Ex-rally world champion Petter Solberg took charge of the premiere of the FIA Rallycross SuperCar World Championships at the PistaAutomóvel de Montalegre in Portugal. The recently created WorldRX series comprises of 12 races, nine of which take place in Europe under the title of EuropeanRX, the 2014 European FIA Rallycross Championship for Super1600. Volland Racing has prepared four Skoda Fabia RS's for the championships and is very happy following the start of the season results on the Vila Real plateau.

Sergei Zagumennov was able to assert himself as the most experienced of the rallycross experts in the VR team at the weekend with a victory that always seemed destined to happen in the Super1600. "Full throttle at all times...", was the key to success, explained the Russian at his press conference. Zagumennov is now top of the leaderboard with the points he has consequently been awarded from qualification and the finals.

Close on his heels is 22 year-old Nikita Misyulya. The current Russian touring champion managed an even better qualification time than Zagumennov but had to start the Super1600 final from the second row. From there he managed a super start; in the first curve he had already passed those in the first row, however, he used his excess speed for the JokerLap. As the field finally sorted itself out, Misyulya found himself in second place behind Zagumennov: Volland Racing double victory!

The 17 year-old youngster Kasparas Navickas was fifth in qualification, but the Lithuanian wasn't able to qualify in the first semi-final for the Super1600 best six final. The Russian ice racing driver Denis Salikov was able to finish the first rallycross on a VR Fabia RS in 13th place.

 "Three out of four VR Fabias in the finals and then the achievement of a double victory. Everything came together here in Portugal“, explains Rolf Volland, a man who is very content with the performance of his four protegees. "Additionally, I am confident that we will be even stronger in the other EuropeanRX 2014 races.“

In three weeks the second round of the WorldRX and EuropeanRX takes place at Lydden Hill in England. "They'll all have to reckon with us now, that's obvious“, says record German Rallycross champion Volland confidently: "Last year we were also up there on the rostrum.“

sport1+ will be broadcasting a 50-minute report on the first race in the World and European Championships in Portugal next Saturday. 

The 2014 FIA European Rallycross Championship Super1600 is held within the scope of nine FIA World Rallycross SuperCar Championship events.