Why the FIA’s push to make rallycross more affordable and accessible can’t come soon enough?

The 2026 FIA Euro RX1 grid for the season opener in Latvia. 
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA Rallycross Championship

Since their inception, the European and World Rallycross Championships sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have based their reputation on the short, sharp, and action-packed wheel-to-wheel racing. The dual-surface discipline championship attracted some of the biggest names in motorsport – from Sébastien Loeb and Ken Block to Mattias Ekström and Petter Solberg – while packed grids and unpredictable racing helped rallycross carve out a unique identity within global motorsport. Somewhere along the way, though, both championships lost sight of what made rallycross so appealing in the first place: the affordability and accessibility factor.

With a rich history dating back to 1976, the European Rallycross Championship excelled in its early years, growing from strength to strength and eventually attracting manufacturer involvement. The same can be said about the World Championship, which was formed in 2014. For a time, rallycross appeared to be thriving. However, that momentum quickly unravelled once conversations around electrification began to dominate the future of the World Rallycross Championship, ultimately leading manufacturers to pull the plug on their programmes.

WRC Promoter took over the management and promotion of the championship under Rallycross Promoter GmbH in 2021. More changes occurred when the championship was moved behind a broadcast paywall (Rally.TV), while the push toward electrification accelerated. Grid numbers steadily declined, with entry lists shrinking from nine cars to as few as six at times.

The introduction of the ‘Battle of Technologies’ – pitting electric and internal combustion-engined machinery against one another – brought moments of genuine excitement, but it failed to generate the sustained growth many had hoped for. 

Then came a bombshell: Rallycross Promoter formally withdrew as the championship's promoter, effective 2025.

Attempts were made to find a new promoter for the FIA-sanctioned rallycross championships, but none proved successful. Eventually, the FIA stepped in to take control of the discipline.

Eight-time World RX Champion Johan Kristoffersson leading into turn 1. 
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA Rallycross Championship.

Now at the helm of rallycross, the governing body has made the bold decision to pause the World Championship, as it attempts to rebuild the category with the long-term goal of eventually reintroducing the World Rallycross Championship (World RX) in the future.

With World RX on hold, the FIA shifted its focus toward a more European-based structure, reinstating the FIA European Rallycross Championship as the discipline's top-tier category, alongside a separately sanctioned FIA Rallycross World Cup set to take place in Jakarta later in the year.

The aim is clear: rebuild rallycross and make it accessible and affordable again. And, for many within the paddock, this shift cannot come soon enough.

The clearest sign yet that the FIA understands the current model is unsustainable is the introduction of the new RX4 category for 2026. By allowing Rally4 machinery into rallycross competition and targeting car costs around €70,000, the FIA is openly acknowledging what fans, teams, and drivers have been saying for years – modern rallycross has become far too expensive.

Within the current Euro RX1 environment, teams are often forced into budgets that are completely unrealistic for emerging talent, privateers, and even experienced drivers without major financial backing.

The era of specialized Supercars, expensive development programmes, and the Battle of Technologies may have produced moments of utter brilliance, but it also hollowed out the grid. The issue is no longer about attracting audiences to rallycross. It is about keeping talented drivers in race cars. Fewer examples illustrate that reality better than Klara and Niels Andersson, who share no relation.  

Klara Andersson carrying out VBOX analysis for Rokas Baciuska.
PHOTO CREDIT: Klara Andersson

Klara established herself as one of rallycross’ brightest prospects after transitioning into the discipline from karting. Her breakthrough came with victory in the 2021 Swedish Rallycross Championship in the SM (Senior) 2150 category, before she further impressed with a fourth-place finish in the FIA RX2e Championship on debut just one year later.

In 2022, Andersson joined the Extreme E Championship and also signed with the Construction Equipment Dealer Team for the electric era of World RX. She scored podium finishes at the highest level and consistently demonstrated the pace to fight at the front.

Yet despite those achievements, Klara has still found herself battling to secure the funding required to compete in the Euro RX Championship.

“Yeah, it's a bit heartbreaking [not to be on the grid for Euro RX1], but I'm still here, still fighting for it. So, I hope to be back on the grid at some point this season,” Andersson said during the Euro RX of Latvia livestream.

Niels Andersson, another highly-rated Swedish talent, claimed numerous titles at both European and FIA junior rallycross levels; however, the rising cost of competing full-time forced him to shift his focus from driving to team management duties with reigning World Champions Kristoffersson Motorsport.

Niels Andersson running the operations of KMS in Extreme E.
PHOTO CREDIT Nils Andersson

When speaking to Andrew Coley during the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship season opener in Latvia, Andersson admitted he still hopes to return to racing.

“I do [miss it] so much. I still want to drive. I mean, I am looking for something to do,” he said.

