World RX - Canada: Timmy Hansen in overnight lead
Timmy Hansen and Petter Solberg are the winners of two Friday’s qualifying heats at Canadian round of World Rallycross Championship at Circuit Trois-Rivieres. Nineteen Supercars drivers took part in Canada RX, which is part of traditional GP3R racing event at famous circuit built in 1967.
In first qualifying Heat fastest were two drivers in Peugeot 208 WRX of Team Peugeot-Hansen. Timmy Hansen has won in very narrow Race 4 ahead his compatriot Johan Kristofferson in Volkswagen Polo RX. Hansen set the time 3.26.190 after four laps, 0.46 seconds faster than his team-mate Davy Jeanney, who has won Race 3.
Timmy Hansen and Davy Jeanney
One more Swedish driver, Mattias Esktrom in Audi S1, was the winner of the Race 1 and third overall in Heat 1. Kristofferson was fourth overall, ahead two Ford Fiesta drivers Reinis Nitiss and Timur Timerzyanov. Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud, also at the wheel of Fiesta, has won race 2 and was seventh overall in Heat 1.
First qualifying Heat was dissapointing for reigning world champion Petter Solberg. His Citroen DS3 had a exhaust problems and he wasn’t able to fight for good position. Solberg finished 17th of 19 drivers who started Heat 1. Solberg’s team-mate Liam Doran also was unlucky in Heat 1. He retired with broken steering after touching the wall with his Citroen.
Petter Solberg
Solberg’s car was in a good mood in Heat 2, in which Norwegian star has won Race 1 and set the fastest time 3.24.786. Nobody can get near him and second fastest Timmy Hansen, who has won Race 4, was more than two and a half seconds slower than Solberg. Five drivers in Race 4 of second Heat was the best placed drivers from Heat 1, so we saw intense battle and four of them was again on the top of the standings – Hansen 2nd, Ekstrom 3rd, Nitiss 5th and Jeanney 7th overall.
Andreas Bakkerud has won Race 3 and was 4th overall in Heat 2. Tommy Rustad in Audi S3 of ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport was 6th overall. Anton Marklund has won Race 2 and was 8th overall in Heat 2.
After two qualifying heats overnight leader is Timmy Hansen with 95 intermediate points, ahead Mattias Ekstrom (84) and Davy Jeanney (82). Reinis Nitiss and Petter Solberg were even with 78 points, one more than Andreas Bakkerud. Top 12 is rounded with Timur Timerzyanov, Tommy Rustad, Toomas Heikkinen, Tanner Foust, Anton Marklund and Johan Kristofferson. Two more heats are scheduled for tommorow, so battle for semifinals is far from over.
