Page 31 - Motorsport News (January 2020)

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SPORTING SCENE
WEST YORKSHIRE EVENT TO HOST
COMPETITIVE CLOSED-ROAD HILLCLIMB
One-mile course near Huddersfield set for timed action in 2020
ByMattJames
Anewclosed-roadhillclimbevent
willtakeplaceonaone-milelong
courseinYorkshireattheendof
Junethisyear.
Theorganisersof theYorkshire
MotorsportFestivalareaccepting
entriesforthecompetition,knownas
theWolfstonesHillclimb.
Thehillclimbhasbeengrantedlegal
permissionandhasearnedMotorsport
UKapprovalforitsmaidenrunning
ontheweekendof June26-28.
Thecompetitioneventwillberun
underthebannerof theMid-Derbyshire
MotorClub.
Theweekendwillfeaturesaloonand
sportsracingcarsmanufacturedbefore
1976incompetition,aswellasdisplay
runsfromavarietyof othermachinery.
Ehrlacher was
a round winner
Kristoffersson targets
World RX return in 2020
Two-time world champion Johan
Kristoffersson is hoping to make a
return to rallycross in 2020.
The Swede claimed back-to-back
World RX titles with Petter Solberg’s
Volkswagen-backed team in 2017 and
2018 before switching to the World
Touring Car Cup last season after
PSRX withdrew from World RX.
But, with VW terminating its works
internal combustion engine programmes
in November, Kristoffersson has been
left without a drive. He will make his
annual appearance on Rally Sweden
next month but is yet to confirm his
full 2020 programme.
“Everything is a bit late [but] I’m
working on a few different things,” he
told MN. “In the beginning I was working
on a lot of different things and now I’m
focusing on two or three options.”
The former Swedish Touring Car
champion is assessing options in rallying, be pretty good for 2020.”
CrossCar title winner Andersson to step up to Supercar Lites for new season
Under the eye of mentor Johan Kristoffersson Andersson, 20-year-old Nils defended his
two-time CrossCar champion
Nils Andersson (right) will step up
single-make Supercar Lites supp
category in RallyX Nordic this sea
Son of former Kristoffersson
Motorsport team manager Per
YorkshireMotorsportFestival
managingdirectorMichaelMcErlain
said:“Weareincrediblyexcitedtobeable
toannouncethisevent,whichrepresents
therealisationof along-helddreamfor
myself andagroupof fellowYorkshire-
basedmotorsportenthusiasts.
“Wewantedtogetthenewsoutahead
of themainlaunchof thefestival,so
thatpeoplecanmarkitasadatein
theirdiaries,whetherasapotential
competitor,orasavisitor.
“Therearesomebigmotorsportand
classiccareventscomingup,andwe
wanttogetpeopletalkingaboutit
aheadof ourofficiallaunchforthe
fullYorkshireMotorsportFestival
inFebruary.”
Thevenueforthehillclimbandthe
YorkshireMotorsportFestivalwillbe
onan80-acresitejustoutsideHolmfirth
Kristoffersson:
looking to return
circuit racing and rallycross. He added:
“I don’t know if I will tackle a couple of
races or more [in rallycross] in the
European or World Championship. I
could even do RallyX Nordic for some
events because our main partners are
Volkswagen dealers in Sweden and
Bauhaus Sweden. STCC is another
option, then there is the Swedish
Rally Championship, which seems to
CrossCar crown last term. He will
a full eight-round programme in
ar Lites, and could also make an
earance in his home round of RX2
Holjes in Sweden.
“It’s what I have been dreaming of
motorsport-news.co.uk JANUARY 29 2020 29
Photos: Andros Trophy, fiaworldrallycross.com
–closetoHuddersfield–apicturesque
areaof WestYorkshire,showcasedin
theTVseriesLastof theSummerWine.
TheJaguarDrivers’Clubhasmadethe
WolfstonesHillclimbpartof itsFourHills
SpeedChampionshipandorganisers
areconfidentthattheirtargetof 80
competitorswillbeeasilymet.
“Wearegenuinelythrilledbythe
responsewehavehad,”continued
McErlain.“Wecanalreadyguarantee
thatsomeamazingcarswillbeseen
goingupthehill.
“If peopleareinterestedincompeting
intheinauguralWolfstonesHillclimb,
Iwouldadvisethemtocontactus
verysoon.”
Furtherdetailsonentryforthe
WolfstonesHillclimbcanbeobtained
fromMax@yorkshiremotorsportfestival.
co.uk. Carswill tacklea one-mile closed-roadcourse just outsideHuddersfield
Panis edges closer to Andros Trophy title with a second and a fourth position finish
Touring Car racer Aurelien Panis moved of the season. position finishes, which dropped him to
back into the Andros Trophy winter ice The Saturday result places Yvan second in the standings.
racing series points lead with just one Muller Racing driver Ehrlacher third Having raced for Dubourg’s DA Racing
round remaining after a consistent run in the standings, 18 points off the lead, squad at Lans En Vercors previously, the
through a double-header weekend at ahead of the season finale at Super 2020 event was a milestone in World RX
Lans En Vercors last weekend. Besse this weekend. driver Andreas Bakkerud’s Andros
Second to Peugeot 208 driver Rallycross driver and four-time Trophy campaign. He joined team-mate
Benjamin Riviere on Friday evening, Andros Trophy champion Jean-Baptiste Panis on the podium on Friday, his first
Panis was then fourth on day two,
rostrum finish, before going one better
Dubourg had a difficult weekend
as Yann Ehrlacher took his third win meanwhile, with fifth and seventh with second place on Saturday.
JAMAICAN BACK FOR MORE IN RX2
Jamaican driver Fraser McConnell for 2020, McConnell is hoping to follow
will remain with the OlsbergsMSE in the footsteps of 2019 RX2 team-mate
team for a second RX2 International Oliver Eriksson by racing a Supercar
Series campaign this season. in RallyX Nordic events alongside his
McConnell finished on the podium Supercar Lites programme.
in the World RX support series at the “It’s shaping up to be another tough
season opener in Spain, and ended the season in RX2, with a very high calibre
year fourth in the points in only his of competition,” said McConnell. “The
second rallycross campaign last year. level seemed to increase with each
“I didn’t have any expectations round last year. Everybody is fast.
last year,” said McConnell. “I didn’t “Everybody is capable of putting
know any of the tracks, the only down quick lap times. The difference
The 20-time World RX event-winner prior information I had was either is in the finer details – the hundredths
says finding the right scenario for him from YouTube or video games, so if not thousandths-of-a-second that
to return to World RX is not easy, and it inevitably took me a little while to separate the field.”
that he is most interested in helping a get fully up to speed. If you’re playin g Joining McConnell in the OMSE RX2
team move forward. catch up in rallycross, you’re not squad will be Swede Martin Enlund,
He said: “You have to look after yourself going to be able to fight for the win.” who, having raced in his home round
and to make sure when you jump While he will remain with the of the series last season, will progress
on a project, you have to be able to be Andreas Eriksson-owned OMSE outfit to a full-time campaign in 2020.
competitive with the package you’re in.
If you put those things together, the
options narrow down pretty quickly.”
since I was a small boy,” said Andersson. “I
know I’m in for a big challenge, being new in
a class up against many drivers with years of
experience, but one of the main things I like
about Supercar Lites is that everybody has
the same car at their disposal. That pushes
drivers to really develop their skills.” McConnellwas fourthin the RX2 rallycross divisionlast season