RACE ARCHIVE 97-09

Race & news - 1997

(Link to 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)

Please choose:

F.I.A. EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
SHELL HELIX CUP 1997
SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 1997
EURO RALLYCROSS MASTERS

F.I.A. EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 1997

ERC IN GERMANY, Buxtehude, Oct 4 1997
ERC IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, Ceska Lipa, Sep 28 1997
ERC IN NORWAY, Lyngås, Sep 7 1997
ERC IN BELGIUM, Maasmechelen, Aug 10 1997
NO EC-STATUS ON THE DUTCH RALLYCROSS RACE
ERC IN FINLAND, Hämenlinna, July 14 1997
ERC IN SWEDEN, Höljes, July 5-6 1997
ERC IN ENGLAND, Pembrey, June 15, 1997
ERC IN FRANCE, Luneville, May 25 1997
ERC IN PORTUGAL, Lousada, June 1 1997
ERC IN AUSTRIA, Horn, May 4 1997
F.I.A. European Rallycross Championship 1996 - final results
F.I.A. European Rallycross Championship 1997 - final results

BUXTEHUDE, GERMANY, OCTOBER 5th

HANSEN TOOK A CHANCE

Kenneth Hansen took a chance in the A-final in the last round of the European Rallycross Championship on Estering in Germany, but it was only almost a success.

Kenneth made a super star from second row. He decided then immediately to take a chance for the lead by going on the outside into the first corner. And it was close he managed to do it. Kenneth was one carlength before the rest of the field. In that situation Kenneth gets a hard push by Per Eklund and Kenneth flies off the track. He gets stuck and it takes half a lap until he can start again.

Ludvig Hunsbedt finds a way to grab the lead before Mikael Jernberg i the mess into the first corner. Martin Schanche hanged on to Mikael's rearbumper.

It was very close between the leading trio because the bronze medal was at stake. Mikael had to win because he had Martin just behind. Jernberg chased and chased to try to overtake Ludvig. But the speed was high and although he was up on the side of Ludvig a couple of times he didn't managed to get by.

The positions was the same over the finishline and Jernberg loses the bronze to Schanche with only one point.

Kenneth was only sixth, but comforted himself with the ERC-silver that he had already had secured in the previous race.

RESULTS FROM THE EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP IN GERMANY

Division 1	Car	Points
Ludvig HUNSBEDT	Ford RS	20 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Ford Escort	17 p
Martin SCHANCHE	Ford RS	15 p
T. KRISTOFFERSSON	Audi	13 p
Per EKLUND	Saab	12 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen ZX	11 p

TOP

CESKA LIPA, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, September 28, 1997.

HANSEN LOST THE GOLD, BUT WON THE SILVER

The reigning European Rallycross Champion lost today the title to the Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt, who secured the gold with a victory on the very fast circuit in The Czech Republic. Kenneth Hansen was only fifth in the A-final.

- My feelings are a little mixed now when it's clear I've lost the title, Kenneth says. On one side I'm disappointed not to reach the gold when there was a chance. But on the other hand I am really happy to secure the silver medal because it has been a difficult season. Only thanks to the desire to never give up it feels instead as we has won the ERC-silver.

Kenneth never really got into the competition until the second qualifying round due to a small but devastating problem with the turbopressure. He had to fight from bad startpositions the whole weekend and wasn't able to go free, instead he had to chase from behind. In the last heat Kenneth made the best laptime of the day as to notify the others he still was to be counted on.

In the A-final Kenneth made a perfect start from the last row on the grid and was up on third place into the first corner. But there he got squeezed between Mikael Jernberg and Ludvig Hunsbedt and Kenneth went very wide. Kenneth came back again on the last position and shortly after he had caught the Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler. Hunsbedth took the lead just before Martin Schanche and the two immediately got into a comfortable lead. On the second lap Martin had to retire. Per Eklund then inherited the second place followed by Mikael Jernberg on the third place over the finishline. Kenneth fought hard but never found enough space to overtake Jean-Luc, so Kenneth stayed on his fifth position.

