Norway’s Petter Solberg was again fastest in Q2 at the World RX of Great Britain, round five of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy to be TQ (Top Qualifier) at the end of day one.
In an almost identical performance to Q1, Solberg led his PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team mate Johan Kristoffersson for the whole race in Q2 to once again claim the top two positons, where the pair are also placed at the end of day one. “It’s not easy, it’s quite a special track but it’s a fantastic feeling,” said Solberg. “Some of the improvements we have done from the last race have made me more comfortable and faster. It’s great, to be fastest on this track is always a dream and I’m happy I must say. Johan has also done a fantastic job, so a good team effort again.”
For the second session in succession, Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom was third fastest in Q2, with Hoonigan Racing Division’s Andreas Bakkerud fourth and Team Peugeot-Hansen’s Timmy Hansen fifth, each of the drivers racing in the last World RX race of the day. France’s Sebastien Loeb and America’s Ken Block had a close fight in their Q2 race and were sixth and seventh, with Russia’s Timur Timerzyanov eighth.
Britain’s Andrew Jordan set another time inside the top ten in Q2, in ninth and is eighth at the end of the opening day on the circuit where he scored a podium finish in 2014. Niclas Gronholm was tenth fastest after quick work from the GRX mechanics to repair his car, but Reinis Nitiss retired after contact with a barrier at the first corner.
The RX2 and FIA European Rallycross Championship for TouringCar categories completed three heats on day one in the UK. In RX2, France’s Cyril Raymond was fastest three times ahead of Britain’s Dan Rooke. Norway’s Lars Oivind Enerberg was fastest in Q1 and Q2 in TouringCar to be TQ overnight, Anders Braten fastest in Q3.