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World RX Hell: VW's Johan Kristoffersson adds to points lead

Johan Kristoffersson extended his lead in the World Rallycross Championship by winning the Norwegian round of the series at Hell, as home favorite Petter Solberg didn't make the final

Kristoffersson made his best start of the weekend in the final and closed the door on Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Focus driver Andreas Bakkerud before Turn 1, forcing Bakkerud to take the normal route.

In a bid to cover off Kristoffersson, Bakkerud took his joker from the lead on lap two, but in that one lap the points leader had done enough close the gap, Bakkerud coming out of the joker behind Kristoffersson.

Bakkerud's tactics released Peugeot-Hansen's Sebastien Loeb into the lead on lap two, the Frenchman pressured by Mattias Ekstrom (EKS Audi) until the final lap.

But the pair stood no hope of maintaining track position, Kristoffersson having closed onto the rear of Ekstrom's A1 by lap four.

Kristoffersson became the second double-winner of the 2017 campaign with his fifth podium in a row at the half way stage of the year. Bakkerud scored his best result of the season in second and Loeb rounded out the podium.

Timmy Hansen made the final despite qualifying only 12th at the Intermediate stage in his Peugeot 208.

He followed Kristoffersson into the joker on the first lap of the final and tried to force a move on Ekstrom for fourth place on lap six at Turn 2, but settled for fifth, with Timur Timerzyanov (STARD Ford Fiesta) sixth.

Solberg missed out on the final when he was pushed into a bank in his semi-final.

Bakkerud covered off Solberg into the first lap joker despite starting on the inside, where the polesitter would traditionally take the main circuit.

The Norwegian pair headed into the loose-surface breaking area for the joker side-by-side, Solberg getting forced to the slippery outside for the right-hander, inviting Fiesta driver Timo Scheider and Kevin Hansen's 208 to also pass on the inside.

That pushed Solberg into the bank at the edge of the circuit, but he still passed Hansen and then Scheider during the semi encounter, much to the delight of the home fans. But couldn't clear Timerzyanov to qualify for the final.

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