Race & news - 2001

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F.I.A. EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 2001 -Overall standings

SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 2001 - Overall standings

F.I.A. EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
SWEDISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
FRENCH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

 

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FIA European Rallycross Championship - Division 1
Overall standings after 10 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	105
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	102
3	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	99
4	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	96
5	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	76

Swedish Rallycross Championship - Division 1
Overall standings after 5 of 5 rounds.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	74
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	65
3	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	59
4	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	58
5	Lars LARSSON	S	Audi	38

 

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October 31

Kenneth Hansen won the case at the FIA International Court of Appeal

Paris,
The FIA International Court of Appeal, the highest legal authority within Automobile Sports Federation, today announced the sentence in advantage for Kenneth Hansen regarding the appeal launched by the Swedish ASN and Kenneth against the decision by the Norwegian Court of Appeal concerning Hansen's exclusion of the A-final at the European Rallycross Championship in Lyngas on September 2.

- A big relief, that’s my feeling right now, comments a happy and satisfied Kenneth.
- Protests, appeals and courts is really something that drains you of energy, especially when you have entered the sport in the urge of driving a car as fast as one can, Kenneth says. Therefore I’m happy that it is all over now.

The Highest Court of Appeal declared the previous courts decision invalid (the Stewards of the Meeting and the Norwegian Court of Appeal) and judged Ludvig Hunsbedt to be the guilty part for the incident in the A-final where Kenneth was pushed off the track.

The official results, based on the sentence above, will be published as soon as possible.

The verdict has no practical consequences for Hansen, as he has already secured his European Championship title at the final round in Germany one month ago. But for Hunsbedt the ERC-silver might be at stake.

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October 12

1-2-3 for Kenneth Hansen in 2001

Kenneth Hansen and his team have just finished the most challenging and busy season ever. At the beginning of the year it was decided that Kenneth should try to win three championships, the FIA European Rallycross Championship, the French Rallycross Championship and also the Swedish-Norwegian Rallycross Championship.

- It was a very ambitious programme that we took on, Kenneth says. But we felt it was a big motivation for all the team to see if we managed at all to do so many races as 22 in only 6 months. We knew we had a good team, a good car and a good chance to win all three championship with a bit of luck, Kenneth comments on the tough work they have been through.

As the season now is finished the result was a 1-2-3 result.
1:st place in the FIA European Rallycross Championship
2:nd place in the French Rallycross Championship
3:rd place in the Swedish-Norwegian Rallycross Championship

- We have been in the lead of all three championships at different points, Kenneth says.

Half way in the French championship Kenneth was leading. At that points he unfortunately had to make a decision either to go strongly for the FIA European Championship or the French Championship. The choice fell on the first one, which still was not an easy choose. To finish as the runner-up was not so bad considering that he only made 6 of 9 races.

For the Swedish-Norwegian Championship Kenneth was the champion for one and a half lap as he was leading the all-important A-final at the last round of the Championship.
A broken gearbox turned the fortunes around and Kenneth had to retire from the race, which meant Kenneth finished on third place overall.

Kenneth took his first victory this year in the Swedish-Norwegian Championship in Flisa on July 14.


Kenneth won the first round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in France at the Circuit Loheac.

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October 6

Hill climb.International race. Sweden-Norway
Norway, Lillehammer. October 6 2001.

New track record in Lillehammer by Kenneth.
But Norway won anyway the international match against Sweden.

The last race of the season for Kenneth was the international match between Sweden and Norway in the hill climb race at the Olympic village in Lillehammer in Norway.

- It is a good race, Kenneth says. Good track, good organisation and a good relaxed atmosphere between the drivers in our Swedish team. Except for Kenneth also Lars Sallstrom, Magnus Hansen, Ronny Larsson, Per Gustafsson, Lars Jonsson, Micke Lindkvist and Gert Blomqvist for example.

The race consisted of 6 classes, 3 from rallycross (div.1, div.2 and super national) and 3 from rally (WRC, Groupe N and 2WD)

Norway won with 394 points to Sweden's 324. Although the difference in points was quite big the time difference was not very big.
Ludvig Hunsbedt won the div.1 with 0.14 seconds ahead of Kenneth.

Kenneth had done missed a gear in the first run and lost about 1 second. In his second run he took the new track record, but it was not enough to repair the damage from the first run.

- Well I tried as hard as I could, Kenneth says. The Swedish team worked well together, but the small margins was not on our side this time, so Norway won.

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September 30

ERC Round 10
Germany, Buxtehude. September 29-30 2001

Kenneth Hansen is the FIA European Champion!

Buxtehude,
With severe pain in a smashed finger Kenneth Hansen managed despite all to secure his ninth ERC-title at the final round in Germany.

To take the ERC-gold Hansen had to finish at least on the podium. So when Kenneth in the A-final only came out on fourth place after the first corner it didn’t look so good.

Per Eklund lead from start to finish and won in great style. Behind Per it was more exiting. Kenneth was chasing hard and first Eivind Opland retired. On the second last lap Michael Jernberg hit problems and then Kenneth could climb up to second place. The ERC-title was his!

- Lovely! It has really been a long way to reach this, Kenneth says with a happy smile. Sure I had a little luck in the A-final, but I have also got my share of bad luck this season, especially during the last three races.

 Kenneth did a good qualification with victory in the first round and a second place in the second one. In the third and last qualification round Kenneth braked too late into a sharp corner and ended in the graveltrap. That was no crises in it self, but after the heat Kenneth should re-enter the car through the passanger door and then he by accident got a finger into the big fan that takes away mist from the windscreen. The finger was smashed and Kenneth had quickly to get to the doctor, the blood dripping and close to collapse.

