It turned out to be a weekend of ups and downs for Team Peugeot Hansen at the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship’s sixth clash at Hell, Norway. But Sébastien Loeb turned the tide to earn the Peugeot 208 WRX 2017’s fourth top-three result of the season.
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)
“We thoroughly deserved today’s podium finish! We were quick out of the box this weekend and, despite suffering a few setbacks, we never gave up. After Timmy’s tangle with Solberg in Q3, I honestly didn’t know whether his car would be ready again in time for Q4 but the mechanics did yet another first class job to make repairs in just over an hour. That allowed Timmy to qualify for the semi-finals, and then for the final where he joined Sébastien who ended up on the podium. Given the circumstances, there is good reason to be pleased with the overall outcome, even though our sights continue to be firmly set on victory. We’re not far off that and we will do our best to finish on the top step in Sweden in three weeks’ time.”
Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208 WRX #9), 3rd
“I’m very pleased to be on the podium here at Hell. My weekend got off to a strong start with the fastest time in the first practice session but I then lost ground during the qualifying phase because of how the races unfolded. I was glad when qualifying ended. Thankfully, I managed to turn the table with good runs in my semi-final and then in the final. It’s a good result but I know very well that we need to keep up the hard work.”
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #21), 5th
“If someone had suggested that I would reach the final after what happened in Q3, I would never have believed them. All the mechanics pulled together to do an incredible job after my crash, though, and it was their commitment that enabled me to come away with more valuable championship points and get both our Peugeot 208 WRX 2017s into the final. It wasn’t an ideal weekend overall and that’s a shame because I think I had the speed to challenge for the podium. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake which cost me vital tenths of a second.”
Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #71), 9th
“It was a weekend of ups and downs for me at Hell. I started well by coming sixth in Q1 but the change in the conditions for Q2 didn’t play out well for me. Things went better as the track dried today and I managed to bag third in Q4! That’s my best result of the year so far and it earned me a place in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, the eventful first lap of my race prevented me from joining Timmy and Sébastien in the final as I had been hoping.”