2015 FIA World Rallycross Teams Champions Team Peugeot-Hansen endured a difficult end to their victorious season in Argentina.
The team came into the weekend with the aim of taking their sixth win of the year and with Timmy Hansen holding a slim chance of wrestling the title from championship leader Petter Solberg, sadly this was not to be as the team suffered an unfortunate end to their great season.
With the running on Saturday cancelled due to track conditions proving too dusty, Hansen got to work by going fastest in Heats Two and Three, but with Heat Four cancelled, that was enough to give Solberg the Drivers Title and confirm Hansen as Vice Champion. Although he would go on to qualify for the Supercar Final, contact would end his running.
Team-mate Davy Jeanney qualified eighth at the Intermediate classification but would ultimately lose out on a place in the Final after finishing fourth in Semi-Final Two.
Team Principal Kenneth Hansen expressed his joy on a Title winning season in 2015: “At the start of the year, our aim was to win the Teams’ title. During the early part of the season, it took a little time for us to find our marks but we found our legs after the first four rounds.
“This weekend, we were really motivated and ready to pounce on even the tiniest opportunity to clinch the Drivers’ title. Indeed, we got both cars into the semi-finals and Timmy was in perfect control. He ended up being pushed out of contention, however. Obviously, we weren’t happy but he did his best to fight back before spinning.
“We are still very pleased with our performance in Argentina, though. We have a solid base from which to improve next season and we have every intention of hitting the ground running in 2016.”
Timmy Hansen looked back on the positives from his weekends efforts: “Once again, the Peugeot 208 WRX was fantastic to drive. This weekend, it was so easy, so responsive, so quick… I think it was clear that we were the fastest in Rosario. I had a great fight in my semi-final which I won.
“Unfortunately, they sprayed the track with water before the final when I was pushed a number of times and I ended up failing to finish.
“I’m disappointed not to have been able to challenge for another win but I still made sure of this year’s silver medal in the Drivers’ championship. I’m delighted! We were too far back to stand a real chance of catching Petter.”
Davy Jeanney reflected on a positive season of WorldRX with the team that included two wins: “I felt the car had potential from the start of the season but it took three or four races for everything to slot into place.
“After that, we found a good set-up which enabled us to put in a sequence of strong results, including two wins for me, in Germany and Canada, and a one-two finish in Norway. The last part of the season was a little tougher as far as I was concerned.
“We scored points at every round, though, and that helped us to clinch the Teams’ title, which wasn’t a bad way to wrap up my first season with Team Peugeot Hansen.”
