Kevin Hansen took third place in Round 9 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship today (9 November), as he charges towards the runner-up spot in the 2024 standings with a fifth consecutive podium. The Hansen World RX Team entered the season finale at Istanbul Park in strong form, with brothers Kevin and Timmy Hansen taking three podiums between them at the penultimate double-header in Portugal. The solid points haul included a victory for Kevin – his first behind the wheel of the electric Peugeot 208 RX1e. Add into the mix Timmy’s victory at Istanbul Park when the circuit last featured on the World RX calendar in 2015, and the Hansen squad had the confidence and experience needed to challenge for more podiums in the closing stages of the 2024 season. A difficult Qualifying for Kevin was followed by an amazing recovery. The 26-year-old progressed from the back of the grid in his Semi-Final race to take both the win and pole position for the Final, and his revived form continued into Saturday’s main event. Slotting into second place in the opening corners, the Swede defended well against reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson. Putting in the lap times needed to take third as he exited the joker, Kevin’s podium puts the team’s 2024 silverware tally up to seven. Following a third-place finish in Heat 1, Timmy’s knowledge of the track came to the fore in a rollercoaster second Heat. A perfect launch put the 2019 World RX Champion into the lead, which he held on to with a bold exit from his joker lap. Despite an impressive defensive display to hold off Kristoffersson, Timmy ended his Heat 2 race in second place. The Hansen driver then converted second row in Semi-Final 1 into third place and a spot in the Final, where he took fourth ahead of Patrick O’Donovan and Kristoffersson, with the latter failing to complete a joker lap. Podiums in Round 9 for Ole Christian Veiby and Niclas Grönholm has narrowed the standings at the top of the 2024 World RX leaderboard. As Kevin fights to cement the runner-up spot, a strong performance from Timmy in Round 10 could see both brothers finish in the top three when the championship concludes tomorrow (10 November). Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal at Hansen World RX Team, said: “Coming to this circuit, we expected the grip levels to be a little different, but this meant our set-up of the cars this morning was not quite right at the start. We improved step by step through the sessions and came back stronger for the end of the day, which was a great success. “Kevin won his Semi-Final race and Timmy finished his in third, so we had both cars in the Final. Unfortunately, Kevin did not have a good start, which cost him a little. However, I would not say that we really had the winning pace today anyway. We need to go away tonight and look at how we can improve for tomorrow, for the final round of the season.” Kevin Hansen, Hansen World RX Team driver, said: “Big congratulations to Johan today for his championship win and also to Ole Christian for his first race win too. It’s a great achievement for the whole team. “My day has not been as straightforward. The beginning was tough and in the electric cars – with the extra weight – we really struggled with the low grip. Our pace was not there this morning, but we made some good changes and in the Semi-Final and Final I enjoyed the driving much more. “In the Final, unfortunately, I did not have a good launch and dropped back to second. I knew from there it was going to be a hectic race. We still have another race to go and we know that everyone here is hungry for the win, so we need to look at everything tonight and take our best fight to the race track tomorrow.” Timmy Hansen, Hansen World RX Team driver, said: “It was quite a solid first day for us here in Istanbul. We are nowhere near the combustion engine cars at this circuit pace-wise, but I think as a team we had very good race execution today. Kevin started on pole for the Final, which was incredible, and we were up there fighting for a podium. “Tomorrow will be a difficult day again. Veiby pulled away from me a bit in the championship today, making it more challenging to secure third overall in the standings this year, but we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”