Niclas Gronholm takes his maiden FIA World Rallycross Championship win in Hell in a dramatic aftermath.
The heavens opened in Hell just before the semi-finals causing difficult, unknown conditions.
Niclas Gronholm took the win in the first semi-final and secured pole position for the final.
However, crossing the finishing the line in the final Gronholm was third but due to penalties he was promoted to the event winner, his first in his World RX career.
Anton Marklund crossed the line in the lead, but after the post-race scrutineering he was disqualified from the event for an infringement of Technical Regulations relating to the front bumper mounting.
Kevin Hansen was also penalised for unsportsmanlike behavior for an incident with Gronholm, the reverse of what happened in Abu Dhabi. He was given a one second time penalty which dropped him behind Gronholm in the result.
With the penalties given Janis Baumanis took the final podium position.
In the early stages of the final it was Kevin Abbring, in his debut World RX event, who was leading the race. After taking his joker he dropped to the back of the order but picked up fourth after the penalties.
Liam Doran hadn’t reached the semi-finals, but Rokas Baciuska was disqualified from the event which meant the Doran was moved up. Winning the second semi-final Doran started on the front row. He led the trio who took their jokers on the first lap, and was on the back of those who hadn’t after the first lap. However, Doran was plagued with a mechanical failure on the penultimate lap, scoring fifth place points.
The first semi-final was more chaotic than the second with the unknown conditions, and saw Timur Timerzyanov, Guerlain Chicherit and Timo Scheider drop out.
Timmy Hansen was knocked out of the final by brother Kevin in the second semi-final. Whilst home favourite Andreas Bakkerud and Cyril Raymond also missed out.
In the championship standings Timmy Hansen leads Kevin Hansen by one point with Andreas Bakkerud in third. Team Hansen MJP continue to lead GRX Taneco in the team’s championship.
World RX returns in three weeks for the World RX of Sweden.
