Round nine of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship saw SĂ©bastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen keep the crowds entertained at LohĂ©ac, France. SĂ©bastien Loeb pocketed the weekend’s second place to provide the PEUGEOT 208 WRX with its seventh podium result of the season.

A crowd of almost 75, 000 spectators (the record turnoutso far this season) watched the PEUGEOT 208 WRX deliver further evidence of itsspeed. After winning Q2, SĂ©bastien Loeb topped the provisional order at the endof Day 1’s action which also saw him post a new fastest lap record for theFrench venue with an impressive 36.095s. On Sunday, he was unfazed aspersistent rain swept over eastern Brittany and he followed up second-place in hissemi-final with the same result in the final.

Timmy Hansen emerged from qualifying in fourth spot and promptly won thesecond semi-final which was contested by all three of Team Peugeot Hansen’s PEUGEOT208 WRXs. Unfortunately, gearbox gremlins prevented him from reaping the benefitof his efforts in the final.

At the wheel of his 2016-spec car, Kevin Hansen produced yet anotherpolished performance despite the shifting track conditions. In addition tocoming first in his Q2 heat, he secured one sixth place and two seventh placesin qualifying in total, a sequence that earned him a ticket to line upalongside his team-mates in the second semi-final.

Thanks to the points harvested by SĂ©bastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen in thecourse of the French weekend, Team Peugeot Hansen has consolidated its grip on secondplace in the provisional Teams’ standings after pulling 15 points further clearof its closest challenger.

Quote, unquote…

Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal):

“It was a strong weekend for us. We prepared hard for this one because wewanted to win it and we were effectively competitive. Rain made the goingchallenging on Sunday but we played our hand well and some good team-work paidoff with another top-three finish. We can be pleased with that, even though wefelt at one stage that the win might have been possible.”

SĂ©bastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #9), 2nd:

“I was second in qualifying, second in my semi-final and then second in thefinal. That’s a lot of second places and the aim is to move one place up theorder! It was a good weekend, though, and we came away with a welcome crop ofpoints, which is something that should never be shunned in a sport where there canbe so many imponderables. Competing on home soil puts you under a certainamount of pressure and I wanted to put on a show for the 70, 000-plus spectatorswho turned up, many of whom were there to support me. That’s always nice and Iwanted to pay them back. I gained a place compared with my result at LohĂ©ac in2016, so there’s another notch to move up next year!”

Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #21), 6th:

“I was delighted after winning my semi-final. I had a good rhythm andSĂ©bastien made a small mistake after my joker lap which gave me the opportunityto move into the lead without taking any unnecessary risks. I was determined towin the final but I took a bit of a gamble at the start and nearly stalled.Even so, I was still second out of the first turn and I managed to maintain astrong pace, although it wasn’t sufficient to stay on Johan’s tail. After that, I made a mistake and, anyway, my gearbox ended up failing.”

Kevin Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #71):

“I thoroughly enjoyed competing at LohĂ©ac! My weekend didn’t get off to thebest of starts but we responded well and found a good set-up. The reward wasthree top-seven finishes in qualifying and that did my confidence no end ofgood! It showed I have the speed to race against the best of them. Two drivershit me in my semi-final and I picked up a puncture which put paid to any chanceI had of reaching the final. It’s a shame, because Ithink a place in the last six wasn’t out of the question.”

FINAL POSITIONS – LOHÉAC (September 3, 2017)

  1. Johan Kristoffersson (VolkswagenPolo GTI)
  2. SĂ©bastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX)
  3. Mattias Ekström (Audi S1)
  4. 4.Andreas Bakkerud (Ford Focus RS), XX pts
  5. Petter Solberg (Volkswagen Polo GTI)
  6. Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX)

PROVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGSAFTER NINE ROUNDS

Drivers’ standings

  1. Johan Kristoffersson (VolkswagenPolo GTI), 241 points
  2. Petter Solberg(Volkswagen Polo GTI), 195 points
  3. Mattias Ekström (Audi S1), 180points
  4. SĂ©bastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 169 points
  5. Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 155 points
  6. Andreas Bakkerud (FordFocus RS), 146 points
  7. Ken Block (Ford Focus RS), 100 points
  8. Toomas Heikkinen (Audi S1), 86 points
  9. Timo Scheider (Ford Fiesta), 85 points
  10. Kevin Eriksson (Ford Fiesta), 84 points

Teams’standings

  1. Volkswagen PSRX, 436 points
  2. TeamPeugeot Hansen, 324 points
  3. EKS Audi, 266 points
  4. Hoonigan Racing Division, 246 points
  5. MJP Racing Team Austria, 180 points
  6. STARD, 136 points
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