Portugal WRX: Kristoffersson sweeps opening day

In the first year for the new Volkswagen Motorsport developed Polo GTi Supercar, for the second event in succession Kristoffersson set the fastest time in free practice and Q1 but this time out was able to set the fastest time in Q2 to take a Saturday clean-sweep – his first in the sport. 

Second in every outing to Kristoffersson was his teammate Petter Solberg, as the PSRX team dominated proceedings on the opening day. 

Starting side-by-side in the last race of Q2, the pair split their joker lap strategies, Kristoffersson leading from the front while Solberg was followed by Mattias Ekstrom and Janis Baumanis into the extra-route joker. 

Ekstrom had been the first driver to beat the Montalegre Circuit’s lap record in free practice, before ending up fourth behind the Volkswagens and Peugeot-Hansen’s Timmy Hansen. 

The championship leader won his race in Q1 despite touching an armco barrier and damaging his Audi S1 and made a bid to pass Solberg in the Joker lap of Q2.

The Norwegian fended Ekstrom off, the pair door-handling to the next corner – and the Swede ended fifth at the end of hte opening day.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb fought back from a disappointing weekend at round one in Spain earlier this month to set the third-fastest time and hound Kristoffersson throughout their Q2 race, ending up third overall. 

Kevin Eriksson and Kevin Hansen sandwich Ekstrom in the overnight standings, in fourth and sixth. 

Both Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen and EKS pilot Toomas Heikkinen lost time while battling for position in their Q2 race, Hansen diving up the inside of Heikkinen’s Audi at the tarmac right-hander before the loose section on lap three to take track position. 

Despite suffering from a boost problem in Q1, Hansen is 11th overall, with Heikkinen in 13th.

The Hoonigan Racing Division team had a difficult first day. Ken Block lost time in traffic in Q1 and ended up 15th overall in the Intermediate Classification. 

His teammate Andreas Bakkerud won his race in Q1 and would have been fourth fastest, but for failing to take his joker lap when radio communication with his team failed.

The Norwegian received a 30 second penalty for the offence and was 21st in the standings. Q2 was only marginally better, as the Ford Focus RS RX driver again led his race but punctured his front-right tyre on lap two after hitting a kerb. He heads into the second day 20th overall.