RESULTS OF ERC in Czech Republic, round 9

Round 3		Car	Position
Ludvig HUNSBEDT	Nor.	FORD RS	20 p
Per EKLUND	Swe.	SAAB	17 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford Escort	15 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	F.	Citroen Xantia	13 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen ZX	12 p
Martin SCHANCHE	Nor.	Ford RS	11 p

TOP

LYNGÅS, NORWAY, September 7, 1997.

HANSEN CLOSES IN TO THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP TOP

In a dramatic A-final the leading European-master managed to get in second place in the Norwegian ERC-competition in rallycross.
- I did my best today, says a tired but happy Hansen.
Martin Schanche won in front of 20.000 cheering Norwegians, after the leading Ludwig Hunsbedt was forced to quit on the last lap.
It was Hunsbedt who took the start from pole position closely followed by both Schanche and Hansen.
In his maximal attack trying to get passed Martin, Hansen hits a inner marking and is close to go upside down out on the hyperfast straight lane.

On the first three laps Hunsbedt takes a real lead. But on the fourth lap the hood is lost and is placed on his cars front window like a glove.
He was forced to cool down his tempo because his sight was almost nothing. Schanche manages to easy pass Hunsbedt on the second to last lap. But in to the last Hunsbedt fights to not let Hansen by. With less than half a lap Hansen manages to get by and finishes in second place.

Kenneth closes in to Ludvig's lead in the ERC-table and is now only 4 points after him. Hunsbedt is on 118, and Hansen on 114.

- Now when the championship is still open, we shall do our best, I promise!
Next ERC-competition will be held in Ceska Lipa in the Czech Republic 27-28 September.

RESULTS OF ERC in Lyngås, Norway, round 8

Round 3		Car	Position
Martin SCHANCHE	Nor.	FORD RS	20 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen ZX	17 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	F.	Citroen Xantia	15 p
Per EKLUND	Swe.	SAAB	13 p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Nor.	Ford RS	12 p
Martin IVERSEN	Nor.	Ford Escort	11 p

TOP

MAASMECHELEN, BELGIUM, August 10 1997.

VICTORY FOR HANSEN - FINALLY

Kenneth Hansen finally took his first victory in this years European Rallycross Championship at the Belgian circuit in Maasmechelen.
- It feels really good, Hansen smiles. We have worked very hard during the season and finally it has paid off.

Kenneth managed to get at wonderful start from the second gridposition in the A-final, and went into the lead ahead of Mikael Jernberg who had pole position. Jernberg hanged on to Hansens rearbumper immediately. It was extremely close between the two and they had a good fight until the last lap. Mikaels engine overheated when he laid so close to Kenneth and with one lap to go he had to retire.

Hansens most difficult competitor for the ERC-title this year, the Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt, now went into second place after Kenneth. The Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler was third after having to surrender in a battle with Ludvig Hunsbedt after half the A-final distance.

The victory today Kenneth says was a tactical victory. Kenneth still isn't on the same level of horsepowers as his rivals and had to make tactical plans for the whole weekend not to lose to Hunsbedt again.
In the first qualifying round Kenneth had second best time. In the next round he retired after missing the start and lying in the middle of the field. In his third heat he then met less hard competitors and was able to take the start and then go maximum, which gave another second time. The first row in the A-final was secured. After that he needed a perfect start to be able to beat Jernberg, which he succeeded with.

- It was the best victory for a long time, since it was the first in a long time, Hansen laughed and already looks forward to the next ERC-round which will be in Norway the first weekend in September.

RESULTS OF ERC in BELGIUM, round 7

Division 1		Car	Belgium
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen	20 p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Nor.	Ford RS	17 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	Fra.	Citroen	15 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSON	Swe.	Audi	13 p
Per EKLUND	Swe.	Saab	12 p
Michael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford	11 p

TOP

GÖTENE, SWEDEN

NO EC-STATUS ON THE DUTCH RALLYCROSS RACE - GIVES HANSEN DIFFICULTIES TO DEFEND HIS TITLE

The organiser of the Dutch European Rallycross Championship decided some time ago NOT to go trough with the race as a FIA-sanctioned EC-event.

The reason is according to the organisers spokesman, Sjaak Noordemeer, lack of time to finish the safety improvements on the circuit required by the international motorsport federation, the FIA.

