Team Peugeot Hansen is provisionally second in the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship Teams’ standings as the campaign approaches its halfway point in Norway on June 10-11.
Snce the championship’s recent visit to Lydden Hill, Great Britain, Team Peugeot Hansen has been busy testing at Lavaré, France, as its development programme with the 2017-specification PEUGEOT 208 WRX continues. The team took advantage of the run to review a variety of set-up options for the upcoming clash in Norway.
Team Peugeot Hansen has posted some memorable performances at Hell, including in 2015 when it notched up the first ever one-two finish by the same team in WRX history!
The task faced by the teams’ ‘spotters’ at Hell is particularly complex. Not only does the hilly terrain prevent them from enjoying a complete view of the track, but the joker lap entry comes just after the opening straight, and that can make race starts somewhat precarious.
Quote, unquote…
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)
“Hell is a real rallycross track and a fixture we always look forward to. The layout is quite twisty and we have tended to go well there in the past. Power isn’t quite so important as it was at Lydden Hill and we have some good set-up options for the circuit. Hopefully we will be able to challenge for the win there like we did at Hockenheim and Mettet.”
Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #9)
“It’s quite a challenging track technically. The joker lap can be pretty slippery, too, and also rather tight if a number of drivers decide to take it at the same time. The fact that it comes so soon after the start line can have a big influence on race strategies.”
Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #21)
“The engineering team has been working hard to continue the PEUGEOT 208 WRX’s development. This year’s championship is extremely competitive but we are currently first in line behind the provisional leader. We should be even stronger thanks to the testing we did after Lydden Hill and Hell is a circuit I enjoy. I have always gone well in Norway and I even won there in 2015. It’s a fairly tricky track but I’m very much looking forward to going back.”
Kevin Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #71)
“This round will have a special taste for me because I sit my final school exams on the Thursday before the race! The logistics will be quite tight because, as soon as I finish, the plan is for me to join my family in a plane for Trondheim late on Thursday evening. It also means I become a full-time rallycross driver instead of a student who goes racing! I think Hell will suit my car and I will give everything I’ve got to score a good result.”
THE CIRCUIT
• Length: 1.019km
• Asphalt/gravel: 63% / 37%
• Fastest lap: 34.067s
TIMETABLE
Friday, June 9
• 5:40pm-7:40pm: Free practice
Saturday, June 10
• 9:30am-11:00am: Free practice
• 12:00 noon: Qualifying 1
• 3:00pm: Qualifying 2
Sunday, June 12
• 8:30am-9:30am: Warm-up
• 10:00am: Qualifying 3
• 12:00 noon: Qualifying 4
• 3:00pm: Semi-finals / Final
TEAM PEUGEOT HANSEN WEB SERIES
Door-to-door jostling is one of rallycross’s most exciting features and one that was new to rally-trained Sébastien Loeb when he made his first steps in the sport. He talks about this aspect of the discipline in the latest episode of our WorldRX Inside series: https://youtu.be/tV3xq7TxV4Y
FOCUS OF THE WEEK
He may be discreet but he is also enviably efficient. Meet Mads Sorensen, the Danish chief mechanic who looks after Timmy Hansen’s PEUGEOT 208 WRX! http://hansen-motorsport.se/
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER FIVE ROUNDS
Drivers’ standings
1. Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Polo GTI), 124 points
2. Mattias Ekström (Audi S1), 120 points
3. Petter Solberg (Volkswagen Polo GTI), 117 points
4. Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 91 points
5. Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 81 points
6. Andreas Bakkerud (Ford Focus RS), 73 points
7. Ken Block (Ford Focus RS), 52 points
8. Timo Scheider (Ford Fiesta), 50 points
9. Toomas Heikkinen (Audi S1), 46 points
10. Kevin Eriksson (Ford Fiesta), 42 points
Teams’ standings
1. Volkswagen PSRX, 241 points
2. Team Peugeot Hansen, 172 points
3. EKS Audi, 166 points
4. Hoonigan Racing Division, 125 points
5. MJP Racing Team Austria, 103 points
6. STARD, 66 points
