Andreas Bakkerud failed to make the semi-finals of the first event at the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship at Holjes, an early blow to his title aspirations.
Despite going quickest in free practice, technical issues saw Bakkerud finish down in fourteenth place in Q1. Engine issues hampered him in Q2 and even though he won his race in the final qualifying session, track evolution went against the 2019 runner-up and he did not make the semi-finals.
“It was a tricky day for me for sure – we had a great start to the day putting down some good pace but then the technical issue in the first and second qualifier put me on the back foot and I didn’t manage to win enough time back in Q3.” said the Norwegian.
“It’s tough with only three qualifiers and the entire round in one day as every issue has an even bigger impact and it’s super tough to fight back. Now we have to look to tomorrow and make up for it then.”
Bakkerud had a tough start to the season in 2019 when he clashed with Timmy Hansen in Abu Dhabi. It took a long time for him to claw his way back towards the top of the standings but he was in championship contention all the way until the final race of the year.
He and Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel will be looking to recover lost ground, starting tomorrow with round two at Holjes.