The financial strain has not only impacted drivers. Teams have also felt the pressure. One of the clearest examples of this came in 2025, when Hansen Motorsport withdrew from the penultimate round of the World RX season, citing financial reasons. In a remarkable show of unity within the paddock, the CE Dealer Team stepped in to help support the operation. Rivals helping rivals highlighted the strength of the rallycross community – but it also exposed the severity of the situation.

Despite the support from the CE Dealer Team for the penultimate round, Hansen Motorsport required funding to compete at the final round of the season, which they were unable to secure, and thus withdrew from the final round of the championship. That in itself should concern everyone involved in the discipline because the Hansens' have raced in every World Championship round since its inception. 

When drivers with the résumés and the talent of Klara and Nils Andersson are still scrambling to secure funding to simply compete, then you know rallycross clearly has a serious problem. Motorsport will never be cheap, but rallycross was never meant to become an exclusive discipline reserved only for those with enormous budgets.

Its identity was built on accessibility, improvisation, and grassroots ingenuity. Fans fell in love with packed grids and unpredictable racing – not engineering arms races that reduced participation year after year.

To the FIA’s credit, the governing body’s new roadmap at least recognises that reality. Alongside RX4, they have introduced RX5, which has expanded the role of Cross Car machinery within the European Rallycross Championship ladder with the view to create more accessible pathways into the sport.

Niels Andersson, whose own career began in Cross Car competition, praised the changes. “So, I come from cross car as a background, which is a great school,” he explained. “I really like the addition this year that we introduced the RX5 category, because it’s a great school. I learnt the basics there and moved onto cars.”

The FIA’s long-term vision also includes aligning rallycross more closely with rallying, including sharing technical regulations with the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2028 onwards.

The newly introduced RX4 category in action at the 2026 season opener in Latvia.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA Rallycross Championship.

There is clear logic behind that strategy. Rally4 cars already exist. Teams already own them. Drivers already understand them. Suddenly, rallycross becomes less about building bespoke machinery and more about simply going racing again. More importantly, it gives privateers a reason to believe they belong.

The rallycross community has been fairly positive about the changes brought forward by the FIA, largely because many recognize that without intervention, both World RX and Euro RX risked spiraling further toward irrelevance as grids continued to shrink.

Of course, affordability alone will not magically save rallycross. The FIA still requires stable promotion, stronger event consistency, manufacturer confidence, and a clearer development ladder for young talent. But lowering the financial barrier is the single most important starting point.

Because talent has never been the problem, the paddock remains full of drivers capable of producing incredible racing. Drivers like Klara Andersson, Niels Andersson, Viktor Vranckx, Niclas Grönholm, Reinis Nitišs, Janis Baumanis, and the Hansen brothers, who all should be on the grid full-time because of their abilities – not sidelined by sponsorship spreadsheets and seven-figure operating budgets.

Rallycross became great because it was attainable. The FIA finally seems ready to remember that. The only question that remains is: why did it take this long?

Bakkerud admits “we have a gap to catch” after Euro RX season opener.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA European Rallycross Championship

‘Today is a good day, because today is a race day.’ The phrase became synonymous with rallycross stalwart Andreas Bakkerud over the years. Across the opening round of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship in Riga, those words once again rang true.

The iconic Biķernieki trase roared back into life as the Euro RX curtain-raiser delivered one of the most competitive rallycross entry lists in years, with fierce battles throughout the field, and the benchmark pace set by Kristoffersson Motorsport.

For Bakkerud, the weekend in Latvia ultimately ended with mixed emotions. Whilst he had incredible launches, he showed flashes of strong pace throughout the event. He remained firmly in contention across the knockout stages, but narrowly missed out on a podium finish after a dramatic final.

“The first race of the year is done and in the history books already. Pretty pumped that we managed to be here in Riga, very proud of that, but when it comes to the result, you always wish for more,” Bakkerud said. “We ended P4, won the quarter-final, second against Johan in the semi-final, started on the outside in the final, had a very, very good launch around the outside. Unfortunately, I would have been in the fence on the outer wall. Into turn one, there was a bit of a collision, so I lost a few positions. Then I caught up with the pack ahead, but then my tyres were done, so I had nothing more to come with.”

Despite missing out on a podium finish, Bakkerud’s pace throughout the weekend offered encouraging signs heading into the season. His driving style, tactics, and ability to attack in wheel-to-wheel combat remained evident, particularly during the knockout phases, where he managed to take victory in the quarter-final before fighting hard against the rallycross ‘benchmark’ Johan Kristoffersson in the semi-final.

Andreas Bakkerud entering turn 1 with Rokas Baciuska behind..
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA European Rallycross Championship

However, the opening round also highlighted the scale of the challenge facing the rest of the field.

