Round 3 Strängnäs Motorstadion

Kenneth Hansen still has a chance

The third event of the Swedish Rallycross Championship series was held this weekend at Strängnäs Motorstadion in the middle of Sweden. More than 6000 spectators were invited to see the most exciting performance on two beautiful late summers days. Quite recently Swede Kenneth Hansen took his Citroën Xsara to a new European Champs title, but in the Swedish Championship he has had no luck so far this year. Until now. This weekend he stepped from seventh to third place in the standing.

The A-final was a dramatic one but Kenneth Hansen got a perfect start and kept away from his competitors in the first crucial corner. Left at the start was Thomas Rådström - Swedish Rally Champion this year - with a stalled engine. Even Per Eklund - who had to qualify via the B-final - in his Saab 9-3 was very careful in the first corner and had no problems at  - but he did not reach Kenneth who just sailed away from the rest to his first victory this season.

Lasse Larsson in the very fast Skoda broke his gearbox on the fastest section of the track and he was rammed from behind at full speed by last year´s Div 2 European Champ, the Norwegian Guttorm Lindefjäll, now in a Hyundai WRC. Lots of plastic all over the track was the result - but no one was really hurt. Even if Kenneth Hansen frontrunner, he was not the fastest driver in final heat - that was Thomas Rådström driving his Olsbergs sponsored Hyundai Accent WRC in a fury after his blunder at the start. 

Results, A-final, division 1: 1) Kenneth Hansen, Götene MK, Citroën Xsara, 2) Per Eklund, Finnskogas MK, Saab 9-3,  3) Michael Jernberg, Skene MS, Ford Focus WRC, 4) Thomas Rådström, Vännäs MK, Hyundai Accent WRC, 5) Lasse Larsson, Skene MK, Skoda Fabia, retired,  6) Guttorm Lindefjell, N, Hyundai Accent WRC, retired.