Johan Kristoffersson (S) won a dramatic fourth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship (WRX) to claim victory number three of the season. The reigning world champion won the qualifying and the semi-final, before converting pole position into another victory in the final.
However, what may sound like a stroll in the park was actually far from it: In the semi-final, Kristoffersson collided with his team-mate from PSRX Volkswagen Sweden, Petter Solberg (N) at the start – with far-reaching consequences. Kristoffersson took out the tyre wall in turn one, while Solberg suffered a puncture on his rear-right tyre.
When the semi-final was started for a second time, Kristoffersson raced to victory in his lightly damaged Volkswagen Polo R Supercar. Solberg, meanwhile, was forced to retire midway through the ‘semi’ with a damaged powertrain following the earlier collision. In the final, Kristoffersson took an early lead and fought hard to hang on for the win.
Kristoffersson has now extended his overall lead by five points to 14, ahead of Sébastien Loeb (F, Peugeot). Solberg is fourth in the championship, 25 points behind his team-mate. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden continues to top the Team competition – 22 points clear of EKS Audi Sport. Round five of the WRX season takes place in a fortnight’s time (09–10 June 2018) in Hell (Norway).
Johan Kristoffersson (S), Volkswagen Polo R Supercar #1 : « Awesome. I started the day in sixth place this morning, then picked up two wins in the heats to qualify in first place. The semi-final was tough and everything went very quickly – I have to pay a big compliment to the guys, who put the car back on the grid in excellent condition. I had to produce my best laps of the weekend in the final, in order to stay out in front. And I just about managed to do so. »
Press Release VW,