Kristoffersson goes seven-up in France, Raymond, Nuriev and Eriksson also win at Loheac. Austria, Poland, Bill Gwynne

2 September Johan Kristoffersson continues to show his class and amazing tenacity by racing through the field to take his seventh win of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship at Loheac. EKS pairing Andreas Bakkerud and Mattias Ekstrom occupied the front row of the final grid having each won their semi-final, and led the final. But by mid-distance the writing was on the wall as Kristoffersson closed on the lead duo and third placed Timmy Hansen (Peugeot).

Kristoffersson now has a massive 59 point advantage over Bakkerud in the championship, with just 14 points covering second to sixth places.

Things are tighter in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercar in which Cyril Raymond (Peugeot) led home series debutant Krisztian Szabo (Audi) and defending champion Anton Marklund (VW). Points leader Reinis Nitiss was slowed after contact in the first corner of the final and finished sixth but maintains a 26 point lead over Raymond heading into the final round in Latvia.

In Super1600 Rokas Baciuska qualified on pole in the first event with his new Audi A1 only for mechanical problems to halt the car just metres out of the grid. Aydar Nuriev (Skoda) came through to take the win, sharing the podium with Volland Racing team mates Gergely Marton (Skoda) and Artis Baumanis (Audi).

Henrik Krogstad appeared set for his first RX2 win only to spin his car two corners from home and see the whole pack going flying past before he could rejoin in sixth place. Oliver Eriksson was the greatest beneficiary of Krogstad’s slip, taking his third win of the year. Young Finn Sami-Matti Trogen achieved a personal best second place ahead of Guillaume De Ridder.

2 September After 35 years of racing, and the day before his 50th birthday, Tommy Rustad completed what he expects to be his last rallycross event. “I will not say I’ll never drive again, but I have no motivation to find the budget to race anymore,” said Rustad. “If I’m offered a drive in something, sometime, then I will probably say yes, but I’m not planning to drive regularly any more.” The Norwegian won the FIA European Championship in 2015 (below), the highpoint of a career that includes a 1992 European Rallycross event win, and titles in Swedish, Norwegian and British Touring Car championships.

2 September the fifth round of the Polish Rallycross Championship takes place at Torun where Tomasz Kuchar (Peugeot 208) recovers from a non-start in Q1 to win the event. From fourth on the grid Kuchar quickly takes the lead and heads home pole starter Mikolaj Otto (Mitsubishi Lancer). Pawel Melon (BMW E46) win the Supernational category ahead of Lukas Zoll (BMW E30).

3 September The Austrian championship visits Melk on a wet day where Max Pucher (Fiesta) is top qualifier but loses out in the final as Alois Holler (Focus) comes through to take yet another victory. Christoph Zellhofer (Suzuki Swift) takes the Super1600 win While Lukas Hinterberger (BMW E36) and Martin Jakubowics (Renault Clio RS) win in the over two-litre and up to two-litre TouringCar classes.

5 September It is announced that Bill Gwynne has died. A successful rally driver and pioneer of the rally school, rallycross was not Gwynne’s natural habitat but he was an early supporter of Andrew Jordan’s career and mentored the young racer. Gwynne’s son Peter operates the Swift Sport Series in British RX, so there remained a family link to rallycross.

Pics: Johan Dingenen / Baciuska / RX2 / World RX / RallycrossWorld.com