Day 2 in Hell started with bad news from the camp of Mats Lysen. While preparing for the warm-up session the team found the new 5-cylinder engine without oil pressure. After a lot of examination the problem was discovered in a defective filter, but there was no spare one available at the venue. By missing a part that would cost less than 10 Euros Lysen Motorsport had to throw in the towel early.

Qualification:

The hottest action was the fierce battle Liam Doran vs Petter Solberg in Heat 3. Solberg had a perfect Saturday record and started the Sunday with the fastest time in warm-up. Second fastest was his compatriot Tommy Rustad, Englishman Doran set the third fastest time here. In Race 5 both Citroën DS3 drivers met to battle it out. Petter Solberg later: “I kept my line, but was smacked into by Doran in the first corner. Not a nice thing to do! My front suspension is broken. We are down to fifth total before the last heat.” The whole affair ended with Solberg finishing in 23rd place, Doran found himself as 18th fastest on the time-keeper’s list. Having not enough time to repair all the damage from Heat 3 properly “Hollywood” went into Heat 4 knowing that his car could possibly break again, and so it did. On his way to another fast time Petter found himself all of a sudden without his steering. He pressed on regardless, but, after an additional spin, reached the chequered flag with the 20th fastest time to become the 13th of the Intermediate Classification. As only the 12 best drivers are qualified for the Semi-Finals the weekend was over for Norway’s superstar.

Fastest of Heat 3 was Tommy Rustad in the former Hunsbedt Volvo C30/4, second place went to Timmy Hansen. These two were so far the only drivers who scored a time under 2.46 minutes. Andreas Bakkerud was in good form again, driving his DS3 to the third fastest time to remain in the lead of the Intermediate Classification. Norwegian Tord Linnerud, a former rally driver who earlier this year has started a comeback in the Norwegian SuperNationals series, impressed a lot by setting the fourth fastest time. After a several years long break from racing Linnerud was entrusted for Hell with the 4-cylinder Clio of Mats Lysen and did quite a good job in the 550+bhp strong SuperCar. In Heat 4 he jumped the start and was send into a second Joker Lap, but his eighth place after qualification proved that here is someone who knows how to drive a car fast. However, in Semi-Final 2 the event was over for Linnerud, a fifth place here resulted in tenth place of the event results with 11 championship points to his tally.

In Heat 4 that man Andreas Bakkerud was really flying over his home soil. With 2.43.327 minutes he set the fastest qualification time of the whole weekend. Thereby he was almost two seconds faster than Frenchman Davy Jeanney, who made it to second fastest here. Liam Doran claimed the third fastest time, his ticket for the Semi-Finals. Non-finishers of Heat 4 were the two Norwegians Knut Ove Børseth and Henning Solberg as well as Scotland based Englishman Andy Scott (due to broken front left suspension of his Peugeot 208).

Finals:

Semi-Final 1 saw Andreas Bakkerud on pole, Swede Anton Marklund sharing the front row with the Norwegian. Timmy Hansen jumped the first start attempt and, therefore, was told to do two Joker Laps instead of one. “I qualified for the Semi-Final, but a hydraulic pressure problem made the clutch unable to work as it should at the start and the car crept forward, so I jumped the start. Then at the re-start I lost a lot of ground on those ahead of me, on top of having to take the Joker Lap twice for jumping the start,” said Hansen, who despite all still caught up to the pack by the end of the last lap. Timur Timerzyanov was leading the race for several laps, but was beaten by Bakkerud to second place in the last lap. Third and last man towards the Final was Alexander Hvaal, while Anton Marklund lost his ticket to the Final due to a defective gearbox in the VW Polo Mk5.

Semi-Final 2 had Tommy Rustad as pole sitter, Davy Jeanney was on his left side. The Frenchman took the lead, but was eventually beaten to the finnish line by Liam Doran. Third and last driver with access to the Final was Peter Hedström while Tommy Rustad had to retire his Volvo C30/4 with broken steering, as a result to an infight with the Swedish Škoda Fabia campaigner. Hedström is now back in his 2012 Mk2 Fabia, the ex-Michael Jernberg car, so far used this year by Knut Ove Børseth.

