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In Portugal, Gronholm pulls out the victory in the dramatic final

The winner of the seventh stage of the FIA ​​World Rallycross Championship in Portugal, Cooper Tires World RX of Montalegre, was Niklas Gronholm. In the final of the race, the Finnish motorist made perfect use of the fight between the leading riders of the season to gain the upper hand with a different strategy.

In the first qualifying round, the two overall leader Timmy Hansen and Johann Christoferson stood side by side. Although Christopher was a little faster in the first few meters, he decided to go to the joker circle. The tactics did not prove successful this time, and while Hansen prevailed, Christopher lost time first behind the slower Oliver O’Donavan, but later also due to the car’s tire.

He was not the only driver to encounter the problems in the first qualification. After a straight start with Niklas Gronholm and Kevin Hansen, Christian Sabo became the main victim, and the Hyundai i20 turned, forcing the Hungarian to lose a lot of time. Nicholas Gronholm won the race, but failed to beat Christopher in the overall standings.

Also in the second qualification, Christopher did not manage to be as clean as the athlete would like. Meanwhile, Gronholm managed to break in between the two Hansen brothers. Timely Hansen, the leader of the overall standings, was also the fastest in the overall test in the second race, but Christopher also finished in third place on Saturday, in the sum of two races, also behind Niklas Gronholm.

As the top three drivers represented different carmakers, the intrigue ahead of Sunday’s decisive events was particularly high. In the third qualifier, after a similar start, the Hansen brothers went on the main course, but Christopher and Gronholm completed the joker lap. When both Hansen went there at the same time, an exciting fight for the lead in the journey began. Timm Hansen retained the position ahead of Christopheron on the hair court, while Kevin Hansen secured third place, beating Niklas Gronholm.

In the last qualifying race, Timmy Hansen, Johann Christopherson and Nicholas Gronholm went to the jockey in the first lap together, while Kevin Hansen remained on the main course and gained enough lead to win the race. Timmy Hansen failed to hold Christopher and Gronholm behind, but in the sum of four races he kept first in front of Christopher and Kevin Hansen.

In the first semi-final, the Hansen brothers covered the road perfectly, preventing Christian Sabo from getting involved in the fight to win the race. In a duel between the Swedes, Timi finished in a very close fight in front of his younger brother Kevin. In the second semi-final, Niklas Gronholm had a great start and passed the Christoperson straight from the second starting place, but Christoferson did not give up, during the race he made several overtaking maneuvers, which progressed in the last lap, only a few turns before taking the lead and winning the semifinals.

Thyme Hansen and Johann Christoferson thus earned the opportunity to start in the final from the first row. After the fight, Hansen proved to be superior in the starting line. In the next rounds, Christopher tried to take the reins, but Kevin Hansen attacked his position from behind. As a result of the fight, the leaders delayed each other’s time, which culminated in an overtaking maneuver, as a result of which Christopher was forced to leave the track. This fight opened up a great opportunity for Niklas Gronholm. The Finn took the joker section in the first round, approached the leaders and took the lead in the last round, when the leading trio took their joker, thus winning an amazing victory. Thyme Hansen finished in second place and Johann Christoferson in third. Immediately after the finish, the Swede received a 5-second penalty, as a result of which the three-time champion was classified in the final only in 6th place, behind Kevin Hansen, Christian Sabo and teammate Enzo Ides.

“It feels great. I was disappointed that I had to start from the second row in the final, but I made a good start, went to the joker and was able to catch the leaders while they were fighting each other. I tried to follow as closely as possible. I made a couple of mistakes, but in the end I managed to do what I wanted, ”the winner of the competition, Niklas Gronholm, says after the finish.

The finish in second place allowed Timm Hansen to increase his lead in the overall standings to 14 points over his closest follower, Johann Christofferson. Kevin Hansen is only two points behind Christopher, while the winner of the Portuguese stage, Nicolas Gronholm, is another 10 points further – in fourth place.

Meanwhile, Volland Racing representative Jurijs Beļevskis has become the European champion in rallycross Euro RX3 for front-wheel drive cars. The Swiss representative secured the title even before the final race, but Belevsky added a fat point to the season by winning it as well. His teammates Marat Kņazjevs and Kobe Powell, who, like Beļevskis, start the race with an Audi A1, also climbed to the podium. Belevsky won four of the five stages this year.

This season, there is only one racing weekend left in the World Championship. After a little more than a month of preparation, the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Champion will be crowned in the upcoming double stage on November 27 and 28 at the Nurburgring, Germany.

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