2023 World Rallycross of South Africa tickets on sale today.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Tickets for the 2023 FIA World Rallycross of South Africa will go on sale to the general public from 12:00 CAT today, Tuesday August 29.

Get ready for electrifying short-sharp racing, door-to-door overtakes, and breathtaking jumps, as the FIA World Rallycross Championship returns to South Africa at the Killarney International Raceway on October 7th and 8th, after a four-year hiatus.

The dual-surface championship will see the likes of five-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson return to the familiar stomping ground in his Volkswagen Polo RX1e. 

The Super Swede claimed dominant wins in the Mother City behind the wheel of his PSRX Volkswagen Polo in 2017 and 18. And, he currently leads the championship by 23 points heading into Cape Town, whilst rival Timmy Hansen, will return to a venue where he clinched the 2019 title in a rather dramatic season-finale in 2019 beating fan-favorite Andreas Bakkerud, by virtue of race wins [countback]. 

The Cape Town double-header will also allow motorsport enthusiasts to see the fastest and most powerful all-electric cars, which push out the equivalent of 680bhp and 880Nm of instant torque.

“I am delighted to announce that we are bringing another World Championship Motorsports event to South Africa. This time none other than the fabulous all-electric World Rallycross, to be staged over two days, at Killarney race circuit," Chairman of World RX of South Africa Iain Banner said. "With drivers like World Champion Johan Kristoffersson and the Hansen brothers, we can look forward to an incredible weekend of World Championship racing. A stunning ‘next up’ after our Formula E Cape Town race in February this year”.

Ticket prices start at R275 and are available from 29th August on Webtickets. Discounted family/group packages are also available. www.webtickets.co.za

Mettet win the "perfect outcome" for Kristoffersson after rear wheel damage.

PHOTO CREDIT: Qnigan/Kristoffersson Motorsport.

With all the drama that plagued the FIA RX2e Championship final at Mettet, Belgium on Sunday, it was five-time World Champion Johan Kristoffersson who claimed top honors, winning by 5 seconds despite rear-rear wheel damage, as team-mate Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky starred.

With the FIA World Rallycross Championship unable to race at Mettet as investigations continue into the cause of the destructive fire at Lydden Hill two weeks ago, Johan Kristoffersson and fellow World RX drivers Timmy Hansen, Kevin Hansen and Ole Christian Veiby took the opportunity to join the RX2e grid.

It was the younger of the Hansen brothers, Kevin, who initially set the pace on Saturday, but in characteristic fashion, it did not take Kristoffersson long to unlock the pace, with three consecutive heat wins he was propelled to the summit of the overall standings.

A slow start in semi-final one dropped the Swede to third, but he was handed a lifeline when the race was red-flagged following a huge roll for team-mate Veiby.

"I couldn't see a thing. When I turned on the wipers, it got worse," Veiby said. "But things happen when conditions are as tricky as we had here."

Kristoffersson leading the pack with a bent right rear. 
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The five-time world champion grabbed the opportunity, and from that point on was never beaten. He managed rear suspension damage from first-corner contact in the final to fend off his closest pursuers to the chequered flag.

"What a weekend!" Kristoffersson said. "In terms of pace, it was maybe our best so far this year. I’d tested the RX2e car before, but it’s very different in a competitive race situation and the final wasn’t easy at all."

"After the hit into Turn One, I could feel something was broken at the rear. The car was all over the place, and I was just trying to hold onto it and not spin in a straight line! I managed to figure out how I needed to drive and could keep up a reasonable pace, and I was obviously very happy to walk away with the win. That was the perfect outcome."

"I have learnt a lot so it was absolutely the right decision to come here. I always want to race and this time the big thing was to compete against the Hansen brothers in equal cars. It was tricky starting from the inside with the water running down there. I was lucky in the final that Timmy had some wheel spin," he concluded. 

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky on the other hand has set up a grandstand season finale with a superb drive to second place – which sees her close to just two points shy of team-mate Nils Andersson in the chase for the RX2e title.

"[I'm] extremely happy with this race weekend, the pace, and the work with the team. The goal was to find a good rhythm and enjoy driving, which I definitely did this weekend," Åhlin-Kottulinsky said.  

And, whilst it's joy and elation for some, there is disappointment for others, Ole Henry Steinsholt finished ahead of Mikaela on-the-road, but was later handed a 12-second penalty for "repeated side to side contact". 

Timmy Hansen was running second until the front suspension collapsed sending him into the tyre barrier on the last lap, whilst younger brother Kevin's bid ended in the semi-final stages.

