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Bakkerud wins World RX at Lydden Hill to snatch Championship lead

Ford Olsbergs MSE driver Andreas Bakkerud won the AUTOSPORT World RX of Great Britain, round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, after a near perfect run at Lydden Hill race circuit this weekend. Robin Larsson claimed the runner's-up spot in his Audi A1 Supercar, with Britain's Andrew Jordan ending the event third in front of a delighted home crowd.

A record number of cars descended on the Kent-based circuit over the weekend including 37 flame-spitting Supercars, and a full class of TouringCar and Super1600 cars plus the supporting RX Lites Cup. Wildcard entrants Tanner Foust - a two-time Formula Drift Champion - and reigning British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan were also part of the stellar line-up, with both drivers reaching the Supercar final alongside Bakkerud, Larsson, Petter Solberg and Topi Heikkinen.

"This is a dream come true," gushed an emotional Bakkerud, whose team-mate Reinis Nitiss lost his place in the final due to an electrical problem with his car. "We didn't make a mistake, we had a clean run and it was a close fight until the end. I even won the Monster Energy Super Charge Award and to have two trophies feels good! But now I'm concerned... I promised Norway's biggest broadcaster that I would grow a moustache for my home round in Hell next month if I was leading the Championship after Lydden so now I must stick to my promise and grow a moustache!"

Sweden's Larsson - who makes the transition from TouringCar to Supercar in 2014 - was bewildered at the end of day press conference. "I'm actually very surprised to be here and in second place," said Larsson whose Audi A1 Supercar made its international debut in Britain this weekend. "The car has been fantastic and apart from a broken gearbox, it's gone perfectly. We had a good start in the final and I couldn't believe I was leading for most of the race. It's been an awesome weekend!"

Englishman Andrew Jordan joined Larsson and Bakkerud on the podium to round off what had been a near-perfect weekend for the newly-turned 25-year-old. "If you'd told me at the start of the weekend that I'd be on the podium today then I would have been smiling from ear to ear. I was driving like a bit of an idiot in the heats and then I had to reign it in. I started off the back of the grid for the finals but then I had a good, clean race. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Elsewhere, a final race tussle between Foust and Solberg saw the duo end the weekend fifth and sixth respectively. "We kept on pushing and pushing each other as everything was so close but then we knocked each other out of winning the race. But that's rallycross and that's how it goes, it's been a good weekend," Solberg explained. Volkswagen Marklund Motorsport driver Topi Heikkinen ended a solid weekend of racing fourth overall.

After two heat victories and the final race win, Russia's Sergej Zagumennov took his second Super1600 victory in a row and now leads the Super1600 category by nine points. Second place was awarded to Ulrik Linnemann, with Kasparas Navickas taking the third step of the podium.

In the TouringCar category, Daniel Lundh clinched the victory in a Volvo C30. Anders Braten - who worked with Petter Solberg in his workshop in Torsby over the winter - took second, with Tom Daniel Tanevik third.

Mitchell DeJong made a sensational debut in round two of the RX Lites Cup, a support category of World RX. The 16-year-old American won two of the heats, and had a dominant final race to finish his first race on European soil top of the class. "It was awesome to be able to come here. For my first international race, I was just hoping to learn from the other drivers and maybe get a podium so to come out with a win feels amazing!" beamed the promising young driver.

Martin Anayi, World RX Managing Director for IMG Motorsport, concluded: "It's been a terrific weekend at Lydden: the sun has shone, the racing has been action-packed and we've had huge numbers of spectators over the course of the weekend. Andreas drove a fantastic race and all credit to Ford Olsbergs MSE for another win in the teams' championship. Only six points separate the top four drivers now and with two Norwegians at the top of the drivers standings, the scene is set for an exciting battle when the Championship resumes in Norway in just over three weeks time."

Round three of the Championship, World RX of Norway, will take place at Hell from 14-15 June.

DRIVER POINTS AFTER ROUND 2, AUTOSPORT WORLD RX OF GREAT BRITAIN

1. Andreas Bakkerud, 49 points
2. Petter Solberg, 46 points
3. Toomas ‘Topi' Heikkinen, 44 points
4. Reinis Nitiss, 43 points
5. Anton Marklund, 26 points
6. Robin Larsson, 25 points
7. Timmy Hansen, 20 points
8. Timur Timerzyanov, 19 points
9. Koen Pauwels, 17 points
10. Andrew Jordan, 17 points

TEAM POINTS AFTER ROUND 2, AUTOSPORT WORLD RX OF GREAT BRITAIN

1. Ford Olsbergs MSE, 92 points
2. Volkswagen Marklund, 70 points
3. PSRX, 55 points
4. Team Peugeot-Hansen, 39 points
5. Albatec Racing, 14 points
6. Monster Energy World RX Team, 0