- For me it's a setback that the EC-status is cancelled. This means it will be more difficult for me to defend my title since I now need to win more or less the rest of this seasons four rounds, Hansen says being fully occupied with the preparations for the next ERC-race in Belgium August 9-10.

- The circuit in Holland is one of the better ones compared with such as Austria and England, the reigning European Champion Kenneth Hansen says. - But with this I definitely don't mean to jeopardise safety. Not for us not for the spectators.

NRV, the Dutch organiser, will instead make a separate race - EURO RALLYCROSS MASTERS - on the same date as the ERC, August 16-17.

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European Rallycross Championship
Round 6, FINLAND, Hämenlinna, July 14 1997

HANSEN SECOND IN FINLAND AND CLOSES IN ON THE TOP

Kenneth Hansen took an unexpected second place in the European Rallycross Championship in Finland. Martin Schanche finally won after a fight with Kenneth the first two laps, where Hansen lost some meters on Schanche after a mistake for overtaking.
- Really nice to get things right in the A-final, a pleased Hansen says. I didn`t actually thought such a good result was possible after the troublesome qualifying.

Martin Schanche, on pole position, grabbed the lead immediately in the A-final. Second man on the startgrid, Ludwig Hunsbedt, couldn't do a start because of broken rearaxle. An enginestop in the start let Tommy Kristofferson standing. Kenneth who also was on second row, had a good start and came in behind Martin for the first corner. Michael Jernberg went from third row to third place.

- I thought several times in the final I got a flat tyre because I went over both curbs and cones in trying to get my first victory this year, but it didn't help, Kenneth explains.

On the third lap Kenneth made a mistake when he tried to find a way to overtake Schanche. Kenneth worked his way back again closing up with Martin and for the finishline he was less than a carlenght behind. Jernberg finished on an unthreatened third place. Tommy Kristofferson was fourth after passing Jean-Luc Pailler when he had a puncture. Ludwig Hunsbedt retired after one lap.

The car went very well on the track the whole weekend for Kenneth. In the qualifying Kenneth had although to fight hard down the field, due to acceleration difficulties. The car was damaged from all the loose gravel and the rough track was hard on suspension.

Now the European Rallycross Championship take a break and next round is in one month in Belgium.

RESULTS OF THE ERC IN FINLAND, round 6

Division 1		Car	Arvika
Martin SCHANCHE	Nor.	Ford RS	20 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen ZX	17 p
Michael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford Escort	15 p
T. KRISTOFFERSON	Swe.	Audi	13 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	Fra.	Citroen Xantia	12 p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford RS	11 p

TOP

European Rallycross Championship
Round 5, SWEDEN, Höljes, July 5-6 1997

HANSEN HAD TO SETTLE FOR SECOND IN SWEDEN

Kenneth Hansen versus Ludwig Hunsbedt, Sweden versus Norway. The reigning Champion versus the current EC-leader. In the A-final they stood side by side and had the hard man-to-man fight from yesterday in fresh memory. Hunsbedt took the start with Hansen hanging on his rearbumper. For one and a half lap they were unseperable.
- Yes, on the second lap I made a mistake and lost a few meters on Ludwig, Kenneth explains. Perhaps I was pushing to hard and I lost the rhythm in the driving and couldn't get close to Ludwig.

Ludwig Hunsbedt won in Höljes in front of 12.000 Swedes and Norwegians. Kenneth was second and thought to himself that the misfortunes and set-backs in the beginning of the season now was gone.
- This weekend was the first I really could concentrate on the actual competition instead of working and struggling with technical problems, Hansen smiled hopefully.

The Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler was getting on well in the Swedish forests and took third place. Per Eklund won the B-final and managed a manoeuvre in the first corner in the A-final and passed both Michael Jernberg and Martin Schanche, who only came in fifth and sixth.

In the first qualifier Martin was the fastest. Ludwig and Kenneth had a wonderful fight that everybody talked about during the Saturday evening festival. The second round was won by Ludwig, Kenneth couldn't leave the fifth gear in the last corner. A change of gearbox was necessary before the third qualifier. There Hansen was in excellent form and was more than 1 second before Hunsbedt. New trackrecord!!

