The ‘Battle of Technologies’ intensifies
The scoresheet from the opening four instalments
of World RX’s new ‘Battle of Technologies’ may read three-one in favour of
sustainably-fuelled combustion cars, but the story of the season so far is very
much one of a nip-and-tuck battle between the ICE entries and their electric adversaries.
It remains to be seen whether Mettet will favour
one technology or the other, but on the basis of what unfolded at Höljes and
Nyirád, there is likely to be little in it either way – and with crucial
championship points up for grabs in every single race, the on-track action
promises to be fast, fierce and frenetic throughout.
Chasing the champ
Saturday’s final will bring down the curtain on
the opening half of the 2024 World RX campaign, ramping up the pressure on
Johan Kristoffersson’s rivals to reduce the gap currently separating them from
the six-time world champion at the top of the table.
The Swede arrives in Belgium holding a 25-point
margin over his nearest pursuer – not insurmountable, by any means, but enough
to give his competitors a hurry-up. Both CE Dealer Team and Hansen World RX
Team have shown strong speed so far this season, but need to begin converting
that into similarly strong results in order to prevent Kristoffersson from
getting too far ahead.
Ominously, of the current World RX field, only
one driver has previously won around the Circuit Jules Tacheny. His name is Johan
Kristoffersson...
Swedish siblings target rostrum return
For a squad that has clinched the world
championship crown on no fewer than three occasions, it seems hard to believe that
Hansen World RX Team has yet to reach the rostrum so far in 2024, but due to a
variety of factors, the ultra-successful Swedish outfit remains in search of
its first trophy of the campaign.
It is now more than a year since Timmy Hansen last
ascended the podium, but the 2019 world champion has sprayed the champagne at Mettet
three times in seasons past, so he boasts a strong record at the track. Younger
brother Kevin, meanwhile, barrel-rolled spectacularly out of contention in
Belgium in 2017, and is bidding to kick-start his own title challenge with a
winning weekend.
Support series stars aiming to turn the tables
All three support series – RX2e, Euro RX1 and
Euro RX3 – have witnessed repeat winners from the opening two rounds of the
season, in the shape, respectively, of Nils Andersson, Patrick O’Donovan and
Nils Volland, but their rivals are redoubling their efforts to turn the tables.
It was at Mettet last summer that Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
achieved her finest result in RX2e to-date, with a superb second-place finish behind
guest entrant Kristoffersson. At the same time, Yury Belevskiy made his
European Championship return in Euro RX1 – and promptly set the pace in heat
one. João Ribeiro, meanwhile, is fired-up to fight back after losing his maiden
Euro RX3 victory last time out in Hungary to a post-race penalty.
It would not be a surprise to see any of the
three on the top step of the podium this weekend...
Home hero back in the saddle
The last time Kobe Pauwels raced on the World
RX support bill, he clinched the Euro RX3 crown. The last time he raced in
RX2e, he came within a scant five-thousandths-of-a-second of a podium finish on
his debut in the electric category.
The talented teenager might have been away from
rallycross for almost two years – successfully plying his trade in touring cars
and sportscars – but the dual-surface discipline retains a special place in his
heart. And now, the home hero is aiming to pick up from where he left off in
front of the ever-enthusiastic Belgian fans...
Greece
Poland
Portugal