Celebrating Cooper Tires’ ‘Racers of the Weekend’ from Cape Town

The FIA World Rallycross Championship’s return to Cape Town (7-8 October) produced some sensational doorhandle-to-doorhandle duels and electrifying action at Killarney International Raceway – but who shone brightest in South Africa to scoop the coveted Cooper Tires ‘Racer of the Weekend’ awards..?

World RX Saturday: Kevin Hansen

It takes quite something to pip five-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson to the top of the timesheets in SuperPole. Since the single-lap shootout to decide starting positions for heat one was introduced in Norway last year, the Swede has prevailed on every single occasion. Until last Saturday.

Palpably in his element behind the wheel of the ZEROID X1 – with the World Championship operating on a completely level playing field for the first time in history – Kevin Hansen dug deep to outpace his countryman by the margin of just under a tenth-of-a-second. Kristoffersson’s SuperPole reign was over.

A momentary loss of power cost the Hansen World RX Team star the initiative in the opening heat, but thereafter, he kept the pressure on his Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS rival and battled back from a first corner squeeze in the final to seal the runner-up spoils for the 13th time in his career.

World RX Sunday: Timo Scheider

Heading to South Africa, Timo Scheider was one of only two drivers in the field with no prior experience of the ZEROID X1. He did not let that disadvantage hold him back.

It should perhaps have come as no surprise. In two of his three previous appearances at Killarney International Raceway, the German had advanced to the final – and he was on stellar form once again.

After finishing third on the opening day, Scheider produced an inspired display to reach the top step of the rostrum 24 hours later. A rear motor failure in SuperPole and a puncture in heat one put him immediately on the back foot, but thereafter, the ALL.INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport ace was peerless, topping the times in both heats two and three and then narrowly defeating Kevin Hansen in the first of the semi-finals.

That earned Scheider pole position for the all-important final, which he controlled from lights-to-flag, leading home Hansen and the slow-starting Kristoffersson for his breakthrough World RX victory – as popular a result as has been seen in the championship in recent years.

Hansen and Scheider have each been rewarded with a free set of Cooper Tires for their performances in South Africa.