Ide wins again at scene of breakthrough success

In the second round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at Montalegre today (4 June), Enzo Ide replicated his 2022 result in Portugal by racing to victory again in Euro RX1 to soar to the joint top of the title table.

Ide was a factor throughout the weekend, with the fastest time in heat four vaulting him to the summit of the standings, although he lost out to Nyirád winner Jānis Baumanis in the first semi-final.

The Audi driver ran second to Baumanis for much of the final, too, but the Latvian – who got ever-quicker as the weekend progressed – was always going to struggle to maintain his position, having to serve a double joker as punishment for a jump-start.

That guaranteed Ide the top step on the podium – and the status of first Belgian driver ever to lead the European Championship standings – with René Münnich returning to the rostrum for the first time in almost two years in second. RX Team Latvia ace Baumanis ultimately wound up third, with Tamás Kárai showing strong speed on his way to fourth and Patrick O’Donovan placing fifth at the end of a rapid but sometimes unruly weekend.

Pole-sitter and reigning champion Anton Marklund was restricted to sixth by a problem at the start, meaning the early-season pace-setter is still in search of his first win of 2023.