Seven days in rallycross, February 20

Difficult to pick the week’s top story, but measured in significance for rallycross, it must be Volkswagen’s three-year agreement with Marklund Motorsport under which the Swedish team becomes VW’s official rallycross squad. The news comes hard on the heels of announcements from OMSE Ford and Team Peugeot-Hansen and makes Marklund Motorsport the third manufacturer team in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The VW announcement came the day after Ken Block took the wraps off his 2014 event schedule in which the Hoonigan in Chief described his three outings in the FIA World Rallycross Championship as “the most interesting”. Block’s Hoonigan Racing Division has come up with a fresh livery for its Ford Fiestas in 2014, during which Block will also take in the GRC, and selected outings in Rally America, the WRC and his Gymkhana events. he will also take in the Monza Rallysprint (below) alongside Valentino Rossi.

At Mondello Park the Irish Rallycross Championship continued with Declan Kelly taking victory in his Fiesta. Kelly beat the similar car of Thomas O’Rafferty in the Supercar final and then won the Superfinal, this time beating Kieran Curran who made a superb challenge at the wheel of his Supernational Vauxhall Corsa. Pearse Browne (BMW Compact) and Pat Ryan (Vauxhall Nova) were second and third in the Supernational section and then chased Curran again in the Superfinal to place third and fourth overall. John Ward (Peugeot 106) won the Stock Hatch 16v final, the 8v version being won by Damian Farrell (Peugeot 205). The new for 2014 Honda Civic class was topped by James Fleming with Jake Dooley best of the Juniors in his Toyota Starlet and Peter O’Brien (Peugeot 205) the Rally car class winner.

Norwegian Ole Habjorg will race a Supercar for the first time in 2014. Habjorg has struck a deal to drive the four-cylinder Renault Clio used by Mats Lysen in the Norwegian and Swedish rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Habjorg will also take in national events in the car and hopes to add further WorldRX events to his programme. The Trondheim-based racer has never taken in a full international programme, but is highly regarded in the TouringCar category where he has won events.

In France, Fabien Grosset-Janin, younger brother of 2013 champion Jerome, is to move up from the one-make Renault twingo series and will drive Chanoine Competition’s Dacia Sandero in Super1600 this year. “I felt comfortable int he car when I tested it at the end of last year. Super1600 was my aim for 2014 and being able to stay with Chanoine Competition, a team I know well, means I have one less thing to learn. The class has a lot of good drivers, so my goal is to be competitive in the class,” said Grosset-Janin.

Also stepping up to Super1600 in 2014 is Twingo Cup champion Cyril Raymond who will drive a Renault Twingo with the Olymeca team that has released pictures of the new car in-build.

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