With the finger in a big bandage Kenneth recovered enough to get the permission from the doctor to do the A-final.

- It hurt so much that I nearly fainted, Kenneth says. But I survived and in time for the final I felt quite okey. During the A-final I had something else to think about.

This evening there will be a big prize giving celebration and for sure Kenneth Hansen and all his team will have a good time. Then Kenneth can forget about protests, appeals and smashed fingers and receive his longed for ERC-gold.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 10. Germany, Buxtehude.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	20
2	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	17
3	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	15
4	Lars LARSSON	S	Audi	13
5	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	12
6	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	11

Overall standings after 10 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	105
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	102
3	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	99
4	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	96
5	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	76

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September 23

ERC Round 9
Poland, Slomczyn September 22-23 2001

More set-backs for Kenneth Hansen in Poland

Slomczyn,
Kenneth Hansen had pole position in the A-final in the penultimate ERC-round in Poland, but despite the fine qualification the day didn’t end so good. It was Michael Jernberg, who won a head of Per Eklund. Kenneth had a problem already in the start with his powersteering. Although he had a good start position Kenneth wasn’t able neither to keep his lead nor continue with his fast driving as he had done in the qualification because the steering wheel was turning side to side all the time.

Kenneth crossed the finish line on third place, but after the finish he was disqualified after been giving two warnings in the final.

- I don’t really know what the warnings was for, but obviously the clerk of the course didn’t like my driving, Kenneth says disappointed.

The disqualification meant that Kenneth was place on the last position in the final. The fight for the ERC will continue on the last race in Germany next weekend. Ludvig Hunsbedt, who was fourth in the final, keeps his ERC-lead on 102 points ahead of Kenneth on 100.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 9. Poland, Slomczyn.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	20
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	17
3	Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Peugeot	15
4	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	13
5	Marko JOKINEN	SF	Peugeot	12
6	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	11

 Overall standings after 9 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	102
2	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	100
3	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	96

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September 19

Hansen's fight for the ERC-gold continues.

Oslo,
A shocked Kenneth Hansen received late last night the verdict of the court of appeal of the Norwegian ASN regarding the matter between the Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt and the stewards of the Norwegian round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The court of appeal judged in the favour of Hunsbedt and made a short announcement that Hansen had lost his victory on the Lyngås circuit, which took place two weeks ago and Hansen will instead get fifth place. The victory was now handed over to Ludvig Hunsbedt, who also takes the lead in the overall standings.

The official explanation to the verdict will be given in writing within a week by the Norwegian ASN.

The matter was about the incident in the A-final on Lyngås, just outside Oslo, when Hansen had started an overtaking of Hunsbedt after he had made a mistake and lost speed. Hunsbedt then answers by pushing Hansen completely off the track. In his appeal Hunsbedt only claims that due to Hansen had been off the track he should be disqualified.

- The sentence feels unfair, Kenneth says disappointed. I was involuntary put in an impossible situation and now I’m judged as I was to blame for what happened.

Neither Kenneth nor his representative by the Swedish ASN, Lars Edvall, was given a chance to present their own evidence, as they according to the Norwegian rules only were allowed there as witnesses.

Kenneth has the right to make an appeal to the highest international court of appeal at the FIA, the governing body.

- Now I will try to forget this and get focused on the coming ERC round in Poland this weekend, Kenneth says. We will survive and come out stronger from this sad story.

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September 15

SRC Round 5
Götene, Kinnekulle Ring. September 15 2001

Jernberg took the SRC-gold when Hansen was forced to retire

Kenneth Hansen seemed to have the SRC-gold in rallycross in his hands, when he in a comfortable lead went out on the second lap in the all-important A-final on Kinnekulle Ring. Then what was not allowed to happen did so. Gearbox failure.

- It felt great until I reached the finish corner, Kenneth explained. Then I suddenly heard a bad noise from the special made gearbox. The third gear disappeared and just after also the other ones.

A disappointing finish to a day where Kenneth had "shown the way" all the time. In the qualification he was superior and by setting two fastest times he immediately took pole position.

- Of course I’m a little sad, Kenneth sighs. We have done absolutely everything in our power to be reassured that nothing would brake. We have almost turned the car inside out since the last race. But at least we fell with honour. It was so close to a big success, Kenneth stated with a little smile.

When Kenneth was forced to give up Michael Jernberg was there to overtake the lead in the A-final. I superb style he went for the finish line and won the race. And not only that, he also won the SRC-title.

In the end Kenneth finished on fourth place and with that he got the bronze medal even this year.

Per Eklund was disqualified after he had gone berserk in the A-final. Despite all it was enough to give him the silver medal overall.

Next race for Kenneth will be the FIA European Championship in Poland next weekend.

Results from the Swedish Rallycross Championship, Round 5. Götene.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	30
2	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	24
3	Lars LARSSON	S	Audi	20
4	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	16
6	Steinar JÖRANLI	N	Opel Astra	12
6	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	12

Overall standings and the final results of the Championship after 5 of 5 rounds.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	74
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	65
3	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	59
4	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	58
5	Lars LARSSON	S	Audi	38

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September 2

ERC Round 8
Norway, Lyngås. September 1-2

Hansen won a highly dramatic final in Norway

In a very dramatic A-final Kenneth Hansen was the one who crossed the finish line as the winner of the Norwegian round of the European Rallycross Championship.

The fights were tough and hard on the circuit, but also outside the track after the finish.

