Kevin Hansen has shown during the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship that despite driving a 2016 Peugeot 208 WRX, he can set competitive times against the newer 2017 World RX Supercars and do it in style.
The 2017 World RX of Sweden was yet another example of the extreme talent that the younger Hansen is capable of showing on the World stage of Rallycross. He began Saturday well as he set times that were fast enough to leave him in ninth place overall after Q1 and Q2 were complete.
Kevin Hansen mixing it with the 2017 cars at Holjes. Credit: Red Bull Content Pool.
“Everything went well for me on Saturday. I had a good rhythm and I posted some decent lap times which was encouraging,” explained Hansen.
Looking good for a place in the Semi-Finals, the 2016 FIA European Rallycross Champion looked to start where he left off on Sunday, however during the start of his Q3 race, a driveshaft broke on the 2016 Team Peugeot-Hansen 208 WRX which left Hansen with the task of ground to make up in Q4.
“My time in Saturday’s warm-up session made me think that form would continue with on Sunday, so I was very disappointed when a driveshaft broke at the start of Q3.”
Kevin Hansen just missed out on a Semi-Final place, despite his fightback on Sunday. Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
Setting the thirteenth fastest time in Q4 where the track was acknowledged to be slower and where he was also up against the likes of Ken Block and Guy Wilks, was the best that Hansen could do and this would ironically leave him in thirteenth place overall, just one place outside the Semi-Final qualification.
“I did my best to recover the situation in Q4 but the track was fairly slow so I couldn’t manage any higher than 13th after qualifying. That was so frustrating because I believe I was faster than I have been since the start of the season.”