The FIA World Rallycross Championship is scheduled to return to action at Estering, Germany for the sixth round later this month [August 19-20] if and when the green light is given following the ongoing investigations.  

PREVIEW: 'The show must go on', as RX1e elite stars join RX2e field in Belgium.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Five-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson along with the Hansen brothers' headline the penultimate round of the RX2e field in Mettet, Belgium this weekend.

The Organizers of World RX of Benelux, confirmed earlier this weekend that the RX1e round has been canceled as investigations into the cause of a fire at Lydden Hill, United Kingdom on 21 July continue, whilst RX2e and Euro RX will go ahead as scheduled. 

This means there will be added competition in Mettet for RX2e championship frontrunners with Johan Kristofferson, Ole-Christian Veiby, and Kevin and Timmy Hansen all confirming their RX2e entries for Benelux on Sunday. 

"I'm really looking forward to this, but It's not going to be easy to adjust to RX2e," Kristoffersson said. "Mainly there is a lot less effect. I have tried this car twice, but of course, there is a lot to learn about it."

Five-time World RX champion Kristoffersson currently tops the overall standings while his Kristoffersson Motorsport team-mate Veiby lies in fourth overall, squeezed between the Hansen brothers with Kevin in third and Timmy in fifth.

Hansen World RX Team boss Kenneth Hansen stressed the importance to race in Mettet, saying: “We are a race team and we like to race and give the fans the best possible show they can get. That is why we want to be there and to compete in RX2e. That is a big challenge. They are fast guys and girls there. It will be interesting, hopefully, we can put on a good show together.”

His words were echoed by those of Volkswagen Dealerteam Bauhaus boss Tommy Kristoffersson: "The show must go on! We are responsible towards our sponsors, media, and not least our fans. We started to look for alternatives right away. This will bring a new dimension, a great challenge for the team. We are very positive about this and want to put on a great show in a competitive championship."

Waving the home flag among the expanded field is current joint RX2e leader Viktor Vranckx. He shares the top spot with Sweden’s Nils Andersson while another Swede, Isak Sjökvist, is one point behind.

A new addition to the field is none-other than 2016 Australian Rally and Extreme E champion Molly Taylor who has made the transition to rallycross, and she will line up for Hansen Motorsport’s #YellowSquad at this weekend's World RX Benelux, and the World RX of Germany, Estering later this month. 

"RX2e is the ideal place to begin learning Rallycross with electric cars, combined with the opportunity to be part of the #YellowSquad team and learn from some of the best in the business," Taylor said.

The CE Dealer Team will not travel to Mettet, instead, they will focus on an even bigger presence at Estering in Germany.

"We are of course sad to see the Mettet event being canceled [for RX1e], meaning that we cannot meet the wonderful Belgian fans and partners to the team. We do however understand and support the decision behind it, as it's important for the investigation of the incident at Lydden Hill to be thoroughly investigated so that the necessary actions can be taken for safe and exciting World RX racing," Jussi Pinomäki, Team Manager of CE Dealer Team, said.

THE TRACK: METTET [BELGIUM]

THE TRACK INFORMATION:

The short and twisty Circuit Jules Tacheny at Mettet is the modern expression of a racing history that stretches right back to the beginning days of the sport in Belgium. Like its contemporaries at Spa and Chimay, the Mettet circuit began with racing organized on public roads and soon became a popular venue for motorcycle racing. 

Right through to the 2000s racing continued on roads to the south of the town before safety concerns finally led to the construction of a permanent circuit.

Today, the permanent track hosts of range of different categories on both two and four-wheels, with facilities for Super Moto and Rallycross alongside circuit racing.

2023 FIA WORLD RX OF BENELUX: RX2e ENTRY LIST

Round 5 - World RX of Benelux (CAT Times)

SUNDAY:

STUDIO SHOW: 10:30

RX2e HEAT 3: 10:40

EURO RX1 HEAT 3: 11:04

RX2e HEAT 4: 13:25

EURO RX1 HEAT 4: 13:49

RX2e SEMI-FINAL: 14:50

SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL [EURO RX SEMI-FINALS & RX2e FINAL]: (from) 16:00

GRID WRAP-UP SHOW: 17:00 [RX+ only]

2023 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS - CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS [AFTER ROUND 5]:

1) Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) - 69 POINTS

2) Niclas Gronholm (CE Dealer Team) - 42

3) Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 38

4) Ole Christian Veiby (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) - 35

5) Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 33

6) Timo Scheider (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) - 31

7) Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) - 30

8) Sebastien Loeb (Special ONE Racing) - 29

9) Guerlain Chicherit (Special ONE Racing) - 27

10) Gustav Bergstrom (Kristoffersson Motorsport) - 20