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Silverstone World Rallycross: Johan Kristoffersson surges on Sunday

Reigning World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson moved to the top of the order ahead of the Silverstone semi-finals with fastest times in Q3 and Q4 on Sunday morning.

Fastest in Q3, Kristoffersson then took the lead of the final race in Q4 from pole position at the first corner as Mattias Ekstrom cut from the outside of the grid to the inside to tuck into second.

Ekstrom took his joker at the first opportunity in a bid to leapfrog race leader Kristoffersson, but his plan faltered when Peugeot's Timmy Hansen slowed on lap one and held back Ekstrom and day one leader Petter Solberg - who had also taken his joker on the opening tour from fifth.

Ekstrom did all he could to pass Hansen, who defended his position until taking his joker on lap three and releasing the pair behind, as up front Kristoffersson beat Sebastien Loeb to win the session and qualify top.

With Solberg only able to set the 10th-fastest time in Q4, Loeb also passed the Norwegian in the overall standings.

Ekstrom dropped from second to third and then fourth in the Intermediate Classification on the second day at Silverstone, passed by Kristoffersson - who had only been sixth on day one - moving in the other direction.

The problems that slowed Hansen in Q4 dropped the Peugeot driver to sixth overall, behind Audi driver Andreas Bakkerud - who won the penultimate qualifying race of the weekend to end up fifth.

Former touring car racer and 2015 European RX champion Tommy Rustad was beaten in his Q3 race by another past Euro RX champion in Robin Larsson, but it was Rustad who made it into the top 12 and therefore a semi-final qualifying position in his first outing of the season.

Larsson just missed out in 13th, not outwardly appearing as comfortable in OMSE's Ford Fiesta as team-mate Kevin Eriksson, who was fourth fastest in Q4 and did make it into the semis.

Rallying convert Mark Higgins won both of his races in Q3 and Q4, his Q3 time hampered by running in slower, more slippery track conditions. He ended up 16th and may have challenged for the semi-finals but for retiring from Q2 on Saturday with broken suspension.

A difficult home World RX return for Andrew Jordan ended when the British Touring Car Championship driver retired from his Q4 race with broken suspension while challenging for the lead at the second corner.

Zdroj: autosport.com