Red Bull Hansen NRX Team continued its winning record in the Nitro Rallycross series, as Timmy Hansen repeated his 2018 success by winning the 2021 edition of Nitro RX at Utah Motorsports Campus, while Kevin Hansen pulled off a stunning run from the back of the grid to third place. After a tricky Friday, where Timmy was spun into a barrier and sustained a broken oil cooler during the Battle Brackets segment, the current 2019 World Rallycross Champion rebounded with a sublime strategy during his heat on Saturday. Starting from row two, he dived into the alternate tabletop route and took the lead, which he would hold until the finish to clinch a front-row start for the final. A smart move on the inside of turn two on Travis Pastrana gave Timmy the lead on the first lap of the final, then proceeded to pull away from the field behind to clinch his fourth win of the season across all championships – two in World RX, one in Extreme E and now a victory in Nitro RX. Reigning Nitro RX champion Kevin Hansen had an even tougher start to the season opener, his late road order in the solo qualifying putting him at a disadvantage due to track evolution making the track slower for those running later. That meant a less-than-ideal grid slot for the heats, where he finished fourth after picking up a puncture and proceeded onto the semi final races. Again luck was not on his side, as he was spun off the track at the turn nine hairpin at the back of the circuit on the opening lap. Faced with a Last-Chance Qualifier to make it into the final, Kevin put the hammer down and pulled off a convincing victory, lining up ninth for the final. Despite his lowly grid position Kevin was on a flyer, staying out on the same long strategy as Timmy and taking his joker on the final lap. Avoiding the rough and tumble that had afflicted the midfield, Kevin held the third place he’d worked his way up to in the first five laps after taking his joker, ensuring Red Bull Hansen NRX Team had two cars on the podium at the finish. Both Hansens will now head for ERX Motor Park for round two of Nitro RX, which takes place next weekend on October 2-3.

Timmy Hansen, #21 Peugeot 208

“This event is always crazy but this year’s edition was extra tough. In my second Battle Brakcets race I suffered quite big damage after an incident and the mechanics and engineers had to work so hard to get the car back out. The chassis was damaged and the engine was leaking oil – there were several things that weren’t working quite right yet somehow they got it working and to the start line today. They’re really miracle workers. “I was able to take the lead in the final with a switchback move but there were people all over the back of me for the next few laps, so I had to be very careful as the track was so tough and really easy to pick up a puncture on. Track evolution was tricky to manage too but we got that right; switching from the tabletop line to the gap jump route at the mid-point helped me pull a gap on the guys behind and that’s what ensured I came out of the last-lap joker with a solid gap. “It was an incredible race and winning here means a lot to me. I’ve been involved since the very beginning in 2018 and it feels great to be back on the top step again. Now I’m looking forward to the next round at ERX Motor Park and it looks like it could be just as good – maybe even better – than this round with how wide the track is. All the tracks we race on in NRX are incredibly challenging so I can’t wait to try the next one.”

Kevin Hansen, #9 Peugeot 208

“Today was great. We had good speed throughout even if we didn’t get the right breaks in the first few races. But the final went well obviously, especially considering there was so much carnage! I just put my head down and focused on my own driving as there were cars all over the place and a load of hanging dust too, which made visibility difficult during the first few laps. So my focus was keeping my driving clean and tidy, and that’s what mattered today. I kept at it, never stopped fighting, and got back to the podium. “I’m stoked to have this reward of a podium finish after all the hard work we had to put in to fight back from a difficult position. It’s great points for the championship and it’s also great for the team to get this victory with Timmy – the mechanics worked so hard to get his car up and running again after his impact with the barrier on Friday. We’re having an amazing season and I’m happy we’ve been able to keep it going here. “Yes, I’d have liked to get a break, not have to fight against bad luck, and have some nice clean races to show my ultimate pace but I’ll keep pushing. There’s another four rounds to go in Nitro and I’ve heard a lot of great things about the ERX track we’re going to next week, so I can’t wait to get stuck in!”

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal

“I’m really pleased with the recovery we made over the course of the weekend. Friday was a tough day; Kevin didn’t quite have the speed at the right moments, picked up a puncture at the wrong moment, and so on. And while Timmy had a great fight with Travis Pastrana, a puncture slowed him down and contributed to being rear-ended and sent into the barrier during the joker lap. It wasn’t deliberate of course – that’s just rallycross sometimes.” “We had to work during the night and the next morning to get Timmy’s car back up and running and even manufactured some new parts at the track to make it happen. Even when the situation didn’t look promising, we never gave up. We tried four different fixes for the broken parts we had to fix – we were extremely determined to stay on the grid no matter how many times we had to try a different solution.” “The recovery from Kevin from ninth to third to ensure the team had a double podium finish was a fantastic effort from him. And we also have to give credit to Pastrana – during their battle on Friday there were six clean passes for the lead. That kind of rallycross is what we are here for and why we do the work we do. I loved watching it. It was a demonstration of how you give space to the other driver; you don’t push them off but you fight with them and give them space. I hope we see more battles like this as the season goes on.”