PoloDriver

In a similar performance to that at the second round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship, both Volkswagen RX Sweden Polo RXs were among the front-runners at the third round of the series, the World RX of Belgium at Mettet. Both the 600bhp rallycross Polo Supercars of Johan Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund made it to the Supercar final at the 1.1km Circuit Jules Tacheny.

Fastest time
Kristoffersson once again – as at Hockenheim – set the winning pace in the Free Practice sessions on day one, and claimed the fastest time. The Swedish driver started form third on the grid in the Supercar final on day two, but a technical issue with his Polo meant he failed to capitalise on his prominent grid position.

Marklund meanwhile stormed into the lead and the first corner from the third row of the grid in the same race, and was awarded the Monster Energy Supercharge award. With both Volkswagen RX Sweden cars in the Supercar final, the team has closed the gap in the overall teams’ standings with 83 points. Kristoffersson’s sixth overall performance in Mettet leaves him third in the drivers’ championship points table, while Marklund’s fourth puts him 11th in the individual standings.

‘Good confidence’
Kristoffersson was pleased with his Polo RX’s speed: ‘I had a pretty good feeling through the whole weekend. I like the track in Belgium and I know the car suits it well. I came here with good confidence, we had the speed to win both of the first two events and I knew we would have the pace here.

‘Me and Anton finished side-by-side in Q1 but after that in every race I started in a worse position. The start at Mettet is so crucial: it’s just so competitive now. I was driving within myself and we used new tyres for the semi-final and things were looking pretty good. It feels like we still have a big headwind but the team is really great and we know we have the speed, so that is very positive.’

Marklund was pleased with his best result of the season: ‘The pace has been really good all weekend. The guys worked so hard on the car between the races and our engine guys have done some really good work this weekend. We made a brilliant start from the last row, but after a small mistake at the chicane on the back straight we slipped down the placings. That’s where I lost a podium finish. Fourth is really good but the pace was there for the podium.’

EKS’ Mattias Ekstrom lead the 49-car Supercar field to victory at the World RX of Belgium. The fourth round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Great Britain, takes place at Lydden Hill in Kent from 27-29 May.

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 78
2 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 73
3 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 58
4 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 46
5 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 38

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 124
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 83
3 Team Peugeot Hansen: 77
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 43
5 World RX Team Austria: 39

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]

After a strong start last month at the opening round in Portugal, Volkswagen RX Sweden drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund were out of luck at the World RX of Hockenheim, the second round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship. Kristoffersson made the second semi-final and finished seventh overall at the event on 6-8 May, while Marklund was 15th.

Best results
Kristoffersson again showed the potential of the 600bhp Polo RX, the Swedish driver achieving the best results in the qualifying races, resulting in pole position in the second semi-final. The Volkswagen RX Sweden driver was second at the end of the first day of action at the iconic Formula 1 circuit. He also pulled off a killer move in the second round of qualifying by turning a spin into a leading move, soaring past other cars into the lead.

In that second semi-final, Kristoffersson’s Bauhaus-livered Polo got struck by championship leader Petter Solberg, though, which resulted in tyre and bodywork damage. However, the young Swede was still keen to put on a show for the assembled spectators at the 1.24km-long German track – which was also host to a round of the DTM the same weekend – and managed to retain the lead until the end of the fifth lap. He missed out on making the final by just one place, finishing fourth.

Poor grid position
Anton Marklund meanwhile was hampered by a poor grid position in Q1 and traffic in the majority of his races. Additionally, an incident with another car in Q1 made Marklund’s task even harder and he was forced to run in early qualifying races throughout the weekend, when the track was at its slowest. He was unable to fufill his potential and missed out on a place in the semi-finals.

EKS’ Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1 was the victor at the popular German circuit. In the overall drivers’ points table, Kristoffersson is now fourth with 39 points, while Marklund is 14th with nine points.Volkswagen RX Sweden remain second with 48 points in the team standings. The next round of the series – the World RX of Belgium – takes place on 13-15 May at Mettet in Belgium.

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 48
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 48
3 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 45
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 39
5 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 34

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 93
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 48
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 40
4 Team Peugeot Hansen: 39
5 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 26

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]

The 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship kicked off on 16-17 April with the first round of the 2016 series, the World RX of Portugal. Volkswagen RX Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson found himself in third place in the overall drivers’ championship by the end of the – very muddy – action at Montalegre. Victory at the Portuguese 1.52km circuit went to former WRC ace Petter Solberg.

Sixth place
However, qualifying heats round one (Q1) winner Kristoffersson was awarded the Monster Energy Super Charge Award, after beating his competitors to the first corner of one of the semi-final races. The Swede ended the event in overall sixth place, but points amassed through setting fastest times in both the qualifying heats and one semi-final saw him higher in the overall standings.

Kristoffersson failed to match his 2015 World RX of Portugal win following an on-track collision with Solberg when the current World Rallycross champion exited his joker lap. The smash broke one of the Swedish driver’s driveshafts on his Polo RX Supercar.

