Kevin Hansen showed his pace once again in the 2017-spec Peugeot 208 WRX as he just missed out on the final race in Montalegre for the second round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

Through the heats Hansen took eleventh, eighth, fifth and ninth place to make it through to the semi-finals, unfortunately following a collision with EKS Audi Sport driver Mattias Ekström broke the intercooler on his car.

To avoid further damage Hansen, was forced to retire from the race, putting him out of contention for the final.

“I had a really good start again in the semi-final and I was just behind Ekstrom: I was sure he was going to go for the joker. Then he braked, and I didn’t have time to stop: I hit him in the rear and broke the intercooler.” said Hansen.

“So, that was it. I’m a bit disappointed: you’re really excited and then suddenly it’s all over on the straight and there’s nothing you can do.”

“On the positive side, we’ve got good speed and I’ve been making better starts than Barcelona. We’ve had two events now and I’ve been through to the semi-final on each occasion.

“I feel very good with the car and I trust it: especially when you have to go sideways like you do here. Without the incident in the semi, I think we could have been in the final, so that’s great.”

The next round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship takes place in Belgium at Mettet, a track that has proved strong for the Peugeot’s in the past. There is a good chance we could see all three cars in the final, but whatever happens, it is clear Hansen has the pace to be a star of the future.