Lars Larsson had taken his ever first pole position in an A-final. He went into the lead immediately in the start but was pushed off the track by Ludvig Hunsbedt already in the second corner.

Hunsbedt and Hansen continued in the lead in a blistering speed. On the second lap Hunsbedt made a mistake and Hansen who was just on his tail goes up alongside the Norwegian. In a fight side by side Kenneth was squeezed off the track. Despite all Kenneth managed to come back and moves up to the lead. Hansen stays ahead of the chasing Hunsbedt and takes the victory.

A victory that means a ninth European Championship title for Kenneth!

But after the finish there are more drama. Hunsbedt makes a protest against Hansen for the incident concerning the overtaking. Eivind Opland protests against Per Eklund for unfair driving . Eklund gets disqualified from his third place and ends on the sixth and last A-final position.

Kenneth wins the protest from Ludvig in a unanimously verdict by the stewards. According to the regulations Hunsbedt has the right to appeal, which he also has done. An answer to the appeal from the Norwegian ASN can be expected within a couple of weeks.

If the result remains from the race today Hansen has secured the ERC-title. Until then we know Kenneth made a remarkable race with problems during the qualifying and where he from a hopeless fourth start position in the A-final manages to win the whole event.

Next ERC-round is in Poland on September 22-23.

Preliminary results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 8. Norway, Lyngås

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	17
3	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	15
4	Lars LARSSON	S	Audi A4	13
5	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	12
6	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	11

Overall standings after 8 of 10 rounds, unofficial due to an appeal.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	108
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	99
3	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	94
4	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	81
5	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	75
6	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	67

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August 19

ERC Round 7
Holland, Valkenswaard. August 18-19 2001

Hansen only fourth in Holland after an incident in the A-final

Kenneth Hansen was very disappointed after his fourth place in the seventh round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship.
Jean-Luc Pailler (F) won ahead of Ludvig Hunsbedt (N) and Michael Jernberg (S).

- Hard, very hard, Kenneth sighs with a heavy heart after the tough time in the final. On only less than half a second all you have been working for during the weekend can be ruined.

Kenneth was a hot candidate for victory when he already after two wins in the qualification rounds secured pole position in the A-final. And it seemed to Hansen’s way until it was time for the first corner. Kenneth was in the lead but then crashed with Martin Schanche so that both went off the circuit. Jean-Luc Pailler was then able to sneak through and also finally take the victory.

Kenneth came after a while back on the track, closed in on the top trio, but was never able to overtake Jernberg.

Now Kenneth leads in the overall standings with only 6 points as three round remains. Hunsbedt stepped up to second place, while Schanche lost down to third, 9 points behind Hansen.

The next race will be in Norway on September 1-2.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 7. Holland, Valkenswaard.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Peugeot 206	20
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	17
3	Michael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	15
4	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	13
3	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	12
6	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	11

Overall standings after 7 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	88
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	82
3	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	79
4	Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Peugeot 206	75
5	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	70

Kenneth and his long-time friend Lars Ericsson discusses the times in Valkenswaard.


Supporters like this makes life happier for Kenneth.

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August 12

ERC Round 6
Belgium, Maasmechelen. August 11-12 2001

Hansen third in Belgium

Kenneth Hansen was third in the sixth round of the European Championship in Belgium. The winner was the overjoyed Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt a head of his fellow countryman Martin Schanche.

- It feels more like I won a third place than lost a victory, Kenneth says. It has been a difficult day so the result wasn’t so bad after all.

Kenneth was fastest in the third qualification round, but a problem to get boost pressure in the first and a mistake in the second round gave Kenneth only fourth start position in the A-final.

- I had a perfect start, passed both the Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler and Martin Schanche on the outside and challenged Hunsbedt into the first corner, Hansen explains. But when I tried to go in behind Ludvig it went wrong and I was almost completely off the track.

Hansen came back on fourth place but gained a position when he overtook Pailler on the second lap. During the remaining five laps Hansen and Schanche had a very close and spectacular fight where Martin managed to stay ahead of the chasing Hansen.

Kenneth still leads the ERC on 75 points. Schanche came two points closer to Hansen today and is now 8 behind.

The next round will be in Holland next weekend.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 6. Belgium, Maasmechelen.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	20
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	17
3	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	15
4	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	13
5	Pavel KOUTNY	CZ	Ford Focus	12
6	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	11

Overall standings after 6 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	75
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	67
3	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	65
4	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	62
5	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	55

The winner Ludvig Hunsbedt, Martin Schanche and Kenneth Hansen listens to the Norwegian national anthem on the podium.







Opland, Jernberg, Hansen and Hunsbedt only fights on the track.

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July 29

FRC Round 6
France, Kerlabo. July 29

Not a Hansen weekend. Two races the same weekend.
Swedish Championship on Saturday and French Championship on Sunday.

The series of victories for Kenneth Hansen was broken this weekend. Once again he managed to do two races in the same weekend. All in the effort to try to win all three Championships in which he participates, the European, the French and the Nordic.

Yesterday, Saturday, he did the fourth round of the Swedish-Norwegian Championship and was second after Michael Jernberg. This night he flew down to France to be able to do the sixth round of the French Championship. Unfortunately Kenneth was only third after his hardest competitor Jean-Luc Pailler and lost his lead in the Championship.

- We have since the end of June won all our races, Kenneth says. Sooner or later there will be a set back. I’m not surprised it came now. The Nordic was a hill-climb, which is not my favourite type. The race here in France was also on a kind of track that doesn’t suite my style of driving, as it was small, twisty and very slippery.
- It was a pity that I didn't managed to overtake Christan Menier, Kenneth says. I was side by side with him several times but had to back off again as the track was more or less impossible to overtake on. I took a chance in the start of the A-final and gained one place by a risky move on the outside through the first corner.

