Boosted by Sébastien Loeb's encouraging second place in Belgium, the four PEUGEOT 208 WRX drivers are looking forward to the visit to Great Britain where Lydden Hill will host round four of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship on May 28-29.
After finding its way back onto the podium in Mettet, Belgium, Team Peugeot Hansen will be looking to keep the momentum going as the championship moves on to Lydden Hill. The Franco-Swedish operation is currently third in the Teams' standings and is targeting its first victory of the season in its bid to move further up the provisional leaderboard.
Lydden Hill, Kent, is viewed as the home of rallycross. It was here that the first ever rallycross meeting was held on February 4, 1967.
In parallel to Team Peugeot Hansen's two cars, Peugeot Hansen Academy will have tw PEUGEOT 208 WRXs at Lydden Hill. The #17 car will be in the hands of Davy Jeanney, who has a programme of 10 world championship rounds this season, while the #71 car will allow Kevin Hansen to continue to gain experience at world championship level in addition to his campaign in the European Rallycross Championship which he currently tops.
QUOTES
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)"I like Lydden Hill. It's one of the calendar's faster circuits where you can really make the most of the potential of a car like the PEUGEOT 208 WRX. I know it's a venue that suits Timmy, Davy and Kevin, and I am certain that Sébastien will lose no time adapting given his experience of racing on asphalt. We will need to adapt our strategy to the fact that the Joker Lap veers off at Turn 1. We are determined to up our game a notch and our intention is to fight for the win. We have shown recently that we have the speed to achieve that goal."
Sébastien Loeb (N°9 PEUGEOT 208 WRX)"After finishing on the podium in Mettet, I couldn't be more fired up ahead of Lydden Hill. The aim is to continue being competitive and up there battling with the leading pack, despite the fact that Lydden Hill is unknown territory for me. I saw in Belgium how a good start position can make a huge difference and how your weekend can tip one way or the other very quickly. I hope Lydden Hill goes well from that point of view."
Timmy Hansen (N°21 PEUGEOT 208 WRX)"The early races have been pretty hard for me, so I hope Lydden Hill will mark the start of a more positive spiral. I know we have the speed for that to happen and this is one of my favourite circuits. I always enjoy its sweeping corners and the flowing rhythm it calls for. For me, Turn 1 is one of the most interesting corners of the season. It's on gravel, with a brief portion of asphalt. I love it. It's a track that suits both the PEUGEOT 208 WRX and my driving style, and I've got some fond memories of my previous visits. It's here that I competed for the first time as a full-time rallycross driver. I finished on the podium and I'm hoping history will repeat itself this time round!"
TIMETABLESaturday, 28 May09:15 - 09:45: free practice - Part 110:15 - 11:00: free practice - Part 2From 12:00: qualifying 1From 14:30: qualifying 2
Sunday, 29 May10:30 - 11:00: warm-upFrom 11:00: Qualifying 3 & 4From 15:00: Semi-finals & final
PROVISIONAL STANDINGS (AFTER THREE ROUNDS)FIA World Rallycross Championship (Drivers)1, Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 78 pts2, Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3), 73 pts3, Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 58 pts4, Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 54 pts5, Toomas Heikkinen (EKS, Audi S1), 46 pts6, Robin Larsson (Robin Larsson, Audi A1), 34 pts7, Kevin Eriksson (Olsberg MSE, Ford Fiesta ST), 32 pts8, Janis Baumanis (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 31 pts9, Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS), 36 points10, Davy Jeanney (Peugeot-Hansen Academy, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 28 pts11, Anton Marklund (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo)12, Liam Doran (JRM Racing, Bmw Mini), 23 pts13, Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 23 pts
FIA World Rallycross Championship (Teams)1, EKS, 124 pts2, Volkswagen RX Sweden, 83 pts3, Team Peugeot Hansen, 77 pts
TV COVERAGEThe event will be covered on TV in 120 countries worldwide (http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/article/tvlisting). The semi-finals and the final (from 2pm, Sunday, May 29) will be broadcast live in France by L'Equipe 21, in Sweden by SVT and in Great Britain by Quest TV.
ABOUT RALLYCROSSRallycross events use mixed-surface dirt/asphalt circuits of about one kilometre in length and can feature one or more jumps. The drivers are knocked out as the weekend progresses and only the six fastest and bravest of them get to contest the final.
2016 CALENDAR * rounds counting towards the European Rallycross Championship
1. April 16-17: Portugal (Montalegre)2. May 7-8: Germany(Hockenheim)3. May 14-15: Belgium (Mettet)*4. May 28-29: Great Britain (Lydden Hill)5. June 11-12: Norway (Hell)*6. July 2-3: Sweden (Holjes)*7. August 6-7: Canada (Trois-Rivières)8. September 3-4: France (Lohéac)9. September 17-18: Spain (Barcelona)*10. October 1-2: Latvia (Riga)*11. October 15-16: Germany (Estering)12. November 26-27: Argentina (Rosario)
