Double-final for JC Raceteknik at Lydden Hill
Swedish rallycross team JC Raceteknik enjoyed a competitive weekend at the second round of the RX2 International Series at Lydden Hill in the UK, with two of its three drivers making it into the final (May 28).
Guillaume De Ridder displayed strong pace through the entire weekend to qualify third at the Intermediate Classification and start on the front row of semi-final one, having also set the fastest lap time in Sunday morning warm-up. The Belgian driver, competing in only his third rallycross event, maintained his position with second in the semi-final and only just missed out on a podium finish by crossing the finish line fourth in the final.
Norwegian RX2 event-winner Sondre Evjen also made the final, thanks to improving lap times through the event and running well inside the top 12 semi-final qualifying positions. He finished third in semi-final two after a spirted drive to make it into the final. In the last RX2 race of the weekend, in the last ever FIA World Rallycross Championship event to be held at Lydden Hill, Evjen climbed to as high as third in the final but ended up fifth after his last lap joker.
On his first visit to the British circuit, only his second ever time in the UK, Swedish driver William Nilsson was immediately third fastest in Q1, but his hopes of a good result were hindered by broken suspension when he hit a hole in the circuit in Q3. Making it into the semi-finals, the former JRX event-winner was just over two tenths of a second away from graduating to the final.
The event was won by Frenchman Cyril Raymond, with Englishman Dan Rooke second and Norwegian Thomas Holmen third. The next round of the RX2 International Series takes place at Hell in Norway in two weeks (June 09 – 11).
The next event for the JC Raceteknik team is the second round of the RallyX Nordic Championship in Arvika, next weekend (June 3).
Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal :
“We didn’t have the same pace as the top two guys at the start of the weekend, but we found it in Q3 on Saturday and we were quickest in the warm-up this morning. We had good pace all day today. To have Guillaume on the front row of the semi-final, where he did a really good job all weekend, was great. We’re happy. The racing in RX2 is so, so tight, everyone is within just tenths of a second so it’s very good to be at the front. William suffered a lot with his one bad race, but all of the guys can be happy with their pace. It was nice to come back with two cars in the final after a hard event for us in Belgium two weeks ago. This is the first race in a busy time for us, but we have a great team and they are working really hard.”
RX2: Sondre Evjen (NOR) :
"It felt brilliant to be in the final, but I wish I had that little extra to be able to fight for the podium. My driving has been consistent, but there were several small things that did not come together completely. I made some small mistakes but we also struggled to find exactly the right set-up on the car. The speed is there, we just need it all to come together. I'm second in RallyX Nordic and the plan is obviously to defend that in Arvika. The track at Arvika is very enjoyable, it’s technically demanding so it will be exciting to drive there. I want to fight for the victory, both in Arvika and in the overall RallyX Nordic Championship.”
RX2: William Nilsson (SWE) :
"It was a tough and very demanding event for me. Q1 was a good start, but then I didn’t find any more speed. While the other drivers improved their times, I remained at the same pace. The competition was really close and even, again. When everyone is so close, even with the smallest mistakes you lose so much. It’s hard to always drive close on the edge without crossing the line. I will take things I’ve learnt at Lydden Hill to Arvika next weekend, I’m really excited to know that I’ve done well there before. The plan is to drive quickly, have fun and finish on the podium.”
RX2: Guillaume De-Ridder (BEL) :
“I’m the first person to be surprised about my pace here because at the last round in Belgium, I knew the track. I had only driven there once before but I knew it a bit at least. Here was completely new to me so I was quite impressed with my speed. I found the pace quite early in the weekend and it’s just a bit disappointing that I wasn’t on the podium. But, if someone had told me before the weekend that I would have been fourth, I would have taken that for sure. Everything is positive and I just need to work a bit more on my starting procedures and there is more pace to find. I’ve made a step with the car here.”
RX2 International Series, Lydden Hill, Great Britain Result:
1 Cyril Raymond (FRA)
2 Dan Rooke (GBR)
3 Thomas Holmen (NOR)
4 Guillaume De-Ridder (BEL)
5 Sondre Evjen (NOR)
6 Simon Olofsson (SWE)
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9 William Nilsson (SWE)
RX2 International Series standings:
1 Cyril Raymond (FRA) 55
2 Dan Rooke (GBR) 51
3 Simon Olofsson (SWE) 39
4 Guillaume De-Ridder (BEL) 35
5 Glenn Haug (NOR) 34
6 Tanner Whitten (USA) 33
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8 Sondre Evjen (NOR) 27
10 William Nilsson (SWE) 22