Despite all Kenneth isn’t that disappointed after the poor weekend. With the tough circumstances he finished at least on the podium and gained valuable points for the final stage of the season.

Kenneth focuses now on the European Championship in Belgium on August 12.

Results in Kerlabo, Sunday July 29

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FRA	Peugeot 206	20
2	Christian MENIER	FRA	Ford Focus	17
3	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	15

Overall standings after 6 of 9 rounds in the French Championship

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FRA	Peugeot 206	108
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	104
3	Laurent TERROITIN	FRA	Citroën Xsara	81

Results in Jarbo, Saturday July 28

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Michael JERNBERG	SWE	Ford Focus	15
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	12
3	Per EKLUND	SWE	Saab 93	10+3

Overall standings after 4 of 5 rounds in the Swedish-Norwegian Championship

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Per EKLUND	SWE	Saab 93	53
2	Michael JERNBERG	SWE	Ford Focus	44
3	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	43

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July 29

Kenneth reached France this night.

Directly after the finish at the hill-climb race in Jarbo Kenneth hurried back to the paddock. A car waited there to take him and his mechanic Joakim Sjoberg to the local airport in Gavle.

The reason for this hurry was that today he will participate in the sixth round of the French Rallycross Championship in Kerlabo in Bretagne, where a second team for Hansen is waiting.

From the Gavle airport they went to Arlanda and then to Paris. There they took a third plane that evening which brought them to the final destination at St.Brieuc.

Kenneth joins, with special permission from the French ASN, the race only on Sunday. That means that the other drivers has an advantage by doing the practice and the first qualification round on Saturday. Kenneth will start his race with the second qualification round.

- To make a double like this is not something one can do very often, Kenneth says. But I feel it is worth the effort as my target this year is to fight for victory in all three Championships I'm attending, that is the French, the European and the Swedish-Norwegian Championships.

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July 28

SRC Round 4
Sweden, Järbo. July 28

Kenneth on second place after the winner Michael Jernberg!

- I can only congratulate Michael, Kenneth says. Michael was outstanding today.

Kenneth improved his performance all weekend. After they had made several changes on the set-up of the car Kenneth felt more secure and comfortable which was necessary up the difficult and demanding hill in Jarbo.

This was the first time ever a hill-climb race is a part of the Swedish Rallycross Championship. It will be valuated after the season if this was a good idea and if it is what the different parties in rallycross wants.

Results from the Swedish Rallycross Championship, Round 4. Järbo.

Pos.		Points
1	Michael JERNBERG (Ford Focus)	15
2	Kenneth HANSEN (Citroen Xsara)	12
3	Per EKLUND (Saab 93)	10+3
4	Steinar JORANLI (Opel Astra)	8+2
5	Eivind OPLAND (Mitsubishi)	7
6	Ove OLOFSSON (Ford Focus)	6
7	Jorgen EDHOLM (Ford Focus)	5
8	Ludvig HUNSBEDT (Ford Focus)	4+1

Overall standings after 4 of 5 rounds

Kenneth is ready to go up the demanding hill in Jarbo.

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July 14

SRC Round 3
Norway, Flisa. July 13-14 2001

Swedish-Norwegian Championship 2001

Hansen won his first race this year in the Swedish-Norwegian Championship

Flisa,
Kenneth Hansen managed to hold per Eklund behind him in the A-final of the third round of the Swedish-Norwegian Rallycross Championship that took place on Norwegian ground in Flisa.

- Really wonderful to finally get a victory, Kenneth cheers after his first victory this year in the SRC-series. I have had some difficulties in the two previous rounds, so a win here was necessary if I shall have a chance to fight for the Championship title.

Hansen had pole position after two victories in the qualification. When the rain clouds gathered on the sky the drama increased because the track gets slippery and very difficult to control.

Kenneth kept calm and had a good start in the A-final and set off in the lead after the first corner. Already after one lap Kenneth had gained some meters and could increase his lead throughout the six laps in the final.

Per Eklund came in as number two and Ludvig Hunsbedt as third. Kenneth now moves up to second place in the Championship, nine points behind Eklund.

Next round, which is a hill climb, takes place on Saturday July 28 in Järbo. On Sunday July 29 Kenneth will take a flight down to France to do the sixth round of the French Championship.

Results from the Swedish Rallycross Championship, Round 3. Flisa.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	15
2	Per EKLUND	SWE	Saab 93	12+1
3	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	NOR	Ford Focus	10+2
4	Michael JERNBERG	SWE	Ford Focus	8
5	Ove OLOFSSON	SWE	Ford Focus	7
6	Eivind OPLAND	SWE	Mitsubishi	6

Overall standings after 3 of 5 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Per EKLUND	SWE	Saab 93	40
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	31
3	Michael JERNBERG	SWE	Ford Focus	29
4	Martin SCHANCHE	NOR	Opel Astra	28
5	Eivind OPLAND	NOR	Mitsubishi	27

Per Eklund, Kenneth Hansen and Ludvig Hunsbedt celebrates in Flisa.

Kenneth is talking about old memories with his long-time rallycross friend Roger Sandberg,
who lives here in Flisa.


Kennet Nyberg and Joakim Sjoberg takes good care of the Citroen Xsara.

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July 8

FRC Round 5
France, Lavaré. July 7-8 2001.

Hansen won the French Championship in Lavaré.

Kenneth Hansen took an unexpected, but superb victory in the fifth round in the French Championship.