The two teammates Andreas Bakkerud, on pole, and Liam Doran were sharing the front row of the all decisive Final. The Brit won the chase towards the first corner, but there went into the Joker Lap detour. Bakkerud was in the lead till being faced with a puncture, first losing first position to Davy Jeanney and then dropping further down the order. When the Frenchman played his Joker in the last lap both Liam Doran and Timur Timerzyanov were close enough to pass the Citroën C4 driver to make it a DS3 one-two. While Peter Hedström had to retire his Fabia with engine troubles when he was in second position, Hansen Motorsport member Alexander Hvaal reached chequers as fourth. Liam Doran later: “I’m over the moon. I’m young, I like to win. Go hard, or go home, I really didn’t want to come second today.” Timur Timerzyanov after the Final: “I have enough of second places now. Three times second in three races, I want to win again. Maybe from Höljes on…” Alexander Hvaal on his Facebook: “A bad Final start, the engine went down too low. But I finished a clean race as fourth.”

In the Super1600s category Reinis Nitišs produced a hat-trick by claiming his third consecutive overall victory. Swedish teenager Kevin Eriksson suffered from a puncture, dropping down to the last place while Russian Ildar Rakhmatullin and Dane Ulrik Linneman joined the Latvian winner on the Lånkebanen rostrum.

In TouringCars Lars Øivind Enerberg had his home European round under full control, eventually winning the Final from Irishman Derek Tohill and his fellow Norwegian Anders Bråten. Christian Sandmo, who held third place for a while, had to give up since the front suspension of his Citroën Xsara did not last for all the way to the finish.

The racing of the JRX Cup series happened already on Friday and Saturday, 13 years old Swede William Nilsson won his third event in a row.

More pictures to be found in our Gallery here.

Official SuperCars final results to be found here.

Official Super1600s final results to be found here.

Official TouringCars final results to be found here.

Day 2 video highlights.

Petter Solberg: “Mister Always Optimistic” arrived in Hell in the usual good mood, the loss of the almost safe European round of Kouvola in Finland was already considered a finished case. RallycrossRX Round 5 weekend started for him on Friday with a fun competition Tora Berger vs Petter Solberg. The Norwegian biathlete, who claimed a total of eight World championship gold medals and one Olympic gold medal so far, won the “shoot-out at the Lånkebanen” from the 2003 Rally World Champion by two seconds. “Hollywood” was of course the faster driver of the pair in his former Citroën Xsara World Rally Car, but he did not hit a single target during the shooting and, therefore, had to do no less than five penalty loops…

In free practice “Hollywood” was for a while the fastest driver, but all of a sudden there were several of the young dudes in front of him. However, the old fox went out one more time just before practice was due to be finished, only to restore the previous following order by beating the youngsters Timmy Hansen, Mats Lysen, Alexander Hvaal, Andreas Bakkerud, Daniel Holten and Anton Marklund down to the places 2 to 7. In Heat 1 the 2003 World Rally Champion claimed the fastest time again, ahead of his two compatriots Andreas Bakkerud and Alexander Hvaal. Heat 2 ended with another fastest time for the extrovert Norwegian, second and third place here were bagged by Briton Liam Doran and Russian Timur Timerzyanov. “I haven’t really pushed like I wanted to today in order to save the car and the tyres,” said Petter afterwards. “My plan was to take it a little bit slower than I did in Finland, but the problem is that I’m bored driving like this! Sure, it paid off to have two good clean heats without any major problems, but tomorrow I’m going to be even quicker. I’m really happy with what’s been a great first day to this event: so far it’s been perfect.”

Tommy Rustad: The Rallycross returnee had been offered to drive the ex-Ludvig Hunsbedt Volvo C30/4 SuperCar in the Norwegian and the Swedish RallycrossRX rounds. The former circuit racer adopted quickly to the 550+bhp vehicle and finished as sixth fastest in Heat 1, although he produced a poor start and made another mistake that allowed Timur Timerzyanov to pass him. In Heat 2 he was on his way to possibly an even better result when in the last lap the right front suspension gave up and the wheel went out of control. Rustad made it to the chequered flag, nevertheless, claimed the eighth fastest time here and is currently fifth.

