Spain WRX: Hansen maintains lead as qualifying ends

While Kristoffersson had finished top at the Intermediate stage in Loheac, that position in Spain was claimed by Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen, who won his race in Q4 to be second fastest, maintaining his overnight position and claiming 16 championship points.

Hansen was only ninth fastest in Q3 after stalling his Peugeot’s engine at the circuit’s hairpin at the end of the first un-sealed section, which also delayed Petter Solberg.

Championship leader Solberg then ran in an earlier race in Q4. With the circuit being watered between the two sessions, Solberg’s earlier race set a slower overall time and he ended up ninth in Q4, but seventh overall.

Solberg’s title-rival Ekstrom was also slowed by Hansen’s stalled engine in Q3 but followed his compatriot throughout their Q4 race to be third fastest and was third overall.

With Solberg seventh at the Intermediate Classification, Ekstrom moves to just a single point behind Solberg in the championship.

Andreas Bakkerud won the last race of Q3 after passing Solberg and Hansen in the second corner of the race, but couldn’t match the pace of Kristoffersson.

The Norwegian then chased Kristoffersson in their Q4 race having taken an early joker and was fourth fastest, to hold the same position at the Intermediate Classification.

Hansen’s Peugeot-Hansen team mate Sebastien Loeb was second fastest in Q3 following a brilliant launch into the first corner.

Sixth quickest time from the final race of Q2 puts the Frenchman in fifth overall, and will start alongside former WRC rival Solberg on the second row of the grid in semi-final one.

Both privateer Robin Larsson and World RX Team Austria driver Timur Timerzyanov retired from Q4 with damaged sustained from first corner contact in the last race of the qualifying stages, but both will start in the semi-finals if the cars can be repaired in time.

Timerzyanov’s team mate Janis Baumanis has had a much better event than his experiences in Loheac a fortnight ago and will also start in the semi-finals, as will Kevin Eriksson, who missed the Loheac event and Frenchman Davy Jeanney.

Should either Larsson or Timerzyanov not make it onto the grid for the semi-finals, Renis Nitiss and Anton Marklund are the two reserve starters, having qualified in 13th and 14th respectively, the pair having a close race in Q3.

Ken Block didn’t qualify for the semi-finals, his Ford Focus suffered transmission problems in Q3 and the American had to free-wheel to the finish line on the final lap, just breaking the timing beam, before running in an early slippery race in Q4. He ended up 15th.

Guy Wilk’s had a torrid second day of the Spanish event, he failed to start Q3 with the JRM Racing Mini and then had problems leaving the start line in Q4. Wilks finished 19th, only ahead of his team mate Guerlain Chicherit