Kristoffersson withstands Eriksson challenge to seal hometown Nordic RX win.

Johan Kristoffersson leads at the start of the Supercar final at Arvika.
PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Johan Kristoffersson claimed a second straight victory in the RallyX Nordic series on home soil in Arvika, but Oliver Eriksson made sure he had to work for it. 

The two-time World RX champion asserted his dominance from the get-go with a clean sweep in all four qualifying sessions, semi-final, and went wheel-to-wheel with Oliver Eriksson in the six-lap final.

In the final, Eriksson braved it out around the outside of the first corner before snatching the inside line on the exit of Turn Two to lead.

For the next two laps, the Swede led the field and withstood every attempt that Kristoffersson made to get past. Time and again, the Volkswagen Polo driver pulled alongside, but the two-time RX2 Series Champion boldly hung onto the lead.

Unable to find a way past, Kristoffersson took the joker lap at the end of lap three to get some clean air in an attempt to jump Eriksson.

Eriksson knew he needed to get the hammer down if he was to retain his advantage. Unfortunately, a mistake at the last corner saw him tap the barrier on the inside, and the contact would ultimately leave him with a double puncture.

Kristoffersson powered to his second victory from three starts in RallyX Nordic this year, while Eriksson was going in the opposite direction. Linus Westman snuck past on the last lap to record an excellent second-place finish, with the  Eriksson having to properly get his elbows out to fend off Peter Hedström on the run to the chequered flag. Flashing across the finish line on only two rims, the third position marked an astonishing effort.

"I said all along that you need to be extremely sharp if you want to achieve a clean sweep," Kristoffersson said. 

"Oliver [Eriksson] was really on it in the final. I had a little bit too much wheelspin at the start and he pulled a great move up the inside of me and over the jump. After that, we had a fun battle for a couple of laps – it was only a shame it was cut short as I was looking forward to continuing the fight."

"Still, I’m very happy that we were able to put on such an exciting show."

Written By: Junaid Samodien

Citroën works driver Ostberg to debut C3 ERX in Sweden.

Citroën Racing driver Mads Ostberg will debut the all-new Citroen C3 ERX in the first round of the 2020 Projekt E Series in Holjes.

Ostberg, the winner of Rally Portugal 2012, has experience in competing with the C3 R5, and won the World Rally Championship’s official support category – WRC2 – in the first two rounds of the 2020 Championship in Monte Carlo and Sweden with the car. The Norwegian’s experience and success in rallying has made him the perfect candidate to work on the development of the C3 ERX, and to also give the car its debut in the Projekt E Series at Holjes, where he will race against Ken Block and other drivers on the legendary Varmland circuit.

"It’s a really nice opportunity for me to take part in this project in Holjes," Ostberg said. "For sure everything will be brand new to me, the car, the track and I’ve never competed in rallycross before so I think it will be an amazing experience."

"To drive this car was so much fun already, it’s so powerful and so enjoyable. It will be really, really amazing to finally compete in rallycross. I’m loving to do it in the electric Citroen C3 ERX.”

The C3 ERX has been developed by STARD in Austria, supported by Citroën Racing, and is based on a C3 R5 rolling bodyshell. The C3 ERX will also use 80% of Citroën Racing's R5 components together with STARD's REVelution electric powertrain system. 

"Mads is one of the most talented drivers in the world of rallying, and he has been right at the front for many years now," said Michael Sakowicz, STARD CEO and founder. "He has a huge amount of experience working with manufacturer teams at a very high level and it has been very helpful to have his input and validation into our world-wide unique STARD REVelution powertrain as the Citroen Racing works driver that he is."

"He’s the perfect driver to race the C3 ERX on its debut in the Projekt E Series and his participation makes the line-up even stronger after Ken Block was announced to drive the Ford Fiesta ERX at the Holjesweekend yesterday."

The C3 ERX customer racing programme was revealed by STARD and Citroen Racing just days ago, with cars ready to buy and parts also available at the Citroen Racing Shop.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Ken Block makes rallycross return for Projekt E season opener.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

Gymkhana, Rallycross, and Rally star Ken Block will compete in the inaugural Projekt E race at the World Rallycross Championship season opener in Höljes, racing an electric Ford Fiesta. 

