Johan Kristoffersson has won the 7th round of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship in style in Montalegre, Portugal, with one of the all-time great world rallycross finals. The Swedish superstar overcame the odds to secure yet another victory, followed home by Niclas Grönholm and Kevin Hansen.
Kristoffersson certainly did not have everything his own way. Following a dramatic semi-final, in which he sustained a rear left puncture and consequentially significant damage to the rear of the car generally, there was serious doubt as to whether his Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX would be able to take to the final grid at all. However, the team at KMS – HORSE Powertrain worked wonders in the short break between the races, getting the car ready, not only to race, but to take victory.
Kristoffersson in the dust and gravel. Credit: Mihai Stetcu / Red Bull Content Pool
Race Report
World rallycross’s return to Portugal was set to be a stunning event and a crucial battleground in the “Battle of Technologies,” pitting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars up against their electric counterparts. The received wisdom before the event was that the long straights and fast, flowing corners should favour the electric vehicles.
Indeed, electric cars were leading into the first corner in every heat race. Despite pressure from the two Hansen World RX Team drivers, it was Kristoffersson in his ICE Polo that took wins in both of his heats. In the other heats, it was Grönholm in the electric CE Dealer Team car that claimed victory on both occasions.
A familiar sight on Saturday as Niclas Grönholm leads into the first corner. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool
In the first semi-final, it was Kristoffersson versus Kevin Hansen. Hansen defended mightily from a storming Kristoffersson, with Kristoffersson struggling with very poor visibility thanks to the dust being thrown up. Following the tyre issues, Kristoffersson was in a battle with Anthony Pelfrene. The French driver put in a superb drive to haul in and overtake the ailing Kristoffersson, but unfortunately a racing incident in the final sector saw Pelfrene spin out of contention for a spot in the final.
In semi-final two, once again Grönholm was the man to beat, securing a great victory while battles raged behind. Timmy Hansen and Ole Christian Veiby were locked together for most of the race before a rare mistake from Hansen saw him run wide in the gravel section. Veiby did not need asking twice and slid through to take second.
Kristoffersson battles Kevin Hansen. Credit: @World / Red Bull Content Pool
The final started as all the other races had with the electrics, spearheaded by Grönholm, taking the lead into the first corner. Kristoffersson slotted his Polo into second to set up a battle royale for the win. At the end of the first lap, Timmy Hansen, with extremely poor visibility, ran wide out of the final chicane, ending up in the wall and out of the race. Kevin Hansen, however, completed his Joker on lap 1, staying out of trouble.
Kristoffersson and Grönholm battled hard for the rest of the race. When Kristoffersson dived into his Joker lap on lap 4, he almost collided with Hansen on the merge but just about managed to stay out of trouble, giving him free track to charge down after Grönholm. In a display of why he is the championship leader and a six-time world champion, Kristoffersson did just enough to squeeze out ahead of Grönholm once all the Joker laps were complete. Grönholm in turn battled hard all the way to the line, with Kevin Hansen coming home in third.
Driver Reaction
“This was really a team victory” enthused Kristoffersson after the final. “Since we arrived here a couple of weeks ago, we’ve been looking into everything we can do to be as fast as possible here. What a great car, so enjoyable to drive around here. The semi-final didn’t go my way. Kevin did a great job, he was quick in the semi-final. I had a good turn 1 in the final. Niclas had great pace. I just managed to be a little bit faster through the Joker I think. What a team effort to get the car back on grid!“
The podium (L-R): Gronholm, Kristoffersson, and Kevin Hansen. Credit: Mihai Stetcu / Red Bull Content Pool
Championship Update
With just 3 rounds left in the championship, Kristoffersson now looks untouchable. He has 181 points with Kevin Hansen in second, 48 points adrift on 133. The battle for second is where things remain spicy. Hansen is just 3 points ahead of Veiby, who is himself just 3 points ahead of Grönholm, with Timmy Hansen just 4 points behind him. Ten points separate 2nd and 5th in the championship.
The Battle of Technologies is proving less to be ICE versus electric and more Kristoffersson versus everyone else. Round 8 of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship takes place on Sunday 8 September.