From the ‘Home of Rallycross’ to Hell: The WRX heads to the Lånkebanen in the town of Hell, Norway for round five – with European Rallycross drivers set to compete for the second round of the 2016 championship. 

The fifth round of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship and the second round of the 2016 European Rallycross Championship takes place this weekend in Norway. As we near the halfway point in the season, the Lånkebanen in the town of Hell near Trondheim provides the perfect setting, for it is a track that both Rallycross drivers and fans regard as heavenly. In the words of the ‘Eagles’: “this could be heaven or this could be hell!”

The Norwegian round at the Lånkebanen has had five different winners since it’s European Rallycross approval in 2011. In fact, a Norwegian, an American, a Brit, a Latvian and a Swede have all won the round in the past five seasons, with the track posing a challenge to drivers and teams with its technical corners, hairpins, fast straights and high gradients.

Foust leading in the 2012 event. © JKR/ERC24

Timmy Hansen en route to victory last season. © JKR/ERC24

Mattias Ekstrom leads the championship heading into the event, narrowly edging Solberg in the standings and clinching the GB round win, having trailed the Norwegian throughout qualifying.

Last year saw a 1-2 finish for Team Peugoet-Hansen, with Timmy Hansen and team-mate Davy Jeanney crossing the finish line together, both will be looking for their first podiums of this season.

Swedish privateer Robin Larsson achieved a third place finish in Hell last season, and has produced some stunning performances so far this season, culminating in a second place finish in this year’s opening round in Portugal. Larsson will look for a podium finish on Scandinavian soil to build on his sixth place classification.

European Rallycross Championship drivers will contest their second event of the season in Hell. Kevin Hansen and 2015 Euro RX runner-up Jerome Grosset-Janin head in to the event tied at the top of the points table, Hansen having won the opening round of the season in Belgium. The reigning European champion Tommy Rustad returns to his home event having driven at the Lankebanen in 2014 and 2013 in a Volvo C30. The Norwegian finished 10th overall in the opening European round in Mettet, Belgium – and will look to reignite his 2016 champion title campaign. Fellow Norwegian compatriot and Belgium podium finisher Tord Linnerud will also look to capitalise on a good opening round result at his home event.

Tommy Rustad pictured in his native Hell last June. © JKR/ERC24

The Euro RX TouringCar category and RX Lites Cup will also compete for their respective rounds in Hell. Norway’s Fredrik Magnussen leads the TouringCar category after the opening round in Belgium, ahead of Sweden’s Magda Andersson and Norway’s Ben-Philip Gundersen. Cyril Raymond leads the RX Lites cup ahead of Thomas Bryntesson and Joachim Hvaal, who head into the fourth round of the championship.

RX Lites drivers battling in Norway’s Hell last season. © JKR/ERC24