The three Marklund drivers had mixed fortunes over the weekend, but it was still a highly successful event for the Volkswagen-supported squad, which maintains its second place in the teams’ standings. Reigning Global RallyCross champion Toomas ’Topi’ Heikkinen was caught up in a four-car pile-up in his semi-final, which ended the Finn’s weekend, but he’s still in the thick of the championship fight. Anton Marklund got through to the final, but his car stalled on the start line, which meant that he eventually finished fifth – pocketing a useful haul of points to boost his position in the drivers’ table heading to his home round in Sweden next weekend.

”I’m absolutely delighted at this result, with Tanner taking the first-ever FIA World Rallycross Championship win for Volkswagen,” summarised team principal Jan Marklund. ”Topi was unlucky but he had a failure that let him down, while Anton did an excellent job to underline his clear potential and score some precious points.”

Foust repeats his success

Tanner Foust proved that the success he enjoyed at last year’s Kouvola round of the European Rallycross Championship was no fluke by repeating the feat when it stepped up to world status this year.
The weekend didn’t get off to the ideal start for the American when he hit a sign in the opening heat, which got lodged into the Polo’s nose. But the Marklund-built engine showed its strength by resisting the damage, despite a rise in temperature. Tanner’s ordeals continued when his power steering failed in heat two, yet he still wrestled the car to sixth overnight. But it all came good for him when it counted, with Foust claiming Marklund’s first overall victory of the year in challenging weather conditions. ”It was really tough and the guys did a fantastic job to change the set-up when it started raining,” said Foust. ”I just tried to strike the right balance between performance and consistency and I guess that worked!”

Marklund: set for a top result until his weekend stalled

Anton Marklund’s car stalled on the start line of the final: the only cloud in what had been a flawless weekend for the up-and-coming Swedish youngster. Up to then he’d barely put a foot wrong, even leading overnight on Saturday. Ironically, it was his blistering starts that had put him in such a strong position – leading from the front in his second heat. He made a bad start from pole in the semi-final on Sunday, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it meant he avoided the first-lap accident that eliminated his team-mate Heikkinen among others. His destiny in the final was decided when the car stalled on the start line, meaning he eventually finished fifth. Nonetheless, he remains philosophical. ”After then, there was no point in taking any risks – it was more important to bank some points,” he said. ”Up to that point it had been nearly a perfect weekend. Conditions were very slippery but I reckon my recent experience of driving on ice helped.”

Heikkinen hits trouble in semi-final

Toomas ’Topi’ Heikkinen had high expectations of his home event, but from the very beginning, during the two heats on Saturday, he began to hit problems. The Finn was unhappy with his starts in the first two heats, which left him scrapping in the middle of the pack – always a dangerous place to be – and seventh overnight. In the wet conditions of Sunday, Heikkinen struggled for visibility as a result of his windscreen wiper spray not working. He struggled through to the semi-final, but was then involved in a four-car accident that ended his day’s work. ”Really disappointed,” he concluded. ”But at least we don’t have to wait too long before we can make amends.”

Sweden up next for Marklund aces

World RX resumes with the third race in three weekends on Marklund’s home soil at the Höljes track in Sweden from July 5/6.

Provisional World RX drivers’ standings (after round four of 12): 1 Reinis Nitiss (96 points); 2 Andreas Bakkerud (82); 3 Petter Solberg (80); 4 Toomas Heikkinen (74); 5 Anton Marklund (61); 6 Timmy Hansen (48) etc.

Provisional World RX teams’ standings (after round four of 12): 1 Ford OlsbergsMSE (178 points); 2 Marklund Motorsport supported by Volkswagen (135); 3 Team Peugeot-Hansen (96).
Next World RX event: World RX of Sweden, Höljes, July 5/6.