Let's help Andreas Bakkerud after Abu Dhabi crash
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Norwegian rallycross driver, Andreas Bakkerud, experienced a violent crash in the first round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Abu Dhabi. In short, in the third qualifying session, he thought he was on his last lap, and was flat out across the finish line and headed towards the straight the drivers are supposed to take when finishing the race heat. But, since it was actually the second to last lap, he then smashed into Timmy Hansens's car as he was coming from the joker lap and turned left into turn 1 right in front of Bakkerud. The cars smashed together at approximately 170 km/h (105 mph) with an impact force of 11 G, but both drivers were luckily unharmed.
The same can not be said for the cars. Bakkerud's Audi S1 RX Quattro (rented from team EKS) has, according to an recent interview Bakkerud did with a Norwegian newspaper, sustained damage estimated to about 500.000 NOK (€ 52.000 / $ 58.000). As I understand it, Andreas Bakkerud has a very strict budget to compete in all the rounds of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship this year, so this must come as a very hard blow for him now that the car must be repaired in time for the next championship round in Barcelona, and the big impact this surely will have on his very tight budget for the rest of the season.
It also needs to be said that 6 other drivers made the same mistake in the Abu Dhabi race, thinking they were on the last lap, when they were in fact on their second to last lap, so this wasn't a careless move on Andreas Bakkerud's part. The drivers have mainly credited this phenomenon to the track design, and it is clear that the new Abu Dhabi track has several design flaws.
Andreas Bakkerud is one of drivers most likely to win the world championship this year, and I think it would be great if we could give him a helping hand in accomplishing his biggest goal.
Andreas has had so much bad luck in the past, with two of his former factory teams exiting the championship, and leaving him without a seat. That he managed to be on the start line in a new private team this year, is nothing short of a miracle.
And last, it's important to state that I am just a Bakkerud fan that wants to give Andreas a helping hand, and I started this campaign on my own initiative. I do not know Bakkerud personally, and the sole reason for doing this is to help Andreas out as much as I can in this hugely expensive sport. So if you wish to contribute to that, let's help Andreas become the FIA World Rallycross champion of 2019!
Thanks!
The same can not be said for the cars. Bakkerud's Audi S1 RX Quattro (rented from team EKS) has, according to an recent interview Bakkerud did with a Norwegian newspaper, sustained damage estimated to about 500.000 NOK (€ 52.000 / $ 58.000). As I understand it, Andreas Bakkerud has a very strict budget to compete in all the rounds of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship this year, so this must come as a very hard blow for him now that the car must be repaired in time for the next championship round in Barcelona, and the big impact this surely will have on his very tight budget for the rest of the season.
It also needs to be said that 6 other drivers made the same mistake in the Abu Dhabi race, thinking they were on the last lap, when they were in fact on their second to last lap, so this wasn't a careless move on Andreas Bakkerud's part. The drivers have mainly credited this phenomenon to the track design, and it is clear that the new Abu Dhabi track has several design flaws.
Andreas Bakkerud is one of drivers most likely to win the world championship this year, and I think it would be great if we could give him a helping hand in accomplishing his biggest goal.
Andreas has had so much bad luck in the past, with two of his former factory teams exiting the championship, and leaving him without a seat. That he managed to be on the start line in a new private team this year, is nothing short of a miracle.
And last, it's important to state that I am just a Bakkerud fan that wants to give Andreas a helping hand, and I started this campaign on my own initiative. I do not know Bakkerud personally, and the sole reason for doing this is to help Andreas out as much as I can in this hugely expensive sport. So if you wish to contribute to that, let's help Andreas become the FIA World Rallycross champion of 2019!
Thanks!
Organizer
Cato Olaisen
Organizer
Øvre Ervik, 12