CAMPEONATO MUNDO DE RALICROSS 2021

Terça, 08 Junho 2021 12:52 | Actualizado em Quarta, 24 Abril 2024 17:56

It’s my time to shine’, says Kevin Hansen, as Swede bids to step out of big brother’s shadow

• Younger Hansen brother ready to grab his share of the spotlight in 2021

• Swede targeting FIA World Rallycross Championship Drivers’ crown

• 23-year-old eager to showcase recent progress brought to Peugeot 208

• Team-mate of Hansen World RX Team star to be revealed later this week

Kevin Hansen is ready to step out of the shadow of his FIA World Rallycross Championship-winning brother Timmy and 14-time European Championship-winning father Kenneth in 2021, after confirming his return to the pinnacle of the discipline with the family-run Hansen World RX Team and declaring: “It’s my time to shine!”

A title-winner in both RX Lites and the JRX Junior Rallycross Cup, Hansen has similarly been a leading protagonist in World RX since debuting in the series in Argentina in 2015, making history as the youngest driver ever to contest an event at the highest level at the age of just 17 years and six months. Not only that, but the Swede impressively reached the final at his very first attempt.

A switch to the FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2016 yielded four victories from five starts en route to the coveted Drivers’ crown, dovetailed with selected outings in World RX – advancing to the final in Britain and Germany – to earn the FIA ‘Rookie of the Year’ accolade at the end of the campaign.

Since then, Hansen has been a World RX regular, with six final appearances in 2018 paving the way to his first title challenge the following year. A breakthrough victory in the Abu Dhabi curtain-raiser and four further podium finishes saw him enter the South African finale still in with a shout of overall honours, ultimately winding up a close third while playing a vital role in Team Hansen MJP’s successful acquisition of the Teams’ crown.

After two more rostrum results in 2020 propelled the 23-year-old to fifth in the Drivers’ classification, he now has his sights resolutely fixed on the only major international rallycross crown he has yet to claim – the biggest one of all – as he returns to the track in his Hansen World RX Team Peugeot 208 for a fifth consecutive full-season assault. His team-mate at the Swedish squad will be announced later this week.

The new World RX campaign will get underway with a Friday/Saturday evening showdown at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 23-24 July, before subsequent race weekends in Germany, Sweden, France, Latvia, Belgium and Portugal complete an eight-round schedule.

Kevin Hansen, Driver, Hansen World RX Team, said:

“I’ve been looking at all areas of my development in order to put myself in a better position ahead of the season. I know where I’ve been weak and where I’ve been strong, and it’s time to put it all together in the final year of the combustion-engined era.

“I’m capable of winning championships – I think my junior career showed that! This is no different and I hope the changes around me will showcase the progress we’ve made together. Our car development has moved towards a direction I feel more comfortable with, and the Peugeot did fit me much better last season than in 2019. I believe since then we've progressed even more in that direction, and I can’t wait to extract all of it on-track.

“To close World RX’s combustion chapter with the Hansen name on top would be a beautiful story, given the team’s rich history and the upcoming shift to full electric rallycross. It’s my time to shine!”

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal, Hansen World RX Team, added:

“Kevin has shown himself to be a world-class rallycross driver over the last decade. It has always been the case over the years that our boys have had to earn their seats with the team, and if they were not quick enough, they wouldn’t get to drive – but Kevin has proved himself time and time again, so we’re excited to see what he is capable of doing in this final chapter of World RX before the new electric era begins.

“We had some difficult moments in the first half of last season, but I saw a big step from Kevin towards the end – he felt at one with the car again and it showed. If myself and the rest of the team can give him a fast car, I am sure he can continue to fight at the front of the pack for more victories and the championship.”

About Rallycross Promoter GmbH

Rallycross Promoter GmbH, a joint company of Red Bull GmbH and KW25 Beteiligungs GmbH, is responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, including TV production and the marketing of global media and sponsorship rights. The Promoter also has responsibility to increase the field of participants and to propose the venues that form the calendars in the FIA World Rallycross Championship and supporting series.