- I already long for the next race in Finland the coming weekend. Then I will give Hunsbedt a fight for the money, Kenneth laughed with new courage.

RESULTS OF THE ERC IN SWEDEN, round 5

Division 1		Car	Arvika
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Nor.	Ford RS	20 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen ZX	17 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	Fra.	Citroen	15 p
Per EKLUND	Swe.	Saab	13 p
Michael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford	12 p
Martin SCHANCHE	N	Ford RS	11 p

TOP

EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP IN ENGLAND, PEMBREY JUNE 15, 1997

MISERABLE CIRCUIT IN ENGLAND GAVE HANSEN BIG PROBLEMS

Kenneth Hansen suffered alot because of the terribly bad track in Pembrey in England when the fourth round of the European Rallycross Championship was held. Hansen wasn't alone to give hard criticism to both the track and the work of the organisers.
- The gravel part were full of deep holes with hard edges. Almost every time I was out the car got damaged, sighs Kenneth Hansen heavily.

The Norwegian Ludwig Hunsbedt car was the one that broke the least and he won the the dramatic A-final when the field finally got trough the first corner. A short startstraight and a sharp right-hand corner made most of the cars, that costs millions of Swedish crowns, look terrible.

In the first row in the A-final were Hunsbedt and Mikael Jernberg, the Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler and Per Eklund in the second row and on the third stood Martin Schanche and the B-final winner Hansen.

In a "traffic jam" in the first corner Jernberg got hit and turned around. He and Schanche stoped there. Kenneth found a way round this tumult of cars and came out second after Hunsbedt and Pailler. But the race was stoped by the clerk of the course.

In the restart, where Jernberg didn't participate, almost the same thing happened again. Although this time Pailler and Schanche stopped. Once again the race was red flagged.

For the third start Schanche had got excluded from the race. The four drivers let now finally got trough the first corner. Hunsbedt took the lead followed by Pailler, Eklund and Hansen. During 1 1/2-lap Kenneth was very close behind Eklund trying to find a possibility to overtake. But on the second lap the suspension broke and Kenneth had to give up and only limped to the finishline.

Next European Rallycross Championship round is in Höljes in Sweden first weekend in July.

Division 1		Car	England
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford RS	20 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Citroen Xantia	17 p
Per EKLUND	S	SAAB	15 p
Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroen ZX	13 p
Mikael JERNBERG	S	Ford Escort	12 p
Martin SCHANCHE	N	Ford RS	EXCLUDED

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The European Rallycross Championship
in Lunéville, FRANCE, 24-25 May 1997

ONLY FOURTH PLACE ON CITROEN HOMEGROUND

Kenneth Hansens fourth place in France for the European Rallycross Championship was a little disappointment for him.
Martin Schanche won and added on another 20 points to his lead in the championship.

- I really thought we had overcome our problems from the beginning of the season, when we changed to a new engine for this race, Kenneth says. I believed we could be fighting for the victory, because the handling of the car is wonderful.

It was disastrous starts that caused a lot of agony for Kenneth at first.

All hopes of a good gridposition in the A-final was totally gone in the last qualifying heat. Kenneth got behind Per Eklund, and Per succeeded to go almost two seconds slower(!) per lap because he was more interested in keeping Kenneth behind him rather than he was to get a good time.

In the first qualifying heat during Saturday Kenneth's engine stopped in the start and he was hopelessly last.
For today some engineparts were changed, but on the warm-up session this morning the problem remained.
With only a few minutes left for the second qualifying heat Kenneth and the mechanics managed to fix the problem and the start was quite good. Hansen had third time only a few tens of a second after the fast Michael Jernberg.

Martin Schanche had pole position in the A-final. But it was Ludvig Hunsbedt who took the start from the second row and kept the lead until the third lap when Martin overtook him.
Jernberg, who had second position on the grid, was treated rather rough by Ludvig in the first corner and was in third position for a long time.

Kenneth had managed to reach fourth place from the last row. The whole final Kenneth had understeering problems due to a bad tire choice, but he caught up and overtook Jernberg. For half a lap. Then Kenneth missed a corner and Jernberg was back in third again.

