Fresh off the back of their strong performance in France, the PEUGEOT 208 WRX toreadors are fired-up for more action as the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship moves on to Barcelona. Round 9 of the 2016 campaign takes place at the same venue that hosts Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix, and Team Peugeot Hansen is ready to dig deep to secure a seventh consecutive podium finish on September 17-18.
A newcomer to the World RX calendar last year, the Barcelona track combines the final part of the Formula 1 circuit with a gravel section.Team Peugeot Hansen heads to Spain with a clearly defined objective - a solid points haul to reduce what is currently a 19-point deficit to the top of the Teams' title table.
The Peugeot Hansen Academy will field a brace of PEUGEOT 208 WRX Supercars for Davy Jeanney and Kevin Hansen. The latter will continue his pursuit of the coveted European Championship crown and will be eager to extend his clean sweep, having won all three rounds that have been held to date. Depending upon the result, this Spanish outing could prove decisive in determining the destiny of the European laurels.
Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal"Last year, we managed to establish a strong rhythm at this track. There is more in the way of straights than at Lohéac, but the circuit should nonetheless suit us well. We came away from the last race with plenty of useful information, and we intend to take full advantage of that in Spain. Our objective is to fight at the front of the field and take points off our main competitor in the Teams' standings."
Sébastien Loeb (#9 PEUGEOT 208 WRX, Team Peugeot Hansen)"I know the Barcelona circuit well, having tested there a lot in the past in both WTCC and PEUGEOT's 908 endurance racer. I have also tried out Red Bull's Formula 1 car there and a motorbike! That prior experience will be of limited value, however, since the layout of the rallycross track is evidently very different and only uses one section of the racing circuit - which is run in the opposite direction to usual! With an uphill start and a good level of grip, the engine is sure to play an important role. My aim is to beat my two closest rivals in the championship and score a lot of points for the team."
Timmy Hansen (#21 PEUGEOT 208 WRX, Team Peugeot Hansen)"I reached the podium in Barcelona last year and was the highest-scoring driver over the course of the weekend. My goal is to finish inside the top three once more. The Barcelona circuit is a bit like Lohéac in terms of grip, albeit slower. The gravel section is important to get right and incorporates a big jump.Competing at such a prestigious venue is always enjoyable. The facilities are first-class, and I can't wait to go racing there again and quickly battle back from my disappointment at Lohéac."
TIMETABLE (local times)Friday, September 164:00pm: Qualifying order draw
Saturday, September 1709:30: Free Practice12:00: Qualifying 115:15: Qualifying 2
Sunday, September 1809:15: Warm up10:00: Qualifying 312:25: Qualifying 415:00: semi-finals and final
BARCELONA, SPAIN
Length: 1.133kmAsphalt/dirt: 60.4 %/ 39.6 %Lap record: 45.212sSTANDINGS AFTER EIGHT ROUNDSFIA World Rallycross Championship - Drivers1. Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3), 181 pts2. Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 176 pts3. Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen RX Sweden, Volkswagen Polo), 158 pts4. Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS), 157 points5. Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 141 pts6. Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 117 pts7. Toomas Heikkinen (EKS, Audi S1), 101 pts8. Robin Larsson (Robin Larsson, Audi A1), 71 pts9. Timur Timerzyanov (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta), 67 pts10. Davy Jeanney (Peugeot-Hansen Academy, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 60 pts
FIA World Rallycross Championship - Teams1. EKS, 277 pts2. Team Peugeot Hansen, 258 pts3. Volkswagen RX Sweden, 217 pts
TV COVERAGEBroadcast in 120 countries - http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/article/tvlisting.The semi-finals and final will be broadcast live in France on L'Equipe 21 and in Sweden on SVT.
ABOUT RALLYCROSSRallycross events use mixed-surface asphalt/dirt (60%/40%) 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.
