Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Mettet World Rallycross: Kristoffersson wins for Solberg's VW team

Johan Kristoffersson scored the first win for Petter Solberg's new Volkswagen-affiliated World Rallycross Championship programme at Mettet in Belgium, after a last-gasp puncture for Peugeot driver Timmy Hansen

Though Kristoffersson had been quick throughout the qualifying stages this weekend, he looked an unlikely winner of the final until the last lap.

The PSRX Polo driver started the main event on row two, behind his team-mate Solberg and Hansen, winners of the two semis.

Solberg led the final until running wide at the last corner on the second lap, giving Hansen a run on him.

While trying to fend the Peugeot off, Solberg slid wide again and only just avoided the outside tyre wall.

As he rejoined, Solberg made contact with Andreas Bakkerud at the entry to the jump - sending Bakkerud's Ford Focus into the tyre wall and giving it race-ending damage.

Solberg continued and joined Kristoffersson in pushing early-joker-taker and championship leader Mattias Ekstrom for second as Hansen edged away with the intention of leaving his joker to the last moment.

Ekstrom resisted Kristoffersson until the final lap, and second place then became first for the PSRX driver when the front-left tyre on Hansen's Peugeot 208 punctured over the jump on the final lap.

While Kristoffersson picked up the win, Hansen limped to the finish line neck and neck with Solberg - claiming second position by 11 thousandths of a second.

Ekstrom finished fourth ahead of Kevin Eriksson, and Kristoffersson's win has brought Ekstrom's championship lead down to just three points.

Nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb missed out on a place in the final.

Loeb had a 360-degree spin at the first corner of the first semi-final, following side-by-side contact with Eriksson over the circuit's jump and hitting the wall on the outside.

Carrying damage on his Peugeot 208, Loeb battled back to challenge for a top-three position and entry to the final but his car slowed after the hairpin on the fifth lap.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Mettet World Rallycross: Kristoffersson edges ahead of Solberg
Next article Mikko Hirvonen to test World RX Mini at Silverstone circuit launch

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe