Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky looked to have taken their second victory of the season in the first of two rounds staged by the electric off-road series in Sardinia on Thursday, after Kristoffersson's collision with Carlos Sainz Sr in the final had caused a red flag.
Sainz managed to climb out of his wrecked Acciona Sainz machine before being taken to hospital for precautionary checks, with a team statement saying that the two-time World Rally Championship winner had “remained conscious” throughout.
Following the restart, the RXR crew came home 10.36 seconds clear of first-time podium finishers LeDuc and Price, but a post-race 30-second penalty demoted Kristoffersson and Ahlin-Kottulinsky to third, handing the American pair a memorable win after they had advanced from the last chance Crazy Race.
Having given Acciona Sanz the lead at the start of the final, Sainz was tagged from behind into a roll by Kristoffersson as the cars filtered into waypoint two. Despite losing front bodywork, defending XE champion Kristoffersson built a 4.49s over Ganassi’s LeDuc before the driver changeover, where the race was red-flagged as crews attended to a shaken Sainz.
Ahlin-Kottulinsky extended RXR’s lead following the restart, with the championship leaders scoring an extra five points for setting the fastest sector time in the Traction Challenge. But the subsequent penalty demoted RXR behind Price and Xite Energy’s new pairing of Tamara Molinaro and two-time DTM champion Timo Schieder, who were promoted to second as the team made its first podium appearance.
Jenson Button’s JXBXE squad finished fourth, as Kevin Hansen was joined by Norwegian Hedda Hosas.
After ending the Lewis Hamilton-owned X44 team’s unbeaten qualifying run in Wednesday’s heats, RXR had made the final by triumphing in the first of Thursday’s semi-finals.
Ahlin-Kottulinsky traded paint several times with Andretti United driver Timmy Hansen, who prevailed to give co-driver Catie Munnings a 1.69s lead at the changeover. But shortly after losing the lead to RXR’s Kristoffersson, Munnings slowed due to a loss of power and was eliminated after limping to a distant third behind Xite’s Scheider.
There was a three-way battle for the lead at the start of semi-final two, with JXBE’s Kevin Hansen using an alternate route to slot himself between the Acciona Sainz and X44 cars piloted by Laia Sanz and Sebastian Loeb.
Nine-time WRC champion Loeb then took second away from Sanz through a water hazard before handing over to Cristina Guttierez, but a problem with the car's safety net during the changeover and a spin for the Spaniard on the second lap ended X44’s day early in a distant third. Hosas held on to win for JXBE, despite a valiant effort from Sainz to gain 15 seconds and end up just 5s in arrears by the finish.
The ‘Crazy Race’ lived up to its name, with Ganassi securing the last spot in the final amid dramatic circumstances. McLaren was eliminated moments after the start, with Emma Gilmore emerging unscathed from a roll following contact with Ganassi’s Price.
A spin dropped Price to third, the American almost collected by Veloce Racing’s Lance Woolridge as she tried to reverse. Woolridge then lost further time by going the wrong way on the course, which enabled Nasser Al-Attiyah to build a commanding 20s lead for Abt Cupra before Jutta Kleinschmidt took over driving duties. But a time penalty after the finish dropped the pair to second, behind Ganassi's Price and LeDuc.
