The 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship has been both a challenging and rewarding season so far for Kevin Hansen. The Team Peugeot Total driver has had his ups and down and his home event was no exception.
With the team announcing that the Peugeot 208 WRX would be upgraded for the 2018 World RX of Sweden, Hansen was eager to see what gains could be made from the Supercar after its positive start to the season.
Kevin Hansen had to adapt to the upgraded Peugeot in Sweden quickly. Credit: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Team-mate Sebastien Loeb took victory at in Portugal but with the field so tight this year, success in each event is very important. Hansen reflects on the hard work required to find the cars sweet spot on home turf.
“It was a really good weekend. We worked hard to progress throughout the weekend for our first round with the PEUGEOT 208 WRX in basic 2018 spec. It’s a bit different from the previous car I drove, so it took a while to get used to it with the set-up and everything,”
“Starting from the warm-up, everything has been working better and better throughout the day and I think we progressed a lot both in terms of set-up and driving. And to get into the final once again is really amazing.”
Hansen was happy to be in the Final in Sweden, but that ended on lap two of the race. Credit: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
After setting top ten times in the first two Qualifying sessions, the 2015 FIA European Rallycross Champion found himself in eighth place overnight and looking forward to moving up the order on Sunday.
Hansen maintained his pace to end up eighth overall at the end of Qualifying where he secured a place in Semi-Final Two. After finishing second to Andreas Bakkerud in the race, Hansen took a middle row slot in the Final. However the car stopped on the second lap of the Final and Hansen was classified in fifth place.
“Unfortunately, we stopped on lap two with a technical problem. It’s a shame but making it to the final here in Höljes is really great.”
