Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

World RX travels to Asia for round 11 at Intercity Istanbul Park - video preview

With a 35-point lead over Timmy Hansen, it’s possible that current leader Petter Solberg could wrap up his second drivers’ title this weekend.

Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden

Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden

Volkswagen Motorsport

Podium: winner Petter Solberg, second place Johan Kristoffersson, third place Timmy Hansen
Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot Hansen
Podium: winner Petter Solberg, second place Johan Kristoffersson, third place Timmy Hansen
Winner Petter Solberg, SDRX Citroën DS3 RX
Winner Petter Solberg, SDRX Citroën DS3 RX
Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden
Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot Hansen
Petter Solberg, SDRX Citroën DS3 RX with an FC Barcelona jersey
Petter Solberg, SDRX CitroÎn DS3 RX
Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot Hansen
Petter Solberg, SDRX CitroÎn DS3 RX
Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden
Race winner Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot-Hansen
Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden
Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Team Sweden
Petter Solberg, SDRX CitroÎn DS3 RX
Race winner Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot-Hansen

The FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy will return to Asia this weekend as a total of 21 Supercars and ten RX Lites will compete at the Intercity Istanbul Park, the former home of the Turkish Formula One race. The track, which first opened in 2005, straddles the Pendik and Tuzla districts in eastern Istanbul which has a combined population of more than 800,000 people.

With a 35-point lead over Timmy Hansen plus a total of 30 maximum points available in Istanbul, it’s possible that current leader Petter Solberg could wrap up his second drivers’ title this weekend.

I’m feeling very excited about Turkey, a little nervous but just counting down the days until my first World RX race,

Kristian Sohlberg

“Standing on the top step of the podium in Barcelona reminded me how much I’d missed it,” admitted Solberg. “There’s no doubt that the racing has been getting harder and harder as the season has progressed. You look at what the likes of Peugeot is doing with the car and the effort going into the 208, but we haven’t been standing still either. Every time the team gets back to Torsby, we get our heads down and study every aspect of the car to look for more development and more speed.”

In addition to the 18 permanent World RX drivers comprising of eight two-car teams and two individual entries at the 11th round of World RX, Euro RX front-runners Albatec Racing will field a Peugeot 208 Supercar for Finnish rally star Kristian Sohlberg. The rallycross newcomer joined the team for national championship events in France and Great Britain earlier in the season.

“I’m feeling very excited about Turkey, a little nervous but just counting down the days until my first World RX race,” explained the former WRC driver. “I’ve been watching video footage of the track, but apart from that it’s all new to me, though I have heard it’s very nice and the gravel part is very slippery! I’ve also increased my physical training. Sports and training is in my daily routine anyway, but I have done extra in preparation.”

Also driving a Peugeot 208, but run by Hansen Talent Development, will be Latvia’s Janis Baumanis. Currently leading the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Super1600, Baumanis recently claimed the Estonian Rallycross Championship title at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Supercar. Turkey RX will mark Baumanis’ third appearance of the season for the Hansen Talent Development squad. Norway’s Alexander Hvaal, a two-time Euro RX event winner, will race his Citroen DS3 at the event, run by Swedish team JC Race Teknik.

RX Lites

The RX Lites Cup supports the World Championship this weekend, where RX Talent Search winner Tom Onslow-Cole will make his rallycross debut. The former British Touring Car Championship race winner turned GT driver beat 11 other finalists on the eve of the British round of World RX to win his prize of a drive at Istanbul Park.

“I cannot wait,” said the British driver who will race for the Olsbergs MSE team alongside regular driver and championship contender, Kevin Eriksson. “The races are so action-packed and adrenaline-fuelled. When I watch at home I can’t sit still… to be a part of it is already giving me a huge buzz! Tanner invited me to Lydden Hill a couple of years ago and I stood on the bank thinking I have got to have a go at this. So, when the MSA invited people to apply for the shootout, I couldn’t reply quick enough.”

Driving for the Toksport WRT team, Khalid Al-Suwaidi will make his rallycross debut and becomes the first Qatari to compete in RX. Al-Suwaidi currently competes in the Middle East Rally Championship and also contested the Bosphorus Rally in July, but retired with mechanical problems. In 2013, Al-Suwaidi finished second overall in the Qatar Rally Championship with two wins to his name.

Kenya’s Tejas Hirani made his RX Lites debut at Barcelona but will be more familiar with the Istanbul Park circuit for his second event, having taken part in the RX Lites test day at the venue last December. He joins Al-Suwaidi in the Toksport WRT team.

The Polish Lotto Team will field cars for Krzysztof Holowczyc and Martin Kaczmarski, while Norwegian regulars Simon Wago Syversen and Joachim Hvaal will race for Set Promotion and JC Race Teknik respectively.

Sweden’s Kevin Hansen currently leads the championship by nine points over 2014 champion Kevin Eriksson, while 2015 newcomer Thomas Bryntesson has been the driver recently on form and is now just six points behind Eriksson in third.

Since the previous World RX round in Barcelona, World RX Team Austria’s Max Pucher has become the Austrian Rallycross Champion in Supercar while Manfred Stohl finished third in the Chinese Rally Henan Denfeng, a round of the Chinese Rally Championship. Meanwhile, Ford Olsbergs MSE driver Reinis Nitiss has been getting some extra seat-time as he competed in the season-closing round of the Baltic Touring Car Championship over the weekend. Team Volkswagen Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson rounded off a perfect season in Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia with the Portugal RX winner taking an impressive 13 race wins – the maximum possible throughout the season.

FIA World Rallycross

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article EKS adds Andrew Jordan to its line-up for Italy RX
Next article Sweden’s Hansen leads Turkey RX after day one

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia