LOHEAC, FRANCE — Hoonigan Racing Division’s Andreas Bakkerud has now extended his on-podium World Rallycross Championship streak to four events in a row by finishing Round 8 in France second overall. Bakkerud’s team boss/teammate, Ken Block, also had his best World RX weekend to-date up until the final, featuring a series of incredible battles on-track with former WRC Champion Sebastian Loeb.
Both drivers did well during their respective Q1 and Q2 races on Saturday in Loheac, laying down fast times and netting excellent positions heading into Sunday’s racing. Bakkerud finished Saturday sitting P2 and Block P5.
Sunday saw Block win his Q3 race, beating out two WRC Champions in the process (Sebastian Loeb and Petter Solberg). The combination of his Saturday results as well as his Q3 win put Block onto the front row of Semi Final 2, which he made his way out of and into the Final. Unfortunately for Block, his final was cut short on the last lap—as he was mid-fight for Hoonigan Racing Division’s potential first-ever double podium—due to clipping a barrier three corners from the finish.
“I’m obviously gutted that I wasn’t able to finish the final as strong as the rest of my weekend,” said Block. “I absolutely love this circuit and coming back here with experience from 2014 was a huge help for me. I feel like I’m finally finding my pace in the Ford Focus RS RX and I also had some great battles on-track against guys like Loeb and Petter. But, that’s racing. I also can’t be too down since my teammate Andreas [Bakkerud] nabbed second in the final and extended his podium streak to four events! It’s still a great weekend overall for us as a team.”
Block is right to be excited about teammate Andreas Bakkerud’s finish. Bakkerud had great pace and performances all weekend long in his Qualifying races and also won Semi Final 1, putting him on the front row of the Final in Loheac. The end result of the final was 2nd overall and it marked the young Norwegian’s fourth podium event in a row.
“This is the best feeling for me,” said Bakkerud. “This team has been giving me a fantastic car every race with the new Ford Focus RS RX and their support has been so important for me in this championship chase. To be able to come to France, have a great weekend of racing for not only myself, but Bossman [Ken Block] also? Incredible. And to end up on the podium again for my fourth event in a row! I’m thrilled with the result and can’t wait until Barcelona in two weeks so I can get back in the car.”
Both Bakkerud and Block now have a two week break before they arrive to Barcelona, Spain, for Round 9 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