- Incredibly good, Kenneth comments the victory, which also took him into the lead of the Championship.

In the A-final Kenneth had only fourth start position after several set-backs in the qualification. The hardest competitor in the series, Jean-Luc Pailler, had pole position in the A-final and looked difficult to beat. After a perfect start in the final the Citroen Xsara of Kenneth went like a rocket through the field and dived in on second place into the first corner after Pailler. But here Jean-Luc made a mistake and broke his car when driving right over the inside of the corner. Kenneth could easily overtake him and went up into the lead.. From then on no-one threatened Kenneth, who both was fast and at the same time careful not to make any mistakes. The reigning French Champion, Laurent Terroitin came in on second place and Christophe Vaison third.

- This is a tough championship, Kenneth says. Which makes it even more fun when it works and especially after struggling so hard as we have done today.

Next round in the French Championship is July 29 in Kerlabo. On the Jean-Luc Pailler-circuit…

Already next weekend it’s race time again for the Hansen-team in Flisa in Norway and the third round of the Swedish-Norwegian Championship. That will be the 12:th race in 11 weekends!

Results from the French Rallycross Championship, Round 5. Lavaré.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Laurent TERROITIN	FRA	Citroen Xsara	17
3	Christophe VAISON	FRA	Renault Mégane	15
4	Michel LIGER	FRA	Citroen Xsara	13
5	Christian MENIER	FRA	Ford Focus	12
6	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FRA	Peugeot 206	11

Overall standings after 5 of 9 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	89
2	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FRA	Peugeot 206	88
3	Laurent TERROITIN	FRA	Citroen Xsara	68

Only smiles after Kenneth's victory! Wife Susann, his two sons Timmy and Kevin and aunt Marianne celebrates together with Kenneth.


Kenneth is waiting to line up on the startgrid in Lavaré.


We are racing in Lavaré in France.

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July 1

ERC Round 5
Sweden, Höljes. June 30-July 1 2001


Hansen won in Sweden!!!

A happy Kenneth Hansen received the close to 16.000 spectators ovations as he won the best Swedish Rallycross event, the FIA European Championship in Höljes.

- Wow, it was wonderful, Kenneth laughs. It has been a tough day with minor problems in the qualification and the rain caused allot of insecurity, which made it even nicer to win. But I had also a little luck because on the second last lap I had a front wheel puncture.

Ludvig Hunsbedt (N) was second after chasing Kenneth through the whole A-final. Ludvig had pole position, but lost a small lead to Kenneth as they were going for the first corner.

When the drivers in the A-final lined up on the start grid the rain increased even more. The slippery circuit made the conditions very difficult and the visibility poor. Due to that Eivind Opland missed a warning flag and made an illegal overtaking of Martin Schanche. Eivind was disqualified and instead Martin inherited the third place.

The newcomer in division 1, Stig-Olov Walfridsson, was fourth and Mikael Jernberg was fifth after being forced to retire already on the opening lap.

Kenneth was leading before the victory today with maximum 60 points and is forced due to the new rules to take away this first place. Martin is second overall with 52 points.

Next ERC race is in Belgium on August 11-12. Already next weekend Kenneth will race again in the French Championship in Lavare.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 5. Sweden, Höljes.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	17
3	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	15
4	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	13
5	Stig-Olov WALFRIDSSON	S	Ford Focus	12
6	Mikael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	11

Overall standings after 5 of 10 rounds.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	60
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	50
3	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	49
4	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	45
5	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	44

Eivind Opland gives Kenneth a shower. Hunsbedt seems to enjoy it as well

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June 24

FRC Round 4
Bergerac. June 23-24 2001

French Rallycross Championship 2001
First victory for Hansen in the French Championship
Bergerac,
Kenneth Hansen took his first victory this year in the French Rallycross Championship at the hot circuit in Bergerac in the south of France.

There were nothing to do for Jean-Luc Pailler, who started from pole position, against the perfect start Hansen did in the A-final. Kenneth had the lead from start to finish, but was occasionally hard challenged by Jean-Luc who followed like a shadow.

- It was a wonderful victory, Kenneth says with the biggest smile. I have been so close before. Now it went my way.

The victory for Hansen today was more or less necessary if he shall have a chance to win the Championship. Pailler still leads with 77 points. Hansen gained on Pailler lead in the overall standings and has now 69 points. Three more races out of the remaining five will have to be taken into account for the Championship.

The next race in the French Series will be in Lavare in 14 days. Before then Kenneth and his team will go back to Sweden to do the Swedish round of the FIA European Championship in Höljes the coming weekend.

Results from the French Rallycross Championship, Round 4. Bergerac.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroen Xsara	20
2	Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Peugeot 206	17
3	Hervé KNAPICK	F	Peugeot 206	15
4	David MESLIER	F	Renault Mégane	13
5	Laurent TERROITIN	F	Citroen Xsara	12
6	Christophe VAISON	F	Renault Mégane	11

Overall standings after 4 of 9 rounds.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	F	Peugeot 206	77
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroen Xsara	69
3	Laurent TERROITIN	F	Citroen Xsara	51

Little Kevin helps daddy with his race car on Friday before scrutinizing.


The first victory for Kenneth in the French Championship. Jean-Luc Pailler is second and Hervé Knapick third.

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June 17

ERC Round 4
The Czech Republic, Sosnova. June 16-17 2001

Hansen's suite of victories broken in the ERC in Czech Republic.

The suite of victories for Kenneth Hansen was broken in the fourth round of the European Rallycross Championship in the Czech Republic when he finished only on fifth place.

