Team HANSEN MJP heads to Utah Motorsports Campus in the United States for Nitro Rallycross – part of the 2019 Nitro World Games. Timmy Hansen claimed victory in the inaugural Nitro Rallycross event at the same venue in 2018. If the opening 2018 event was anything to go by, the 2019 Nitro Rallycross should be a nail-biting thriller. Now in its fourth year, Nitro World Games sees the best athletes in the world from a variety of extreme sports going head to head in events designed to test skill and raise the bar when it comes to entertainment. Kevin Hansen joins older brother Timmy in their Peugeot 208 WRX machines to take on the best that American rallycross has to offer, on a track that features the biggest man-made jump in rallycross history. The aim and intention of Nitro Rallycross is to ‘turn the sport of rallycross on its head’ by creating a track that gives drivers control of the race, while featuring a spectacular array of jumps and turns. The Hansen brothers will be lining up alongside freestyle motocross legend and event founder, Travis Pastrana, as well as familiar and unfamiliar competitors such as Scott Speed, Ken Block and Tanner Foust. It’s going to be entertainment to the max.

Timmy Hansen, #21 Peugeot 208 WRX

“This track is simply out of this world! It’s changed a lot since last year and it’s nearly all gravel, with some big jumps. But honestly, words can’t really describe what the circuit is like: it’s just something that you have to see and experience for yourself. “Congratulations to Travis Pastrana: he’s managed to make what was already an amazing circuit even better. All the other tracks are a bit tame by comparison, but it’s not fair to compare this to anything else as this track stands on its own. We’re here with our current car, which came to Utah directly after the World RX round in Canada. “The whole atmosphere around Nitro is incredible: there’s a real buzz to it, typical of American motorsport. You can’t really plan for this event and we’re racing to a slightly different format, so I’m not going to worry about the details – instead I’m just going to be driving as fast as possible!”

Kevin Hansen, #71 Peugeot 208 WRX

“I’ve been here to look before but not to drive, so I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be incredible: we start the weekend with jump practice – as we have to work out how best to tackle all the jumps, which you don’t see anywhere else in the world. Of course they call it ‘practice’ but you really don’t want to get it wrong, so you need to push hard from the very start! “Like Timmy says, the track is different to last year and I think it’s a bit shorter and faster: I reckon this will help me and the others who are competing here for only the first time. The fact that we have two cars this year is also going to help, as we should be able to learn from each other. “One thing you notice straight away is that there’s not an obvious racing line, so there’s a lot to discover and plenty of room to improvise. Let’s see what happens!”

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal

“This year we’re here with two cars, so it’s a bigger job. And of course the circuit has changed a lot, with a different profile, more cambers and a lot more gravel. There are slightly different regulations compared to the other races we compete in as well. “So there’s a lot to get used to, but that’s a really important part of the massive appeal of Nitro: it’s a chance to try something new and spectacular that really helps the promotion of the whole sport, thanks also to big stars like Ken Block and Travis Pastrana. That’s why we’re really happy to be here at this unique event. “Technically, a big part of the challenge is to make sure that the car lands cleanly and safely after the jumps and also to get the best traction on loose gravel, but we have enough practice time. I think a lot of people are looking forward to the rallycross here now: last year it was all new, but this year, they have a good idea of what to expect!”