World Rallycross heats up in Lousada
The Lousada International Circuit experienced a memorable day on the first competitive day of the World RX of Portugal. The track heated up as much as the outside temperature, above 30 degrees.
The intensity of the races resulted in an exciting three-way tie for the lead in the World Rallycross (WRX), with drivers engaging in pinpoint battles that thrilled the large audience. An excellent show is in store for tomorrow, with a schedule that includes a total of 25 races.
Since early on, thousands of people made a pilgrimage to the renovated Lousada International Circuit to watch a unique competition: the Battle of Technologies, which pits electric vehicles against vehicles with internal combustion engines.
The first two qualifying rounds were dominated by Nordic drivers and electric cars. Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRXe) won the first race, and Niclas Grönholm PWR RX1e was the best in the second. In the overall standings, Niclas Grönholm, Timmy Hansen and Ole Veiby (VW Polo WRX) finished the day in the lead, with 90 points. Seven-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo WRX) is in a modest 6th place, with 77 points. Tomorrow, there will be two more qualifying rounds that will give access to the semi-finals.
One of the highlights of the day was Klara Andersson’s victory in one of the heats of the second qualifying round. “I have an excellent car and I can do a good race. The circuit is fantastic, it’s incredible to do the banked curve”, said the Swede, who drives the PWR R1e, with two electric motors that have a combined power of 680 hp and an incredible 880 Nm of torque.
Lousada is also part of the European Rallycross Championship in the RX1 and RX3 categories, in which Portuguese drivers participate. Yury Belevskiy (Audi S1) won both races in the RX1 category and leads with 100 points, followed by Nils Volland (Audi S1) with 87 points, but there is still a long way to go before reaching the final. António Sousa (Peugeot 208 WRX) and José Oliveira (Peugeot 208 WRX) are tied in 7th place with 73 points, and are the best Portuguese drivers in this category.
The Portuguese drivers stood out in the RX3 category, the entry class in the European Championship reserved for cars with a 1.6 petrol engine and front-wheel drive. The current runner-up, João Ribeiro (Audi A1), won both heats and remains in the lead with 100 points, followed by Joaquim Machado (Peugeot 208) and Liber Tejes (Audi A1), with 85 points. Jorge Machado (Peugeot 208) and Tiago Ferreira (Peugeot 208) did not participate in the race, as their cars did not pass the technical checks.
Kartcross is part of this weekend’s schedule. Sérgio Castro (ASK XC R) won both qualifying heats and is leading the standings with 100 points, followed by Pedro Marques (LBS Motor RX01) and Tiago Costa (LifeLive TN11), with 84 points.
For fans who cannot attend, Sport TV6 will broadcast the qualifying races, semi-finals and finals of the various categories starting at 10:30 am tomorrow, June 1st.
Program
Sunday, June 1
- 09:30 to 09:36 – Kartcross Warm-up
- 09:38 to 10:08 – Euro RX3/Euro RX1/World RX Warm-up
- 10:21 to 10:31 – Kartcross Qualifying 3
- 10:33 to 11:25 – Euro RX3/Euro RX1/World RX Qualifying 3
- 12:21 to 12:31 – Kartcross Qualifying 4
- 12:33 to 13:25 – Euro RX3/Euro RX1/World RX Qualifying 4
- 13:27 to 13:39 – Kartcross Semifinals (5 rounds)
- 14:06 to 14:18 – Euro RX3 Semifinals (5 rounds)
- 14:23 to 14:38 – Euro RX1 Semifinals (5 laps)
- 14:45 to 14:57 – World RX Semifinals (5 rounds)
- 15:04 – Kartcross Final (6 laps)
- 15:12 – Euro RX3 Final (6 laps)
- 15:22 – Euro RX1 Final (6 laps)
- 15:32 – World RX Final (6 laps)
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