ROSARIO, ARGENTINA — Hoonigan Racing Division’s Andreas Bakkerud finished the final round of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship with three trophies on the podium: a 1st place for winning the race, a Monster Energy Supercharge Award for being first to the first corner in the final and a 3rd place in the overall 2016 championship!
The hyper-talented young Norwegian had a solid weekend in Argentina. He finished Q1 on Saturday sitting 4th overall, which set him up well for Q2. Q2 traditionally would have been immediately following Q1 on Saturday, but due to excessive rainstorms in Argentina on Saturday afternoon, Q2 racing was held on Sunday. Bakkerud didn’t let the slight change phase him however, moving up a notch after Q2 racing on Sunday morning into 3rd place overall. Q3 saw him hold that position and then he moved up a notch again after Q4 into 2nd overall.
That 2nd overall out of Q4 set Bakkerud up for P1 on the Grid for Semi-Final 2, which he won, which then set him up for P1 in the Final. Bakkerud got off the line first and straight into the first corner, nabbing the Monster Energy Supercharge award in the process—his first of the season. From there Bakkerud drove perfectly, leading the entire final and bringing home his third overall race win of the season.
“I’m beyond stoked with what Andreas achieved today here in Argentina,” said team boss and teammate Ken Block. “When we started this season with Andreas, we knew he could drive but we also knew it was a development year for us because we had a brand new racecar that had minimal testing. But Andreas has proven that this Ford Focus RS RX has a ton of potential by winning his third race this season with it and in doing so, he also secured third place overall in the 2016 championship! This is WAY beyond our expectations for this car at this point. As his boss, I’m ecstatic and as his teammate I’m equally stoked for him! It’s time to celebrate his accomplishments and then start getting ready to do this all over again in 2017.”
Bakkerud’s team boss and teammate, Ken Block, didn’t have the same fortune as Bakkerud in Argentina. While putting down quick times and winning his race in Q1, he finishing Saturday in 6th overall. Sunday morning he was 3rd fastest in practice, but he ended up being pushed wide in a turn during Q2 and forced into mud from the rains the day prior. While he got out of it eventually, the time that he lost cost him the remainder of the event, setting him up for bad Grid placements and slow Qualifying races.With the 2016 season now brought to a close, both Block and Bakkerud, as well as the entire Hoonigan Racing Division, turn their focus to getting ready for the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, which kicks off March 31st, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.
