Eriksson wins for OMSE, Munnich gets DS3 & Hirvonen set for Silverstone test

Sebastien Eriksson scored the first ever victory for the OlsbergsMSE team’s Honda Civic Coupe Supercar at the second round of the American-based Global Rallycross Championship at Louisville. The Swede fended off Steve Arpin, who challenged for victory out of the final corner, the pair coming out on top of a four-way fight for victory with Volkswagen Andretti’s Scott Speed and Tanner Foust who were third and fourth. Mitchell De Jong was fifth in a second Civic, with Austin Dyne (Ford Fiesta) sixth, Oliver Eriksson (Honda Civic) seventh and Cabot Bigham (Ford Fiesta) classified eighth on his second Supercar outing. In the GRC Lites category, Christian Brooks claimed victory ahead of Conner Martell and Gustavo Yacaman. Frenchman Cyril Raymond rolled his car out of contention from second position and was classified ninth.

MJP Racing Team Austria owner and driver Max Puncher (Ford Fiesta) won the fourth round of the Central European Zone Rallycross Championship at Sedlcany in an all Austrian podium. Alois Holler (Ford Focus) was second with Gerald Eder (Skoda Fabia) third. Juraj Balaz (Mitsubishi Evo) and Tristan Ekker (Volkswagen Polo) were the remaining finishers in fourth and fifth as Miroslav Neumann (Mitsubishi Lancer) retired. Jan Ratajasky (Skoda Fabia) won the Super1600 category from Josef Korinek (Skoda Citygo) and Erwin Frieszl (Peugeot 208). Michael Stoklassa (BMW E46) was victorious in the SuperTouringCar+ division and yet again Roman Castoral (Opel Astra) won the SuperTouringCar- category. In the SuperTouringCar-1600 class, it was Daniel Karlovits (Honda Civic) who was quickest.

Rallycross and TouringCar driver Rene Munnich will switch from his Munnich Motorsport-built Seat Ibiza to a PSRX-built Citroen DS3 from the fifth round of the World Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill this weekend. The German driver tested the DS3 recently at Holjes in Sweden and decided to purchase the car. His team will continue to work on the development of its Ibizas alongside running the DS3 in European and World RX events, along with its various other programmes.

Former World Rally Championship star Mikko Hirvonen will test JRM Racing’s Mini RX Supercar at the launch of the new rallycross circuit at Silverstone on Tuesday. JRM is working towards a World RX return in 2018 and will run the car with former works WRC driver Hirvonen at the wheel as part of the SpeedMachine event launch and to conduct testing. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden drivers Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson are also amongst those that will be in attendance.

The first round of the RX Academy series takes place this weekend in Finland, at the Hyvinkaa circuit. 10 drivers from six different countries will take to the grid, including the latest names to be added to the line-up in the last week, Super1600 racer Asa Marie Hvaal and Finnish rallys driver Kristian Kiviniemi and Samuli Vuorisalo.