2017 World RX Champion Johan Kristoffersson has taken victory in the 2018 World RX of Portugal, where the Supercar Final was run in snowy conditions for the second round of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The Swedish driver secured the win with a controlled drive in difficult weather conditions at the Montalegre circuit after winning his Semi-Final race to take pole for the Final.
Sebastien Loeb took his second consecutive second place finish in Portugal. Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
Having started on Pole Position, the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver powered into the lead from the front row before making the most of the clear track ahead to reel off a series of rapid laps thereafter.
Following Kristoffersson home in second place was Sebastien Leob, with the Team Peugeot Total driver battling with the conditions to earn his podium place having been the overnight leader on Saturday after Q1 and Q2.
Completing the podium was fellow PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Petter Solberg. Solberg had not topped the times in Qualifying and only just made the Final having finished in third place in Semi-Final Two, where he chased home Loeb. This podium is also the Norwegian’s best finish so far this season.
Chicherit took his best finish of his World RX career so far after taking fifth place in the Final. Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
Andreas Bakkerud in the EKS Audi Sport S1 Supercar managed to salvage fourth place after a heroic drive in the difficult conditions.
The Norwegian driver finished as Top Qualifier after going fastest in both Q3 and Q4 having found more pace on Sunday in the mixed conditions. However those conditions caught him on in the Final.
Making it into the the top six in the race and also his debut in a Final was Guerlain Chicherit in the GC Kompetition Renault Megane. The Frenchman was the faster of the Renualt Supercars over the weekend and gave the Prodrive built machine its first top five finish.
Unable to pass Chicherit in the Semi-Finals, Ekstrom missed out on the Supercar Final. Credit: IMG / FIA World RX
Timmy Hansen, who started on the front row with Kristoffersson, scuppered his chances of a podium after clipping the inside barrier at the final corner and tipping into a spin whilst running second. The Swedish driver made it home in sixth place and will be looking for better things next time out in Belgium.
Mattias Ekstrom lost out on a place in the Final after taking his joker lap on lap five of Semi-Final One and found that he was not able to pass Chicherit. Despite pushing very hard on the last lap, the 2016 World RX Champion couldn’t find a way past.
Kristoffersson maintains his lead in The 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship as the series moves on The Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet for the 2018 World RX of Belgium on May 12 – 13.