Liam Doran: “Massive rookie error in Heat 1, forgot to do the Joker. Came back strong to finish second overall in Heat 2. It’s really tough to come back from a bad heat result so I am really happy with Day 1.”

Mats Lysen: The new Renault Clio Mk3 with 5-cylinder engine [based on a block that was used in the 5-cylinder Renault Safrane of the early 1990s] of the young Norwegian was completed on Friday afternoon only. Mats was pleasantly surprised with it and proved with his third fastest time in free practice that there is a great potential in the car. Unfortunately, the Renault campaigner was hampered by a flat tyre in both qualifying heats, thereby scoring with a 19th and a 12th fastest time two poor results. In the overnight standings the Norwegian is 18th only yet, but he hopes to reach a place in the Semi-Finals by doing better in the remaining two heats.

Others: During Heat 2 the Lånkebanen became a true tyre killer. Beside those already mentioned it was Timmy Hansen and Alexander Hvaal of Hansen Motorsport whose times were messed up doe to flat tyres. Hvaal later: “Good first heat with a third time! Second heat not so good, got a flat tyre out of nowhere! Got some catching up to do! But I know we drive fast, so I hope for some good times tomorrow!” Henning Solberg, for the second time driving an Eklund Motorsport Saab 9-3 SuperCar, was hampered by a puncture and Morten Bermingrud suffered from two flat tyres. Swede Peter Hedström, after the split with Norwegian Knut Ove Børseth using himself the ex-Michael Jernberg Škoda Fabia Mk2 again, was hindered by a driveshaft failure.

Super 1600s: While Dane Ulrik Linnemann marked the fastest time in practice the first qualifying run was claimed by Swede Kevin Eriksson, the son of OlsbergsMSE Principal Andréas Eriksson, even so the Renault Clio driver of the Set Promotion team has his left hand bandaged after an injury. Reinis Nitišs was the fastest in Heat 2, thereby topping the intermediate following order after Saturday. Behind the Latvian, who has currently just 3 points, Linnemann and Eriksson sharing second place with 6 points each.

TouringCars: In the RWD category the whole Saturday was ruled by 2011 European champion Lars Øivind Enerberg. The Norwegian Ford Fiesta Mk6 campaigner set the fastest times in practice, in the first and also in the second qualifying heats to conclude Day 1 at an optimum. Norwegian Opel Corsa D driver Ole Håbjørg is in second place here, Irishman Derek Tohill holds third place with his Mk7 Fiesta.

JRX Cup: With four starters in Hell the whole racing of the JRX Cup youngsters took place on Friday and Saturday. Swede William Nilsson bagged his third consecutive victory, taking advantage from problems of leading Kevin Hansen who dropped down to second position while Magda Andersson made it to third place.

More pictures to be found in our Gallery here.

Situation in SuperCars after Day 1 here.

Situation in Super1600s after Day 1 here.

Situation in TouringCars after Day 1 here.

Day 1 video highlights.

<——————————– Photos by © QBA/ERC24 ——————————–>

• TIME SCHEDULE SATURDAY JUNE 15:
• 12.00 Open Practice
• 14.10 Heat 3 JRX Cup (4 laps)
• 14.20 Heat 1 TouringCars, Super1600s, SuperCars (4 laps each)
• 15.45 Heat 4 JRX Cup (4 laps)
• 16.00 Heat 2 TouringCars, Super1600s, SuperCars (4 laps each)
• TIME SCHEDULE SUNDAY JUNE 16:
• 08.45 Open Practice
• 10.00 Heat 3 TouringCars, Super1600s, SuperCars (4 laps each)
• 11.30 Heat 4 TouringCars, Super1600s, SuperCars (4 laps each)
• 13.00 Autograph Session
• 13.50 Semi-Finals TouringCars, Super1600s (6 laps each)
• 15.00 Semi-Finals SuperCars (6 laps each)
• 15.20 Finals TouringCars, Super1600s, SuperCars (6 laps)
• 15.50 Podium Ceremony
• 18.00 Final JRX Cup (6 laps)

Live timings all classes to be found here.

