Pailler wins at Kerlabo on French championship return

Reigning French rallycross champion Fabien Pailler made a one-off return to the series at Kerlabo in the Pailler Competition Peugeot 208 he is contesting the FIA European Rallycross Championship with this season, and won. The team’s victory at the championship’s seventh round marks three Supercar victories from three appearances, Pailler’s win following that of Cyril Raymond and Francois Duval earlier in the year. Pailler won the Supercar final ahead championship protagonists Gaetan Serazin (Peugeot 208) and Christophe Wilt (Citroen DS3), the result closing the gap between the pair at the top of the table to just three points. Wilt still leads. Fabien Chanoine (Renault Clio) won his semi-final and finished fourth in the final. Championship leader Laurent Chartrain (Citroen C2) won in Super1600 ahead of the similar car of Maximilien Eveno. In Division Three, Guy Moreton (Citroen DS3) claimed victory after overhauling championship leader Christophe Saunois (Toyota Corolla). Saunois led at the Intermediate Classification but it was fifth placed Moreton who climbed highest in the final stages of the event to win his second round of the year. The pair are now separated by seven points in the championship race. Emmanuel Anne (Renault Clio) won Division Four, bringing Steven Lefrancois’ run of consecutive victories to an end. Lefrancois (Peugeot 206) finished sixth and maintains the championship lead. Jean-Baptiste Vallee won the Twingo R1 Cup category ahead of series leader Tom Daunat.

Edmons Dzigurs won the standard class at the sixth round of the Lada Cup in Latvia. Held on the Birzi rallycross circuit, Dzigurs beat Ugis Traubergs to victory while third place finisher Sigmar Tammemgi fended off the attentions of World RX star Reinis Nitiss for much of a race. A number of World Rallycross paddock members competed in the event: Guy Wilks finished seventh, Andreas Bakkerud rolled out of his semi-final, journalist Hal Ridge finished 17^th while Janis Baumanis and Toomas Heikkinen finished 30^th and 32^nd respectively. World RX TV commentator Andrew Coley finished 37^th after the four heats. Kristaps Grunte won the open category ahead of Martins Lapins and Arnis Odins. A full insight into the Lada Cup weekend will be uploaded to RallycrossWorld.com on Friday.

The American-based Global Rallycross Championship held it’s second double-header of the season, this time at Belle Isle in Detroit, where Ken Block and Patrik Sandell claimed a victory each in their respective Ford Fiestas. Sandell had led the final on the first day, but was forced out with driveshaft issues. Block passed the Swede to win his third event of the season, joined on the podium by Scott Speed (VW Beetle) and Sebastien Eriksson (Ford Fiesta). Nelson Piquet (Ford Fiesta) started on pole for Sunday’s final while Sandell again qualified for the front row. Chaos ensued in the opening two corners, leaving Tanner Foust’s VW Beetle stuck on the racing line. Block was handed a ‘rough driving penalty’ for his part in the incident. Sandell led from start to finish, while Speed and Eriksson again finished on the podium. In the GRC Lites category, Tanner Whitten and Miles Maroney took a win each, while OlsbergsMSE driver Austin Cindric twice finished on the podium.

The fourth round of the RallyX Nordic championship visits the Westombanan circuit in Arvika this weekend, where Swede Per Eklund will race his team’s recently completed Volkswagen Beetle Supercar at his local event, following the new machine’s debut at the Holjes round of World RX at the start of July. Having won the first three rounds of the season, Kevin Eriksson leads the Sweden-based series. In the Supercar Lites division, Latvian driver Reinis Nitiss will join the field as a warm up for the seventh round of World RX in Canada next week. The fourth round of the Estonian Rallycross Championship also takes place this weekend at Poltsamaa.

[portfolio_slideshow]