RallycrossRX Finland Day One

British driver Liam Doran arrived late to the event in Kouvola this morning having travelled non-stop from the UK to get to the Finnish circuit. Doran’s Citroen DS3 had to undergo an extensive rebuild following a huge shunt that put him out of the event in Hungary just two weeks ago.

Given dispensation to scruiteneer the car outside the administration window, Doran only managed four laps of practice this morning, although he did set second fastest time. Fastest time in the first heat was followed by third fastest in the second, to put the Citroen DS3 driver on top of the table at the end of day one.

Second is Tanner Foust who returns to the series this weekend and had two clean races, setting second time in heat one. For heat two the American was involved in the fastest race of the weekend, with both Doran and third placed man Petter Solberg, who was fastest overall in the second heat.

Toomass Heikkinen is fourth overall on his first event in the European championship in over eighteen months. Timur Timerzyanov and Davey Jeanney are equal on points at this stage in fifth and sixth, ahead of Andreas Bakekrud who is having a much better weekend here, including a fight to the line with Petter Solberg in heat one, only just loosing out to the WRC star. Timmy Hansen lies in eight position, yet to have a clean run when he isn’t engrossed in a battle.

Alexander Hvaal got badly held up in the first heat when he took an early joker and re-caught local Finnish driver Ari Karttuenen who’s Skoda Fabia was suffering enough of a miss-fire to slow him down but not enough to slow him to a point where Hvaal could make a clean move past. The second heat also involved a close fight that slowed Hvaal down, racing Jussi-Petteri Leppihalme hard slowing the pair. Leppihalme himself isn’t having as good as run as he might have hoped at his home circuit. A clean run in heat one was followed by that fight with Hvaal in heat two, only to pick up a mechanical problem at the end of the final lap of the race, ruining his time. He lies fifteen overnight.

Brian Deegan hasn’t had a great first day on his RallycrossRX debut, a puncture in heat one put him out, forcing him to start in the first race run for heat two against local driver Atro Maata, who made the better start and ultimately held Deegan up although the fans enjoyed the giant killing episode. Mats Lysen sits just behind Deegan in eighteenth, his second heat ended as soon as it started with rear diff failure as the lights went green.

Andy Scott got removed from race two on the run to the first corner, being spun out into the gravel on the outside. He did get his Peugeot 208 going and finished the race, albeit a way behind the rest of the field.

Stig-Olov Walfridson’s day ended in the wall on the last lap of his race in heat two, Finnish driver Toni Lukander catching Walfridson’s Clio over the jump, making contact with the rear of the Renault pushing it wide. An optimistic move up the inside followed, hitting Walfridson in the side and forcing him hard into the wall, where he stayed with suspension damage.

Eric Faren leads the Super1600 field overnight having been fastest in heat one. He wasn’t quickest in heat two, but it was involved in one of the closest races of the season so far, against Vadim Makarov, Ildar Rakmatulin, Ulrik Linnemann, who incidentally line up behind the Citroen C2 driver on the leaderboard at the end of the day. Timur Shigaboutdinov is having a better run in Finland, and lies fifth, ahead of team mate and round three winner Renis Nitiss.

Irish Ford Fiesta driver Derek Tohill who won heat one by three tenths of a second and heat two by over four seconds from Robin Larsson. Round three winner Daniel Lundh is third ahead of super committed Czech driver Roman Castoral. Koen Pauwels stopped during heat two, smoke pouring from the rear of his car, giving the tell tail signs of terminal engine failure.

JRX is headed by Kevin Hansen ahead of Magda Andersson and William Nilsson.

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