Ole Christian Veiby er klar for varme temperatur når VM i rallycross denne helgen kjører i Ungarn. Les mer i denne pressemeldingen fra KMS Motorsport på engelsk.
From torrential rain in Höljes to sunny and hot Nyirád in Hungary. The World RX is getting a weather makeover for the third round.
«If it gets super hot, it could be a challenge for our cars, technically speaking» says Johan Kristoffersson, the outstanding winner of the Swedish championship round.
Two weeks ago, Höljes offered one of the wettest finals ever in the history of World RX. Kristoffersson Motorsport’s seven-time world champion put on a formidable display when he sailed to the finish in his electric Volkswagen RX1e with a whole ocean’s distance to second place. Now a whole new challenge awaits as Hungary offers the scene for the next battle. Nyirád made its debut in the World RX last year and offered a scorching event where the temperature approached 40 degrees. Something similar is expected this year, although perhaps not quite as hot as 2024, which may feel like a relief for the teams with electric cars, where they have batteries that have to be kept cool.
«I don’t think it will be a big problem. This year there is no doubleheader, which gives us more time between rounds» says team CEO Tommy Kristoffersson, who instead highlights another challenge facing them.
«This is the track that, according to the FIA’s EOT calculations, should be the best for the petrol cars, so now we have to count Juha Rytkönen and Patrick O’Donovan as big favourites.»
In the championship standings, however, it is Niclas Grönholm who tops ahead of Johan Kristoffersson.
«Grönholm is the man to beat. He has done well so far and drove smartly in Höljes» says Tommy and continues:
«We have the same mindset as usual, to go there and do our job in the very best way, without looking so much at what the others are doing. The aim is to catch up in both the drivers’ championship and the teams’ championship.»
Last year, when KMS ran its petrol cars, there was a good result in Hungary, with two second places for Ole Christian Veiby and a double victory on Sunday when Johan Kristoffersson won.
«It went well there. It is a nice, really lovely rallycross track» says Ole Christian, who that time came directly from his newborn daughter back home in Norway to then quickly perform at his best in Hungary.
It was not only the weather that was hot in last year’s competition. It also glowed and sparkled on the track, especially in the challenging first corner. For Johan Kristoffersson, the chances of victory disappeared during Saturday’s race when Kevin Hansen continued straight ahead and took Johan out to the periphery. Hansen got a black flag while Kristoffersson limped to the finish with a damaged car.
«It creates a bit of drama on that first turn» says Johan, who also had bad luck there during one of the qualifying rounds in Sunday’s race, after a close battle with Niclas Grönholm.
«That time it was my own fault. I shouldn’t have been there. Here it’s about positioning yourself correctly and not taking big risks. The draw for the starting positions will also be extra important this weekend.»
Johan has not had any luck there so far this season, having to choose among the last few. The world champion sees – as always – an interesting challenge ahead of him, to find the small details that lead to success.
«It was a new track for us last year and at the beginning we weren’t fast at all, but we found the speed as we went along. It will be exciting to see how we can apply the progress we made with the petrol cars to our electric cars now. «
The team’s Volkswagen RX1e’s competence was clearly demonstrated in the last round when the electric cars made a comeback with a superior victory. But if it was a victorious way for Kristoffersson, it was tougher for Veiby, who missed the final.
«The guys have found a few things to fix after Höljes. It was something we couldn’t see then and there, but now it should be alright. I’m optimistic. We know we have the fastest cars» concludes Veiby.