The American will race an all-electric STARD-built four-wheel-drive Fiesta ERX, which uses three electric motors producing 450kW (613bhp) combined power with a top speed of 240km/h. 

The STARD developed REVelution electric powertrain will be used in all cars competing in the Projekt E series. 

Block last competed in a World RX event in 2017, driving a Ford Focus RS RX with his Hoonigan Racing Division team. But, at the end of the season, the team withdrew after Ford Performance announced that they will "take a break" from the championship. 

Earlier this year, Block drove the electric Extreme E Odyssey 21 on the final stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, and he was quite surprised by the instant torque. Whilst he briefly experienced the power of electric machinery in the Dessert. He will make his first competitive outing in an all-electric Projekt E car in the season opener later this month. 

"I am stoked to take part in the worldwide first-ever electric rallycross race in the Projekt E series in a STARD Ford Fiesta ERX!," Ken Block said. "The car is rad and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel in Höljes."

The brand-new Fiesta ERX that Block will race has been given a special VIN, 043 in honor of Block’s debut in the car.

"We are very much looking forward to having Ken racing our Ford Fiesta ERX at Holjes," said STARD CEO and founder Michael Sakowicz. "Not just because he is one of the most famous race drivers in the world and it shows the potential of Projekt E that the class is able to attract drivers like Ken, but also because he has vast experience of motorsport and rallycross and it will be very interesting to get his feedback."

"Ken has driven and raced in all kinds of crazy cars, but I really think he will be very impressed with the Fiesta ERX."

Last year, STARD revealed the first Projekt E electric rallycross car, a Ford Fiesta which underwent a number of tests and refinements. The Fiesta ERX also became the first electric rallycross car to compete in an event. STARD entered in a round of the Hungarian Rallycross Championship with Stohl Group President, Manfred Stohl behind the wheel. History was made when Stohl claimed victory ahead of a 600-hp ICE [Internal Combustion Engine] Supercar. 

Ford Performance have announced their intentions to support the Projekt E series, whilst STARD announced earlier this week that Citroën Racing will join the series supplying C3 R5 chassis equipped with the REVelution electric powertrain kit for the all-new electric Projekt E Series. 

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

Finnish RX champion Rytkönen joins GRX for home round.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Double Finnish Rallycross Champion Juha Rytkönen will race the third GRX Hyundai i20 Supercar in his home rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Kouvola.  

Rytkönen, who has spent the majority of his career in rallying, has spent the last two years competing in various rallycross events and has claimed two Finnish Rallycross Champions’ titles.

Whilst Krisztián Szabó will race the third GRX SET Hyundai i20 at Höljes, Rytkönen takes the wheel of the GRX-built Hyundai i20 Supercar for the second double-header at Kouvola on August 29-30.

 

"I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to race in the highest level of rallycross," he said. "Even more so – to race in Finland, at my favorite track, and with a Finnish team is very exciting." 

"After two years of racing at the national and regional level, I feel I need to take the next step. Sure, to have one of the best cars at my disposal for this race also brings great responsibility, but I am ready to learn from the experienced GRX drivers and engineers and give my best at every single moment."

"Juha's experience from various different cars in the past, combined with his humble attitude, will give him a solid base to continue developing further. We as a team will try to help him with our experience in the best way we can, and hopefully we are able to progress through the weekend and have a solid race together," says co-founder of SET Promotion and GRX Taneco Team Manager, Jussi Pinomäki. 

 

The FIA World Rallycross Championship season will kick-off on 20-23 August with a double-header in Höljes, Sweden.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

World RX reveals Sweden double-header entry list.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Two former Drivers’ Champions and eight World RX event winners are included in the 17-car field for the season-opener, where the reigning World RX Drivers’ Champion Timmy Hansen will run with the number 1 on the side of his Peugeot 208 for the very first time. His teammate and brother Kevin Hansen will also have a new number for the 2020 season, number 9, as Team Hansen begins the defense of its 2019 Teams’ title.

