Autosportfoto

Jeanney's World RX highlights

France's Davy Jeanney will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for round eight at Loheac in France (September 1 - 2) driving a Peugeot 208 for Pailler Competition.

Jeanney is one of only 12 drivers to have won a round of World RX - he claimed a pair of victories in 2015 driving for Team Peugeot Hansen. He came into World RX after running his own team in Euro RX in 2013 and finished second in the Championship.

Below, we list Jeanney's three World RX highlights:

Domination in Germany - First win

Norway's Andreas Bakkerud may hold the record for having the first ever ‘clean sweep' in World RX (by winning every qualifier, semi-final and final) in 2016, but Jeanney very nearly scooped the accolade for himself 12 months earlier. At the 2015 World RX of Germany, Jeanney dominated. He won Q1, Q2 and Q3 at Estering, but hit a wall in Q4 and was 27th quickest. He held onto TQ (top qualifier) position then won semi-final one and the final to win his first World RX final by almost five seconds from Petter Solberg. He was joined on the podium by Team Peugeot Hansen team-mate Timmy Hansen.

Home victory away from home

The 2015 World RX of Canada is likely to be remembered for the drama that unfolded in semi-final one, as Petter Solberg, Timmy Hansen and Reinis Nitiss all came together, putting all three out. Jeanney meanwhile took the win in semi-final two and commanded the final in French-speaking Trois-Rivieres to score victory in a ‘home' event for the Frenchman, on the other side of the Atlantic from France.

A selfless act

On returning to Europe after his Canadian victory, Jeanney was again in contention at the World RX of Norway. Third in the Intermediate Classification Jeanney finished semi-final one second to team-mate Timmy Hansen. In the final, he was again second to his Team Peugeot Hansen team mate and took his joker on lap four, but with the joker section in slippery condition he ran wide. Live on television, Jeanney reached up to the pit-to-car radio on his seat to speak with the team. In the commentary box, Andrew Coley and Guy Wilks predicted a problem for the Frenchman, but he was in fact telling the team to warn Hansen that the joker was slippery. Had he not, he may well have won, but his selfless act ensured that Hansen scored victory.

The team went on to secure the World RX Teams' Championship title that year.

Zdroj: fiaworldrallycross.com