Larsson and Eriksson on the pace at new Fiesta ST RX debut

Larsson and Eriksson on the pace at new Fiesta ST RX debut

Robin Larsson speeds to semi-final stage in 2018 World RX curtain-raiser
Kevin Eriksson out-of-luck but proves pace and potential with two race wins
Ford Fiesta ST a force to be reckoned with whatever the weather in Spain

Olsbergs MSE’s new Ford Fiesta ST Supercar impressed on its debut in the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy in Barcelona this weekend (14/15 April), tallying a trio of race wins and a semi-final appearance.
 
Freshly unveiled to the watching world last Thursday, the strikingly-liveried Fiesta ST proved to be competitive from the outset around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, posting the fifth and eighth-quickest lap times in free practice in the hands of Swedish duo Robin Larsson and Kevin Eriksson.
 
Both men subsequently survived a tricky first qualifying race (Q1) held in slippery conditions, placing a respectable ninth (Larsson) and 11th (Eriksson), before the former took the new car’s first victory with a feisty and mature performance from fourth on the grid in Q2.
 
Ultra-consistent, the 2014 FIA European Rallycross Champion got his elbows out in Q3 to keep himself firmly in the mix, before playing an early ‘joker’ to perfection in Q4 to secure seventh position amongst the 17 high-calibre contenders in the Intermediate Classification – and with it a coveted semi-final spot, going on to take the chequered flag sixth.
 
Compatriot Eriksson endured a tougher time, though he too showed an eye-catching turn-of-speed behind the wheel of OMSE’s potent Fiesta ST. The 21-year-old led in Q2 until an uncharacteristic ‘off’ on the treacherous track surface left him facing an uphill battle – and with the circuit still drying on Sunday morning and the Swede out in the earliest Q3 contest, the odds were always stacked stubbornly against him.
 
Undeterred, Eriksson bounced back to take a brace of race wins – the first following a duel with nine-time FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb, and the second courtesy of a controlled drive from the middle of the grid. Although the results were not quite enough to earn him passage through to the semi-finals, he had nonetheless laid down a marker.
 
Olsbergs MSE next moves on to round two on the 2018 World RX calendar at Montalegre in Portugal on 28/29 April.
 
Quote, Unquote
 
Robin Larsson (Championship Position: 10th)
“Overall, I think we can say it’s been a very positive start for OMSE here in Barcelona. I felt like we were consistent in terms of our pace and performance, and that we have come in at a reasonably high level – with plenty more speed still to be extracted from the Fiesta ST. To make it into the semi-finals was our goal for this first event and we achieved it, and with more hard work behind-the-scenes, I have no doubt that we will soon be moving up the order and pushing for podiums. The potential inside this team is genuinely very exciting. I finished second at Montalegre the last time I drove there a couple of years ago, so I’ll go back with happy memories and aiming to carry forward this early momentum.”
 
Kevin Eriksson (Championship Position: 14th)
“It’s been such an unlucky weekend for me. Our pace was really good throughout, but a small issue caused me to spin out and crash in the two races yesterday and that left us with a bit of a mountain to climb. Even though I won both my qualifiers today, the track was drying up so quickly, which meant the later races were a lot faster and we didn’t really stand a chance. That was obviously disappointing, but to score three race wins between Robin and myself proved the Fiesta’s speed in both conditions, and the car feels great. To be able to compete up front against the factory teams is a really encouraging sign. Portugal can’t come soon enough!”
 
Andreas Eriksson, Olsbergs MSE Team Principal
“It has been a challenging first round of the year for everybody, I think, with tricky conditions on Saturday and some intense competition, but we leave Barcelona with our heads held high and plenty of reasons for optimism. Running a new car, we didn’t know what to expect coming here but we learned a lot and made improvements from one race to the next, and to take three qualifying race wins and get Robin into the semi-final is a very positive outcome. This is only the start, though, and we are already looking forward to building on our early form in Portugal around a circuit that we know well and where both Robin and Kevin have a strong previous record.”


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