Niclas Gronholm wins his home event in Finland.
Round four of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship took place in the wet at Kouvola, Finland.
Johan Kristoffersson started the final on pole after winning his semi-final as Top Qualifier. Gronholm started the race on the front row alongside Kristoffersson. Kristoffersson took the lead off the line but coming out of turn one it was Gronholm who was ahead.
From there the pressure was piled onto the Finnish driver from the two former champions, Kristoffersson, and Mattias Ekstrom.
Kristoffersson took the joker on lap three but was straight back on the tail of Ekstrom. The two leaders left their joker until the final lap where Gronholm came out in front and took the race win. Ekstrom came out alongside Kristoffersson, contact between the two put Kristoffersson out of shape and gave Ekstrom second place.
Timur Timerzyanov took advantage and took the final podium position with Kristoffersson in fourth, just beating Timmy Hansen to the line.
Andreas Bakkerud completed the race in sixth with a problem on the car.
Juha Rytkonen qualified for the final in the first semi-final but picked up a five second time penalty for track limits, promoting Bakkerud. Also missing out from the first semi was Robin Larsson and Anton Marklund. Kevin Hansen, Timo Scheider and Jere Kalliokoski all missed out from semi-final two.
Kristoffersson extended his championship lead by one point to 17 points from Ekstrom, with Gronholm moving up to third. KYB Team JC lead the team championship by 19 points from Team Hansen.
World RX returns on 19-20 September with rounds five and six at World RX of Latvia.
Feature image credit: FIAWorldRallycross.com
