Indeed, there were already signs of that in Sweden, where Johan Kristoffersson’s
back-to-back triumphs were achieved in two very different manners. In the dry
on the Saturday, the six-time world champion had to battle back from a penalty
for contact with Niclas Grönholm during the heats and then overcome a spirited
Klara Andersson in the final; in the wet 24 hours later, aside from a couple of
sub-standard launches, he was utterly dominant.
In the process, Kristoffersson drew first blood for the
sustainably-fuelled combustion-powered brigade in World RX’s ‘Battle of
Technologies’, making history once again as the maiden winner of the sport’s new
era behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX – and in front of more
than 25,000 enthusiastic trackside fans.
“I’m so happy that we managed to win with our new partner on-site at
Höljes and after the incredible work the team has put in,” enthused the 35-year-old
Arvika native, who is chasing an extraordinary seventh career crown at the
international pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline this season.
“We have converted two completely new cars with internal combustion
engines to become World RX cars. Big thanks to the team for pulling this off
and making it so successful – to score just two points shy of a full house is
almost as perfect as it gets.”
Kristoffersson will duly head to Hungary and Nyirád Racing Center –
rallycross’ legendary ‘Red Cauldron’ – next weekend (27-28 July) holding a
22-point advantage at the summit of the championship standings, but Team Principal
Tommy Kristoffersson is adamant that is no reason to ease off the gas pedal.
“Höljes was a big weekend for us,” he acknowledged. “We were put under
pressure, but we handled it the right way. We followed up on our indications from
the pre-event test and made good decisions, and Johan always delivers when it
matters most.
“We did such a solid job in our preparations, and during both the test and
the race weekend, we gained the confidence we needed to move forward. We know
what we are good at, and I think the double victory was well-deserved.
“There are still areas for improvement and it will get tougher. We will
come to tracks where we cannot dominate, so we must continue to work on our
development potential. We should celebrate this success, absolutely, but we
must also stay humble.”
Greece
Poland
Portugal