Grönholm wins as World RX makes spectacular return in Portugal

The FIA ​​World Rallycross World Championship has started the 2025 season with a massive victory for Niclas Grönholm, fans and the entire Rallycross community. A multitude of 10,000 fans packed the legendary international circuit of Lousada in Portugal to see the battle of the world’s leading RX drivers for the first honors in a new era for the category.

Before the main event, the World RX stars returned to the track this morning during the last two qualified heats to establish the semifinals, which determined the last most important network of the weekend.

The current champion Johan Kristaffersson was fast outside the blocks to compensate for the classification points lost yesterday and properly maximized his journey in Heat 2. The abrasing rhythm in the #1 car was on display in the fourth quarter, where his time was almost better better than STERT semi semi semile launch launch range of the range.

The impressive Lousada series for the AS of Finland Grönholm continued from Saturday to Sunday, and saw him take the victory in his semifinal, ensuring the pole position and the best opportunity to turn the victory for the CE concessionaires team. Timmy and Kevin Hansen secured second place in their semifinals to align each other in the second row, with Ole Christian Voteby and Klara Andersson of KMS completing the network on their machine from the CE concessionaire team.

With the established scenario, the antipation was in fever around the Portuguese circuit, with slightly lower temperatures today doing nothing to cool off the heat of the action on the track. When the lights went out, they were neck and neck among the initiators of the row of the first row, with Grönholm advancing in the return one. This line compromised the line of Kristaffersson enough to open to the drivers of Hansen Beind, with First Timmy and then Kevin made its way in the places of provisional podium.

Kevin and Johan went around the Joker when they left the epic gravel of the Grave of Curve Six, Veiby and Andersson promotion for the provisional order, thought that the gap for the first two was already up to a couple of seconds.

As he ran at medium distance, the car Hansen #21 in second place, closed right in the leader, but as they were battle to fight, it seemed that it was thought that it would be the rest of the field back to the dispute. However, as always with the rapid rhythm rhythm action of rallycross, the persecution package was involved in its own battle, with Kevin Hansen putting a bold movement in Anderson to think that he could not make a movement movement until a return later with the contact with Klara out of the containment.

Since the three strikers had to wear the Joker around the final tour, he installed an epic five -way immersion in the final fork. The Hansen brothers hit doors on the apex, and as both were committed, Ole Christian Viby took the most of the opportunity to obtain third place in the drag to the finish line from Kevin, with Timmy capable of staying ahead secondly.

His battle gave Grönholm enough navigation space to send his car of the CE concessionaire team to the checkered flag to claim his ninth victory of the FIA ​​World RallyCross Championship and the best identification.

Niclas Grönholm, CE concessionaire team, said: “I think it was a perfect execution of rallycross, perhaps not the absolute rhythm during the weekend, but from the first quarter on the internal line we had good releases. I could control the race in some places, but special in turn two, Itah Iteab. Now it goes for a month often, so I will enjoy a vacation with my son!”

Timmy Hansen, Hansen World RX team, said: “I knew that entering the last corner the only way we could get the second and third place as a team is whether I went back, but at the same time, you have to compete, right?

Ole Christian Veiby, Kristoffersson Motorsport, said: “I didn’t see him coming! I tried to follow Niclas and Timmy on the front and I could update a little in the last part. I left the Joker, I saw a great cloud of deer and, suddenly, the final, Lcky to Whatum. It is always good that we wanted more of this weekend.

OneMilia Abel, director of Fia Road Sport, said: “It has a great return to Rallycross this weekend in lousada. Really because to thank the local organizers already here for incredible job: there is clearly a lot of passion for this sport here, the volunteers and we have a hof, and many of the bones stir a bone of the leg, and we hope that a bone is being stirring a bone of a bone, and a bone that shakes a bone that stir Leg legs, and we expect a bone blow, and we have made a lot of bones, and a leg bone.

Click here to see the provisional results of Round 1 of the FIA ​​World Rallycross World Championship.

Click here to see the provisional classification of the championship.