The Norwegian Martin Schanche won the race from pole position.

Hansen fought with Schanche for the lead into the rain wet first corner. There Kenneth was pushed off the track by cars behind him and he was on the last position as re rejoined the race again. In the second lap Hansen crashed into a car that suddenly stopped due to the poor visibility.

- It feels hard right now, Kenneth says. I like the circuit and I set the fastest time in the qualification. Because of that it feels even worse when the result is bad and the car damaged.

Kenneth still leads the ERC with maximum 60 points after his three earlier victories.

Now the team will have to repair the car quickly before next weekend when he shall do the fourth round of the French Championship in Bergerac in the south of France.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 4. Czech Republic, Sosnova.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	20
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	17
3	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	15
4	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	13
5	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	12
6	Stig-Olov WALFRIDSSON	S	Ford Focus	11

Overall standings after 4 of totally 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	60
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	49
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	49
4	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	44
5	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	39
6	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	37

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June 10

ERC Round 3
Austria, Melk. June 9-10 2001.

Hansen made a ERC hat trick in Austria

Kenneth Hansen won the A-final of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in Austria under extremely difficult conditions in front of fellow country man Per Eklund and the Norwegian Ludvig Hunsbedt.

When the big category, division 1, was ready for A-final a heavy rain started and made the circuit very slippery.

- It has been like driving in 150 km/h with summer tyres on ice, Kenneth explains with relief after managing 6 laps in the final in agony. It was an act of balance every second.

Per Eklund was right on Kenneth’s tail the first couple of corners. Then Per lost almost hundred meters as his windscreen disappeared behind mud from Kenneth’s car. Kenneth gained at this point the gap he needed to be able to control the race by himself.

Kenneth was superior already in the qualifications and took pole position with two qualifying victories.

- We have had a really good weekend, Kenneth says. He now leads the European Championship with a maximum score of 60 points.

Next ERC-race will be the coming weekend in the Czech Republic.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 3. Austria, Melk.

	Driver	Nation	Cars	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	17
3	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	15
4	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	13
5	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	12
6	Pavel KOUTNY	CZ	Ford Focus	11

Overall standings after 3 of 10 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	60
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	40
3	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	38
4	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	36

Kenneth celebrates his Austrian victory with Per Eklund and Ludvig Hunsbedt


Niklas checks that everything is OK before the A-final.

Kenneth describes for his mechanics Kennet and Richard a risky moment he had out on the track.

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June 3

Kenneths remarkable recovery in Luneville! Third in the A-final.

Kenneth did a fantastic performance in the finals at the third round of the French Championship in Luneville, which resulted in a third place for Kenneth in the A-final.

- It acctually feels like a victory!, Kenneth says with a big smile.

When Kenneth should start from pole position in the C-final things didn´t look good at all. But after winning the C-final and entering the B-final he had really found his fighting spirit. He came out on second place after the start of the B-final and some laps later he overtook the leading Christophe Vaison.

From the last startposition in the A-final Kenneth made a super start and challenged Jean-Luc Pailler for the lead into the first corner. But Kenneth was hit from behind and went off the track. When he came back on the circuit again he was only fifth. He chased Terroitin and passed him as he made a little mistake. He set his eyes on Christian Menier ahead of him and soon he had overtaken him as well.  In the speed Kenneth had he was soon also on the tail of Michel Liger. But there was no more time and Kenneth had to settle for the last podium place.

- Third place yesterday in Sweden was a big disappointment regarding the fine qualification I had, Kenneth says. But today third place is a big victory bearing in mind that I had a really tough qualifying here in France.

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June 3

Kenneth has arrived to Luneville in France.

Late last night Kenneth and his mechanic Joakim Sjöberg arrived to the circuit in Luneville in France.
After taking the hired plane from the small local airport in Arvika to Arlanda airport in Stockholm they continued with another aircraft to Paris. In Paris they were picked up with car and after 5 hours drive they finally arrived at the hotel.
- It has been a long night but I slept in the car and then another 4 hours at the hotel before coming out here to my team at the circuit, Kenneth says. Now I'm fit for fight again!

As Kenneth did the race in Sweden yesterday, he missed out on the first qualification round in Luneville yesterday. So to score qualifying points he has only two chances today.

- Of course it is not the ideal situation, Kenneth says, but I just have to do as best as I can.

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June 2

SRC Round 2
Arvika. June 2 2001

Hansen’s joy and disappointment in Arvika
Arvika,
It looked really good for Kenneth Hansen, who was on pole position in the second round of the Swedish-Norwegian Rallycross Championship. Hansen had been fastest in two of the three qualifications round in the debut with his brand new Citroën Xsara.

On the second lap in the A-final the fun ended. After an incident with the Norwegian Eivind Opland Kenneth’s car was launched off the circuit and came to rest in a barrier.

- I’m so disappointed, Kenneth says. We have worked very hard to be able to pull this weekend through with first the race here in Arvika and tomorrow the race in France.

The A-final turned out to be very dramatic. First there was jumpstart by Ludvig Hunsbedt. Mikael Jernberg had to retire on the start grid with broken transmission. Kenneth lost his lead after the collision with Opland. Eivind was black flagged for unsportive driving due to that. Hunsbedt was disqualified for taking the alternative route twice. Finally only Martin Schanche and Per Eklund was left.

Schanche crossed the finish line first and won the race in Arvika. Per Eklund came in on second place. And, believe it or not, Kenneth actually took third place, despite, or thanks to, all the drama in the A-final.