For the 2016 series, the four timed qualifying rounds previously known as heats – which determine each driver’s position at the intermediate classification – are now called Qualifying. This is to fall in line with other World Championships run by the FIA. The four rounds will be called Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 for 2016.

Polo RX potential shown
Kristoffersson’s Volkswagen RX Sweden team-mate Anton Maryland took his 600bhp Polo RX through to one of the semi-final races but failed to qualify to the last race itself. However, with both drivers scoring highly, the potential of the latest 1.9-seconds-to-62mph Polo RX was shown in Montalegre. Volkswagen RX Sweden is currently second in the teams’ championship overall standings.

The next round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of Hockenheim, which takes place on 6-8 May at the legendary F1 circuit.

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citröen DS3: 29
2 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 21
3 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 21
4 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 20
5 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 20

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 39
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 28
3 Team Peugeot Hansen: 26
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 20
5 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 12

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]

Polo-based rallycross teams Marklund Motorsport and Volkswagen Team Sweden have joined forces to contest the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship, using their star drivers to guarantee success. The newly-formed Volkswagen RX Sweden team will field Anton Maryland and Johan Kristoffersson to pilot a pair of 600bhp Polo RX Supercars.

Championship-winning potential
It’s a return of sorts to Marklund Motorsport for Marklund, who contested the 2014 series under the wing of his father’s team – the outfit finished second in both the drivers’ and teams’ points tables the same year. Kristoffersson meanwhile shows championship-winning potential, coming third in the 2015 drivers’ championship standings.

Bosses of the new team, Jan Marklund and Tommy Kristoffersson, back the new collaboration. ‘We already discussed a merger last year, but we never got around to it,’ explained Marklund, father of Anton. ‘Now we will be added to the mix of Volkswagen’s official involvement and our joint goal for 2016 is very clear.’

‘Long-term involvement’
Kristoffersson senior – father of Johan – will be the general manager of the new team and Michael Schneider has been appointed team manager after having performed the same role at Marklund Motorsport last year: ‘Pooling our resources enables us to provide the stable platform of infrastructure and competence that is required for professional, long-term involvement.’

Jost Capito, Technical Director at Volkswagen Motorsport explained the process behind the teams joining together: ‘Volkswagen Motorsport is positive about the merger that came about as a result of the team’s initiative. A collaboration between Marklund Motorsport and Volkswagen Team Sweden will strengthen VW’s position in one of the fastest growing areas of motorsport. Combining our capabilities will create good possibilities for further success in the sport.’

‘Fighting for the championship’
Sten Forsberg, Head of Volkswagen Sweden, also welcomed the merger. ‘The competitive situation in World RX calls for creative solutions to achieve success for both Marklund Motorsport and Volkswagen Team Sweden, which we as collaborative partners strive for. With our joint effort, we are convinced that the team will be able to keep up with the pack and be fighting for the championship,’ he said.

Volkswagen RX Sweden’s new Polo RX Supercars will be built at Marklund Motorsport’s premises in Boliden, but as the season gets closer, the work will be relocated to Arvika, where Volkswagen Team Sweden is based. A separate test unit with a racing car, staff and trailer will manage the new team’s development activities.

The first round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship is the World RX of Portugal on 15-17 April in Montalegre.

Although he was eliminated at in the semi-final at the 13th and last round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Argentina in Rosario, Volkswagen Team Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson did enough to take third place in the overall drivers’ standings.

Two points
The Swede collected two points at the Circuit Juan Manuel Fangio in his Polo RX and finished just ahead of Ford Olsbergs MSE’s Andreas Bakkerud from Norway. ‘My engine went in the semi-final so we had to stop but thankfully we had enough to beat Andreas by two points,’ explained Kristoffersson. Kristoffersson’s Polo RX team-mate Ole-Christian Veiby exited in heat three.

Finn Toomas Heikkinen, the top-seeded Polo RX driver from the Marklund Motorsport squad, finished fourth in the semi-final at the South American round, giving him ninth place overall in the drivers’ championship table. Norway’s RX Lites pilot Thomas Bryntesson was driving another Marklund-prepared Polo in Argentina, but sadly finished tenth in heat three due to technical issues with his car.

Maiden win
Sweden’s Robin Larsson took his maiden World RX win in South America, while Mattias Ekstrom finished second. As expected, with a 26-point lead, Norway’s Petter Solberg (Citroën DS3 RX) clinched the 2015 World Champion title after finishing third in Argentina, relegating Peugeot’s Timmy Hansen into second place.

In the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship teams table, Team Peugeot-Hansen took the title, having already accrued enough points at the previous round in Italy to win. The Ford Olsbergs MSE team of Fiestas finished second, while Solberg’s SDRX claimed the third spot. Volkswagen Team Sweden finished fourth, while Marklund Motorsport was sixth.

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 301
2 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 275
3 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo WRX: 234
4 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Fiesta ST: 232
5 Davy Jeanney, Peugeot 208: 201

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 476
2 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 399
3 SDRX: 336
4 Volkswagen Team Sweden: 291
5 EKSRX: 258