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Sébastien Loeb steers his PEUGEOT 208 WRX to second place in Portugal

Round 2 of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship saw Sébastien Loeb earn Team Peugeot Hansen's first podium finish of the season in front of packed grandstands at sunny Montalegre, Portugal.

Portugal's round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship turned outto be an emotional rollercoaster for Team Peugeot Hansen. After a drama-packed qualifyingphase, however, Sébastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen reached the final in which theywere both competitive. In addition to posting the fastest lap in the final, SébastienLoeb produced a superb run to cross the line in second place. Timmy Hansen roundedout the team's performance by claiming fourth spot. Today's result has promotedTeam Peugeot Hansen to third in the provisional Teams' standings.

Timmy Hansen's speed went unrewarded after he found himself blockedseveral times by slower competitors during the qualifying phase, but a numberof spectacular passes earned him a place in the final.

Thanks to another remarkable performance, Kevin Hansen ended up as the firstreserve for the final in his 2016-specification car.

Quote, unquote...

Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal):
"We fully deserved today's podium. We always knew this was going to be avery competitive season but this weekend we showed that we have the speed toplay a front-running role. It was extremely satisfying to see Sébastien comesecond, while Timmy finished just shy of the podium. Our spotters had to beparticularly attentive with regard to the timing of our joker laps because thesplit in the track came just after the start and we occasionally had to adjust ourstrategy as a function of how the starts unfolded. That was the case in thefinal, but the day ended very well indeed."

Sébastien Loeb, 2nd (driverPEUGEOT 208 WRX #9)
"It's great to have finished on the podium for the first time this year. Myseason got off to a poor start at the opening round, so it was vital to bounceback. We picked up pace as the weekend progressed. That said, as at Barcelona, Q3turned out to be very frustrating when I found myself behind a driver who spanjust in front of me. It was a costly incident for me. Without it, I would havebeen on pole for my semi-final and the outcome could have been different becauseI was fast in the final. I still came away with 23 points, so that's a realpositive."

Timmy Hansen, 4th (PEUGEOT208 WRX #21)
"It was a solid weekend for the team, with both cars in the final. Unfortunately, my speed didn't pay off because I was slowed several times by other drivers inqualifying. As a result, I had to be as incisive as possible and I managed to passfive cars. That may have been entertaining for the spectators but it wasn't greatfor my lap times. On top of that, I lost power halfway into the final. OtherwiseI'm convinced I could have been with Sébastien on the podium because I wasright behind him at that point. I can't wait to have a race where I get a clearrun. I hope that will be at Hockenheim."

Kevin Hansen, 8th (PEUGEOT208 WRX #71)
"It was a good weekend and I received a lot of encouragement. I am pleasedto have got so close to qualifying for the final. In my semi-final, I changedmy strategy at the last minute, just after the start. I pushed as hard as Icould but it was tough to keep up with Petter Solberg in a 2016-spec car, especially as I picked up a puncture towards the end. It would have been difficultto do any better."