Kristoffersson Motorsport, a last-minute entry for the opening round, arrived with formidable pace; however, their only Achilles heel proved to be their launches. Whilst Bakkerud and SET Promotion have estimated that KMS holds an advantage of roughly seven to nine tenths over their rivals, a sizeable margin in rallycross terms.

Closing that gap will become the primary focus for many ahead of the next round in Hungary; however, it remains to be seen whether Kristoffersson Motorsport will feature on the entry list.

“Anyway, the car is getting prepped for Hungary, which is in two weeks. Tomorrow, I start testing. We have a gap to catch,” Bakkerud said.

While fourth place may not have been the result Bakkerud had hoped for, Riga still demonstrated that the Norwegian and SET Promotion remain firmly in the fight. In a championship expected to feature some of the strongest competition seen in recent seasons, consistency and development across the year could prove just as important as outright speed.

As attention now turns to Hungary in two weeks. Teams and their drivers will take a deep dive into the data obtained in Riga, and test various solutions in a hunt to unlock some more pace. Will their hard work pay off in the pursuit of unlocking a few tenths? Find out soon, as all roads lead to Nyirád.

Kristoffersson leads 1-2 finish at EuroRX curtain raiser in Latvia.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA European Rallycross Championship

Eight-time World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson opened his 2026 account with victory at the Biķernieki trase, as the FIA European Rallycross Championship roared back into life. His team-mate  Ole Christian Veiby helped secure Kristoffersson Motorsport, a 1-2 finish after a weekend defined by relentless qualifying battles, strategic joker laps, and no shortage of contact throughout the 30-car RX1 Supercar field.

While Kristoffersson ultimately delivered another trademark victory, the road to the top step was far from straightforward. Saturday’s qualifying sessions immediately established the tone for the season opener. Kristoffersson laid down an early marker in Q1, storming to the fastest time of the session, a 3:16.194, nearly two seconds clear of his team-mate Veiby, to secure maximum points.

But the reigning champion quickly found himself under pressure from a field determined not to hand KMS an easy return to Euro RX competition.

Q2 produced one of the standout moments of the weekend as 17-year-old Joni Turpeinen had an incredible launch, held his own against the KMS cars into Turn 1, taking control of the race ahead of Andreas Bakkerud. Kristoffersson dropped to the back of the pack before fighting his way back through traffic, eventually joining a dramatic three-wide joker merge with Turpeinen and Bakkerud, with the Volkswagen Polo driver ultimately finishing third.

The 30-car strong Euro RX1 field for Latvia.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA European Rallycross Championship

The third qualifying session also proved equally intense. Finn Juha Rytkönen elbowed his way to the front at the start and, alongside SET Promotion team-mate Turpeinen, repeatedly forced Kristoffersson onto the defensive with Andreas Bakkerud right behind. Heading into turn 4 on the opening lap, Veiby had an issue and blocked Kristoffersson, which opened the door for Bakkerud to slip up the inside and take third. The eight-time World Champion responded with an early joker strategy and recovered to finish second in the heat behind Rytkönen, ending Saturday on top of the overnight standings ahead of Bakkerud and Veiby.

For Bakkerud, the Latvian weekend marked an impressive return to full-time European Rallycross competition after nearly three years away. The Norwegian immediately reminded the paddock why he remains one of rallycross’ best and most entertaining drivers, producing superb launches throughout the weekend and repeatedly taking the fight to Kristoffersson.

The opening day alone featured intense wheel-to-wheel battles between Bakkerud and FIA World Rally-Raid Champion Rokas Baciuška, while Sunday’s knockout stages only increased the intensity.

Kristoffersson returned on Sunday, leading the standings, but Q4 again exposed KMS’ launch struggles. A poor getaway dropped the Swede down the order before an early joker lap allowed him to recover back to second place behind Rytkönen, securing the top qualifier spot. Behind him was Juha Rytkönen, who ended qualifying second overall, narrowly ahead of Bakkerud, with Veiby fourth and Turpeinen fifth heading into the quarter-finals.

The knockout stages delivered the kind of elbows-out rallycross that has long defined the dual-surfaced discipline.

In the quarter-finals, Kristoffersson again found himself under pressure from Turpeinen, who had yet another great launch and fended off the KMS driver into turn one, but as a result of the concertina effect, the Swede hit the rear left bumper, causing bodywork to rub against the tyre, but that did not slow the Finn at all. 

Behind them, local hero Jānis Baumanis suffered heartbreak after contact with Ollie O’Donovan in turn one, which saw the Latvian spin and ultimately park his Peugeot 208 WRX due to damage sustained in the contact. The FIA Stewards investigated the contact and later showed O’Donovan a black flag.

