Peugeot And Hansen Motorsport Team Up To Attack FIA RallyCross Championship

Kenneth HANSEN has a long association with the Citroen and Peugeot brands, WRC Champion Sebastian Loeb piloted a DS3 that was co developed by Hansen and Citroen to a gold medal at the 2012 XGames in the USA. Photo © Neil McDaid /Rally World News With the introduction of a World Rally Cross Championship for 2014 and the dramatic growth of GRC, the  popularity and excitement inherent in rallycross has seen the discipline grow tremendously in recent years, all the ingredients were consequently in place for Peugeot to join forces with one of the sport’s leading teams, Hansen Motorsport.

Peugeot’s involvement in motorsport has undoubtedly been one of the broadest ever seen over the decades. The make has claimed titles in the World Rally Championship and Sportscar World Championship, while its ventures into such celebrated competitions as the Dakar, Pikes Peak, Le Mans and Indianapolis have all been crowned with success. Rallycross is another competition in which Peugeot has been active over the years, and the introduction of a new World Rallycross Championship in 2014 will provide the discipline with a tremendous springboard to expand beyond its traditional European boundaries. This in turn will permit a new generation of fans to discover the sport. Peugeot wanted to be a part of this process from the outset and, as a consequence, has joined forces with one of rallycross’s most prominent operators, Hansen Motorsport.

Kenneth HANSEN:
“We are very proud and honoured to be working with Peugeot Sport in this year’s FIA World Rallycross Championship. We couldn’t be more motivated, but we are also acutely aware that the programme comes with a huge responsibility. Be sure, though, that we will do everything in our power to make sure Peugeot has no regrets about placing its faith in Hansen Motorsport. My entire focus is now on getting on with the work that awaits us, from the team’s branding to the tiniest of screws which will go into the car. Hansen Motorsport can look back at a successful record and our big dream right now is to fight at the very front with Peugeot. This is a completely new project which starts here and now, so we will need to work harder than ever in our
bid to secure more success in 2014.”

Bruno FAMIN, Director, Peugeot Sport: “At Peugeot Sport, we are constantly looking to explore different forms of motorsport. Rallycross is a discipline that is expanding quickly, and that includes the introduction of an FIA-sanctioned world championship from this year. We were attracted to the sport by a long list of factors, including its spectacular side, the big crowds it draws and the cars that are involved. They are very close to our target. We naturally sought to strike up a relationship with one of the best teams in the business, namely Hansen Motorsport. Team Peugeot-Hansen is starting from scratch for this new championship and we face a fascinating challenge with a calendar of 12 rounds across the world in some of the most strategically important markets for the brand.”

Martin ANAYI, Managing Director of World Championship Promoter, IMG Motorsport: “We are delighted that Peugeot Sport has pledged its commitment to officially supporting a professional race team entering the FIA World Rallycross Championship in its inaugural year. To have a second major manufacturer involved in this way is another significant coup for our fast-growing series”.

Peugeot and Rallycross

French Championship1988: 1st, Guy Fréquelin, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2
1989: 1st, Philippe Wambergue, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2
1990: 1st, Jean-Manuel Beuzelin, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2
2001: 1st, Jean-Luc Pailler, Peugeot 206 WRC
2002: 1st, Jean-Luc Pailler, Peugeot 206 WRC
2007: 1st, Jean-Luc Pailler, Peugeot 207 WRC
2011: 1st, Samuel Peu, Peugeot 207 WRC
2012: 1st, Gaetan Serazin, Peugeot 207 WRC



European Championship
Division 1.2000: 2nd, Jean-Luc Pailler, Peugeot 206 WRC
2003: 3rd, Jean-Luc Pailler, Peugeot 206 T16 4x4



Division 1A.2003: 1st, Jaroslav Kalný, Peugeot 206 XS



Division 2.1987: 1st, Seppo Niittymäki, Peugeot 205 T16 E2
1988: 1st, Matti Alamäki, Peugeot 205 T16 E2
1989: 1st, Matti Alamäki, Peugeot 205 T16 E2
1990: 1st, Matti Alamäki, Peugeot 205 T16 E2
2000: 1st, Eddy Bénézet, Peugeot 306 S16



1400 Cup (Div. 2A)1997: 1st, Jaroslav Kalný, Peugeot 106 Rallye
1998: 1st, Jaroslav Kalný, Peugeot 106 Rallye

2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship – Calendar

May 4: Montalegre (Portugal)
May 25: Lydden Hill (United Kingdom)
June 14: Hell (Norway)
June 29: Kouvola (Finland)
July 6: Holjes (Sweden)
July 13: Mettet (Belgium)
August 8: Trois-Rivières (Canada)
September 7: Lohéac (France)
September 21: Estering (Germany)
September 28: Franciacorta (Italy)
October 12: Istanbul (Turkey)
November 23: Cordoba/Misiones (Argentina)