RESULTS FROM RACE 2 IN EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, France

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The European Rallycross Championship in Lousada, 1 June 1997

SECOND PLACE IN PORTUGAL GIVES HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Finally the reigning European Champion Kenneth Hansen were able to take the step up on the podium. A second place for Kenneth today brought him to third place in the overall standings.
Michael Jernberg took a well deserved victory from pole position.

- Even if we still have a lack of horsepower, the second place today gave us hope for the rest of the season, Kenneth smiled. It's actually almost like a victory.

Michael Jernberg took the lead immediately in the A-final. Kenneth Hansen, who only was in second row, got a good start and came side by side with Ludvig Hunsbedt, who had second gridposition.
The two had a fight through the first corner and up on the straight line towards second turn. There Hunsbedt had to let go of Kenneth and he could start chasing Jernberg.

On the second last lap Michael started to have tire problems. At the same time Kenneth had come closer. Almost the whole last lap Kenneth was nose to tail with Jernberg. And in the last corner they were equal, but Jernberg had the insideline out on the finishstraight.
- I'm very happy of course, Jernberg laughed with the winners bottle of champagne in his hand. But Hansen got me a little nervous on the last lap, but I managed to win. Hunsbedt was third followed by Jean-Luc Pailler, Martin Schanche and Per Eklund.

In the qualifying Kenneth had the positions 1-4-3. This circuit in Portugal is not so demanding for horsepower. Most important is to have a well handling car. Kenneth was fastest on in the first round, but some small problems with understeering (=bad grip on the front wheels). Kenneth cured this for the A-final, where the car was very nice to drive.

The next round of the European Championship is in England June 14-15.

TOP

The European Rallycross Championship in Horn, Austria, 11 May 1997

DIFFICULT START OF THE SEASON

Reigning European Rallycross Champion, Kenneth Hansen, had a tough start of the season in Austria.

The Norwegian Martin Schanche came out as the winner today. Martin and Kenneth are the two ones fighting to first reach the seventh ERC-title.
- We had a hard weekend, so my feelings for fourth place today are mixed, says Kenneth regarding his and the teams input in the competition.
- I only qualified for B-final and it was good to be able to win it and to go into the A-final. At the same time I'm a little bit disappointed over the engineproblems that struck us. Water and oils where mixed in the engine and this made it weaker and weaker.

Ludvig Hunsbedt followed Martin Schanche the whole A-final. Just one or two seconds behind them Per Eklund and Kenneth Hansen had a hard fight for third place from the second lap almost until the finishline.
Kenneth's race to fourth place was good considering the enginesituation.

- Despite all I'm quite optimistic for the rest of the season, because when I finally got off the startline I quickly closed in on the ones in front, says Kenneth with a glint in his eye.
Citroen Sport in Paris will now make some engine improvements and then we will see what I can do with Martin in the next race in France.

RESULTS FROM RACE 1 IN EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, AUSTRIA

Name		Car	Austria
Martin SCHANCHE	N	Ford RS	20p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford RS	17p
Per EKLUND	S	SAAB	15p
Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroen ZX	13p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Citroen Xantia	12p
T.KRISTOFFERSSON	S	Audi	11p
Marko JOKKINEN	SF	Citroen ZX	10p

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The final overall standings in
THE EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 1997
10 of 10 rounds

Name	A	F	P	GB	S	SF	B	N	CZ	D	TOTAL
HUNSBEDT	17	17	(15)	20	20	(11)	17	(12)	20	20	131
HANSEN	13	13	17	(13)	17	17	20	17	(12)	(11)	114
SCHANCHE	20	20	12	-	(11)	20	(-)	20	(11)	15	107
JERNBERG	(-)	15	20	12	12	15	(11)	(9)	15	17	106
PAILLER	12	(12)	13	17	15	(12)	15	15	13	(6)	100
EKLUND	15	11	11	15	13	8	12	13	17	12	97
KRISTOFFERS.	11	(-)	(-)	(-)	10	13	13	7	6	13	73
JOKINEN	10	8	(-)	(-)	7	10	7	2	(-)	5	49
STERKENS	9	-	(-)	10	(-)	(-)	7	8	9	4	49
FRANSSEN	4	10	9	7	(3)	7	3	(1)	8	(2)	43
NORDSTEDT	(-)	(-)	(-)	9	8	-	8	-	-	8	33

