the drivers and the finish line comes just after a jump. A top result for both cars could see Team Peugeot Hansen take command in the Teams’ standings.
Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal
“One of our cars has been first over the finish line at the last three rounds, so we are obviously feeling confident. Even so, we have no intention of taking our eye off the ball. We will continue to push and we have a clear strategy as we attempt to improve our position further. The Norwegian round didn’t go well for us last year but we are determined to finish in a strong position with both cars this time round. The track has been resurfaced, so that should facilitate our set-up work on the cars.”
The race in Hell will be broadcast in more than 120 countries across the world. The semi-finals and final will be screened live in France on L’Equipe 21 and in Sweden on TV10.
Timetable (local time)
Saturday, August 22
- 10:30am: Free Practice
- 1:00pm: Qualifying Heat 1 & Qualifying Heat 2
Sunday, August 23
- 10:00am: Qualifying Heat 3
- 11:00am: Qualifying Heat 4
- 3:00pm: Semi-finals and final
Track data
• Length: 1.019km
• Asphalt: 63%
• Dirt: 37%
FIA World Rallycross Championship standings after seven rounds
1. Drivers Petter Solberg (SDRX, Citroën DS3), 176 pts
2. Andreas Bakkerud (OlsbergMSE AB, Ford Fiesta ST), 130 pts
3. Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Team Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 124 pts
4. Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 122 pts
5. Davy Jeanney (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 115 pts
6. Reinis Nitiss (OlsbergMSE AB Ford Fiest ST), 109 pts
7. Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 107 pts
8. Toomas Heikkinen, (Marklund Motorsport, Volkswagen Polo), 95 pts
Teams
1. Ford Olsbergs MSE, 239 pts
2. Team Peugeot-Hansen, 237 pts
3. SDRX, 201 pts