Opting for an alternative strategy, Kristoffersson jokered on lap four, and that was enough to leap ahead of Turpeinen to win the heat, but the young Finn’s pace continued to turn heads as the weekend progressed.

    Qualifying heats when KMS struggled with launches.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA European Rallycross Championship

With the grids set for the semi-finals, the action turned up a notch, with teams deciding tactics, tyre strategies, and making minor tweaks to their cars' set-up, in an aim to beat the benchmark, Johan Kristoffersson. 

When speaking to Hal Ridge ahead of the semi-finals, Andreas Bakkerud said: “Lining up next to Johan is a big honour. So, I’m going to hopefully give him a challenge, and I am excited to see how this race will pan out, because like, there are quite a few good cars that could beat him off the line. And then manage the pace from there on. There is also going to be some tyre tactics to keep them for 6 laps. So yeah, it’s going to be interesting.”

The Norwegian added that: “We know that KMS is seven, eight, or nine tenths quicker than us on track. So, we need to be a little bit smarter if we want to beat them.”

Bakkerud had yet another superb launch in the first semi-final to lead into turn one ahead of Kristoffersson, and briefly looked capable of denying the Swede another victory, but Kristoffersson’s joker timing once again proved decisive. The pair emerged side-by-side at the joker merge with Kristoffersson narrowly edging ahead to claim another win.

In the second semi-final, Ole Christian Veiby finally had a great launch and took command after first-corner contact dropped Andor Trepák out of the race with damage, whilst Rytkönen and Patrick O’Donovan also progressed to the final. 

That set up a humdinger of a final featuring both KMS cars on the front row ahead of Rytkönen, Bakkerud, Turpeinen, and O’Donovan.

The question on everyone's lips heading into the final was, could anyone beat Johan Kristoffersson? The tension built as the cars lined up in their grid slots. As the lights went out, both KMS drivers produced the launch they needed as Bakkerud again had an excellent start, and attempted to sweep around the outside into Turn 1. But Veiby immediately covered the inside line and effectively boxed the Norwegian out, allowing Kristoffersson to escape at the front. Contact through the opening corners shuffled Bakkerud backwards, which also saw the Norwegian make contact with Juha Rytkönen, who was on the outside of turn 2, and ultimately parked his Hyundai i20 as a result of the damage.

Kristoffersson began to build an advantage at the front, but it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Swede due to a loss of radio communication with his spotter, forcing him to judge the joker strategy entirely from inside the cockpit.

Behind the Swede, team-mate Veiby delivered the perfect supporting drive, controlling the chasing pack and protecting the KMS advantage while Turpeinen, Bakkerud, and O’Donovan fought behind.

Kristoffersson eventually committed to his joker on lap five and rejoined comfortably ahead, sealing a controlled victory to begin the 2026 season perfectly. Veiby completed the KMS 1-2.

Joni Turpeinen resisted enormous pressure from SET Promotion stablemate Bakkerud in the closing laps to secure a sensational podium finish on his Euro RX debut, underlining his status as one of rallycross’ up-and-coming stars.

Bakkerud ultimately finished fourth, while O’Donovan completed the top five ahead of Rytkönen, who failed to finish

Kristoffersson Motorsport finished 1- 2 in Latvia.
PHOTO CREDIT Kristoffersson Motorsport/Wiebke Langebeck

For Kristoffersson, the Latvia weekend delivered the perfect statement — but the intensity of the competition also showed the rest of the field is far closer than many expected.

"We are very, very happy. I mean, we had a very tough weekend in terms of the launches, so we have been hunting those launches for the whole weekend. I think it's a big relief now after the final, finishing 1-2," Kristoffersson said after the final. "A huge thanks to the team. I mean, it was a late decision to come here, and a lot of sacrifices had to be made for people to come to work for us on such short notice. So, I am super happy to be here and very happy to deliver the result for the guys that they really deserve after preparing the car for us."

Veiby echoed the sentiment after securing second place, "I had hoped to give Johan a better fight in the final, but I got hit from behind so one rear wheel was crooked, and the exhaust pipe was compressed, but we still managed to secure the 1-2 for the team."

Meanwhile, Turpeinen admitted the scale of his debut podium had still not fully sunk in. “It feels unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t know how I managed to do it.”

With round one complete, the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship now heads to the iconic Nyirád circuit in Hungary at the end of May for yet another thrilling round; however, it remains to be seen whether Janis Baumanis and Kristoffersson Motorsport will join the field there.

Baumanis mentioned when speaking to Andrew Coley, lead commentator of Euro RX, that he may return for the French round later this year, whilst Tommy Kristoffersson, team principal of KMS, confirmed, “We will make a decision about it at the beginning of the week.”