WORLD RX - Speed and Martell join Kristoffersson on Champions weekend
It was a weekend of Champions at the inaugural World RX of USA, round ten of the FIA World Rallycross Championship held at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
As Johan Kristoffersson put the World RX Drivers’ Championship out of his rivals reach in the World RX semi-finals, the Champions in Americas Rallycross and ARX2 were also crowned.
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross’ Scott Speed entered the final round of ARX at the lead of the points, but a difficult day one as his main title rival and team mate Tanner Foust set a pair of quickest times put Speed on the back foot. Ken Block was quickest in a rain-hit Q3, but Speed fought back with the quickest time in Q4 and by winning his semi-final became the inaugural ARX Champion. In the final he took his joker on the first lap but wasn’t able to beat Foust, who dominated the event to claim his second win of the season in the Volkswagen Beetle. Speed and Loenbro Hoonigan driver Steve Arpin completed the podium. Former World RX race winner Toomas “Topi” Heikkinen finished fourth for Subaru Rally Team USA and Patrik Sandell was fifth in another Subaru WRX STI. Block retired from the final immediately at the start.
In ARX2 – the official ARX support category for the same Supercar Lites machines used in the RX2 International Series – Conner Martell finished on the podium on the first day of a double-header weekend for the ARX2 field, then secured the Championship with a strong qualifying performance on Sunday in round five, but he retired from the lead of the final with a puncture. The semi-finals and final for round four of ARX2 took place after World RX Q2 on Saturday, when the heavens opened and soaked the COTA circuit. Alex Keyes drove through the wet conditions and by the end of the final was the only driver to have a clean car as he won his first round in the series. Martell and Scott Anderson completed the podium. On Sunday, Keyes repeated his success and won in front of Fraser McConnell and Christian Brooks.