Holjes European Rallycross: Andreas Bakkerud claims victory

Bakkerud won semi-final one to claim a front row slot in the final.

The Citroen DS3 driver took the lead at the first corner, ahead of Petter Solberg and DTM guest Mattias Ekstrom, who had shared the front row with Bakkerud.

Timmy Hansen headed straight for the jokerlap, followed by Daniel Holten and Henning Solberg.

Ekstrom was first of the leading trio to take his joker, returning to the main circuit behind Hansen, while Solberg hassled Bakkerud for the lead.

Solberg's challenge was not to last. He pulled off on the third lap to compound a weekend full of engine troubles for the former World Rally champion.

Bakkerud jokered on lap four, making a small mistake and handing the lead to Hansen.

Heading into the velodrome section, Hansen too made a mistake, allowing Bakkerud to retake the lead with Ekstrom following suit down the hill, past Solberg's stricken car.

The order then remained unchanged until the finish.

"I was pushing so hard all race," said Bakkerud. "I'm so proud of myself and the whole team, we have worked so hard for this."

Henning Solberg had an uneventful race to score his best finish of the season in fourth, with Daniel Holten fifth.

Championship leader Timur Timerzyanov just missed out on a place in the final, finishing fourth in semi-final two.

British driver Liam Doran had a torrid event in Sweden. The engine in his Citroen DS3 expired in heat one, forcing him to miss heat two.

With the round's large entry it would have been near impossible to make the semi-finals, and by withdrawing he avoided the 15 championship point penalty for changing the engine during the event.