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Hockenheim WRX: Loeb leads on opening day

Rally legend Sebastien Loeb dominated the first two qualifying races at Hockenheim, World Rallycross’ annual joint event with the DTM.

Sebastien Loeb, Team Peugeot-Hansen, Peugeot 208 WRX

Sebastien Loeb, Team Peugeot-Hansen, Peugeot 208 WRX

FIA World Rallycross

Starting from the inside of the final race in Q1, Loeb won on track and set the fastest time, beating the previous best set by PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson by almost 1.5 seconds.

Kristoffersson had himself bettered the previous fastest time by over three seconds in the session by winning his race, despite touching a wall with the rear of his Volkswagen Polo.

As a result of their Q1 performances, the pair claimed the two inside grid slots for the last race in Q2, from where Loeb led from lights to flag to set his second fastest time and be top at the end of Day 1.

Kristoffersson followed throughout the until the exit of the pair's last lap joker, where he was pipped to the flag by Timmy Hansen, who following a fifth fastest time in Q1 is third overnight.

Reigning European Rallycross champion Kevin Hansen made it all three Peugeot-Hansen 208s in the last race of Q2 and backed up a third fastest time in Q1 with fifth time, putting him fourth overnight.

While Loeb topped the order, the championship's other former World Rally champion Petter Solberg, had a difficult brace of races and heads into the second day in Germany 14th overall and currently out of the semi-final qualifying positions.

Solberg lost time stuck at the back of the pack in Q1 and followed privateer Guerlain Chicherit into a first-lap joker, before catching eventual race winner Timo Scheider by the finish to recover eighth fastest time.

At the start of the penultimate race in Q2, Solberg's Volkswagen Polo appeared to slow momentarily in turn one and was collected mid-corner by compatriot Andreas Bakkerud's Ford Focus.

Bakkerud's car rode up the side of Solberg's, causing immediate front bodywork and left rear-suspension damage to the Polo and front-right suspension damage to the Focus, the pair slowly battling at the back of the pack throughout the race and ultimately propping up the time sheets in 21st and 22nd position.

Bakkerud is three places behind Solberg in the Intermediate classification, in 17th.

Another driver to run into trouble in Q2 was former World RX event winner Robin Larsson in his return to the series, side-by-side contact on lap one with EKS driver Toomas Heikkinen causing damage to his Audi's rear suspension.

Championship leader Mattias Ekstrom lost time in traffic in Q1 after a slow start meant he was delayed in traffic.

He finished second to Russian Timur Timerzyanov in his Q2 race but was eighth fastest and is ninth overall, while Timerzyanov had a good day and is fifth in his STARD-run Ford Fiesta.

After Q2, Ekstrom immediately swapped race suits to begin his DTM weekend with free practice, while fellow double-DTM champion Timo Schieder has no such concerns and is sixth after the first day at a venue he knows well, but on a new (to him) rallycross circuit.

Ken Block passed French driver Jean-Baptiste Dubourg into the Sachs Curve on lap one to win his Q2 race, setting the fourth fastest time and is seventh overall.

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