Solberg wins Hockenheim RX round

Champion Petter Solberg dominated the final at the second round of the World Rallycross season at Hockenheim, extending his lead at the top of the points table.

Having topped the intermediate classification, Solberg won the first semi-final to claim pole position for the final race. From there, he made a better start than fellow front row starter Reinis Nitiss to lead into Turn 1 and didn't look back, taking his joker on the fifth lap and returning to the lead to take his first win of the season.

"The first heat was terrible for me, but after that we really had to stay out of trouble," said Solberg. "There was two things to do; either go faster, or go very fast so nobody could touch me, so I went for the fastest option and it went very well.

"We've worked really hard with the set-up for each condition, the car is getting better and better. It's like a brand-new car again, I haven't done any testing in the wet and slippery conditions but it's getting there now."

Behind Solberg, Nitiss ran second throughout, taking his joker on the final tour to score his first podium spot of the season, while third place was claimed by Swede Timmy Hansen, putting in the performance of the day in the process.

Hansen had qualified 12th at the intermediate classification, taking the last semi-final paying position. He drove a clever semi-final to climb from sixth to third through the race and claim the last spot in the final. He then made the best start in the final to slot into third at the first corner, ahead of Robin Larsson, Andreas Bakkerud and Topi Heikkinen.

While Bakkerud retired on the second lap, Hansen chased Nitiss hard, resisting the temptation to take an early joker.

Larsson took his extra-route joker on lap four and was on the back of Nitiss and Hansen until a mistake on lap five lost him time.

Hansen followed Nitiss through his last lap joker, the pair returning in second and third on the road, just ahead of Larsson who attempted a move up the inside of Hansen into the penultimate corner.

Larson made contact with Hansen's Peugeot and rotated through 360 degrees, collecting Heikkinen – who had been following close behind – in the process.

As Hansen escaped for third, Larsson retired, while Heikkinen finished fourth.

Round one winner Johan Kristoffersson failed to make it into the final. He lost second position to Larsson at the start of the second semi-final and was third early on, but got passed by Hansen on lap five and when the pair took their joker on the last tour it was Hansen who made it out in third while Kristoffersson lost fourth place to teammate Tord Linnerud.

Both VW Team Sweden drivers went out, together with Peugeot-Hansen's Davy Jeanney.

Liam Doran made a good start in semi-final one, alongside SDRX teammate Solberg. Doran was passed by Bakkerud on lap one and immediately took his joker, returning to the main circuit ahead of PG Andersson.

Contact between the pair ruled both out of a place in the final, while America's Tanner Foust almost made it through – he finished his semi just behind Marklund Motorsport teammate Heikkinen in fourth.

Originally on Autosport.com