The Ford Olsbergs MSE team took its second consecutive podium in the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship as Reinis Nitiss finished in third place at Mettet in Belgium.
Nitiss finished in third place at the previous round in Hockenheim and followed this up at Mettet after taking an early lap one joker lap managed to secure his podium finish. After taking a best finish of ninth during the heat stages, the young Latvian driver qualified for Semi-Final one and managed to finish in third place behind team-mate Andreas Bakkerud, placing both Ford Fiesta Supercars in the Final for the second time in 2015.
Nitiss expained how hard he had to work to get through to the Semi-Final and Final.
“It feels good to be back on the podium again,” said Nitiss. “With the Olsbergs MSE team, I feel like I have the best people around me and they help me a lot. The car was perfect and everything worked perfectly, but I felt like my driving wasn’t where it needed to be,” said the 19-year-old Nitiss, who is campaigning only his second full season of Supercars competition with the Olsbergs MSE Ford team. “I’m happy for the result, but I’m not as happy with my driving.”
Andreas Bakkerud equalled hiss best result of the season so far by finishing in fifth place in the Final and with the points scored by him and Nitiss last weekend, this has given Ford Olsbergs MSE the lead from SDRX in the Teams Trophy. However his fifth place was after he was involved in contact at the first corner which caused a puncture.
“It’s my third time in the final in a row and I feel I did a really good job but the result just isn’t there and I’m disappointed. We are quick, and it feels right and we have the speed, but we aren’t there yet. I’m hoping it will come at Lydden Hill. We’re ready.”
Timur Timerzyanov had a tough weekend that saw the former double European rallycross champion just miss the Semi-Finals. He was thirteenth in the Intermediate points after heat four and ended his running there.
The team now heads to Lydden Hill for the WorldRX Of Great Britain this weekend looking to repeat the victory it scored with Andreas Bakkerud 12 months ago.
