The celebs of motor sport’s most action-pack class, the FIA World Rallycross Championship, have been again on-track for the primary aggressive motion of the 2025 season at present on the Lousada Worldwide Circuit.
It was a scorching Saturday on the lately revamped Portuguese circuit, with hoards of followers packing the legendary banking to observe their heroes return to the battle membership that’s World RX. Along with the hundreds of followers revelling within the dwell and free streaming of each race, anticipation for the aggressive motion to start out was as explosive because the sustainable-fuel in a KMS machine and electrifying as a Hansen 208.
With the qualifying teams drawn by heaps at the beginning of the day, it was Kevin Hansen who bought the primary gap shot of the 2025 marketing campaign as he launched his all-electric automotive into first place off the road. It was a lead he would preserve to the top of the primary warmth, however with qualifying now determined within the traditional rallycross model by general time somewhat than ending place, it was removed from sure if Kevin would maintain onto this early benefit.
From one brother to a different within the second of the Qualifying 1 heats, Timmy Hansen set a blistering tempo to guide from lights to flag, though Ole Christian Veiby was pushing onerous behind, setting the quickest lap and proving the tempo of the combustion-powered VW.
Because the groups and drivers reset to go once more for Qualifying 2, it was CE Seller Group’s Klara Andersson and Niclas Grönholm who blasted out of the blocks and in the direction of the highest of the factors desk. Andersson managed the primary warmth completely, making no errors on her late Joker Lap to take the chequered flag. Then, within the second warmth, CE Seller sister #68 automotive of Grönholm was within the zone off the road, spearing his automotive into Flip 1 to seize the lead off the beginning, leaving the others to battle onerous behind. His tempo was sufficient to prime the Q2 outcomes sheet.
Persistently fast can be the best way to explain Ole Christian Veiby’s day, as he completed up after the second heats in second general as soon as once more, netting him 45 worthwhile factors. Andersson took third in Q2, with Timmy and Kevin Hansen fourth and fifth respectively, having each put a tricky transfer on sixth-placed reigning champion Johan Kristofferson within the closing hairpin on the final lap of qualifying.
Combining the factors from Q1 and Q2 provides us an intriguing setup for tomorrow’s full-on day of flat-out racing in Lousada. Grönholm sits atop the quali desk forward of Timmy Hansen and Ole Christian Veiby, although all three are equal on factors. Kevin Hansen, Klara Andersson and Johan Kristoffersson spherical out the highest six.
Finnish ace Juha Rytkönen ended the day seventh general for PGRX forward of Group RX Racing’s Patrick O’Donovan, who recovered from harm in his first warmth to complete properly within the second, gaining expertise all the best way in his first occasion at World Championship degree. Anthony Pelfrène’s GCK Peugeot rounded out the runners in World RX in ninth.
With two extra qualifying periods tomorrow to set issues up for the semi-finals, it’s nonetheless all to play for – click here to head to our YouTube channel and set your notifications for the dwell stream.
Click on here for the Qualifying Standings after the primary day of frenetic motion within the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
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Yury Belevskiy will get most qualifying factors on opening day of FIA European Rallycross Championship in Lousada forward of team-mate Nils Volland
The opening blows within the first spherical of the 2025 FIA European Rallycross Championship have been struck within the RX1 class, with the brace of Volland Racing Audi S1s setting the early tempo.
Yury Belevskiy made a daring transfer within the second warmth of the primary qualifying session to take victory on-track and set the quickest general time. His most level rating was repeated when the vehicles returned to the Lousada Worldwide Circuit for Qualifying 2 in a warmth that noticed blistering tempo from the Swiss driver. Setting lap occasions within the 38.0s, it was a formidable flip of velocity that can have his rivals working additional time to try to sort out tomorrow.
Sizzling on his heels was fellow Volland Racing pilot Nils Volland. The German set the second quickest time within the Q1 heats and third quickest in Q2 and wasn’t removed from the general tempo of his stablemate. Miika Liimatainen is the Volland staff’s closest competitor in a single day, with stable runs via at present’s heats placing him third within the qualifying factors desk.
Motion returns to the observe tomorrow with much more followers and spectacular motion anticipated at this vastly profitable return to rallycross within the European Championship.
Click here to view the provisional qualifying factors standings in EuroRX1.
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An excellent 19-car entry, bolstered by native heroes and RX rising stars hit the observe for the primary aggressive motion of 2025 at present in Lousada, Portugal.
With groups and drivers cut up into 4 teams to contest at present’s two Qualifying Periods, it was a thrill a minute for the followers lining this iconic rallycross circuit. The followers on the terraces had lots to cheer, as native data was clearly paying dividends out on-track.
Joao Ribeiro scored a most of 100 quali factors with victory and the quickest general occasions throughout each periods, whereas fellow countryman Joaquim Machado sits in second having set the fourth and second quickest occasions throughout Q1 and Q2.
It could have been an all-Portuguese prime three had it not been for the spectacular tempo of Czech driver Libor Teješ, who mirrored the outcomes of Machado to attain second after which fourth finest occasions throughout Saturday’s observe motion.
Andre Sousa’s end result locked out the highest for provisional positions for Audi A1 drivers, earlier than a brace of Skoda Fabias within the fingers of Sámuel Kovács and Leonel Sampaio claimed fifth and sixth general.
There are a plethora of various EuroRX3 vehicles battling out across the twists, turns and jumps of Lousada Worldwide Circuit, from Rafaela Barbosa’s Peugeot 208 to Luis Pedro Ferreira’s Renault Twingo, it’s all nonetheless to play for with two extra qualifying periods tomorrow setting issues up for the semi-finals and all-important closing.
Click on right here for the provisional qualifying outcomes from at present.
