Had it not been for a penalty for exceeding the speed limit within the driver switch zone, the Rosberg X Racing team could have taken top spot in Qualifying for the #DesertXPrix on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
The team of Johan Kristofferson and Molly Taylor were quickest after the first run in Qualifying around the AlUla track, but a sixty-second time penalty for exceeding thirty kilometres per hour in the switch zone relegated them to third place.
However, it was still enough for the team to make it into Sunday’s semi-final, with three-time FIA World Rallycross champion Kristofferson happy with the days work despite the time penalty.
“It’s been an intense start to the weekend, but the team has done a great job to help us go P3 in Qualifying, score strong points and put us into the Semi-Finals for tomorrow,” said Kristofferson.
“Molly and I are both learning more about the car every time we head out on the course, and we have a lot of feedback to run through with the engineers to make sure we are in a strong position to go racing.”
“It’s been a strong start to the weekend for RXR” – Molly Taylor
Australian racer Taylor showed all her skills and determination during both of her runs on Saturday, despite the track feeling different with each run due to the churning of the sand.
She admits she had some wild moments during her first run on Saturday morning, but she was able to put it all together for a better run in the afternoon to ensure Rosberg X Racing automatically made it to the semi-finals.
“It’s been a strong start to the weekend for RXR, and I’m happy with our performance,” said Taylor. “The course is changing a lot during the sessions because of the ruts and new tyre tracks that are appearing, so every lap feels different to the last and is a new challenge.
“We had some wild moments in Qualifying 1, but we managed to keep it pinned to go fastest and have a strong run in Qualifying 2 to make it through to the Semi-Finals tomorrow.”
