RX Cartel’s Andreas Bakkerud claimed first blood and the first ever fastest qualifying time at the Spa World RX of Benelux, round three of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Norway’s Bakkerud beat GRX Taneco’s Timur Timerzyanov in Q1 race 3 on Spa’s brand new rallycross circuit and set the quickest time that then wasn’t beaten in race 4 by race winner, Team Peugeot MJP’s Timmy Hansen.
Sweden’s Hansen had a close fight with RX Cartel’s Liam Doran in race 4 after the British driver took the hole shot into turn one, then went wide in the final corner of the first lap, Hansen slotting up the inside. But, with extra momentum on the banked corner, Doran dived back up the inside to retake the place. Hansen eventually won the race using joker lap tactics but was only P6 overall.
GC Kompeition’s Anton Marklund, the driver that had been fastest in Free Practice, won Q1 race 2 by passing ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and GRX Taneco’s Joni Wiman and was second quickest, as race 1 winner Krisztian Szabo (EKS Sport) was third in the Q1 times.
Scheider, Wiman and Timmy Hansen completed the top six. 2016 World RX Drivers’ Champion Mattias Ekstrom took an early joker and battled with 2019 World RX Drivers’ Championship leader Kevin Hansen and was P9.