Immediately after the race Kenneth hurried to the local airport to catch the plane which would take him further to France and the third round of the French Rallycross Championship in Luneville tomorrow, Sunday June 3.

Results from the Swedish Rallycross Championship, Round 2. Arvika.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	15+3
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	12+2
3	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	10
4	Mikael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	7+1
5	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	8
6	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	6

Overall standings after 2 of 5 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	27
2	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	25
3	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	21
3	Mikael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	21
5	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	16
6	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	10

Here is the new Citroen Xsara that made its race debut in Arvika. The other car that
Kenneth has raced with earlier this year is waiting for him in Luneville for the
French Rallycross Championship tomorrow, Sunday June 3.

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May 31

Kenneth have TWO races this weekend. Saturday in Sweden. Sunday in France.

The Swedish-Norwegian Rallycross Championship in Arvika
and the French Rallycross Championship in Luneville

Hectic weekend for Hansen

Kenneth Hansen will do two races this weekend. On Saturday in Sweden, on Sunday in France.

The ambitious race programme for the Hansen-team, which consists of at least 21 races this year, will be carried to its extremes this weekend. On Saturday June 2 the second round of the Swedish-Norwegian Championship takes place in Arvika. On Sunday June 3 the third round of the French Championship in Luneville.

Just back from the Portuguese ERC victory the Hansen -team will have to work even harder. One crew was sent to France already today with the winning car from Portugal. The rest of the team is making the last preparations on the second car, which will make its debut in Arvika.

Why starting such a project? Why not settle for one race per weekend?

- During the winter I set the goal for myself that I want to win three Championships this year, Kenneth explains. To get enough rounds to fight for the overall victory in the French series I had to put my race calendar together like this. It will be some tough days and surely I will be very tired on Sunday evening, but hopefully it has paid off.

Immediately after the race in Arvika the team has rented a plane to take Kenneth and his mechanic Joakim Sjöberg to Arlanda. From there they go with another flight to Paris. From Paris they have yet 350 kilometres in a car before reaching Luneville in the night.

- It will be a thrill to see if everything works out with travelling, cars, spare parts and people involved, Kenneth says.

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May 27

ERC Round 2
Portugal, Lousada. May 26-27 2001

Hansen won in Portugal

Lousada,
Kenneth Hansen did it again. In a terrible heat Kenneth managed to win the second round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in Portugal. With that he repeated his fine victory in the ERC opening round in France last weekend.

- I’m completely exhausted, Kenneth says. 40 degrees in the air and 70 in the race car were almost painful. It has given both be and my car a real hard time. During the last laps in the final I was afraid we should not be able to make it to the finish line.

To begin with the A-final was very dramatic with a big start crash where several cars had to retire. Kenneth just managed to keep away from first Jos Kuypers (NL) in the first corner and then Martin Schanche (N) who was side by side with Kenneth in the second corner.

- I was in real big trouble, Kenneth explains. But with a bit of luck I survived it.

Martin Schanche chased Kenneth during the whole A-final but had to settle for second place. Per Eklund crossed the finish line as number three.

Next round of the ERC will be in Austria June 9-10. Before then Kenneth will participate in TWO races next weekend. On Saturday he will do the second round of the Nordic Cup. In the night he will take a flight for Paris and on Sunday he will do the third round of the French Rallycross Championship in Luneville.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 2. Portugal, Lousada.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	SWE	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Martin SCHANCHE	NOR	Opel Astra	17
3	Per EKLUND	SWE	Saab 93	15
4	Jos KUYPERS	NL	Ford Focus	13
5	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FRA	Peugeot 206	12
6	Tony BELL	GB	Toyota Corolla	11

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May 20

ERC Round 1
France, Loheac. May 19-20 2001

KENNETH HANSEN WON THE ERC-OPENING IN FRANCE

Kenneth Hansen, reining European Champion, won the opening round of the FIA European Championship in France, Loheac, in front of incredible 49.000 cheering spectators.

- It is an absolutely wonderful feeling, Kenneth laughs. So much people, so many Citroen-fans. It's almost unbelievable.

Kenneth made a fantastic drive in the A-final. Despite the big pressure of running on home ground for the marquee he kept cool and took the start of the A-final-

- On the first lap I held back on purpose not to drive to close to the limit as that makes you very vulnerable if they hit you in the rear, Kenneth explains.

The Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler was only able to hang on to Kenneth's rear bumper for the first lap, but from there on Kenneth increased his lead. Over the finish line he was 20 meters ahead of Pailler. On third place was another Frenchman, Hervé Knapick.

- Everything worked perfect today, Kenneth says. I had problems yesterday and was only on sixth place in the first qualification. For today we made some changes and found the winning concept. We took the fastest time of the day in the third qualification round.

Next round of the Championship will be in Portugal the coming weekend.

Results from the European Rallycross Championship, Round 1. France, Loheac.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	20
2	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	17
3	Hervé KNAPICK	FR	Peugeot 206	15
4	Ludvig HUNSBEDT	N	Ford Focus	13
5	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	12
6	Laurent TERROITIN	FR	Citroen Xsara	11

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May 12

SRC, Round 1
Strängnäs. May 11-12 2001

The SRC opening was a challenge for Hansen

Strangnas,
Kenneth Hansen had a rough start in the Swedish-Norwegian Championship that took place in Strängnäs, Sweden. The best result during the day was when Hansen had reached second place in the A-final. Then, two laps before the finish, the fun ended when Per Eklund hit Hansen and he spun off.

- After a day full of struggles, I was very frustrated being treated in this unfair way, Hansen says.

Hansen ended last in the sixth place.

