Hansen, Taylor win inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup in Saudi Arabia

Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor won the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup in Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia after winning the eight-car Final race on the third day of the event.

Driving for Jameel Motorsport, the pair won the headline event after topping the World Cup Qualifying Points standings – accumulated across Time Trial, Head-to-Head, and Multi-Car Racing competitions, giving them choice of grid slot for the title decider.

They opted for the inside front row. The choice paid off and Hansen – who started the race for the team – held the lead from the first corner as drama ensued behind. Carl Cox Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and Team Hansen’s Andreas Bakkerud collided at Gate 7, the incident sending Bakkerud off track and out of contention for the win. 

Scheider survived the incident to maintain second, but Hansen was off out in front and had a 5.209s lead by the mid-race driver switch. Scheider later faced pressure from Team KMS' Johan Kristoffersson at the end of the lap following a mistake earlier in the lap.

After the switch, KMS – its car now being driven by Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky – quickly set about challenging Klara Andersson in the Carl Cox machine once again. The charge was derailed on that third lap, however, when Ahlin-Kottulinsky ran straight on at the Gate 15 right-hander.

That battle only helped Taylor in the Jameel car in the lead, and she crossed the line 7.068s ahead of Andersson. The final spot on the podium was taken by Team EVEN's Ole Christian Veiby and Hedda Hosås after KMS was handed a penalty for hitting a track marker after finishing third on the road, dropping the team to sixth.

STARD’s Patrick O’Donovan and Amanda Sorensen were classified fourth despite a track marker penalty of their own. Team Hansen’s Bakkerud and Catie Munnings mounted a strong recovery from their lap one dramas to finish fifth.

JBX's Tommi Hallman and Christine GZ were classified seventh, while ZEROID Motorsport's Fraser McConnell and Gray Leadbetter didn’t finish after McConnell rolled at Gate 15 on the second lap.

FIA EXTREME H WORLD CUP FINAL RESULTS

Ahead of the World Cup Final, four four-car races took place, with Jameel winning the first after a puncture for KMS ended what was a tense battle on the opening lap. 

ZEROID was victorious in the second after resisting a charge from JBX, while in the other two, KMS rebounded from its earlier heartache to dominate, and Team Hansen took the win ahead of Carl Cox and Jameel.