Timur Timerzyanov leads the European Rallycross Championship into the second half of the championship after gaining a win at the legendary Höljes circuit in Sweden.

Timerzyanov‘s win in Höljes signifies one more step towards the Championship title . The Russian is now odds on favourite to take the title, and has proved he has the determination and nerve to gain the win in tough circumstances.

The Hansen Motorsport driver took an early lead in the A-Final after starting from second-place on the start grid, next to local driver Stig-Olov Walfridson who started the final as favourite. Timerzyanov’s start was impeccable claiming the lead into the first bend, with the Swede chasing him into the second corner. A tussle during the second lap resulted in Timerzyanov coming out on top, and the battle for first looked like it had been won by the Russian. ‘P-G’ Andersson had held third although was increasingly being challenged by Alexander Hvaal, Michael de Keersmaecker and Peter Hedström. “Stecka” was also challenged, at one point ploughing straight into the side of Hvaal. Hedström eventually found his moment and broke into the top three, overtaking his one-time teammate Andersson. In the meantime, Timerzyanov had begun to find his feet, blocking off any challengers behind him.

The Russian eventually crossed the line, and now goes into the break maintaining a greater lead of the SuperCar standings.

“It is a great track with great fans, and it was important to get the win here. We still have some things to work on before Belgium, as at the moment the wet setup up for the car is not in my driving style, and I do not feel comfortable with this, this is something Kenneth will hear about when he gets back from LA. It was not an easy race, I could see Stig-Olov getting closer and closer behind me, and knew I had to pick the right lines to keep the lead,” commented Timerzyanov.

[Hansen Motorsport driver Alexander Hvaal has gained third position from Stig-Olov Walfridson after stewards investigated the protest during video review].

Ulrik Linnemann snatched an A-Final lead from Andreas Bakkerud, who initially led the race off the start line. The Danish driver managed to grab the lead after Bakkerud lost control on the slippery ‘velodrome’ section, and spun out. Set Promotion driver Jussi-Petteri Leppihalme gained second position and the Polish driver Krzysztof Skorupski the last podium position.

“It is has been a difficult weekend for the team, the weather was constantly changing and we had to make sure we picked the right tyres for the job. Fortunately we made some good tyre decisions, and we are now equal with Andreas [Bakkerud] at the top, so there is everything to play for and although they have a strong team we can beat them,” said Linneman.

[After gaining second position Jussi-Petteri Leppihalme has been excluded from the A-Final after stewards made a decision to review the final during video investigation].

Robin Larsson claimed the TouringCar class, successfully beating off Norwegian challenger Lars Øivind Enerberg and Anton Marklund. Larsson gained a start to end win, with most of the action taking place behind him. Enerberg was eventually able to pass Irishman Derek Tohill, leaving the Norwegian able to unsuccessfully challenge Larsson.

“We have had a lot of bad luck the past few weekends, so it is great to get some luck. Electric problems in Hungary, and a black flag last weekend, this weekend was great and especially for the home fans,” told Larsson.

[Lars Oivind Enerberg who finished second has also been excluded from the event, after stewards deemed the car to not conform with the homologation – Appendix J, which details the weight of his under body protection].

Kevin Hansen took a clean sweep of all JRX competition winning the final, and getting off to a winning start in the Cup.

The spectacular event has showcased a weekend of Rallycross to 22,400 spectators, which has tested drivers to their limits, in both the gruelling technical challenge of the circuit and the changing nature of dry and very wet weather.