Ford Fiesta driver Tanner Foust claimed his second RallycrossRX win of 2013 on the weekend of 8th and 9th June at the Rallycross of Finland, held at Kouvola.
Foust had started on the back row of the grid having finished third in semi-final one at round three of the FIA European Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy. After a brilliant start Foust was up to third by the first corner, behind semi final winners Petter Solberg and Timur Timerzyanov.
Solberg had also made a good start, claiming the Monster Energy Supercharge Award for being first to the first corner, and sliding sideways around the outside of Timerzyanov to take the lead of the race.
British driver Liam Doran ran fourth, taking the joker lap at the end of lap one, followed by his team mate Andreas Bakkerud, having his best event of the season so far.
Timmy Hansen started on the second row of the grid, and ran fourth when Doran jokered. Hansen took his joker on the second lap, returning to the main circuit ahead of Bakkerud, who passed Doran going into the final corner.
While Solberg pulled ahead at the front of the field, Bakkerud picked up a puncture over the loose section on the third lap, blocking Hansen’s path into the hairpin, allowing Doran to sneak past the pair into fourth place. Hansen was hot on Doran’s tail, and passed the Englishman into the last corner on the fourth lap.
Solberg continued to extend his lead at the head of the field, only for a steering arm to fail on his Citroen DS3 on the loose section of the circuit. Running wide at the hairpin, Foust shot up the inside, followed by the rest of the field. Solberg valiantly tried to continue, but came to a halt in the jokerlap, unable to go any further.
Foust took the lead, and by the end of the sixth and final lap had a reasonable gap ahead of Citroen pair Timerzyanov and Hansen, who finished nose to tail.
Reinis Nitiss took his second RallycrossRX Super1600 victory in a row, starting on the front row and leading the final from lights to flag. Team mate Ildar Rakhmatullin ran second the entire race in his best drive of the year, while hard trying Citroen driver Eric Faren claimed the final podium position. Timur Shigaboutdinov had his best finish of the season in fourth, ahead of Ulrik Linnemann who was in the mix for a podium early in the race before picking up a puncture. Vadim Makarov failed to get off the start grid.
TouringCar was won by Roman Castoral who stayed clear of trouble to take his first win of the year. Pole sitter Derek Tohill took the lead at the first corner, ahead of fellow front row starter Daniel Lundh. Robin Larsson passed Lundh halfway through lap one, before taking the lead from Tohill at the end of the lap. Castoral passed Lundh at the end of the third tour. Larsson slowed on lap five with a mechanical problem, Tohill making contact with the Skoda Fabia as he tried squeeze up the inside of the ailing Skoda, allowing Castoral into the lead. Tohill finished second ahead of Lundh in third. Swedish driver Roger Enlund finished fourth with local man Ville Rautiainen taking fifth. Larsson was classified in sixth position.
Victory in the JRX category was claimed by William Nilsson for the second event in succession, ahead of Magda Andersson. Kevin Hansen retired on the fourth lap.
