Solberg and Bakkerud double-down at the Estering

Even more reason to wish a huge congrats to Petter Solberg and Andreas Bakkerud, who battled wheel-to-wheel against the competition to lock down second and third place respectively. Emerging from a haze of dust and smashed carbon-fibre after the six lap grand final, it was a M-Claw Norwegian double-down, with Petter pushing to the absolute limit from lights to flag, in a bid to keep his title defence alive, and young-gun Andreas chasing relentlessly under insane conditions.

Meanwhile Bakkerud had swooped from the back of the grid into third place, all while a broken and white-hot exhaust pipe melted the paint inside his Ford Focus RS RX, filling his cockpit with hot noxious fumes. Despite this, and a broken gear lever, Andreas showed no sign of taking his foot off the gas. At the final flag the positions were super tight. Petter finished just half a second adrift of winner Eriksson, while third placed Bakkerud crossed the line a further 2.4 seconds behind.  

Unfortunately for the reigning World Champion, title rival Mattias Ekström had also finished the final, in an unremarkable fifth place. The position came loaded with more championship points for the Swede though, meaning he pulled out a 30 point lead in the driver’s standings. With only 30 points available at the final round in Argentina, the title is now his.

The European leg of the 2016 season also ended with tough times for Head Hoonigan in Charge Ken Block. Despite showing massive speed, winning his Q1 race and qualifying into the semi finals, Ken was denied a spot in the main final after an impact broke the front right steering on his Ford Focus RS RX. 

Petter Solberg – 2nd:
“First of all I’ve got to say I was very impressed with Kevin Eriksson’s move around the outside at turn one in the final – it was an all or nothing move from him, and I really respect that. We came into the weekend knowing that there was a very slim chance to pull things back, but it didn’t work out this way. Of course I think it’s sad to have the championship decided by the result in Riga. We have been fighting all year to defend the title, and we wanted to have a proper battle on the track, not off it. Anyway, it’s our first time back on the podium since the UK round in May, so it’s definitely nice to finish the weekend with a trophy. We have waited so long this season to be back on the podium and to make it here after the disappointment in Latvia two weeks ago is unbelievable. That race was our worst result ever and one I never want to repeat. It is so important for me to thank my amazing team for our win this weekend. I may be the guy driving the car, but the car was so fast this weekend, I think one of the fastest on the track. I can only say thank you for all the hours they have spent in the last two weeks, making small changes, which could make a difference for us. They have worked so systematically; second here is a great win for the whole PSRX team. I would like to congratulate Mattias Ekström for winning the 2016 World RX championship. When you are fighting for the title, you have to be careful and consistent – and make sure you are looking after the car and the engine all the time. Now we are fighting for second place in Argentina, so we can go full attack in the last round.”

Andreas Bakkerud – 3rd:
“A big congrats to Kevin for taking the win, and in fact all of the guys at OMSE – where I used to race - I know the team very well, and it’s for sure a big moment for them to get a race win this year. The race itself was really tough, I felt perhaps I didn’t have the speed and I tried everything I could to be up there. Everyone knows how tough the first corner is and how tough the whole track can be. I took a hit in the semi finals, which pushed the exhaust against the underside of the car. This meant in the finals the paint and plastic in the cockpit around the transmission tunnel was melting and it filled the car with smoke. By the fourth lap, the tears were streaming down my face from the gases and I was just begging it to be over. In the middle of all this, my gear lever came off and I was having to reach further along the linkage just to change gear. I stopped after the finish line and had to go to the medical centre just to get checked out, but because of this I missed the podium! I’m ok now, but all my gear is definitely going to need cleaning before next time out! Big thank you to the whole team who have given the maximum again over a tough weekend!”

 Ken Block – 12th:
"Things felt good considering it was another new and unknown track. Unfortunately I found there weren’t really a lot of passing opportunities. On the chances I got to watch the racing I only saw one pass in Supercars. The first turn is just so important here. The times that I got out in front, and I was able to set quick laps, but then when you are in traffic, and stuck behind it’s difficult to get clear and carry any pace. I really wish I could have qualified a little higher – it was great to be in the semi. I pushed hard to try and go for the outside line at the start, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work. I was effectively up into second but because I was out on the outside, once the pack washed-out wide, there was nowhere for me to go. I did everything I could. Then Baumanis ploughed into me on turn two on the second lap and broke the suspension, so I pulled off. I’m really looking ahead to next year now. This was a development year for us, and the team have exceeded all expectations. The team and the cars are getting quicker, and we are getting ourselves into better positions earlier in every weekend. Andreas is doing a really great job to make the opportunities happen for him, and I think I just need a little bit better luck to be up the grid to join him."