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FIA European Rallycross Championship 1996
- Points after 11 of 11 Rounds -

Pos	Name	Nat	Car		Tot
1.	Kenneth Hansen	S	Citroen ZX 16V Turbo 4X4	128
2.	Ludwig Hunsbedt	N	Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4X4	118
3.	Jean-Luc Pailler	F	Citroen Xantia T16 4X4	107
4.	Michael Jernberg	S	Ford Escort RS Cosworth	105
5.	Per Eklund	S	Subaru Impreza 555	104
6.	Will Gallop	GB	Peugeot 306 16S Turbo 4X4	91
7.	Martin Iversen	N	Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4X4	86
8.	Tommy Kristoffersson	S	Audi Coupe S2 20V	80
9.	Martin Schanche	N	Ford Escort RS 2000 4X4	76
10.	Jan E. Becker	D	Nissan Sunny GTI-R	50

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SHELL HELIX CUP 1997
Shell Helix Cup Round 1
Shell Helix Cup Round 2
Shell Helix Cup Round 3
Overall standings

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HÖLJES, SWEDEN, August 31 1997.

HANSEN IN TROUBLE

The Rallycross champion Kenneth Hansen was forced to retire in the A-final in the last round of the Shell Helix Cup in Höljes in Sweden. Mikael Jernberg then claimed the overall victory in the new Rallycross series, as he inherited Hansens third place in the race.

Per Eklund won today before Tommy Kristofferson. Kenneth had a close and exhibiting fight with Tommy until the last lap, when he hit problems and had to give up with steering problems.
- I was riding the curbs to much, hit a stone and the steering broke, a disappointed Hansen explains.
- I really wanted to win this race as a greeting to Swedish Shell who has supported rallycross, resulting in those excellent competitions in Shell Helix Cup.

Next race for Hansen will be the Norwegian European Rallycross Championship in Lyngås outside Oslo next weekend.

RESULTS OF THE SHELL HELIX CUP, round 3 of 3

Round 3	Car	Position
Per EKLUND	Audi	20 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSON	Audi	17 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Ford	15 p
Martin IVERSEN	Ford	13 p
Johan NYSTRÖM	Audi	12 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen	11 p

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Shell Helix Cup, round 2
ARVIKA, Sweden June 28-29 1997

IT JUST WASN´T HANSENS DAY

It just was such a day for Kenneth Hansen when nothing seemed to go right, when the second round of the Shell Helix Cup was held in Arvika.

- Noooo, not much has gone my way today, Kenneth laughs hopelessly when he gets out of the car after the troublesome A-final.

Kenneth was forced, after the problems with transmission and electric in the qualifying rounds, to go trough the B-final to reach the last position in the A-final.

Per Eklund had pole position in the A-final, but it was the Norwegian Ludwig Hunsbedt who took the lead after Eklund had made a jump start.
Kenneth had a good start from his outer line and took a chance by going on the outside trough the first corner. It was successful because into the third turn Hansen was up on third place. But then Per Eklund came as a bulldozer trough the field. He began with getting rid of Michael Jernberg by driving over the curbs and right into Michael. Kenneth could then pass them both and go up to second place.
Per got wide into the loose gravel and slightly lost control of the car. When he came back on the track he hit Kenneth's rearwheel so Kenneth spun. He got going again very far behind. Per could go on as number two.

Ludwig has grabbed a big lead at once and was during the rest of the final never threatened. On the last lap Pers car caught fire and he lost speed. Tommy Kristofferson could take the second place. Jean-Luc Pailler also managed to get by Eklund in the last corner and thereby took the last place on the podium. Per was fourth, Michael fifth and Kenneth sixth.

- Now sincerely hope I have had my share of bad luck. It would be nice to have some luck for a change when we have the European Championship in Höljes next weekend, Kenneth says before he goes back home to Götene again.

