Seven days in rallycross, May 8

No question about the big story of the week, the first ever World Championship event for rallycross was run at Montalegre in Portugal where Petter Solberg took his first event win since 2005 and etched his name into the record books once again. The event and Solberg’s win is covered in detail in the preceding four stories and our new review gallery.

Team Peugeot Hansen unveiled its new Peugeot 208 Supercars in the Montalegre paddock. The official Peugeot squad had tested at Dreux on the way to the event, and was in good shape when it wheeled out its Red Bull-backed machines for the first time. “World RX is a new era for motors port. It is very fast and easy for TV but still great motorsport. We have a strong team for the coming season with a pair of very talented drivers: Timur is very experienced, he is already a champion and Timmy is a young pilot with a great potential,” said Peugeot Sport Director Bruno Famin.

In France there was a sensational outcome to the first round of the national championship, Super1600 champion Jean-Baptiste Dubourg winning at Essay in his first Supercar outing. In a spectacularly successful day, Dubourg’s younger brother, Andrea claimed the Super1600 victory. While there were new winners in the top two classes, Division Three was taken by Florent Bedeneau (MINI) who led home Guy Moreton (Citroen C2) and Sebastien Le Ferrand (Peugeot 306) was best of the two-litre front-drive Division Four field.

The Norwegian champoionship started at the Grenland Motorsportsenter where Stian Haugan (Citroen Xsara) began the year with victory over Herbjorn Haug (Mercedes) and Rune Engesvoll (Lexus). Stein Svardal (Mazda RX7) won the two-litre class ahead of the RX8 of Rudi Rossland and Trond Marthinsen (Citroen Saxo) topped the Super1600 order. Ole Markus Helbostad Jorgen (VW Golf) won the Junior class (and the longest name competition).

With star driver Jacques Villeneuve otherwise engaged in the Indy 500, Albatec Racing has recruited Davy Jeanney to drive at Lydden in round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Unable to secure a full season drive in 2014, Jeanney is continuing to work towards a 2015 programme. “Not being able to compete in the whole championship gives me extra motivation, it’s like a bonus for me towards next year, and it’s giving me a good opportunity to work on getting really good results, I am really going to be 200% committed, he said”

In Sweden the build up for the first round of the new Supercar Scandinavia series that shares the bill with the STCC at Ring Knutstorp this weekend. PG Andersson will make his first appearance for Marklund Motorsport in the event, the rally man driving a VW Polo in the event as Marklund pushes development of its cars. Meanwhile the KMS-run VW Dealer Team Sweden will run its new Polo for the first time, Johan Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby driving for the team which will square up to OMSE drivers  Daniel Holten and Sebastien Eriksson in the overall title race. Supercar Lites accompanies the series and counts rally driver Patrick Flodin among the field of up and coming youngsters and those changing career direction.

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