Cooper prepares for final European round of 2015 World RX Championship

The penultimate round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship – the last in Europe – takes place at the Franciacorta International Circuit this weekend, and both the 2015 World RX Drivers’ Championship and Teams’ Championships could be decided.  Franciacorta, in northern Italy, will form the final round of this year’s FIA European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX), the Super1600 category plus the supporting RX Lites Cup. Cooper Tire is the exclusive tyre supplier for the series, and Paul Coates, general manager – motorsport, Cooper Tire Europe has explained the challenges for the drivers at the Franciacorta circuit.

“For the penultimate race of the year we visit Italy and last season this new venue proved popular with the crowds and the drivers. As we saw last year, the Cooper control rallycross tyre doesn’t just have to deal with the impressive jump, or the impacts from other cars but also debris – normally shards of carbon fibre. The design of the tyre incorporates specific materials which help improve its stregnth and durability and help protect it against damage.”

In the Drivers’ Championship, Petter Solberg and Timmy Hansen are separated by 19, with a total of 60 points available over the two remaining rounds. Both drivers have won three events, though over the first 11 rounds of the Championship, Hansen has won 25 of his races compared to Solberg’s 24. Team Peugeot-Hansen is currently dominating the Teams’ Championship with a 79 point lead over Ford Olsbergs MSE.  A total of 112 points are still available but if Team Peugeot-Hansen have another strong outing this weekend, it’s likely that it will wrap up the Teams’ Trophy with one round still remaining.

In Euro RX, where Italy forms the fifth and final round, it’s a two-way battle between Tommy Rustad and Jerome Grosset-Janin with the Norwegian currently leading his French rival by a slender six points. In Super1600, Latvia’s Janis Baumanis looks set to take the title with a 26-point lead over Hungarian Krizstian Szabo. Meanwhile, in RX Lites, only 14 points separate leader Kevin Hansen from Thomas Bryntesson and third-placed Kevin Eriksson – whoever becomes the champion will win a Supercar drive in the final World RX round in Argentina next month.