Seven days in rallycross, October 17

The first proper rallycross event in asia and the penultimate round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship was won by Andreas Bakkerud, the Norwegian Ford driver returning to the top step of the podium in a thrilling encounter at Intercity Istanbul Park. Bakkerud and Timmy Hansen, who had dominated proceedings during the event, raced closely throughout the final, Bakkerud making a pass late in the race after forcing an error from his rival. “I’d been with Timmy for most of the event and after the semi-final a friend who was watching on TV at home called me and said that every time I was close, Timmy was looking for me in the mirrors. I was sure that if I could get close to him in the final he’d do the same and perhaps make a mistake,” said Bakkerud. “Timmy had his car setup for asphalt and was quicker there than me but I’d gone more a loose setup and was able to catch him in that section every lap, when he made a little mistake I had my chance!” Toomas Heikkinen placed third, leading the Marklund Motorsport VW squad which regained the lead in the teams championship. Sebastien Eriksson won the accompanying RX Lites category ahead of Kevin Hansen and Janis Baumanis, the latter impressive on his graduation from Super1600. Champion-elect Kevin Eriksson placed fourth in the final round of the series.

Ahead of the WorldRX event in Turkey there was an official launch for the new Spanish round of the championship. BarcelonaRX was launched during a press conference at the RACC. Barcelona’s third FIA World Championship event (it already has F1 and WRC) was heralded by the RACC, FIA President Jean Todt and politicians. “Our city has a passion for motor sports and has hosted renowned international competitions. But we are a modern city and we are aware that events like the Barcelona RX FIA World Rallycross Championship require appropriate venues, such as the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit,” said Deputy Mayor for Sport, adding that “Opting for these events, organising them, carrying them out and enjoying them benefits us all, because above and beyond the promotion of sport in itself, it positions our city as a world leader”.

The final round of the French championship took place at Dreux where 2013 champion Jerome Grosset-Janin returned for his only domestic outing in a year in which he has focused on European competition and reminded everyone firmly why he is the champion. Beating alcomers in the event, Grosset-Janin led home JB Dubourg and Marc Laboulle in the final. Fourth place was sufficient for Fabien Pailler to lift the title by four points over Dubourg, the Peugeot driver finally winning out in the season-long battle between the two. Andrea Dubourg won Super1600 on the day, Laurent Chartrain second ahead of Cyril Raymond who third place was enough for him to finish five points ahead of Dubourg in the title race. Christophe Saunois and Emmanuel Anne were confirmed as champions in Divisions Three and Four. The Renault Twingo Cup was won by Firmin Caddedu, Evan Libner taking the Junior award and Lucie Grosset-Janin (younger sister of Jerome) collecting the Ladies title.

The Belgian national season also closed last weekend with another event at Maasmechelen. Saturday’s regional ‘VAS’ event delivered over 1600cc glory to Jonas Kemps, the BMW driver joining Yves Teelen and Pieter-Jan Willekens as champion. When Jochen Coox was ruled out of the series finale as a result of the big crash that heavily damaged in VW

Scirocco in Germany recently, Ron Snoeck started with the Belgian championship title in his pocket. The Dutch Seat driver won the event, beating compatriots Marcel Ottink and Will Teurlings. Third place was enough for Davy Van Den Branden to secure the Super1600 title while Nick Snoeys took the TouringCar crown, although shortage of entries in the class led to it being combined with the up to two-litre Supernational category – in which Steven Stressens in the new champion. Steve Volders won the over two-litre category ahead of Kristof Bex and Luc Maris, the latter doing enough to secure himself another title.

On the eve of the final round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship, at Croft this weekend, the MDSA has announced that a new contract for the promotion of the British championship has been awarded to a new partnership between BARC and LHMC. “The combined experience and expertise of the BARC and LHMC – allied to the fact that between us, we already operate three of Britain’s premier rallycross venues – means we can truly hit the ground running as we work together to enhance our offering for all of the partners involved in the championship, from teams, drivers and sponsors to the lifeblood of our sport, the fans,” said BARC Business Development Manager Ian Watson.

There’s no substitute for getting out there and watching rallycross live, but if you cannot make it to Croft on Saturday, make time to watch the NGK Masters live, right here

As attention turns towards 2015, Super1600 star Nikita Misyulya has released another of his original promo videos.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqtUnGlbIAA&feature=youtu.be[/tube]

[portfolio_slideshow]