Round 5 of the Rallycross Challenge Europe (RCE) series at Valkenswaard in Holland was won by Belgian SuperCar campaigner Koen Pauwels in the ex-Patrick Van Mechelen Ford Fiesta Mk7. Czech Stanislav Šusta claimed overall victory in Super1600s while his compatriot Roman Častoral made TouringCars his.

Drivers from nine different nations gathered at the Eurocircuit near Valkenswaard in The Netherlands to participate in Round 5 of the Rallycross Challenge Europe series. The event counted also as 4th and final round for the native Dutch Rallycross (aka RallyRacing) Championship. Belgian WorldRX regular Koen Pauwels had done a very late entry to compete with the ex-Jos Kuijpers Ford Fiesta Mk7 SuperCar he had recently taken over from his fellow-countryman Patrick Van Mechelen. What should have been a test drive with a new machinery eventually turned out into another overall victory for Pauwels.

Russian Roman Stepanenko made good use of his Citroën C4 SuperCar to become runner-up. © DS/ERC24

Austrian Alois Höller (Ford Focus Mk1) claimed third place to enter the SuperCars podium. © DS/ERC24

Steve Volders: From a SuperNationals Ford Escort Mk1 to SuperCars with the ex-Kuijpers Ford Focus Mk3. © DS/ERC24

After qualification had been completed it was Russian Citroën C4 campaigner Roman Stepanenko who had ensured himself the pole position for the all-decisive A Final. However, after the ‘GO!’ of the last race of the weekend it was Koen Pauwels who shot into the lead and then started to build up a safe advantage over his followers. When the chequered flag dropped Pauwels had won the penultimate 2014 RCE round from Stepanenko and Austrian Rallycross veteran Alois Höller. Before Valkenswaard it was Christophe Jouet who had been on top of the SuperCar point standings, but the Frenchman had only raced in the two French RCE rounds at Essay and Kerlabo. Therefore, the title chase is rather a duel between Russian Oleg Grishin and German Bernd Schomaker. After Valkenswaard and his 4th place the Škoda Fabia Mk1 driver leads the championship now, while the Fabia Mk2 driver, who made it to 6th overall at the Eurocircuit, is in second position of the series before the RCE Finale will be hosted at Sosnová (Czech Republic) on September 14.

Meet and Greet with some Rallycross heroes… © DS/ERC24

Autographs for the fans… © DS/ERC24

Hmmm, for to trade I need at least three of Jos Sterkens for one of Andreas Bakkerud… © DS/ERC24

The start of the Super1600s A Final resulted in some havoc when three of the eight participants went off the track to get stuck in the ‘kitty-litter’. Thereby the race came to a very early end for Hungarian Gergely Marton as well as the two Czechs Václav Veverka Jr. and Josef Šusta. Šusta’s brother Stanislav did it much better here, he took the lead and eventually claimed a fine win over German Sven Seeliger and Dutchman Marcel Snoeijers. Seeliger, who had been on top of the point standings before Holland already, has now extended his championship lead over Dutchman Thijs Heezen.

In TouringCars it was Roman Častoral who bagged his third RCE victory this year, but championship leader Belgian Jos Sterkens became the Czech’s runner-up and underlined his determination to make the 2014 series his. As the Opel driver missed out Round 3 in Lithuania the Volvo campaigner is not far from defending the title he already won in 2013.

Czech Stanislav Šusta (Škoda Fabia Mk2) bagged victory of the Super1600s category. © DS/ERC24

Czech Roman Častoral drove his Opel Corsa D RWD to victory in TouringCars. © DS/ERC24

The Rallycross Challenge Europe contenders had a good time in Holland. © DS/ERC24

• Round 5, Rallycross Challenge Europe, Eurocircuit, Valkenswaard (NL), 16.–17.08.2014
• FINAL RESULTS SUPERCARS:
• 1. Koen Pauwels (B) Ford Fiesta Mk7
• 2. Roman Stepanenko (RUS) Citroën C4
• 3. Alois Höller (A) Ford Focus Mk1
• 4. Bernd Schomaker (D) Škoda Fabia Mk1
• 5. Max Pucher (A) Ford Fiesta Mk7
• 6. Oleg Grishin (RUS) Škoda Fabia Mk2
• 7. Steve Volders (B) Ford Focus Mk3
• 8. Wil Teurlings (NL) Volvo S40 Mk1
• Point standings after 5 of the 6 rounds:
• 1. Bernd Schomaker (D) 79
• 2. Oleg Grishin (RUS) 75
• 3. Roman Stepanenko (RUS) 62
• FINAL RESULTS SUPER1600S:
• 1. Stanislav Šusta (CZ) Škoda Fabia Mk2
• 2. Sven Seeliger (D) Ford Fiesta Mk6
• 3. Marcel Snoeijers (NL) Renault Mégane Mk3
• 4. Thijs Heezen (NL) Ford Fiesta Mk7
• 5. Peter Freinberger (A) Peugeot 206
• 6. Josef Šusta (CZ) Škoda Fabia Mk1
• 7. Václav Veverka Jr. (CZ) Peugeot 206
• 8. Gergely Marton (H) Škoda Fabia Mk1
• Point standings after 5 of the 6 rounds:
• 1. Sven Seeliger (D) 103
• 2. Thijs Heezen (NL) 85
• 3. Gergely Marton (H) 74
• FINAL RESULTS TOURINGCARS:
• 1. Roman Častoral (CZ) Opel Corsa D RWD
• 2. Jos Sterkens (B) Volvo C30/4 RWD
• 3. Ivo Van den Brandt (B) Mitsubishi Colt CZT RWD
• 4. Christ Moelands (NL) BMW 1 E87
• 5. Marco Wittkovski (D) VW Golf Mk4 RWD
• 6. Helmut Rössl (A) Škoda Fabia Mk1 RWD
• Point standings after 5 of the 6 rounds:
• 1. Jos Sterkens (B) 148
• 2. Roman Častoral (CZ) 126
• 3. Marco Wittkovski (D) 106

Top photo: Koen Pauwels’ eleventh hour entry resulted in an overall victory. © DS/ERC24