Kristoffersson prevails in epic Istanbul duel to put one hand on eighth career crown

From the middle of the grid, Grönholm had to get his elbows out at the start of Q1 to see off Euro RX1 front-runner Damian Litwinowicz – with the World and European Championship fields mixed this weekend in Istanbul – but once in front, the flying Finn sped clear.

He repeated the result in the following two heats, having to overhaul rapid countryman Mika Liimatainen in Q2 before twice getting the better of title rival Kristoffersson in crowd-pleasing side-by-side duels in Q3 to top the intermediate ranking and steal back one point in the chase for the coveted crown.

Grönholm was looking to further reduce the deficit in the all-important final, but Kristoffersson is unaccustomed to playing second fiddle, and having done so all day, the Swede was in no mood to settle for the runner-up spot again.

Immediately going on the attack, the KMS star’s relentless pressure paid off approaching mid-distance in the six-lap contest as he darted down the inside to boldly seize the initiative.

After withstanding a brief counter-attack from CE Dealer Team ace Grönholm, Kristoffersson proceeded to edge away, going on to take the chequered flag first for the 48th time in his extraordinary career at the dual-surface discipline’s highest level – in so doing, extending his advantage at the summit of the standings to 19 points with only 28 remaining in play.

Ole Christian Veiby rounded out the rostrum in third in the sister Kristoffersson Motorsport-run Polo. The Norwegian’s day was an eventful one. An increasingly loose run through Q1 culminated in him clipping the barriers and spinning – delaying the closely following Kristoffersson in the process – while contact at the start of Q3 saw him unintentionally turned around by his KMS stablemate.

That theme continued in the final, as he engaged in a no-holds-barred battle with CE Dealer Team’s Klara Andersson. The pair collided not once but twice as they disputed third place, ultimately crossing the finish line separated by less than half-a-second in Veiby’s favour – before the result was reversed by a post-race penalty for the contact.

The World RX campaign concludes tomorrow (Sunday, 21 September), with the Euro RX1 regulars once again joining the fray – and now their own title fight has been resolved, the gloves will surely be well-and-truly off!

Click here to schedule tomorrow’s action live and free on the FIA World Rallycross Championship YouTube Channel.