‘Battle of Technologies’ proves spectacular success first time out with Swede outpacing his rivals on home soil at Höljes.
Johan Kristoffersson conquered the conditions to record a 42nd career victory in the FIA World Rallycross Championship today (7 July), as the Swede comprehensively outpaced his rivals on home soil at Höljes.
The sport’s ‘Magic Weekend’ attracted more than 25,000 enthusiastic spectators, and they were treated to a sensational show of wheel-to-wheel action as World RX’s ‘Battle of Technologies’ between electric (EV) and sustainably-fuelled internal combustion (ICE) cars began in earnest.
In contrast to Saturday’s sunny skies, Sunday was characterised by heavy rain – but not even the weather could knock Kristoffersson off his stride. Leading the ICE charge, the KMS – HORSE Powertrain star – who is chasing a seventh career crown at the highest level this year – won his first heat race at a canter and then battled back from a slow start to similarly prevail in heat two.
The rain intensified before the semi-finals, but that only seemed to play further into Kristoffersson’s hands as he dominated by more than 12 seconds – an eternity in rallycross terms. From pole position in the all-important final, he similarly sped clear of the chasing pack, completing a perfect score to build a commanding 22-point championship lead.
“I’m so proud today,” the 35-year-old commented. “The conditions were extremely tricky, as were the launches. I had a little bit too much wheelspin in the final, but I managed to calm myself down and got a very good exit coming off the asphalt onto the gravel which enabled me to come back at Niclas [Grönholm]. This car is a dream to drive in the rain. I’m very happy.”
Grönholm bounced back from missing out on a spot in Saturday’s final by claiming the runner-up trophy 24 hours later for CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment. The Finn briefly looked like posing a threat in the last race of the day, but was ultimately obliged to settle for second in his electric PWE RX1e.
Ole Christian Veiby overcame a stall in the final to carve his way through to third and join stablemate Kristoffersson on the podium, with Hansen World RX Team brothers Kevin and Timmy Hansen sandwiching Gustav Bergström (Kristoffersson Motorsport) in fourth, fifth and sixth – the trio all driving electric cars. Following her starring performance on Saturday, Klara Andersson narrowly failed to advance to the final but remains second in the overall standings.
In the supporting FIA RX2e Championship, reigning title-winner Nils Andersson – competing for KMS ‘junior’ outfit Team E – belatedly celebrated his breakthrough triumph in the all-electric single-spec series, as Patrick O’Donovan repeated his ‘Magic Weekend’ success from 2023 in Euro RX1 and pre-season favourite Nils Volland raced to victory in Euro RX3.
The 2024 World RX campaign continues with another double-header weekend at Nyirád in Hungary – rallycross’ legendary ‘Red Cauldron’ – in three weeks’ time (27-28 July).
FINAL RESULT: WORLD RX
1. Johan KRISTOFFERSSON (SWE) KMS – Horse Powertrain (ICE) 5 laps
2. Niclas GRÖNHOLM (FIN) CE Dealer Team (EV) + 6.451s
3. Ole Christian VEIBY (NOR) KMS – Horse Powertrain (ICE) + 8.193s
4. Kevin HANSEN (SWE) Hansen World RX Team (EV) + 10.194s
5. Gustav BERGSTRÖM (SWE) Kristoffersson Motorsport (EV) + 11.301s
6. Timmy HANSEN (SWE) Hansen World RX Team (EV) + 13.920s
Full results for all categories can be found at www.fiaworldrallycross.com
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About the FIA World Rallycross Championship
An evolution of the popular FIA European Rallycross Championship, the FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) was launched in 2014. Representing the international pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline, the series blends cutting-edge innovation with family-friendly spectator appeal and visits some of the most iconic venues in the sport. In evidence of its commitment to sustainability, World RX entered a new era in 2022 by embracing electric technology, while 2024 heralds the beginning of the ‘Battle of Technologies’, as the championship’s powerful EV cars take on their sustainably-fuelled combustion counterparts on equal terms for the first time.
About Rallycross Promoter GmbH
Rallycross Promoter GmbH, a joint company of Red Bull GmbH and KW25 Beteiligungs GmbH, is responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, including TV production and the marketing of global media and sponsorship rights. The Promoter also has responsibility to increase the field of participants and to propose the venues that form the calendars in the FIA World Rallycross Championship and supporting series.