23-01-23 DRR JC
scores Top Qualifier result and Podium finish in first Nitro RX
Trois-Rivieres ice race
American-Swedish Nitro Rallycross Championship team DRR JC maintained
its advantage at the head of the 2022-2023 season standings with
a strong performance in the series’ first-ever ice race weekend
in Canada.
Entering the event holding the top three positions in the Drivers’
standings, the amalgamated Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and JC Raceteknik
squad secured the Top Qualifier position amid a top-three lock-out
in qualifying during the seventh round of Nitro RX’s headline
Group E category, then took another podium finish in the final race
of the weekend to maintain the lead in both the Drivers’ and
Teams’ standings.
Drivers’ Championship leader Robin Larsson finished third in
qualifying on Saturday, one place behind Monster Energy RX Cartel
DRR JC team mate Andreas Bakkerud in the all-electric FC1-X machines.
Racing under floodlights again on Saturday – race day –
Larsson was second in both his heat race and semi-final, then delivered
a strong and mature drive to climb to third position in the final
and hold the place to the finish in challenging, changeable conditions
where ice dust was a significant factor.
Bakkerud meanwhile had won his semi-final, but while battling in
the middle of the field in the all-important, eight-car final, was
forced off the track by another competitor. While his rival was
disqualified for the move post-race, Bakkerud made it to the finish
line in seventh, and remains second in the series’ standings.
Robin Larsson (SWE), Group E:
“This was a hard weekend, but a lot of fun to drive the cars
in these conditions. Overall we can be happy about the event, we
achieved a strong result in the end and took a lot of good points
for the championship. I’m really looking forward to the next
race in Calgary in two weeks.”
In opposite conditions to those of his native Jamaica, Fraser McConnell
stunned the Scandinavian stars of Nitro RX by taking the Top Qualifier
result on Friday evening, beating far more experienced drivers to
win the Battle Brackets section of the event. On day two, McConnell
was twice second in the heat and semi-final stages, then battled
hard to finish fourth in the final and remains third in the Drivers’
standings.
Joel Christoffersson, JC Raceteknik Team Principal:
“It was not easy for any of us this weekend, but I’m very
pleased with the job of the whole team. Fraser did a great job to
be TQ on day one, then Robin delivered again on Sunday to take another
podium. Andreas could have been right up there too, but had a hard
time in the final. We learned a lot and we will start with a better
base setup on the cars at the next ice race.”
23-01-16 JC Raceteknik
heads to Canada for Nitro RX ice races with championship lead
The DRR JC squad, created out of Swedish team JC Raceteknik and
American collaborators Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, head to
Canada this week to compete in the first ever Nitro Rallycross Championship
ice race.
On the back of a strong start to the 2022-2023 Nitro RX campaign,
DRR JC drivers hold the top three positions in the Drivers’
standings, with double FIA European Rallycross Champion Robin Larsson
leading the charge, ahead of World RX race-winner Andreas Bakkerud
and RallyX Nordic race-winner Fraser McConnell.
The first-ever Nitro RX campaign for all-electric FC1-X cars began
at the birthplace of rallycross, Lydden Hill (UK) last summer, where
Larsson claimed a maiden Nitro RX win. In round two at Strangnas
(Sweden), the team made history, securing the top five finishing
positions in the final – a first for any team in a top-level
rallycross event – with Bakkerud winning ahead of Larsson,
Johan Kristoffersson, McConnell and Ole Christian Veiby.
Nitro RX then headed stateside, where at ERX Motor Park (Minneapolis)
Larsson and McConnell continued the podium run after an epic effort
by the whole DRR JC team to repair badly damaged cars for McConnell
and Bakkerud overnight so they could complete the event.
At Glen Helen (Los Angeles), McConnell secured a first Nitro RX
victory ahead of Larsson and Bakkerud in another podium lock-out,
while Bakkerud finished third in the first round of a Wild Horse
Pass (Phoenix) double-header, Larsson then securing a fourth win
of the season for the team the very next day.
Four rounds of the season remain over three events, with two rounds
held in the next three weeks running on ice circuits. This weekend,
the event takes place at the Trois-Rivieres circuit famous for hosting
World RX (albeit in summer) from 2014 to 2019.
DRR JC heads into the weekend with eyes on securing strong results,
using experience of racing in ice events in Scandinavia with Supercar
Lites machines, and extending its lead at the head of the standings
Joel Christoffersson, JC Raceteknik Team Principal:
“We had a very strong 2022 element to this season, and
after a huge effort from every single person in our team, based
on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s been great for them to
have a break and spend time with their families over Christmas.
Now we are fully focused on the job in hand. There are four races
to go, but the two ice rounds will be totally new for everyone with
the Group E FC1-X. We have raced on ice a lot back home with the
Supercar Lites, so hopefully some of that experience will serve
us well and we can secure good points. We are in a nice position
in the championship, but this is rallycross, anything can still
happen so every one of us needs to stay 100% focused on the job
in hand right until the end of the season.”
23-01-13 Ingen rallycross
och crosskart i SM-veckan
Det väder som varit under den senaste tiden gör att anläggningens
banan inte kommer hålla för en rättvis tävling
för rallycross och crosskart. Rallytävlingen genomförs
som planerat.
Det är torsdagens bilsport med rallycross och crosskart som
nu tyvärr måste ställas in. Detta utifrån
det väder som varit och den ställtid i planeringen som
SVT som sändande TV-bolag behöver för att planera
om i sin produktion från SM-veckan.
Rallysprinten på söndagen den 5 februari körs som
planerat.
Även SM Esport i Touring Car avgörs under veckan på
plats i Arena Skövde.
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