Live results SuperCars to be found here.

Live results Super1600s to be found here.

Live results TouringCars to be found here.

Photo: Marklund Motorsport being busy with its VW Polo Mk5 SuperCar. © QBA/ERC24

Before the RallycrossRC circus is going to start its fifth 2013 performance at the Lånkebanen in Hell near the harbour town of Trondheim 2003 World Rally Champion and now Rallycross returnee Petter Solberg was asked some questions about the event on his Norwegian home soil.

Petter, how much are you looking forward to being back on home territory, for the next round of the European Rallycross Championship in Hell this weekend?

PS: “I’m looking forward to it a hell of a lot!”

Very funny! So what’s the actual circuit like and do you have any experience of it?

PS: “Well; actually I do but it’s such a long time ago that I don’t remember it! I drove there when I was competing in Rallycross in 1996 then in 1999 I think we did a demonstration day there with my Toyota Celica rally car. Like I said I don’t really remember it but I generally I remember it being very nice and the track going up and down quite a lot, a bit like a rally stage.”

Is this the most important round of the year for you?

PS: “They’re all important but yes … this is a special one for sure. Not just for me, but for all my sponsors: it’s important for them to do well at home.”

So does that lead to more pressure?

PS: “There’s always pressure wherever you go, you know? And that pressure doesn’t come from the outside: it comes from me; I put it on myself. It’s just because – you know me – when I do something I have to do it 100% properly and flat-out. It has to be right. So there’s definitely pressure but we still always enjoy ourselves a lot as well.”

How disappointing was it to retire from the lead in Kouvola, when you were so close to winning the final?

PS: “I can honestly say that this was one of the most disappointing days I have experienced in my career: it was so sad. We deserved to win: I’m not just talking about myself but I mean our whole team, who worked so hard. I don’t think people recognise the effort these guys have put in: we were meant to have a car built for us this year but at the last minute we were let down and so we had to do it all by ourselves. It’s been incredibly tough; one of the toughest things I have ever done. But it’s only once you’ve experienced the big lows that you can experience the big highs.”

What’s been the hardest part about competing in Rallycross this year?

PS: “The technical side I think: these cars are very specialised and it’s the sort of thing that takes years of experience to get right. And also the level of competition: there are some very fast and very determined drivers here, who all have a lot more experience of driving these cars than me. Still, we’re trying to catch up!”

What sort of future do you think that Rallycross has?

PS: “I think absolutely huge: but don’t ask me: ask the guys at the promoters, IMG. These are very serious guys, if you know what I mean; they’re not here to play around. There’s a lot of investment and a lot of plans, especially with live TV. This sport is absolutely made for live TV and that’s going to make a huge difference. What we’re seeing now is really just the beginning. I always look at the crowds and you should see how many people come. It’s unbelievable. I think Hell is going to be massive.”

So what sort of approach are you going to be taking?

PS: “Absolutely flat-out: as always! Honestly, I’ve had enough of some of the bad luck we’ve had so far this year – so now we’re really, really going to go for it! No messing around. I’m quick enough and the car is quick enough: it’s as simple as that. The people who come to watch this weekend are going to see something special I think…”

Photo: While claiming no rostrum place in Kouvola Solberg received the award for being first to the first corner. © JKR/ERC24

Ada Marie Hvaal from Larvik in Norway, who debuted in the inaugural JRX Cup series last year, is now returning to the FIA European Rallycross Championship and its JRX Cup category, rated by FIA as ‘2013 International Series’. Together with the Swedish team ‘VEIDEC Racing by U.S. Capital’ she is set for a comeback in her native European round at the Lånkebanen in Hell over the coming weekend. “It’s really fun to come back to the JRX Cup and the European Rallycross Championship,” says beaming Ada Marie. “Especially, since I’m doing a comeback at home, and in front of all Norwegian fans. It will be a real treat for me.”