RESULTS OF SHELL HELIX CUP, round 2

Division 1	Car	Arvika
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	FordRS	20 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSON	Audi	17 p
Jean-Luc PAILLER	Citroen	15 p
Per EKLUND	Saab	13 p
Michael JERNBERG	Ford	12 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen	11 p
Johan NYSTRÖM	Audi	10 p
Steinar JÖRANLI	Opel	9 p
Anders NORSTEDT	Saab	8 p

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SHELL HELIX CUP, race 1
11 May, 1997
Kinnekulle Ring, Götene, SWEDEN.

The best rallycross ever, was everyone's comment on the new Shell Helix Cup, which had it's opening race on Kinnekulle Ring in Götene, Sweden, today.

The homedriver Kenneth Hansen held the places 5-4-3-2-5-4 and finally 3 in the very dramatic and exciting A-final.
If rallycross has been criticised for being more and more like the boring "follow-the-leader" as in circuitracing, the race today proved the total opposite.

Michael Jernberg won the final, after a hard fight with the Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt. It was Ludvig who was quickest in the start and he took the lead after the first corner, with Michael hanging in his rearbumper.

Kenneth Hansen had a very poor start and god squeezed between the hot-blooded drivers from Arvika, Tommy Kristoffersson and Per Eklund. Hansen had to let go of Tommy, who took the third place after a fight with Jernberg. Kenneth hand Per also had a little fight, but it was Kenneth who could hold on to the fourth position. Hansen braked very late and caught up with Tommy and could through a small gap pass Tommy and go up to third place.

- The cars handling is absolutely wonderful, Kenneth says hopeful. It's a pity that the power of the engine is not enough. It has caused me bad starts and I have always lost ground to the opponents during acceleration. Citroen Sport are working on the problem and we hope to have a better version for the European Championship in France.

Kenneth closed the gap to Hunsbedt, who had now been overtaken by Jernberg on the second lap. Towards the last corner they were fighting furiously side by side for approximately 350 meters. Kenneth got pushed up on the side of the track and his car flipped up on two wheels. When he came down again he got hit by Kristoffersson and he spun round.
Both Tommy and Per got past Kenneth. Kenneth got started again and started chasing after them. Per now had to retire with a broken engine.
Kenneth was back on Tommy's tail again. Time after time he was up beside Tommy but couldn't get through. Not until the last lap he found a gap and could squeeze past to catch the final podiumplace.

It was a really exciting and entertaining race and the spectators were more than satisfied.

- Of course I wanted to win, says Kenneth, but I knew it would be extremely difficult today. I am despite all very happy for my third place, which I fought hard for.

RESULTS OF THE SHELL HELIX CUP, round 1

Name	Car	Points
Michael JERNBERG	Ford	20p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Ford	17p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen	15p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSSON	Audi	13p
Per EKLUND	SAAB	12p
Jos STERKENS	Ford	11p
Anders NORSTEDT	SAAB	10p
Johan NYSTRÖM	Audi	9p
Markko JOKINEN	Citroen	8p

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Final results of Shell Helix Cup

Name		Car	Position
Mikael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford	48 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSON	Swe.	Audi	47 p
Per EKLUND	Swe.	Saab	44 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen	37 p
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Nor.	Ford	37 p
Johan NYSTRÖM	Swe.	Audi	31 p

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SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 1997
SRC, Round 4
SRC, Round 2
SRC, final results

GÖTENE, SWEDEN, 13 SEPTEMBER, SRC ROUND 4

HOPELESS FOR HANSEN WHEN EKLUND WINS THE SWEDISH CHAMPIONSHIP

Nothing seemed to work for Kenneth Hansen today when the final round of the Swedish Championship was settled on his homecircuit Kinnekulle Ring today. Hansen wasn't better than fourth in the A-final. Per Eklund won after a close fight with Tommy Kristoffersson, which gave him the Swedish championship title.

Mikael Jernberg was the favourite before the final round but lost his title chances already on the first lap.

Kenneth Hansen had aimed to take the victory in front of his home spectators, but Hansen drove unmotivated and without attack. The slippery circuit made adjustments to get good traction on the car very sensitive.

- It was difficult for me to get into the right spirit after the enormous stress on the European Championship in Norway last weekend. I never got a grip on the race, Hansen explains sadly.

The next race on the program is the penultimate European Championship round in the Czech Republic, September 27-28. Then you can count on a highly motivated Hansen.

