The 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship heads to Hungary for the primary time on 27/28 July. The third and fourth rounds of the “Battle of Applied sciences” will happen on the Nyirád Racing Centre, with the standard suspects competing for glory towards a Hungarian dwelling hero.
Nicknamed the “Purple Cauldron” due do the distinctive color of the unsealed floor sections of the monitor, Nyirád is also known as probably the most “old-school” circuits on the calendar. The technical curves and turns mixed with dramatic elevation adjustments current an attractive problem for drivers and assure an important spectacle for the followers.
The primary weekend of world rallycross motion within the new “Battle of Applied sciences” period noticed victory head the best way of inner combustion engine (ICE) automobiles. Certainly, six-time world rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson asserted his dominance early on, throwing down the gauntlet by profitable each occasions in Sweden. Nonetheless, group principal Tommy Kristoffersson is not going to be easing off any time quickly. “We all know what we’re good at, and I feel the double victory was well-deserved” Kristoffersson Sr defined, earlier than including “there are nonetheless areas for enchancment and it’ll get more durable. We’ll come to tracks the place we can not dominate, so we should proceed to work on our improvement potential. We must always have fun this success, completely, however we should additionally keep humble.”
Kristoffersson could have been untouchable within the moist, however within the dry circumstances on Saturday he was put beneath strain by the chasing pack. In the meantime teammate Ole Christian Veiby struggled with launching his automotive off the road, denying him the potential to assault on the very prime.
Hoping to capitalise on this are the 2 CE Vendor Group drivers, Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson, who’re tied on factors in second within the championship. Each may have taken not less than one victory in Sweden, with Grönholm exhibiting glorious tempo in his electrical PWR RX1e earlier than occasions out of his management snatched these possibilities away from him. Andersson got here inside a whisker of taking victory from Kristoffersson on the primary day of motion, and will likely be hoping to go one higher than second in Hungary.
Hansen World RX Group are eager to bounce again after a disappointing weekend in Sweden. Neither Timmy nor Kevin Hansen made it onto the rostrum in Sweden, regardless of each drivers getting their Peugeot 208 RX1e automobiles into the ultimate on each events. Each drivers have additionally triumphed at Nyirád up to now, and they’re aiming to repeat their success in 2024.
“Höljes was a bit tougher than we hoped for,” admitted 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen. “It looks as if we’ve bought to do a variety of work to know the brand new tyre however as all the time there’s nice motivation throughout the group. We’re pushing ahead with new concepts so I’m excited to come back to Hungary. We need to struggle for one step increased within the outcomes than we had been in Sweden. Hungary is the place I bought my first ever win in Supercars again in 2013 and it’s the primary time since then the championship returns so there’s heaps to sit up for.”
With such sturdy competitors lining up on the electrical aspect of the “Battle of Applied sciences,” the ICE automobiles have their work reduce out to cease them claiming victory. Anthony Pelfrene impressed in his world rallycross debut within the Peugeot 208 WRX, and René Münnich all the time demonstrates respectable tempo in his SEAT Ibiza.
Coming into the battle on the ICE group is Hungarian champion Jankó Wieszt. Wieszt entered the ultimate rounds of the British Rallycross Championship’s 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill in 2023, placing in a great efficiency to earn him a podium place within the ultimate spherical. Now making his debut in world rallycross in a Renault Mégane RS RX, a automotive designed for the 2018 championship, the Hungarian driver is aiming to placed on a great present for the followers. “It’s so thrilling to have the ability to compete at my dwelling monitor in Hungary’s first-ever World Rallycross Championship occasion, though it’s tough to set objectives as a result of I’ve solely pushed the Mégane for round 90km, and I’ve in all probability not pushed greater than 150km in whole in rallycross automobiles since 2017! After all it will likely be an enormous problem, as I’ll be going up towards the perfect drivers within the self-discipline, however I need to have enjoyable – that’s my foremost goal.”
