Johan Kristoffersson has increased his lead in the FIA World Rallycross Championship to 38 points after the defending champion won the first double header round at the World RX of South Africa (7 October).

Winning all three of his heats and his semi-final were key to the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS driver’s success, as it allowed Kristoffersson to start the final from pole position – which, after a good start, ensured a dust-free lights to flag run to victory.

“It was a difficult race to be honest, but still I imagine I had the easiest race compared to the others behind because I couldn’t see them and I bet they couldn’t see me,” said Kristoffersson.

A perfectly timed joker lap helped Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) come from fifth to finish second in the final. The result moves him up to second in the drivers’ standings.

Earlier in the day the Swede had set the fastest SuperPole time – the first time that Kristoffersson had been beaten in the single lap standing start shootout since it was introduced at the beginning of last year.

Despite his lack of experience in the all-electric ZEROID X1 car compared to most of his rivals, Timo Scheider won a heat and went on to finish third in the final. The Münnich Motorsport man nailed a brilliant opportunistic move on lap three, overtaking both a slowing (and soon to retire) Ole Christian Veiby and Timmy Hansen, who had been unintentionally delayed by Veiby, to snatch the final podium position.

Hansen, who had also been super-fast around the Killarney International Raceway, finished fourth.

Niclas Grönholm, who had failed to finish his Heat 3 race after picking up an early rear puncture, battled hard to finish fifth in the final; a result which drops him to third in the drivers’ standings.

Klara Andersson (Construction Equipment Dealer Team) had a difficult day, half spinning on the opening lap of Heat 3 and later picking up a rear right puncture. That relegated her to the back of the grid for her semi-final, and she was unable to progress to the final.

René Münnich (Münnich Motorsport) was also eliminated at the semi-final stage.

World RX action from South Africa continues tomorrow, with the second and concluding part of the double header Cape Town meeting.