Just a fortnight after round 3 in Belgium and I was down at Lydden for more World Rallycross (you’d think I like rallycross or something).
Photos were (predictably) taken, here are my faves…
Petter Solberg was absolutely flying during the qualifying races. He won both races on Saturday and the third qualifier on Sunday morning. Petter fell just short of a perfect qualification score, coming second in the fourth qualifying race.
The Retro Rallycross Championship had organised a significant Group B gathering for Lydden. As well as a static display in the paddock, the Group B cars also took to the track for some demo runs.
Pat Doran’s RS200 was my pick of the bunch, though it was the ex-Will Gollop 6R4’s that were the biggest attraction for most. Gollop’s bi-turbo 6R4 has been out of the public eye for a lot of years and I’m not sure how a deal was struck, but it was great to see it out of storage and back on track again.
Mixed in with the racing were a handful of drift demos, including Baggsy in his (now V8 powered) S13.
Ken Block has had a bit of a mixed start to the year. A podium at round 2 was followed by a disastrous weekend at round 3, where his car seemed to be plagued with issues. Block fared better at Lydden, narrowly missing out on a semi-final position.
Blocks team mate Andreas Bakkerud seems to be really getting to grips with the Hoonigan Racing Focus. The car looked to be running a very soft setup…
…which was especially noticeable in the chicane, but it was working for Bakkerud and he qualified for the back row of the final. Unfortunately the car had issues on the start line, but it was still a great result for Bakkerud and the team.
Thomas Bryntesson has won both of the RX Lite rounds this year, so he was the man the pack were chasing.
After issues in the qualifiers Thomas eventually made it to the final, but it was Cyril Raymond who took the chequered flag in the Lites.
After a dominant performance in qualification, Petter Solberg absolutely blitzed the field in the first Supercar semi-final, sliding his way to a comfortable victory and earning the pole spot for the final.
Liam Doran never seems to have much luck at the Lydden round of the World Championship and this year was no exception. Although JRM had finally got a 2.0L engine installed in the MINI, the package was untested and the weekend ended up more like a shakedown session than a competitive drive.
Tanner Foust made his first European rallycross appearance of 2016 at Lydden. Foust has won here in the past, but he suffered technical issues last year and failed to make the semi-finals. Problems struck again this year and after two races on Saturday, Foust’s Polo didn’t leave the garage on Sunday morning.
Mario Barbosa led the Super 1600 Championship and he was consistent again at Lydden.
Ulrik Linnemann was the man to watch though and victory looked like a strong possibility for him, especially after Barbosa flipped on the first corner early in the final. Incredibly Linnemann made the same mistake just a few laps later, rolling his Peugeot on top of the Saxo of Barbosa!
Guy Wilks made the final at Lydden last year and he was back for another guest drive in 2016, this time at the wheel of an OMSE Fiesta. Wilks did increase his pace over the two days, but sadly not enough to challenge the front runners.
Reigning British Supercar Champion Julian Godfrey also struggled against the competition. After a high-speed encounter with a barrier on Saturday, Godfrey pushed hard on Sunday but couldn’t place in the top 12 and so, like Wilks, failed to make the semi-finals.
Iceman facing off against a line of media: Loeb was on the pace again at Lydden, though he had an issue in the semi-final and so failed to make the final: I’ll be amazed if he doesn’t win a race before the end of the year though!
With Ulrik Linnemann and Mario Barbosa both wiping out in the final, it was Krisztian Szabo who took first in the Super 1600 class.
Current Championship leader Mattias Ekstrom was conspicuous by his absence from the top row of the timesheets during qualifying. Some thought that Solberg’s pace was too much for Ekstrom to match, but Mattias is smart and I suspected he was saving himself (or rather his tyres) for the final.
After winning his semi-final, Ekstrom lined up alongside Solberg for the final. While Mattias dived off for an early joker, Solberg led the field. Petter was fast but, based on the smoke coming off his tyres, it was clear he was rapidly running out of rubber.
Sure enough, when Petter went for his joker it was Ekstrom who took the lead. Solberg pushed to the flag but it wasn’t enough and Mattias took his third win in a row with Petter in second.
Solberg and Ekstrom finished the weekend separated by just four points: brilliant to see things so close at this stage of the Championship, I hope it continues for the rest of the season!