Onwards and upwards for #YellowSquad after Semi-Final setbacks
#YellowSquad driver Isak Sjökvist entered the third round of the FIA RX2e series at Lydden Hill, UK, leading the standings and left the event just one point behind the series leader, but the points tally far from told the whole story.
Racing at the birthplace of rallycross, the two-car #YellowSquad team worked to build pace through the opening day of the event, Sjökvist setting the fourth best time in torrential conditions on Saturday afternoon in Heat 2.
Fifth and third in the remaining heats on Sunday displayed an improvement in pace, but unfortunate first corner contact in the semi-final broke the car’s rear suspension, putting Sjökvist out of final contention.
In the sister RX2e machine, Catie Munnings also improved her pace throughout the qualifying stages. Thanks to a round-the-outside move at the opening corner, Munnings ran third for most of her semi-final race, holding a margin good enough to progress to the final for the first time in 2023.
However, not for the first time this season, she was hit by bad luck, as a puncture while entering the compulsory joker lap section ended her chances of making the final.
Sjökvist is now third in the standings, one point off the lead, while Munnings holds ninth position. The fourth round of RX2e will take place at Mettet in Belgium on August 5-6.
Isak Sjökvist said: “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we expected this weekend. We tried our best, we had good pace and we put everything into it but it was not to be. The position in the championship is still strong despite the disappointment of what we must call a racing incident in the semi-final, so there is still everything to play for. We need to get our horns out in the next races.”
Catie Munnings said: “We were so close today. We were running P3 in the semi-final from P4 on the grid so I’d had to go around the outside. We were building a gap and we had the margin to take the joker and get out in front to make it into the final, but entering the joker I got a puncture on the front-left so there was nothing I could do. It’s so disappointing not to be in my first final in RX2e at my home event, but taking the positives from the weekend we had some great pace and hopefully we will be back for more.”
Eric Färén said: “We started the weekend a bit on the back foot, but we worked hard to get back on pace and things were looking very good today, until bad luck in the semi-finals for both drivers.
“For Isak, some unlucky contact in the first corner broke the suspension and the race was over. Catie had a really great run in the semi-final and was again clearly on her way to a place in the final, when a sudden puncture ended the day. Once again, thanks to the whole team who did a great job. We keep our heads high and take many positives with us to the next races!”
