After failing to qualify for the semi-finals for round one of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship at Holjes, Andreas Bakkerud made it to the final in round two after a heroic drive in his semi-final.
Contact with Timmy Hansen gave Bakkerud a puncture but he held on, using all his skill to keep control of the car and take third place in the first semi-final.
More importantly, Bakkerud was third after qualifying and showed strong pace against his rivals.
It was this pace that he was very happy with: “I’m really proud of our performance today. We made massive steps and I can see where we’ll be able to go with the GCK Megane R.S. RX.
“I now hold the record for the only person having raced their way to the final in 5 different cars, so that’s not too bad either. I know we’re just a step or two away from the podium, so bring on Finland – I’m ready.”
In contrast Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel teammate Liam Doran had a nightmare weekend. Prop shaft and driveshaft issues meant he struggled to simply finish the races, a weekend to forget for the Brit.
Team Manager Stephane Orre said: Liam also showed great pace and definitely knows how to handle the Megane but continuing technical issues since yesterday meant we couldn’t actually see him battle, so we now have to put in the work ahead of Finland to see both drivers at the top.
“Andreas showed today that the car’s performance is there and we certainly have the pace, so now it’s time to bring it all together for round 3 and 4 next week.
Talking about teething issues with the car, Orre believes a lack of preparation time hampered their weekend. He added: “We’ve seen some good improvements across the weekend despite some challenges for the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel.
“We missed some preparation time ahead of Sweden RX, so the guys had a tough job on their hands to try to understand the cars as they were racing, and the team had to make adjustments on the go. Andreas put down an impressive fight and performance, especially considering the little time he’s had in the Megane so far.“
