Smooth recovery in Lohéac

After two years of waiting, the rallycross finally resurfaced in Lohéac. This Friday, the drivers entered in the Euro RX1, Euro RX3 and RX2e categories were entitled to the first laps of the weekend, thus launching the hostilities.

In case you missed our track walk yesterday, this is what a lap round the famous Lohéac RX looks like!🤩 #WorldRX #LoheacRX #Rallycross pic.twitter.com/W9xDEowK5q

— FIA World Rallycross Championship (@FIAWorldRX) September 3, 2021

For his second consecutive round in the European Championship with ESMotorsport's Skoda Fabia, Andreas Bakkerud proved that he had not lost his driving skills despite a long period of inactivity. Vice-world champion in 2019, the Norwegian dominated the timesheet for a long time in his first tests but was beaten in the final moments by his teammate Janis Baumanis as well as Tamás Kárai (Kárai Motorsport). The 29-year-old driver was content with 3rd place in the session but showed that he was a candidate for victory at Lohéac this weekend.

On the French side, you have to go down to 5th row to see the first trace of a Frenchman in the person of Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (DA Racing) at the wheel of his Peugeot 208. The Bordeaux resident is followed by five of his compatriots, namely his younger brother Andréa, the brothers Fabien and Jonathan Pailler, Stéphane De Ganay as well as Emmanuel Anne.

In Euro RX3, the best time went to the Belgian Kobe Pauwels (Audi A1) ahead of the Russian Marat Knyazev (Audi A1) and the Swiss Yury Belevskiy.

Mixed reception for the RX2e

Already the target of criticism even before their first arrival in Brittany, the RX2e did not only receive compliments this Friday. When their departure was announced in the free practice session, some whistles were heard from the stands as well as the mockery.

On the track, the drivers ignored these jokes to concentrate on their times. At the end of the two passages (four laps each), it was the Swede Isak Sjökvist who stood out with the best reference in his category. He was followed very closely by the championship leader, the Belgian Guillaume De Ridder, and the French Cyril Raymond, who is making his debut in RX2e.

The public, the great entertainer

The return of World RX to Brittany was also marked by that of the public already present in the aisles and in the stands this Friday. If the temperature gradually rises, there is no doubt that there will be more spectators from Saturday when the real debates begin. In the meantime, those who came to watch the first rounds were able to see the players in the world championship but also drink, some even overindulge, the drinks offered at the refreshment bar. It promises.

Gonzalo Forbes, in Lohéac