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Jānis Baumanis Photo: Sintija Zandersone / LETA
On Sunday, Latvian rallycross pilot Jānis Baumanis won the Ferratum World RX of Riga in the RX1 class of the European Championship on the Bikernieki track, but the Swedish Juhans Kristofešsons was the first in the World Championship test.
Latvia was not represented in the RX1 class of the World Championship, but Baumanis and Edijs Ošs started in the RX1 class of the European Championship. Of the four qualifying races that took place on Saturday and Sunday, Baumanis won one, two were second and one was sixth. He was the first in the selection with 178 points, but Osh took the 15th place in the competition of 19 riders with 112 points and did not qualify for the final.
In the semi-finals, Baumanis together with teammate Andrejs Bakerūds started from the first starting line. In the start, Bauman successfully managed to avoid the bustle and he made a stable trip, winning, while Bakerūds remained fourth. Similarly, in the final “ESMotorsport” the Latvian pilot gained a quick lead and left behind the other competitors. The second was finished by the Frenchman Fabiene Paje, and the third was the Swedish Peter Hedström.
“This result is definitely based on the fact that on Wednesday we conducted very productive tests on the karting track” Rulītis “, where we trained very stable starts. I have not had such a stage for a long time, where the starts are constantly fast and the same – there is also the key to the greatest success, ”Baumanis team quotes the motorist.
In the overall standings, the leader after three stages is the first with 62 points in Paje, who is two points ahead of the Norwegian Bakerūde, and by eight – the Frenchman Andrea Dibūrs, who remained in the fourth place in Rīga. Baumanis with 48 points is fourth. In the World Championships on Sunday, the best in the qualification was the winner of the Saturday stage Niklas Grenholm from Finland, who won three of the four qualifying races. He was also first in his semifinals, but Christofeshson was the second fastest.
In the final, Christophesson did not give up the reins after taking the lead and celebrated the victory, beating Grenholm by 0.92 seconds, but the third was finished by Swede Timmy Hansen. Behind the podium was another Swedish pilot Matthias Ekström, the fifth was Timi Hansen’s brother Kevin, and the sixth was finished by Hungarian Christian Sabo.
After five stages, the leader with 130 points is Timmy Hansen, but Kevin Hansen is already 17 points behind. In third place with 110 points is the champion of the previous season Christopheshson. In the evaluation of the World Championship in Riga was the fourth and fifth stage, but in the European Championship – the third stage.
