Monster Energy RX Cartel’s Andreas Bakkerud has taken TQ (top qualifier) position in the Neste World RX of Latvia, round nine of the FIA World Rallycross Championship to extend his Drivers’ Championship points lead by one point.

Bakkerud finished second to Team Hansen MJP’s Timmy Hansen in Q4 race 4 as Hansen took another quickest time to climb to second in the Intermediate Classification. Bakkerud will start on pole position in semi-final one in Riga, joined on the front row by GC Kompetition’s Rokas Baciuska. The Lithuanian won Q4 race 4 in front of GRX Taneco’s Niclas Gronholm to set P7 time.

ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider pulled off an outside move at turn 1 in Q4 race 1 and set the benchmark time, which was only beaten by Hansen in the session. Scheider’s result lifted him into the semi-finals after a puncture in Q3. He will line up next to Monster Energy RX Cartel’s Liam Doran on row 3 of semi-final 1, Doran surviving a big moment out of turn 3 in Q4 race 2 when he went wide and hit the wall. GRX’s Gronholm and GCK’s Anton Marklund will start on row two of semi-final 1.

Hansen MJP’s Kevin Hansen finished behind GRX’s Timur Timerzyanov in Q4 race 3 and will join team mate Timmy Hansen on row 1 of semi-final 2. On row 2 will be Latvia’s Reinis Nitiss and Hungary’s Krisztian Szabo, with Russia’s Timerzyanov and Latvia’s Janis Baumanis on row 3.

First reserve for the semi-finals will be GCK Academy’s Cyril Raymond, if any of the top 12 fail to take the start.

Find full Latvia RX results here.