PREVIEW: 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship – Riga, Latvia

The second and third rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will take place this weekend (03/04 September 2022), as Latvia plays host to the first double-header round of the championship at the historic Biķernieki circuit in the country’s capital, Riga. With each day over the weekend containing a full round of the championship, it promises to be a jam-packed weekend of action for both the teams and the fans.

Situated on the outskirts of Riga in the Biķernieki forest, the circuit has been a popular feature on the WorldRX calendar since 2016. With 12 corners and a length coming in at 1.3km, the track is one of the longest on the calendar, and the narrowness of the track, combined with the ever-present danger posed by the immovable barriers, demands total focus from the drivers with little to no margin for error.

One man well versed in faultless driving is championship leader Johan Kristoffersson. Despite a poor start in his semi-final last time out in Hell, he managed to claim his twenty-eighth career WorldRX win and is surely the man to beat this weekend. With 40 points up for grabs this weekend, he has the potential to massively extend his lead.

A familiar sight to WorldRX fans, but Kristoffersson may not have it all his own way in Riga. Credit: World @ Red Bull Content Pool

Kristoffersson’s problem, however, is that he will be facing a growing threat from all quarters, not least from his own team. His Norwegian teammate, Ole Christian Veiby, finished third in the opening round after a seven-year hiatus from the sport. While he may not yet know the track, it surely won’t take him long to find his way back to the top. Niclas Grönholm definitely won’t have that hurdle to overcome. He secured a spectacular first and second in last year’s Latvian double-header, and the Construction Equipment Dealer Team proved their potential in Norway. This pairing of car and driver may prove to be a thorn in Kristoffersson’s side. Grönholm’s teammate, Klara Andersson, garnered a lot of praise for her debut in Hell and has her eyes firmly set on progressing and maybe even taking her first podium.

And of course, Kristoffersson will have to face his biggest rival of them all, compatriot and fellow world champion Timmy Hansen. Hansen finished second and third here last year, and won in his championship-winning season back in 2019, and is feeling confident that he can replicate that success.

“We have been working so much on getting things even better than we had last time in Norway” Hansen said. “It’s been a busy couple of weeks of analysing, understanding and adapting, so I think we arrive to Riga with a very interesting package.”

All the teams have been working hard to develop their machines as we go through this first year of the RX1e category of all-electric world rallycross machines. It will be fascinating to see who has achieved the most since Norway, and who will end the weekend on top.

The second and third rounds of the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship take place this weekend (03/04 September) in Riga, Latvia.

NO.	DRIVER	NAT.	COMPETITOR	NAT.	CAR
1	Johan KRISTOFFERSSON	SWE	Kristoffersson Motorsport	SWE	Volkswagen RX1e
12	Klara ANDERSSON	SWE	Construction Equipment Dealer Team	SWE	PWR RX1e
17	Gustav BERGSTRÖM	SWE	Gustav Bergström	SWE	Volkswagen RX1e
21	Timmy HANSEN	SWE	Hansen World RX Team	SWE	Peugeot 208 RX1e
52	Ole Christian VEIBY	NOR	Kristoffersson Motorsport	SWE	Volkswagen RX1e
68	Niclas GRÖNHOLM	FIN	Construction Equipment Dealer Team	SWE	PWR RX1e
71	Kevin HANSEN	SWE	Hansen World RX Team	SWE	Peugeot 208 RX1e
77	René MÜNNICH	DEU	ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport	DEU	SEAT Ibiza RX1e

RX1e Entry List