Krogstad takes RallyX Nordic lead with first win in Arvika.

PHOTO CREDIT: ROBIN LINDQUIST

Henrik Krogstad has taken the lead in RallyX Nordic's Supercar Lites category, after claiming his first-ever round win at the third round of the season in Arvika, Sweden.

The Swede topped every practice session, three out of four qualifying rounds, and the first semi-final on his way to overall victory.

His most dominant run of the weekend was in the second qualifying round, where he went four seconds faster than any other driver; an unheard of advantage in a four-lap rallycross race, where races are often settled with gaps as small as tenths of a second.

After a second and fourth place at the season-opening Magic Weekend double-header at Höljes, Krogstad was fourth in the championship heading to Arvika. But a maximum points score from round three propelled him all the way to the top of the standings, tied with Jesse Kallio on 71 points.

"We were doing a lot of testing on Monday focusing only on our starts. I’ve been quick at Arvika before but never been able to get in clean air, and this weekend I nailed every start, which allowed me to just enjoy driving upfront rather than having to fight every lap," Krogstad said. "And this will be useful for the season finale at Nysum too, even more so than here at Arvika."

“I also had enough self-confidence to be able to enjoy being in the lead. I knew that even if the other drivers could follow me, they couldn’t pass me, because the speeds here are so high. Höljes has always been one of my weaker tracks so we worked really hard on the little details there, and kept that approach here. So now we’ve come here, to a track that suits me, and we’re extremely fast."

"We had a great setup on the car from the start. I don’t believe we changed anything on the car all weekend, at least nothing significant with the set-up. Eric and the guys used their experience with the Lites car and their baseline set-up was perfect out of the box.

"It’s been so great having Timmy here. He knows so much and he has the answer to everything that I ask. It’s not only down to the advice he gives about driving but his mental coaching, ensuring I have the right mindset during the weekend, which is so important as well."

Reigning World RX Champion Timmy Hansen, #YellowSquad's Head of Driver Development, was trackside to help Krogstad optimize his performance throughout the weekend. 

Hansen has revealed how impressed he is with Krogstad's performance. 

"Henrik's performance this weekend is one of the best I've ever seen in rallycross," Hansen said. "It's a one-make series and to be sometimes a second a lap faster than anyone else is absolutely amazing, especially considering these are the best drivers you can go up against in this class right now. And he was still in a league of his own."

A happy Timmy Hansen thrilled with what his seeing.
PHOTO CREDIT: ROBIN LINDQUIST

“From the beginning, he had fantastic pace and within the team, we didn't look too much at the others. Even though we were far ahead we still worked on the details and trying to get that perfect run together and race by race, we were still able to improve and find a bit of time here and there."

"Henrik drove with incredible confidence and seeing him in the semi-final and final, securing it with such a margin, is something that doesn't happen very often. It's a fantastic sporting achievement, so I must take my hat off to Henrik this weekend and to the entire #YellowSquad team. We were able to get the set-up just to Henrik's liking and all of the pieces came together this weekend."

"It's a lot of pressure performing at the end after such a good weekend; I know that myself from my own good races! But he was still able to put that run together when he needed to in the semi-final and final. So it was a massive performance, hugely impressive, I couldn't have done it better myself, so I'm very proud of him."

The #YellowSquad's next event is the RallyX Nordic season finale at Nysum, Denmark, on September 4-6. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Electrifying new FIA eRX2 Championship revealed.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media. 

The new all-electric World Rallycross Championship support series eRX2 has been officially revealed. 

eRX2 is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) will replace the RX2 Series on the support bill in 2021. The new series is a joint venture between Spanish electro-mobility specialist QEV Technologies, Olsbergs MSE, and RX Promotion, the company that operates the current RX2 International Series and will be run by FIA World Rallycross Championship promoter, IMG.

The vision for the FIA eRX2 Championship is to provide a pathway to the top of the sport for aspiring rallycross stars. RX2 – like its predecessor RX Lites – has served as an excellent training ground for drivers on their way up the ladder to the pinnacle of World RX, and eRX2 is now set to raise the bar even further by embracing the discipline’s electrification and focussing firmly on the future.

"We are delighted that through the launch of the FIA eRX2 Championship we are able to provide a cost-effective entry point for younger drivers to become part of rallycross’ electric future," said Gyarfas Olah, FIA Off-Road Commission President. "We look forward to making further announcements about the championship over the coming months."

 

Having won the FIA’s tender to develop the ‘arrive-and-drive’ eRX2 concept – based around a bespoke, lightweight four-wheel-drive electric rallycross car with a spaceframe chassis and 32kWh battery producing 250kW (335bhp) of power – the QEV has spent the past nine months working hard behind-the-scenes in preparation for its launch.