RESULTS FROM THE FOURTH ROUND IN
THE SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Division 1	Car	Points
Per EKLUND	SAAB	20 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSSON	Audi	17 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Ford Escort	15 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen	13 p
Anders NORSTEDT	Saab	12 p
Richard PERSSON	Ford	11 p

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ÄLVSBYN JULY 19-20, SRC ROUND 2

HANSEN SECOND IN SWEDISH RACE

Älvsbyn, Kenneth Hansen, who choose not to do the first round of the Swedish Rallycross Championship, came back this weekend to do the race in the northern part of Sweden.
- My reasons for coming here is because our fans here in the north will only have this opportunity to see us, Kenneth explains. For participating in the final round on my homecircuit Kinnekulle in mid-September I also need to score points to be allowed to go.

Mikael Jernberg and Kenneth Hansen was fastest in the qualifying and were on the first row in the A-final. Kenneth made a poor start and was almost the one to leave the grid.
Per Eklund, who made a perfect start from second row, pushed Jernberg off in the first corner and grabbed the lead. Per immediately went to a big lead.

Kenneth had to wait for two laps before he managed to get passed Tommy Kristofferson. Then he could start chasing the leader Eklund. After a couple of recordsetting laps Hansen was on Eklund's tail. For the remaining laps Kenneth didn´t lost contact one inch, Per closed every door efficiently as usual.

- It was another second place again, Kenneth says with a smile of resignation. Nothing bad with second places, but now I´m a little fed up with them. Winning would be nice for chance. I really hope to have a new engine for the next round in the European Championship in three weeks.

RESULTS FROM THE SECOND ROUND IN
THE SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Division 1	Car	Points
Per EKLUND	SAAB	20 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen ZX	17 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Ford Escort	15 p
Lars ERIKSSON	Ford ESCORT	13 p
Roland BERGLIND	Volvo	12 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSON	Audi	11 p

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FINAL RESULTS OF THE SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 1997

Division 1	Car	Points
Per EKLUND	SAAB	74 p
Mikael JERNBERG	Ford Escort	72 p
Tommy KRISTOFFERSSON	Audi	63 p
Lars ERIKSSON	Ford	48 p
Anders NORSTEDT	Saab	47 p
Richard PERSSON	Ford	47 p
Roland BERGLIND	Volvo	41 p
Kenneth HANSEN	Citroen	30 p

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EURO RALLYCROSS MASTERS

Valkenswaard, HOLLAND, August 17 1997.

HANSEN WON IN HOLLAND

Kenneth Hansen won the Euro Rallycross Masters competition in Holland today. Hansen had a hard beginning of this season and won for the first time last weekend in the Belgian ERC-race. And now he stepped up on the podium again!

- Yes, honestly speaking I'm a little bit surprised of myself, says a very happy Hansen. I had pole position, but I never believed I would manage to beat Mikael Jernberg or Tommy Kristoffersson, which were next to me in the first turn, down on the long startlane.

After two restarts, both Hansen and Jernberg were having a 145km/h spin. Then at last they successfully started. Kenneth, Mikael and Tommy were side by side into the first turn, but Kenneth had advantage of the inner lane and took the lead. Kenneth won the race with over 100 meters, second place to Per Eklund. The Englishman Bary Squibb came third after being chased by Jernberg the whole final. The EM-leader Ludvig Hunsbedt was only fifth.

This Euro Rallycross Masters Competition replaced the Dutch ERC-competition that normally should be held here, but was cancelled due to the lack of time for planning the ERC.

Next competition for Hansens team is Shell Helix Cup-final that will be held in Sweden, Höljes, 30-31 august 1997.

RESULTS OF Euro Rallycross Masters in HOLLAND, division 1

Division 1		Car	Position
Kenneth HANSEN	Swe.	Citroen	1
Per EKLUND	Swe.	SAAB	2
Barry SQUIBB	GB	Ford Escort	3
Mikael JERNBERG	Swe.	Ford Escort	4
Ludwig HUNSBEDT	Swe.	Ford RS	5
T.KRISTOFFERSON	Swe.	Audi	6
Jos STERKENS	B	Ford Mondeo	7
Laurant TERROITIN	F	Citroen ZX	8

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(Link to 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)