The FIA World Rallycross Championship (official abbreviation is World RX) is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH (founded by Red Bull and KW25).[1] From the inaugural season in 2014 to 2020, IMG Motorsport fulfilled the role of promoter.
The series currently consists of 12 two-day events driven on closed circuits with mixed surface (mostly asphalt and gravel). Each event consists of:[2]
4 Qualifying heats. In each of the 4 series there are smaller races containing 3 to 5 cars, and the driver with the fastest overall race time after 4 laps (including one Joker Lap) is declared the qualifying winner of Q1, Q2, Q3 and/or Q4. Drivers earn 'intermediate points' based on their positions. After the 4 qualifying series, the points are added up and the 12 drivers with the most points in the 'intermediate standings' move into the next round.
2 Semi-Finals. 6 cars race in each of both semi-finals, which are run over 6 laps (incl. one Joker Lap). The top 3 drivers in each semi-final move into the final round.
Final. Like the semi-finals, this race is contested by 6 cars over 6 laps (incl. one Joker Lap). The winner of the final is deemed to be the event winner. However, the final winner has not necessarily claimed the most championship points from the whole event.
Categories
During the first FIA World Rallycross Championship season in 2014, two classes were run, Supercar (later RX1) and the supporting RX Lites series (later RX2).[3] RX Lites teams raced identical cars prepared by OlsbergsMSE.[4] The World RX Championship series was introduced to distinguish it from the FIA European Rallycross Championship, which has been contested since 1976 and was renamed in March 2013.[5]
The Projekt E electric rallycross car
An electric category was planned to be introduced in 2020,[6][7] but it was announced in August 2018 that the introduction of a fully electric Championship would be delayed until 2021 to allow manufacturers more time to submit an interest to join following the rules change.[8][9] Instead, the Projekt E class was run in 2020 as a special parallel series using a spec racer.[10] The Projekt E spec electric rallycross car was revealed in September 2019 at the Riga Motor Museum in Latvia.[11] FIA announced in August 2020 that RX2e would be replacing the RX2 category for the 2021 season.[12] The top World Rallycross Championship series switched to electric cars (RX1e) in August 2022, making World RX an all-electric race series.[13]
For 2022, there are two World Rallycross Championships and two European Rallycross Championships:[14]
FIA World Rallycross Championship, using cars from the RX1e class
FIA Euro RX1 Rallycross Championship, using cars from the RX1 class
FIA RX2e Rallycross Championship, using cars from the RX2e class
FIA Euro RX3 Rallycross Championship, using cars from the RX3 class
The top-level RX1 Supercars division use 2.0 L, turbocharged, four-cylinder engines, which produce approximately 570–600 hp (430–450 kW), and between 620–680 lb⋅ft (840–920 N⋅m) of torque,[15] while using a 45 mm (1.8 in) intake restrictor.[16][17][18]: 5/41 [19][20][21][22] The engines run 50 psi (3.4 bar) of boost pressure,[23][24] and completely unrestricted, are capable of making about 1,000 hp (750 kW) and 1,100 lb⋅ft (1,500 N⋅m) of torque.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] They are four-wheel-drive, and use a Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox. They use launch control, and are capable of accelerating from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in under 2 seconds; which is faster than a Formula One car. Fully prepared, the cars weigh about 1,300 kg (2,900 lb), including the driver, and with oil and fuel.[33][34]
The top-level all-electric RX1e Supercar division uses two electric motors, each producing 340 hp (250 kW) and 440 N⋅m (320 lbf⋅ft) of torque; for a total of 680 hp (510 kW) and 880 N⋅m (650 lbf⋅ft) of instant torque.[43][44] They are four-wheel-drive, weigh between 1,300–1,330 kg (2,870–2,930 lb), and can accelerate from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 1.8 seconds.[45][46]
The second-tier all-electric RX2e division uses two electric motors, each producing 167.5 hp (124.9 kW) and 255 N⋅m (188 lbf⋅ft) of torque; for a total of 335 hp (250 kW) and 510 N⋅m (380 lbf⋅ft) of torque. They are also four-wheel-drive, and weigh 1,290 kg (2,840 lb).[47][48][49]
Projekt E used electric powertrain kits supplied by STARD. The first car used a Ford Fiesta bodyshell; the STARD ElectRX was a three-motor, all-wheel drive car with 450 kW (600 hp) combined output.[50]
Points system
Points are scored as follows:
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
Points
20
16
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
2014-2021 World Championship points were scored as follows:
Points Scale
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
Heats
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Semi-Finals
6
5
4
3
2
1
Final
8
5
4
3
2
1
A red background denotes drivers who did not advance from the round
Johan Kristoffersson
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