Ada Marie Hvaal made her debut in the JRX Cup and motorsport in 2012 and finished her first year by winning the bronze medal of the JRX Cup series, although she did not attend all of the races last year. After she pulled out of JRX Ada Marie moved to the Norwegian Rallycross Championship and its Super1600 class as well as doing a bit of ice-racing during the winter. The name Hvaal is very familiar with Rallycross in Norway and in Europe. Ada Marie’s older cousin Alexander Hvaal is a regular front runner in the European SuperCars category, together with the likes of Petter Solberg, Timmy Hansen, Tanner Foust and others.

Ada Marie will participate in at least two races of the 2013 JRX Cup, in Norway’s Hell event the coming weekend, and in the Swedish Rallycross RX round at Höljes, the first weekend of July. She is also now a teammate of this year’s rising star of the JRX Cup, William Nilsson from Tomelilla in the deepest South of Sweden. William has really surprised everybody by winning both, the race in Hungary as well as the event in Finland. Therefore, Ada Marie comes to a competitive team and a teammate who is in the lead.

“I’m really looking forward to us becoming two good teammates, so they can help one another and share the experience they get from both cars. It benefits the team and of course both our drivers, William Nilsson and Ada Marie Hvaal. We looked forward to expand our team with another promising young driver, and we did not hesitate a second when we were asked to help Ada Marie during the races in Norway and Sweden. We see this as a step of ‘VEIDEC Racing by U.S. Capital’s’ plan for the future. We want to be a team where young talents get a chance to develop on their way to the top in Rallycross,” says team manager Larry Nilsson.

‘VEIDEC Racing by U.S. Capital’ has now a couple of busy days to get everything ready for the European round in Norwegian’s Hell. Members of the team travelled directly from Finland to Norway while William Nilsson went home to Tomelilla to receive the award ‘Talent of the Month’ by the newspaper ‘Ystads Allehanda’. An award that gives him also a chance to become the ‘Talent of the Year 2013’ in Sweden’s Southern province Skåne.

Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) confirms its 2013 schedule will total nine rounds including races on three different continents in conjunction with Global X Games events in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), Barcelona (Spain) and Munich (Germany). As one of the fastest growing forms of motorsport, Rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition.

The series is made up of four Global X Games events and five GRC events to total nine rounds that will culminate in the crowning of both a driver’s champion and manufacturer’s champion. The 2013 championship features live broadcasts on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 available in over 198 countries. With more than 15 hours of primetime live content on major networks, the telecast package comprises the most expansive television coverage that the sport of Rallycross has ever seen. The series’ star drivers include Ken Block, Brian Deegan, Travis Pastrana, Scott Speed and 2011 and 2012 GRC Champion Tanner Foust.

• 2013 GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
• April 21: GRC at Global X Games at Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil
• May 19: GRC at Global X Games at Barcelona in Spain
• June 29* & 30: GRC at Global X Games at Munich in Germany
• July 11: New Hampshire Motor Speedway at Loudon in New Hampshire
• July 20: Bristol Motor Speedway at Bristol in Tennessee
• August 4: GRC at Global X Games Irwindale Event Center at Irwindale in California
• August 10: Atlanta Motor Speedway at Hampton in Georgia
• September 22: Charlotte Motor Speedway at Concord in North Carolina
• November 7: Las Vegas in Nevada
• *Replacement for cancelled Barcelona event.

A second medal race has been added to the X Games Munich competition schedule on June 29. The race will serve as Round 2 of the Global RallyCross Championship season, replacing last month’s rain cancelled event in Barcelona. Round 3 will be contested on the same circuit on June 30 and each event will feature its own practice and qualifying sessions. Both events will count for full points in the GRC standings and X Games will award medals for both rounds.

• THE MUNICH X GAMES WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
• Saturday, June 29
• 2:00 – 3:00 Practice & Seeding/Qualification
• 3:00 – 3:30 Track preparations
• 3:30 – 5:00 Heats, Last Chance Qualifier, Finals
• Sunday, June 30
• 2:20 – 3:00 Practice
• 3:00 – 3:15 Track preparations
• 3:15 – 4:00 Seeding/Qualification
• 4:00 – 5:00 Track preparations
• 5:00 – 7:00 Heats, Last Chance Qualifier, Finals

Photo: Global X Games at Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, start of the Final. © QBA/ERC24