"This is a tremendously exciting time for electric motorsport, and here at QEV, we all firmly believe that the FIA eRX2 Championship can play a major role in helping to shape the future of rallycross’ electric landscape. Since winning the tender back in October, our team has worked tirelessly to develop the new eRX2 car," said Joan Orús, COO, QEV Technologies.

 

"With short, sharp races, rallycross is the ideal discipline for electric cars, and we are confident eRX2 will generate more dynamic and spectacular action than has ever been seen before."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media. 

"Not only will the degree of torque available make the car considerably quicker than the current RX2 model, but it will also be more challenging to drive, especially on the limit, which will be a key factor in helping to prepare competitors for the subsequent step-up to Supercar level."

 

"One of the aspects I like most about the eRX2 car is all of the additional areas in which the driver can make a real difference, from the distribution of the torque to brake bias, which simply isn’t possible with an internal combustion engine vehicle," Orús adds. "Being able to manually balance the car and its performance mid-race, while traveling side-by-side at speeds of up to 150km/h will truly showcase a driver’s skill set and technical understanding."

The first iteration of the eRX2 car – featuring an interim ‘prototype’ composite bodyshell on top of RX2’s existing Supercar Lites chassis – was exclusively unveiled during RallyX Nordic ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend at Höljes in Sweden earlier this month.

 

The battery – which has been fully safety-tested – is mounted next to the driver in the centre of the car to ensure optimum, 50/50 weight distribution, while power is supplied evenly to the front and rear wheels by a pair of motors and inverters, all of which benefit from a cooling system to prevent excessive temperatures.

"We are delighted to be working with QEV Technologies to develop the new eRX2 Championship and car. QEV’s experience and expertise in the electro-mobility domain speaks for itself, with sustained success both on and off-track – they are truly a pioneer in the sphere," said Andreas Eriksson, CEO, Olsbergs MSE. 

 

"It is that same pioneering spirit that earned them the tender for the FIA eRX2 Championship, and their eagerness to innovate and push back boundaries truly resonates with all of us here at OMSE. They have been very open in acknowledging that this will be their first foray into rallycross, but they have shone in every other motorsport discipline they have entered and are learning fast. They are an excellent partner in every respect."

 

"There is no question that the future of motorsport is going to be electric, and as far as I am concerned, there is no question that QEV is going to set the pace in rallycross’ bright new era."

 

The eRX2 car will be able to run for up to 25 minutes, with recommended 20-minute recharges between sessions over the course of a race weekend. 

 

"We understand how important it is for drivers progressing to international competition to race at World Championship events," said Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President for motorsports events at IMG, the FIA World Rallycross Championship promoter. "It’s exciting that the next generation of drivers will be able to drive bespoke electric race cars and be at the forefront of the electrification of rallycross."

The final car is set to be officially presented towards the end of this year, and six European events are planned for the FIA eRX2 Championship’s first season, with the full calendar to be released in due course.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

YellowSquad pleased with Supercar Lites debut.

Henrik Krogstad leading the field.
PHOTO CREDIT: #YELLOWSQUAD/SANNA KRANTZ

YellowSquad claimed their first Supercar Lites race win in the second round of the four-day RallyX Nordic Magic Weekend double-header, with Henrik Krogstad topping the timesheets in Qualifying 4 and also winning his semi-final.

Krogstad was a contender for victory all weekend, after scoring the team's first podium three days earlier in the first round of the championship.

As the rain arrived on Sunday, Henrik's pace took a turn for the better, when he dominated Q4 in wet and muddy conditions to top the session. Despite being beaten to turn one, he pulled off a brilliant switchback move on the exit of the velodrome hairpin, powering past Linus Östlund on lap two and then passing Jesse Kallio as the Finn took his joker lap.

He followed that up with another strong performance in the semi-final, comfortably winning the race to secure a front-row grid slot of the final. Unfortunately, a lack of grip off the line meant that Krogstad dropped to third by turn two, and the first-lap joker deployed by Mats Oskarsson turned out to be the optimal race strategy, leaving Krogstad fourth.

"I really thought we had this one. I made a very small mistake on the grid, running the revs a little bit too low at the start and that small error made a big difference to the outcome of the race. Getting to the first turn in third instead of first meant my hope of victory was pretty much over," he said. "This was my first race weekend in a Lites car after almost a year and a half, and getting starts right in the rain is not easy; it’s not something you do that often."

"It’s a good sign that I was fastest in Q4 and my semi-final. It’s just a question of time before everything clicks and I get that win. Everything else within the team is working great; it’s just the small details and increasing my experience even more that will make the difference.

"What Q4 and the semi-final did show is how much more consistent my pace was. Working with #YellowSquad is helping with that aspect of my driving a lot, especially with learning how to analyze my data in detail, understanding what I’m doing wrong, and then working to improve those areas. I feel like the team has gelled very well this week, both in terms of working together and also having fun while doing so!"

Whilst teammate Dan Skocdopole worked hard for his place in the round two semi-finals, as his car engaging safe mode in Q2 cost him time and precious intermediate points. Despite lacking experience in the wet, he fought back to score the points he needed, qualifying for the semis in 10th place.

But the rain continuing to fall meant that he had to focus on putting in five clean laps, so as Krogstad used his past experience in Supercar Lites from 2018 to great effect, Skocdopole ensured that he made the most of the experience with a mistake-free run. Fourth place in the semi-final was still a strong result on his debut Lites weekend but not quite enough to join Krogstad in the final.

"I'm pretty happy about how it went. We had natural speed all weekend; the only issue is I struggled to put it all together and get the result a few times," Skocdopole said. "Reaching the semi-final in both rounds and the final in the first round is a good debut result; if we keep going like this, good results will come in the future. Thank you to the team for all their efforts during this very long weekend!"

Kevin Hansen, the YellowSquad Team Principal is happy with his drivers and how the team performed on debut at the RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend. 

“There were promising results for both drivers: Henrik has made a fantastic comeback after his one-year sabbatical, stepping up massively to be fast ever since the first qualifying session on Thursday. His driving today was fantastic: so stable, consistent and mature. To score a podium with Henrik was definitely the best part about this weekend, along with having a real shot to win today's race," Hansen said.

“Dan has also developed so much during this weekend alone, getting to know the car better and better and becoming more comfortable with the team; we're all learning how to work best together. His approach has been really mature. There have been some rookie rallycross mistakes from lacking a bit of experience, which is to be expected because he's a rookie! But we're working on those points very hard before the next race and I'm sure he's hungry for more. He'll know the car is fast given the times Henrik was achieving this weekend."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

#YellowSquad unveils striking new livery.

Henrik Krogstad's RX2 car.
PHOTO CREDIT: YellowSquad

#YellowSquad has unveiled its livery for the 2020 rallycross season, which will be seen in both the RX2 International Series and RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites category this year.

The YellowSquad is a junior rallycross team formed by brothers Kevin and Timmy Hansen in February 2019, with one aim in mind to deliver a platform for aspiring rallycross drivers to learn the skills needed to progress up the ladder towards the World Rallycross Championship.

The team's livery has been created by top motorsport designer Adrien Paviot, who is best known for designing the helmets of Formula 1 stars: Charles Leclerc, Romain Grosjean, and Pierre Gasly, plus WRC champions Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier.

Paviot also designed the livery for Loeb's record-breaking Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, and is responsible for designing Team Hansen's World RX cars.

“The car looks absolutely amazing. I think Adrien has done a great job on the design and making something that stands out. In my opinion, it's the best RX2 car I've ever seen, even though I raced a car in the class myself! So it's a very big compliment," said Kevin Hansen, #Yellow Squad Team Principal.

“It's very aggressive, it stands out a lot with the heavy bright yellow matte finish that we have, with shiny elements on top of that. I think it's great for the partners, they get great exposure, and on top of that, there are new matching suits, gloves, and shoes from Sparco for the drivers.

“Everything looks amazing next to the car and I can't wait to see the drivers wearing their Sparco gear and jumping into these cars, matching everything together. I'm sure we look the fastest, and we'll also try to be the fastest on track this weekend!”

Norwegian Henrik Krogstad and Czech teenager Dan Skocdopole will race the cars during the 2020 season, with the attention to detail demonstrated on the team's livery symbolizing the highly professional approach #YellowSquad are taking to its first Supercar Lites campaign.

"I think the livery looks awesome! It's the first time I've had a full-on livery with matching suit, shoes, and everything," Krogstad said. "I'm really looking forward to racing with #YellowSquad while sporting the team colours from head to toe!"

Dan Skocdopole shares his opinion on the striking new #YellowSquad livery: “The car design looks pretty slick, hopefully, the aesthetics translate into an action-packed and fast car throughout 2020. Höljes here we come!”

The new #YellowSquad livery will make its first on-track debut this Thursday when the RallyX Nordic Magic Weekend at Höljes begins with a double-header to get the 2020 programme underway.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Photo Credit - #YellowSquad