Johan Kristofferson scored a hard-fought victory at the World RX of France on Saturday, earning his record-equalling seventh victory of the year.

Kristoffersson, who drives for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden, was forced to start the Supercar Final from the middle row alongside Sebastian Loeb of Team Peugeot Total after an unexpected loss in the semifinal stage. EKS Audi Sport drivers Mattias Ekstrom and Andreas Bakkerud held the front row.

Bakkerud beat Ekstrom off the line and fell in line behind his teammate on the run down to the hairpin, with Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen, Petter Solberg and Loeb fighting it out behind them.

Solberg took his Joker on the first lap, followed by Kristoffersson, who took his on the next lap. The lead order remained Bakkerud ahead of Ekstrom whilst Hansen stayed ahead of Loeb.

The Frenchman was the next man to take the Joker and by the end of lap three he would fall back to sixth place.

Bakkerud and Ekstrom went into the Joker at the same time, but the strategy proved unsuccessful. Hansen followed into the Joker and at the next to last corner Kristoffersson edged in front of Bakkerud for a decisive lead.

With four races left in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship, Kristoffersson now holds a 59-point lead over Bakkerud. If he maintains that lead through the World RX of Latvia on September 16, the Swede could clinch the title two weeks later at the World RX of USA at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tx.