HELL NORWAY, JUNE 2017: This past weekend saw Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block
and Andreas Bakkerud return to Hell, Norway, for Round 6 of the 2017 World
Rallycross Championship. Hell is where Block made his World RX debut in 2014
(an event which he took 3rd overall) and is Andreas’ home event (which he won
last season with a full sweep).
This year saw the duo return with
their Ford Focus RS RX rallycross cars and demonstrate their fastest pace of
the season thus far. Both drivers had a solid outing during Saturday’s Q1 and
Q2 races with Bakkerud winning his Q2 race. The pair ended the day sitting 2nd
(Bakkerud) and 10th (Block) overall heading into Sunday’s racing.
Sunday saw Bakkerud win both his Q3
and Q4 races, with Block also having successful results. After four rounds of
Qualifying races, the two found themselves sitting 1st overall (Bakkerud) and
6th overall (Block) heading into their respective Semi Finals, a best-ever
result after the Qualifier races for Hoonigan Racing Division.
Bakkerud continued his hot streak
for Sunday, winning his Semi Final and earning P1 on the starting grid of the
Final. Block unfortunately narrowly missed making the Final, despite having an
epic pass during the last lap of his Semi Final against Renis Nittis in a move
up into 4th.
The Final saw Bakkerud first off the
line (earning him the Monster Energy Super Charge award, a trophy given out to
the driver with the fastest reaction time off of the starting line in the
Final) and leading after Lap 1. However he lost the lead during Lap 2 and finished
out the next five laps where he’d finish the event: 2nd overall.
“I’m really happy to be back on the
podium here at home in Norway,” said Bakkerud. “It’s been a tough season for us
so far and I’m very glad that I was able to find good pace with the car here at
my home event. I was really hoping I’d be able to repeat my win from last year,
but Johan [Kristoffersson] just barely got ahead of me with his second lap
Joker and that was that. Overall I’m happy though, it’s always great to be on
the podium in Norway with all of my Bakkerud Blue fans and I’m stoked for our
team, the boys have put in a lot of work to help us be fast this weekend, we
couldn’t have done it without them.”
The next round of action for both of
the HRD drivers will be in Sweden for Round 7 of the FIA
World Rallycross Championship.
