This weekend, round 4 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will take place at Lydden Hill in Kent, for the British round of the season. At total of 59 cars, including 29 Supercar entries, will compete at the Bank Holiday weekend event.
For this round, there are a lot of British stars entering, such as BTCC ace Andrew Jordan, X Games medalist Liam Doran, Andy Scott, David Binks and Guy Wilks. The strong home support at the one-mile circuit will certainly create a fantastic atmosphere.
Lydden Hill was seen by millions around the world a few months ago when a World RX feature was aired on BBC Top Gear. James May was set the task of learning how to drive a World RX Supercar with tutoring from Tanner Foust. Jeremy Clarkson described the sport as “brilliant”, whilst May said it was “pound for pound the most exciting sport in the world.”
Andrew Jordan turns 26 on his home World RX weekend. He enters this year as a wildcard for Team Peugeot-Hansen. “I’ve been working really hard to put something together to do more events but Lydden Hill is obviously my number one priority being my home event.”
“To finish on the podium last year was one of the coolest things I’ve done in motorsport… but now I know I have the pace to be right up there with the top guys. It’s going to be really hard and sometimes you need a bit of luck, but after the podium last year, the aim has to be to win!”
British Rally champion Guy Wilks also enters this race, in a JRM Racing MINI RX Supercar. “Everything about rallycross is new to me – the cars, the tyres, the tracks – but I learned a lot at Pembrey in some difficult conditions. I’m determined to fight for every inch of the track and to do the best job I can for JRM Racing in front of the British fans.”
Last year’s winner, Andreas Bakkerud of Ford Olsbergs MSE, said: “I’m the sort of guy who likes to win the big events. I won the European Championship race with a huge crowd in 2013 and then the event with the biggest field of drivers at Lydden Hill. I grew up watching my idols racing at this track – it was a great place then and it is now. When it’s such a famous circuit, you really want to deliver. We have a good set-up for the Fiesta here, I think we can be strong.”
Petter Solberg is currently leading the standings coming into the fourth round. Another notable entrant will be Tanner Foust, who has won here twice before. Janis Baumanis will step up to a Supercar for this weekend from Super1600, in a Peugeot 208 WRX for Hansen Talent Development Team.
Alongside the 29 Supercars, there will be 18 TouringCars and 12 RX Lites taking part at the event. In TouringCars, Mettet winner Fredrik Magnussen will battle with reigning champion Daniel Lundh, as well as others such as David Nordgard, Anders Braten and Tom Daniel Tanevik.
In RX Lites, there is a record-high 12 entries. Round one winner and reigning champion Kevin Eriksson will go up against Kevin Hansen, Tobias Brink and Thomas Bryntesson, as well as many more.
The first heats tale place at 12:30 on Saturday May 23. The Supercar Semi-Finals and Finals will start at 15:00 on Sunday.