Eivind Opland, the Norwegian, won in great style in front of Per Eklund and Mikael Jernberg, with close to 7000 enthusiastic spectators watching the race in bright sunshine.

In the beginning of the day Kenneth had difficulties to find the right set-up of the car for the new tyres.

- My team did a terrific job and we got it right for the A-final, Kenneth praised his talented mechanics.

The next competition will be the European Championship in France next weekend.

Results from the French Rallycross Championship, Round 1. Essay-Alencon.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Eivind OPLAND	N	Mitsubishi	15
2	Per EKLUND	S	Saab 93	12
3	Mikael JERNBERG	S	Ford Focus	10
4	Marko JOKINEN	SF	Peugot 206	8
5	Martin SCHANCHE	N	Opel Astra	7
6	Kenneth HANSEN	S	Citroën Xsara	6

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May 6

FRC, Round 2.
France, Faleyras. May 5-6 2001

Kenneth on second place again in France.
Faleyras,
Kenneth Hansen realises disappointed that despite a perfect start in the A-final it only gave him a second place behind the Frenchman Jean-Luc Pailler.

- I was totally taken by surprise in the first corner when Jean-Luc suddenly past me on the outside, Kenneth sighs. I can’t understand how he managed that from the second startline.

Kenneth had a splendid day in the qualification rounds and we shined with two victories and pole position in the A-final. The track was very difficult to drive on in the beginning that gave Hansen difficulties, but finally he managed to find the right settings on his Citroen.

- The car was lovely to drive, especially in the A-final, Kenneth says, which feels fine regarding the intense race programme we have ahead of us. 12 races in 11 weekends.

Next weekend is the first round of the Swedish Championship in Strängnäs, where the whole Swedish-Norwegian top drivers will be on the start line.

Results from the French Rallycross Championship, Round 1. Essay-Alencon.

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	20
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SE	Citroën Xsara II	17
3	Hervé KNAPICK	FR	Peugeot 206	15
4	Christophe VAISON	FR	Renault Megane	13
5	Laurent TERROITIN	FR	Citroen Xsara	12
6	Laurent FOUQUET	FR	Renault Clio	11

Overall standings after 2 of 9 rounds

	Driver	Nation	Car	Points
1	Jean-Luc PAILLER	FR	Peugeot 206	40
2	Kenneth HANSEN	SE	Citroën Xsara	34
3	Laurent TERROITIN	FR	Citroen Xsara II	27
4	Christophe VAISON	FR	Renault Megane	26

Jocke has just finished checking the Xsara before the A-final.




The Xsara of Kenneth Hansen wears red shoes going to the startgrid.

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April 8

FRC, Round 1
Essay-Alencon, April 7-8 2001

Second place for Kenneth in the opening round of the French Championship.

Kenneth finished second to Jean Luc Pailler in Essay after a spectacular drive by Hansen.
From the third start position Kenneth dropped down to fourth after a fight in the first corner. After that Kenneth began a brilliant drive to try to catch and overtake, first Michel Liger on the second lap and then Laurent Terroitin on the fifth lap. As they reached the finish line Kenneth was only a couple of meters behind the winner Jean Luc Pailler.

- It was a good race, Kenneth says with a big smile. But actually we lost the victory in the qualification session. I made some mistakes and that cost me a lot as I fell down to the second row on the grid in the A-final.

But despite my own mistakes the car proved to be in good shape. It gave some fine answers for the future.

Results of the A-final in Division 1.
Results from the French Rallycross Championship, Round 1. Essay-Alencon.

The six drivers has just battled it out in the A-final.
Pailler won, Kenneth second and Terroitin third.


Kenneth Hansen gets the car ready to race. France 2001.

Kenneth is on his way through the paddock to the second qualification round.

Kenneth gets out of the service area.

Michel, Alex and Kenneth discuss the strategy of the practice.



The Citroen Xsara is waiting to enter the circuit for the official timed practice.

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January 5

Press cut from Bilsport Special.

Normally we don't publish press cuts on this site, but we felt that this one we wanted to share with you.
In the latest issue of Bilsport Special (a magazine in Sweden) there is a big report by Jerker Johansson and Tony Welam regarding Hansen's success on the rallycross arena throughout the years. Here you can see how Kenneth values his 8 European Championship gold medals...

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December 2000

Kenneth Hansen aiming for three titles in 2001

 Today was the race programme for Kenneth Hansen announced at a press conference in Paris.

A lot of media had gathered when Citroën Sport launched their 2001 programme. Here the new World Rally Car was officially shown for the first time together with the announcement of the other motor sport programs for Citroën.

The result of the closer co-operation between Citroën Sport and Kenneth Hansen will for next season see the Hansen-team aiming higher than ever.

- We want to win 3 Championships in 2001. The European-, the Swedish-, and also the French Championship, Kenneth reveals.

- It can seem completely foolish, especially for someone that has been in the game for so long, I ought to be tired of it. But I love my work and to race is the absolutely best there is for me. I want to do both the European- and the Swedish Championship, but at the same time I got a taste for the French series this year. It has something special that I would like to give a real chance.

- When Citroën Sport suggested that we should challenge for all three Championships we finally found a solution to make the programme possible.

As Kenneth just has put his 8:th European award in his voluminous collection of trophies he will at the same time face the toughest season ever in his career.

- To be able to go through with this we will have two cars, which I can alter between during the season, Kenneth says. We have been testing this autumn and the work for next season has already started.

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Race calendar 2001 - for Kenneth Hansen

FC = French Championship NC = Nordic Cup (Swedish Championship)
EC = European Championship

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