Marklund top in Finland World rallycross

On a day when being consistency smooth paid off, Anton Marklund topped the order in Finland at the end of day one in the fourth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. The Swede was fourth fastest in heat one, before setting the fastest time in heat two when rain fell just moments before the Supercar races were due to start. As quickly as the rain arrived it left again, leaving a wet but drying track.

“I was pleased to not to any mistakes in the second heat,” said Marklund. “My confidence is getting higher all the time. Sometimes I think it isn’t fair on everybody when the track is drying and the last guys are quickest, but I beat all of the fastest guys. My eyes are set on the top step of the podium for tomorrow.”

Liam Doran finished heat one but with a turbo failure, his slow time putting him in the first race of heat two where he experienced the worst of the wet conditions and was only able to be 12th quickest. With lap times improving by more than two seconds a lap with every race, the final race was easily quickest and the drivers within it fill the head of the field overnight. Championship leader Reinis Nitiss was fastest in heat one. Despite a high speed first corner spin on the final lap, the Latvian recovered to finish in the vastly improving conditions was still able to be fourth fastest and second overall, only place one ahead of Andreas Bakkerud and Timmy Hansen.

Krysztof Skorupski is having his best weekend in Supercar to date at Kouvola, sixth in heat one he was fifth in heat two, running in the penultimate race of the heat the Polish driver was just beaten by Tanner Foust, who is sixth overall at the end of the day. Alexander Hvaal beat team mate Petter Solberg in their heat one race, a slow start for Solberg left him with work to do, while Hvaal was again quicker in heat two, the pair ninth and tenth overall. Jacques Villeneuve is 12th, ahead of Timur Timerzyanov who retired from the fastest heat two race with technical issues. Pontus Tidemand ran dry tyres in heat two, afterwards feeling he should have been on wets, he is 15th while Finland team mate Markus Winkelhock failed to get any further than practice, his Audi S1 suffering engine troubles.

Nikita Misyulya heads the order in Super1600, ahead of Ulrik Linnemann and Norway winner Janis Baumanis, while Kjetil Larsen was fastest twice in TouringCar to head the order despite almost throwing it all away in heat two with a half spin in the penultimate corner. Daniel Lundh was second twice to lie second, while Torleif Lona is in third. Kevin Hansen makes his International rallycross debut out of juniors this weekend, and is top of the RX Lites order despite spinning in the first corner of the first heat and having to recover. Niclas Gronholm, son of two time World Rally Champion Marcus is second overall even though he crashed out of heat two and ending his race in the first corner gravel trap. Simon Olofsson is third.

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