Johan Kristoffersson slams tyres after Falkenberg Race 2 DNF

KMS driver Johan Kristoffersson has criticised Michelin for tyres which can’t stand the full race distance at the Falkenberg circuit, as he retired whilst fighting for the lead in Race 2 which has put a dent in his championship charge.

The Volkswagen driver warned that tyres were a concern ahead of race day after some high profile punctures last year, though he was the only driver to suffer a puncture on Sunday, with his front-left failing as he battled the Honda of Mattias Andersson for the victory.

After a second place finish in Race 1 behind Robert Dahlgren, Kristoffersson looked set to reduce the deficit in the standings to the Cupra driver, but instead has dropped to third behind the privateer Volkswagen of Andreas Wernersson.

“It could have been a good weekend, but we already knew about these unbelievably bad tyres which cannot stand 26 laps on a circuit like this with the speed we have,” Kristoffersson told TouringCarTimes.

“I felt I had good speed and went for the win, but we got a puncture. We knew before the weekend it was a problem after last year. We knew that Michelin hadn’t done anything about it or the organisers. They didn’t react by reducing the laps or anything, so it was down to the teams to react to the problem.”

Other drivers admitted they curbed their driving style to adapt to the concerns, with Race 2 winner Mattias Andersson admitting he was driving “at 98%” after crashing out of the lead three weeks’ ago at Anderstorp with a puncture.

“Fredrik (Ekblom) said to me he just eased off a little bit, but I just drove as fast as I could. I’m here to push myself as much as I can, at every braking point and every corner, as I want to get prepared for WRX as this is my practice for that,” added Kristoffersson.

“To start from P8 and to do the positioning on the track and overtake it’s perfect practice for rallycross. Unfortunately, it’s bad for this championship, but I’m not too disappointed.”