ANOTHER SECOND PLACE FOR THE PEUGEOT 208 WRX IN NORWAY

June 13, 2016 by PEUGEOT

◾This weekend's fiercely-fought contest in Hell, Norway, home of Round 5 of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship, saw Timmy Hansen collect Team Peugeot Hansen's third straight podium finish.

◾Timmy Hansen put in a superb run in the competition's final phase to secure second place in his semi-final, before crossing the line in the same position in the final to pocket his second straight podium finish.

◾Sébastien Loeb was strong in qualifying and completed the heats phase of the weekend in third place. He was less fortunate in the final, however, although fifth place sufficed to promote him to third in the provisional championship standings.

◾It was the first time this year that Team Peugeot Hansen reached the final with both its PEUGEOT 208 WRXs. The defending champions left Hell with the weekend's biggest points haul to narrow the gap at the top of the Teams' table.

◾The Norwegian meeting also hosted Round 2 of the European Rally Championship in which Kevin Hansen was in unbeatable form. The youngster has only had his driving licence for a little more than a week yet he dominated all four of his qualifying heats, as well as his semi-final and the final to claim his second consecutive victory.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE...

Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)

'After Lydden Hill, we took time to analyse our season so far and make some changes. We are heading in the right direction but we haven't yet reached our destination because we were still only second this weekend. It's the first time this year we got both cars into the final and that allowed us to notch up a good points haul. It wasn't a perfect weekend but the trend is positive. At the same time, Kevin performed brilliantly in the European Championship event to win all his races!'

Timmy Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #21, Team Peugeot Hansen)

'It was great to come second here. We're starting to narrow the gap that separates us from some of our rivals. In Heat 2, I was running behind Andreas Bakkerud and there was nothing I could do to stay with him. After a bit of head-scratching, though, it looks like we found something because I was able to sit on his tail after that. It's obvious that we're on a positive spiral. I was third at Lydden Hill and second here, so who knows what might happen at our home race in Sweden in three weeks' time?'

Sébastien Loeb (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #9, Team Peugeot Hansen)

'It was a weekend of ups and downs. I had a pretty good rhythm for the heats and I didn't go badly in my semi-final but third place meant I had a poor starting position for the final. I started from the back row behind the top drivers and couldn't expect much better than fifth. We know we're down a bit in terms of overall performance but the positive is that I am now third in the championship...'

Kevin Hansen (PEUGEOT 208 WRX #71, Peugeot Hansen Academy)

'It was an incredible weekend for me. I scored maximum points by winning my four heats, plus my semi-final and the final. I really pushed hard in the first lap of the final and I managed to keep my cool after that to stay ahead to the finish.'

FINAL POSITIONS - HELL, NORWAY

1. Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Focus RS),

2. Timmy Hansen (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX),

3. Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1),

4. Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3),

5. Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX),

6. Timur Timerzianov (World RX Team Austria, Ford Fiesta)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS AFTER 5 ROUNDS

FIA World Rallycross Championship - Drivers

1, Mattias Ekström (EKS, Audi S1), 125 pts

2, Petter Solberg (Peter Solberg World RX Team, Citroën DS3), 120 pts

3, Sebastien Loeb (Team Peugeot Hansen, PEUGEOT 208 WRX), 83 pts