Timmy time

Timmy Hansen practically grew up in the Rallycross paddock, and has driven in events a couple of times; acquitting himself well in a Swift Sport Championship run at Pembrey in late 2010 and then rocking the establishment in France in early 2011 with an accomplished outing in Mtechnologies Citroën Xsara Supercar at Dreux. But his outing in this weekend’s Finnish round of the European championship at Kouvola is special, a land mark in many ways.

With his career at a crossroads, Hansen openly admits he is studying his options for the future, and grasping for the next rung of the formula racing ladder does not really figure in the plan. “I have plenty of options for next year, even if I’ve had a bad season people still see me as a good driver in the formula car world, in touring cars and one of the options that I have is Rallycross,” said Hansen, “It’s time to think about my career now because I don’t want to continue at that level (Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup) anymore, or in the rookie categories in general, I was hoping to be able to win the championship this year but unfortunately we are not even close so I said we will stop and think about what to do next year, I definitely want to take a step up, no matter what I do, it has to be something more serious and some bigger cars. I don’t know what it will, formula cars, touring cars or Rallycross. As Rallycross is today I don’t think I would be that interested to come in, it is a great sport but it feels like it doesn’t go anywhere. But with IMG coming in it’s the start of something very big, so in that case it is interesting to do Rallycross.”

Among the fastest in the free practice sessions, Hansen was forced to sit out the timed practice after an engine mount in his Citroën DS3 broke as the result of a heavy landing on the jump. That left him in the first race of the opening heat, together with Stig-Olov Walfridson and Michael De Keersmaecker who also failed to register in timed practice. “I was first to the corner and thought about aiming for the apex but I was on the outside and thought that Walfridson would be on the inside so perhaps I should leave a car width, then De Keersmaecker made his own space and I was off the road. That’s how it is for the new boy!” said Hansen of the start to the first heat. The incident cost him time and places, and when he regained the road he was stone last. A clean drive from there brought him back to second place, but the time lost at the start left him five-seconds down on Walfridson. At the end of the heat, that translated to 11th place.

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