After nine gruelling rounds all over the planet, everything boils down to this: the FIA World Rallycross Championship grand finale in Killarney, South Africa, this weekend. It’s the moment that Timmy, Kevin, Kenneth, Susann and the entirety of Team HANSEN MJP have worked for over the past nine months. But few expected this, the team included. Go back a year, and it looked likely that the Hansens would not be competing in rallycross at all. Now, they are battling for both championships at the final round. It’s one of the most remarkable comeback stories ever told in international motorsport. To borrow a favourite phrase from another recently-crowned champion, Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton: still I rise. So what does the team need to do? Team Hansen MJP needs to score eight points to win the teams’ title irrespective of what key rivals GRX Taneco do. Timmy Hansen currently leads the drivers’ standings, one point ahead of nearest rival Andreas Bakkerud. Kevin is third but only eight points behind his older brother and still in contention, depending on what happens with Timmy and Bakkerud. So the scene is set for a momentous weekend for the Peugeot 208 WRX squad: using a car that they have developed themselves throughout the season. Is Sweden – one of the spiritual heartlands of rallycross – about to conquer the world?

Timmy Hansen, #21 Peugeot 208 WRX

“It’s the last race of the season, it’s been a hectic year, and I want to enjoy this last race, enjoy being in the car again for the last time this year and no matter how it goes, we have a lot to celebrate on Sunday evening. It’s been a fantastic year so far and hopefully we can end it with a good result. “I’m proud of what we have done this year as a family and as a team, to achieve all these great results that we’ve already scored. It’s been super enjoyable: we’ve done more races this year than any other year with Titans RX and Nitro RX, and we’ve been more successful than any other year. So far me and Kevin have scored half the wins in World RX, five in total, plus Kevin won Nitro RX and Titans RX, with a 1-2 in Titans. It’s been by far the most successful year in our history, so if we could win the world championship as well, it would be the perfect end to the season.”

Kevin Hansen, #9 Peugeot 208 WRX

“It’s a really easy situation for me. I’m third, I have no pressure from behind, I have a goal ahead, so it’s just a case of going flat out! “It was a lot of hard work to get here and compete this year, so it feels amazing to have made it here and be so close to the teams’ championship title. But it was already a win just to be there at the start line in Abu Dhabi. That spirit has been our key to being successful this year, so to be part of the team and put this run together with everyone is such an amazing feeling. “I believe we will secure the teams’ title this year, we are only a few points away, and it will be incredible if it does happen. It’s going to be an amazing feeling, hopefully after the qualifying sessions are over, to have secured one championship and then just a few hours later we can secure the next one as well!”

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal

“We will manage the season finale the same way as we have done all year. Timmy and Kevin will be able to go flat-out and our only expectation is that they continue to have respect for each other, as they have done so far. “We definitely won’t take anything for granted. Whatever happens this weekend, we will celebrate on Sunday, because just being here this year and having managed to complete the whole season is like a win for us. “It should be possible to win. Like Barcelona this year, when we finished first and second, it’s something you dream about but you don’t know if it will ever happen. But we know now it’s possible.”