* Thanks to its success at Trois Rivières (Canada), Team Peugeot Hansen is now only 30 points short of the lead in the provisional Teams’ standings. The French carmaker hopes that the visit to its home venue and its appearance in front of home fans will allow it to close that gap even further.
* For once, Sébastien Loeb will be on known territory in Brittany since he contested the Lohéac round of the European Rallycross Championship in 2013. His participation that year attracted a record attendance for the discipline and the figure of 75,000 spectators might well be beaten this time round.
* Timmy Hansen will be out to build on the momentum of his victories in Canada three weeks ago and at Lohéac this time last year.
* After skipping a round, the Peugeot Hansen Academy returns with PEUGEOT 208 WRXs for team regulars Davy Jeanney and Kevin Hansen.
* A new episode of our WorldRX Inside web series is out. This time, Susann Hansen talks about one of Rallycross’s specificities: the draw for the qualifying start order https://youtu.be/P6a7GaMMUEY
Quote, unquote…
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)
“Lohéac is a big event for the entire team and we are totally focused on this important occasion. We’ve gone well there these past two years, especially in 2015 when Timmy came first. We obviously intend to do all we can to win there again. Timmy’s recent victory in Canada at the beginning of August was a big confidence booster but we remain acutely aware of how competitive this championship is. Competing in France adds to the pressure, too, but we see it as positive pressure because we will have plenty of support!”
Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #9, Team Peugeot Hansen)
“The French round of the championship is obviously something special. For me, it will be one of the few venues I already knew before the start of the season. Having said that, the other drivers are so sharp that I don’t think it will make much of a difference. I have fond memories of my participation in 2013. It was my first taste of rallycross which is an extremely popular sport in this part of France. I think the circuit’s profile should suit the PEUGEOT 208 WRX and I hope we are competitive in front of our home crowd.”
Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #21, Team Peugeot Hansen)
“Canada three weeks ago was perhaps the best performance I have ever posted in a final, so I’m feeling pumped up for Lohéac which is a circuit I have always enjoyed. It is quite special and, like many tracks, gives good grip, which is something I appreciate. The atmosphere is always unique, too, a bit like Le Mans. My win at Lohéac last year was simply unforgettable.”
TIMETABLE (local times)
Friday, September 2
4:00pm: Qualifying order draw
Saturday, September 3
10:30am: Free Practice
2:00pm: Qualifying 1
4:00pm: Qualifying 2
Sunday, September 4
8:00am: Warm up
9:10am: Qualifying 3
11:20am: Qualifying 4
3:00pm: semi-finals and final
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS (AFTER 7 ROUNDS)
FIA World Rallycross Championship – Drivers
1. Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3), 161 pts
2. Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 157 pts
3. Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS), 132 points
4. Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 129 pts
5. Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 121 pts
6. Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 105 pts
7. Toomas Heikkinen (EKS, Audi S1), 99 pts
8. Timur Timerzyanov (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 67 pts
9. Robin Larsson (Robin Larsson, Audi A1), 62 pts
10. Anton Marklund (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 59 pts
11. Janis Baumanis (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 59 pts
12. Kevin Eriksson (Olsberg MSE, Ford Fiesta ST), 57 pts
13. Davy Jeanney (Peugeot-Hansen Academy, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 48 pts
FIA World Rallycross Championship – Teams
1. EKS, 256 pts
2. Team Peugeot Hansen, 226 pts
3. Volkswagen RX Sweden, 188 pts
TV COVERAGE
Broadcast in 120 countries à http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/article/tvlisting. The semi-finals and final will be broadcast live in France on L’Equipe 21 and in Sweden on SVT.