Double World RX Champion Johan Kristoffersson makes his return in a Volkswagen Polo, racing as an individual entry with Kristoffersson Motorsport. While 2019 runner-up Andreas Bakkerud will make his debut in a Renault Megane in the Monster Energy GCK RX Catel team, together with teammate Liam Doran. 

Anton Marklund will return in 2020 in a Renault Megane R.S. RX, under a new banner "GCK Bilstein" whilst GC Kompetition's owner and driver Guerlain Chicherit and Rokas Baciuksa join forces in GCK Unkorrupted in a pair of Renault Clios. 

Niclas Gronholm and Timur Timerzyanov remains with the GRX Taneco in a pair of updated Hyundai i20s and will be joined by a third car at Holjes, driven by Krisztian Szabo. The other two cars teams are in the form of KYB Team JC, running a pair of Audi S1s for Robin Larsson and Janis Baumanis.

ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport returns with Timo Scheider and Rene Muennich in a pair of Seat Ibizas. Also on the Swecon World RX of Sweden entry list is the winner from 2019, Sebastian Eriksson, driving a Honda Civic Supercar from Olsbergs MSE.

World RX of Abu Dhabi CANCELLED

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

The World RX of Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit has been cancelled, the event organizers announced. 

Abu Dhabi was set to host a double-header on 29-31 October but following the release of the updated calendar from World RX rightsholders, IMG, the event was dropped to a single round, and Sweden, Finland, and Latvia would host double-headers this season. 

The announcement today means that there will be a two-month gap between the penultimate round in Spain (Barcelona) on 17-18 October, and the season finale in Germany (Nurburgring) on 11-13 December. 

"In light of the continued global health concerns regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) the World Rallycross of Abu Dhabi, scheduled to be hosted at Yas Marina Circuit on 30-31 October, will unfortunately not take place this year,"

"The health and safety of everyone involved remains the priority as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances. We very much look forward to welcoming the drivers, teams, and fans to Yas Marina Circuit for this world-class event in 2021."

The Updated 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship Calendar.

Written By - Junaid Samodien 

Eriksson returns to defend hard-fought World RX Höljes crown – in a Honda.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Sebastian Eriksson, the defending race winner from the 2019 World RX of Sweden will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship with his eyes firmly set on back to back victories in  Höljes.

The 27-year-old Swede had made only three starts at World RX level prior to his appearance at Höljes last summer, but in a high-caliber, 25-strong field, he was unbeatable from Q4 onwards. 

 

This year, he will return to the field in defense of that hard-fought triumph behind the wheel of Olsbergs MSE’s Honda Civic with which he claimed six podium finishes – including a race win – in GRC in 2016/17. 

As he prepares to return to the scene of his breakthrough World Championship achievement, it is clear that he has more silverware firmly in his sights.

 

"It felt like everything just went our way at Höljes last year. It was the race I wanted to win more than any other and the biggest result of my career, and it was nice to see the reaction of everybody in the paddock – that meant a lot," Eriksson said.

 

"I’m really excited to be going back again. Höljes is the most iconic rallycross track in the world, and this year, we get double the chances to win and double the fun. It’s the first time the World Championship has staged a double-header so the regular drivers might not be so used to that format, but I did a lot of it in GRC back in the day so hopefully, that might give me a little bit of an advantage."

 

Whilst the Ford Fiesta that Eriksson used to triumph in Höljes last year was in its development stage and suffered from overheating issues, he was able to keep a charging Kevin Hansen behind, but this year, the Swede will return in a machine that he is quite familiar with. 

The Swede is keen to see how the Honda Civic will perform at the World Championship level and admits that OMSE has been hard at work updating the car over the recent months. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Olsbergs MSE. 

"It will be interesting to see how the Honda shapes up on the World Championship stage. It’s obviously a completely different shape and has different characteristics to the Fiesta, but in testing, we’ve achieved very similar lap times with the two cars," he said. "We’ve worked hard to update the Civic in recent months, which should make it a bit more competitive so I’m positive we can be up at the sharp end again – and how cool would it be to win back-to-back in two different cars?!"

