Kristoffersson Dominates Day 2 In Belgium

Johan Kristoffersson overcame the disappointment of Saturday’s result in emphatic fashion by taking a superb victory in round 6 of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The six-time world champion showed his class by roaring to victory at the Circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet, Belgium, followed by Kevin Hansen, securing his second podium of the weekend, and Kristoffersson’s teammate and podium regular Ole Christian Veiby rounding out the top 3.

The weekend was a battle between KMS – HORSE Powertrain and Hansen World RX Team. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool

Kristoffersson looked peerless all day. In the heats, he got the better of the all-electric Hansen World RX Team cars, claiming victory in both heat races. Meanwhile, Niclas Grönholm recovered from a genuinely disastrous Saturday, when he was unable to hook up his PWR RX1e at all, to take victory in both of his heat races.

In the first semi-final, a great battle raged between Veiby and Saturday’s winner Timmy Hansen. The Peugeot driver found himself squeezed up the inside on the way into turn 1. However, the 2019 world champion refused to give way, leading to a great skirmish as they charged down the hill. Veiby and Hansen battled throughout the rest of the race, allowing Kristoffersson to drive off into the distance.

CE Dealer Team battle against the impressive Pelfrene in his distinct Peugeot 208. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool

Semi-final two came down to a battle of the all-electric cars. Anthony Pelfrene, driver of the internal combustion engine (ICE) Peugeot 208, has demonstrated great pace this weekend but ultimately was unable to defeat Kevin Hansen or the two CE Dealer Team cars on this occasion. The Frenchman gave Hansen a run for his money though, battling throughout the early part of the race. Out front, Grönholm was able to build his lead and head to victory in his semi-final, followed by Hansen and Klara Andersson.

As is so often the case in rallycross, the start of the final was crucial. Kristoffersson managed to keep his nose in front of a very rapid Grönholm into turn 1. Kevin Hansen scampered past Grönholm on the gravel section and did his best to close the gap to Kristoffersson, while Veiby went for his joker lap on lap 2. Kevin Hansen dived into his joker lap on lap 4, pulling off one of the moves of the weekend to get his car back across the track to defend his position from Veiby.

Kristoffersson leading out of the first corner in the final. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool

With the field so closely bunched up, Kevin Hansen attempted to back the field up to allow Timmy through on the last lap, creating another Hansen double-podium, but it wasn’t to be and Timmy had to settle for 5th. Such action-packed racing, however thrilling for the fans, was ultimately most beneficial for Kristoffersson who won the race 4.712 seconds ahead of Kevin Hansen.

Driver Reaction

“I really have to thank the team” the ever-humble Kristoffersson remarked after the race. “We had a good car all weekend and we managed to pull everything together in this semi-final and final. It’s nice to have Ole Christian Veiby on the podium again getting important points for the team. We really have to keep pushing since our competitors are putting in such an incredible job.”

A very happy Kristoffersson after securing victory in Belgium. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool

When asked about the championship, Kristoffersson replied that “it’s small margins. We had some technical issues during the weekend. You just have to be there and try and take the right decisions. I’m happy with my driving this weekend and we just have to keep going like this. Portugal is going to be a tricky weekend, but we will also keep pushing.”

Championship Standings

Kristoffersson’s lead is anything but a small margin. He leads the championship with 153 points, 39 points ahead of his nearest rival, teammate Veiby. Kevin Hansen continues his charge up the standings, now only 4 points behind Veiby with Timmy Hansen just 1 point behind on 109 points in 4th. After a mixed weekend for the CE Dealer Team, Grönholm and Andersson find themselves in 5th and 6th respectively. They will need to bounce back in Portugal to fight for 2nd in the championship.

The next double-header weekend, the World RX of Portugal, takes place on 7/8 September. Be sure to follow The Checkered Flag for reports on all the action.