Red Bull Press Release (Written by Hanna Jonsson)
Racing at the highest level can be challenging enough without one of your main competitors being your brother. Find out how RX drivers Timmy and Kevin Hansen keep the peace and race so successfully.
For Timmy and Kevin Hansen there has never been anything but fast cars and race circuit. With rallycross stars as parents, they were practically born in the paddock. Both superb drivers in their own right, Timmy and Kevin’s brotherly rivalry always pushed them that little bit further, never shying away from racing each other to become the best drivers they can be. With World RX wins on both their resumés as well as Team Championship winners, there is no doubt they have been successful. But has their brotherly rivalry helped or hindered them in their careers? And what is it like to drive on a family-run team? Keep reading to find out more about the rallycross-winning duo that is the Hansen brothers.
Getting into motorsports
With Kenneth, a fourteen FIA European Rallycross championship title holder, and Susann, the first and only woman to win a European rallycross title, as parents it’s safe to say that Timmy and Kevin practically have racing in their blood. Growing up they had the opportunity to try out loads of different sports but always defaulted back to cars. When Timmy got involved in karting, it didn’t take long for Kevin to follow.
“I didn’t matter if it was racing cars in video games or go-karts in real life”, Kevin says, “I always wanted to do the same as Timmy and be just as good”. Being six years younger means that Kevin has been a few years behind Timmy in his career whilst growing up, but in many ways, they have always been on the same journey together. Timmy explains: “As soon as I got back from a training camp or competition, I told Kevin everything about it and everything I’d learned. And we discussed into the smallest detail. It means that today we drive in very similar manner, and we understand each other extremely well on and off the course”. Kevin adds that, thanks to his brother’s teachings, he always felt further ahead than other drivers his age and was able to catch on quicker. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Timmy”.
One fast family: Susann, Kevin, Timmy and Kenneth Hansen
Brotherly rivalry at its finest
However, brotherly rivalry is fine line to balance and it’s one that they are both very aware off. The duo both have the same goal, to win rallycross races, which means that one minute they are racing each other as bitter rivals and the next, they are sharing tips and tricks to make each other better.
Maybe their ability to balance this, sometimes, blurry line comes from their parents always having allowed them to race one another, even as kids. Something some might see as problematic for the family-dinner-dynamics, but not Kenneth and Susann Hansen: “They’ve got huge respect for one another out on the track, and we’ve always allowed them to race against one another to get the best out of both of them. Of course, there is a sense of rivalry between them and rightfully so! Even if they drive for the same team, they still race against each other out on track. Rally is, to some degree, an individual sport. But I’d say it only makes them stronger: it motivates them to become better whilst also sharing tips with each other”.
"We’ve always allowed them to race against one another to get the best out of both of them." - Kenneth Hansen
Kevin and Timmy Hansen sharing track secrets
© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
So far, their brotherly rivalry has been to their advantage and as they’ve grown older they’ve figured out how to manage it. Timmy explains: “Of course we’ve had our fair share of fights, but we’ve realized that we both become our best when we race with, rather than against, each other. It’s super important for us to try and lift one another. It’s too easy for it to go the opposite way. That’s why we talk a lot about it, so that doesn’t happen”. Kevin laughs and agrees that being siblings means you know exactly where to push to in order for it too hurt that little bit extra. “So, we make sure that we just don’t do that. It becomes way more fun that way”.
It is a family-run affair for the Hansen’s
Just like when they were young, their rivalry and admiration for one another is still very much alive today. The duo is racing at the highest level of rallycross, the World RX, and driving for the same team, the Hansen World RX Team, which is run by their parents. Hansen Motorsport is an organization that was created already back in 1990 and has won multiple rallycross titles and championships ever since. First, with Kenneth at the helm and now with Timmy and Kevin taking over behind the wheel out on track.
Success taste all the sweeter when you do it together
© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
And it seems to work, mum and dad Hansen sharing management responsibilities and the two sons racing. “To have mum and dad with us, and doing this whole thing together as a family is a strength for us. Working so closely together with one another, we just have this great communication and general feeling for everything we do. And all of us want, more than anything in the world, to succeed in what we do”, Kevin explains.
Susann oversees trackside operations and leads its sustainability
© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