 

"I might be the guy with the target on my back as the defending race winner, but I actually don’t feel under any pressure. For me, this is a one-off event so I can just go all-out. The drivers entered for the full season need to be a bit more conservative and think about the points situation, but for me, points don’t matter."

Eriksson is also aware of the challenge that awaits him in Höljes with an extremely competitive field filled with RX race winners and champions targeting victory at the season-opener and admits that he's ready for the fight.

 

"I haven’t seen the full entry list yet, but there’s no question that it’s going to be fiercely-contested – this is the pinnacle, after all," he adds. "Johan Kristoffersson is back in the game, we saw how quick Niclas Grönholm and Robin Larsson were at Höljes in RallyX Nordic earlier this month and then, of course, you’ve got the likes of the Hansen brothers and Andreas Bakkerud so it’s clearly going to be an extremely tough field – but I’m definitely up for the fight!"

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Jani Paasonen returns for European-based races in 2020 World RX campaign.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ferratum Team. 

Former WRC driver Jani Paasonen returns to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for all European-based rounds this season with his new team. 

The former works Škoda and Mitsubishi driver has prior experience of racing in the European Rallycross Championship in a variety of Skoda's over the last 15 years and competed in five World RX events with STARD last year. 

Paasonen bought a Ford Fiesta from Austrian based team STARD, and together with his all-new Ferratum Team, they have rebuilt the Fiesta with several new technical innovations. 

"We think we have something new with our Ferratum Team Ford Fiesta which we can bring to the World Championship," said Paasonen. "The engine side is built in Finland, it has some new ideas about how the engine works."

"There are big questions about what the potential and speed is, but we hope and trust that we have a fast car. But, we will finally see what our potential is when we are in the first race and next to other cars on the same start line."

The Finn will compete in selected rounds this season, but aims high with his eyes firmly set on the finals in every race they enter this year.

"Of course the target is to go to the finals in every race this year, collect good points and finish as high as we can in the World Championship," he said. First, we go step-by-step to Holjes, Kouvola, and Riga and we will see where we are."

PHOTO CREDIT: Ferratum Team.

The Ferratum team has been hard at work preparing for the 2020 World RX campaign and plans at least one more test day before the season opener in Holjes next month. 

"We have done a number of test days and still before Sweden will do maybe one day, testing some suspension things, but we are quite happy with the car," he adds.

These test days will prove vital for Paasonen's team as they get up to speed with what is required of them for the World RX championship. "Almost all of the people in our team are new to the World Championship, only the engine data engineer has some experience. But the mechanics and some of the others have not so much experience in rallycross at the highest level. Local-level yes, but not so much at the highest level so it will be big learning for us."

Whilst Jani has high expectations for the season ahead, he is confident that the Ferratum team will remain in the sport beyond 2021 and could expand to a two-car team by next year. 

"It’s nice to come with a new team in the championship and I know, I believe we can continue into 2021 and the future," he adds."We’re planning to maybe build a second car and maybe run a two-car team next year, but we will see."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Krogstad sets sights on victory at second RallyX Nordic round.

PHOTO CREDIT: YellowSquad.

#YellowSquad's Henrik Krogstad returns for the second round of RallyX Nordic, which takes place at the Swedish circuit Arvika on August 7-9. 

Krogstad is currently in fourth place in the championship points standings, only nine points behind the championship leader.

The Norwegian claimed a second-place finish in the opening round of the season at Höljes, coming through the field to finish second in his semi-final and then doing the same again from the second row of the grid in the final. He also made it through to the final of round two, also at Höljes, finishing fourth.

"I can't wait to get racing again," Krogstad said. "Arvika is a track I've raced at before so I'm looking forward to that, and keeping the good momentum going from Höljes."

"My goal for the weekend is of course to do better than last time, and there's only one place more to get: the victory. So that's the aim for the weekend. But, of course, we have to work hard and keep the rhythm going."

Krogstad's teammate Dan Skocdopole has been forced to skip the second round of the Nordic Championship after his country imposed travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemics. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien