Timmy Hansen: Royal Medal A “Big Statement About Rallycross”

Timmy Hansen has been awarded a medal from Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. The Swedish driver said he was “super honoured” to have been given the medal for winning the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The ceremony, which included a medal for compatriot and fellow World Championship winner Johan Kristoffersson, had been delayed due to Covid 19.

Speaking to The Checkered Flag, Hansen said “it was of course an honour to visit the castle here in Sweden, to meet the Prince and to get such a medal…it was a great experience and I feel super honoured to receive it.”

When considering what his achievement meant for the sport as a whole, Hansen added the medal is a “big statement about rallycross as a sport. It’s a big sport and is being considered one of the top motorsports in the world. I’m happy to be part of that and I’m happy to represent rallycross in a room like that in the castle!”

It is not the first time the Hansen family has won such a medal. Timmy’s Father, rallycross legend and 14 time European Rallycross Champion Kenneth Hansen, won the award back in 2007, and this new medal will take pride of place “in the workshop next to Dad’s.”

Hansen won the title on countback after finishing the ten-round season tied on 211 with Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud. The title came down to the final race at Killarney Motor Racing Complex in Cape Town, South Africa.

On the first lap, Hansen made a move on Bakkerud up the inside at the hairpin, and, as both drivers tried to get their cars turned in, the pair came together. Hansen span while Bakkerud was able to carry on relatively unscathed.

It looked like Bakkerud had the title in the bag. Hansen, however, fought back and managed to finish the race in fourth place, just enough to tie with Bakkerud and secure the World RX title.

Hansen Motorsport Peugeot 208. Credit: Rallycross Promoter GmbH / Red Bull Content Pool

Having narrowly lost out on a second title to Kristoffersson in 2021, again on countback, Hansen will be one of the favourites going into the new all-electric era of World RX. Hansen Motorsport will be using a familiar platform of a Peugeot 208, but this time re-engineered so that it is powered by the an electric powertrain from Kreisel Electric, generating the equivalent of 680bhp.

The 2022 World RX Championship gets underway at the Magic Weekend in Höljes on 02/03 July.