WORLD RALLYCROSS
Germany-based Kerry motorsport engineer Richard Browne took social distancing measures to a new extreme after he helped Swedish driver Johan Kristofferson win the first major international rallycross event of the season on July 5.
Browne, from Firies works for Volkswagen Motorsport in Hanover. He is the dedicated chassis for Kristoffersson’s Volkswagen Polo for this year’s FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The world championship is due to get underway at the Höljes Circuit in Sweden in late August after being delayed by coronavirus restrictions.
An invitational meeting – open only to Scandinavian drivers – took place at the same venue on the weekend on July 4/5 where world champion Kristoffersson used his Volkswagen Polo and not the factory version assigned to him for the world series.
Browne was unable to travel to the event but was able to offer his driver advice over the phone which helped the former world champion take a dominant win on Sunday.
The event was all part a plan by Kristoffersson and the factory team ahead of the sport’s fulltime return next month.
“It wasn’t our car. It is their own KMS built car. I was on the phone discussing through the free practices and the heats, but I don’t know the car well, so it’s difficult to advise!” he said. “We are ramping up for his season now. There is a planned two-day test in Sweden the week before the FIA WRX championship starts.”
Versions. of this article originally appeared in the Kerryman and the Killarney Advertiser. Kerry Motorsport News is the motorsport content provider to both local news titles
