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Now a two-time European rallycross champion, Timur Timerzyanov’s skills across the pond have earned him frequent phone calls to drive selected events in Global Rallycross. After running in the Las Vegas season finale in 2012 as a replacement for Marcus Gronholm, he was selected to drive in multiple events this season on behalf of sponsor Red Bull.

Timerzyanov raced in Munich, Bristol, and Atlanta as a replacement for the otherwise committed Travis Pastrana in the #199 Dodge Dart, and joined Anton Marklund in a second Volkswagen Polo in Los Angeles. All in all, his five starts earned him 34 points, good for 14^th in the championship.

The Munich doubleheader was Timerzyanov’s debut in the Dodge, and he would put up a decent fight in both events despite having to learn the car. After making it to the main event on Saturday, he finished fourth in the last chance qualifier on Sunday to miss the final. Despite the fact that Timerzyanov and Pastrana rotated frequently, it was the only time their shared ride missed a main event all season.

Timerzyanov’s next three starts of the season came in a four-week span and in two different cars. Bristol offered a slight improvement on his Munich results, as Timerzyanov finished a respectable seventh place. But in Los Angeles, damage sustained by the Polo prevented him from making it to the grid in time for the last chance qualifier; he would finish 18^th and last, scoring no points.

Luckily, Timerzyanov’s final race of the season at Atlanta would give him the opportunity to go out with a bang. Though he would eventually yield in a high-attrition battle with Dave Mirra in the last chance qualifier, both drivers would transfer into the main event. There, Timerzyanov would finish a season-best fifth before returning to Europe to win his second consecutive title there.

Any team that needs a fill-in driver for next season will likely go after Timerzyanov, as he attempts to run for his third consecutive championship elsewhere. Whatever appearances he makes in GRC in 2014 should see him contending for strong finishes.

Photo credit: QBA/QNIGAN.com (1); GRC Staff (2); Matthew Kalish (3)