2018 Rallycross ThreadRally

[The Stig Farmer]

The rallycross circus rolls on into 2018, with brand new stops at Silverstone and COTA for the FIA World Rallycross Championship. The newly formed GCK outfit brings the Prodrive-engineered Renault Mégane R.S. RX to the grid, alongside Grönholm RX and their ex-WRC Hyundai i20s.

A new series joins the rallycross calendar in the form of the Americas Rallycross (ARX), in association with World RX and IMG. Including four stops on its inaugural season, ARX has become the home of the USA's homegrown talent of Subaru USA and VW-Andretti, alongside Ken Block and Steve Arpin; the pair will team up under the Hoonigan banner, with a goal to further develop the M-Sport Focus RX Supercars. Both Supercars and RX2s feature on the card.

The Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship is on indefinite hiatus, in America at least. The series will cease operations for 2018, following a litany of unpaid bills.

Spoiler: 2018 World RX calendar

Official calendar

1. April 14-15 - World RX of Catalunya-Barcelona - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló
2. April 28-29 - Bompiso World RX of Portugal - Pista Automóvel de Montalegre
3. May 12-13 - Coyote World RX of Belgium - Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet, Mettet
4. May 25-27 - Cooper Tires World RX of Great Britain / Speedmachine Festival - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
5. June 09-10 - Team Verksted World RX of Norway - Lånkebanen, Hell
6. June 30-July 01 - Swecon World RX of Sweden - Höljesbanan, Höljes
7. August 04-05 - World RX of Canada - Circuit Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières
8. September 01-02 - Bretagne World RX of France - Circuit de Lohéac, Lohéac
9. September 15-16 - Neste World RX of Latvia - Biķernieku Kompleksā Sporta Bāze, Riga
10. September 29-30 - World RX of USA - Circuit of the Americas, Austin
11. October 13-14 - World RX of Germany - Estering, Buxtehude
12. November 24-25 - World RX of South Africa - Killarney Motor Racing Complex, Cape Town

Spoiler: 2018 ARX calendar

Official calendar

1. May 25-27 - ARX of Silverstone / Speedmachine Festival - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, UK
2. July 14 - DirtFish ARX of COTA - Circuit of the Americas, Austin, USA
3. August 04-05 - Circuit Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada
4. September 29-30 - Circuit of the Americas, Austin, USA

World RX streams live races (with geoblocks, per TV listings), and uploads every Final to its YouTube channel; US viewers can watch live coverage with a subscription to the FloSports streaming service.

Every ARX session is streamed live on both Facebook and YouTube.

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Alright! The tradition lives

 

[The Stig Farmer]

This is now outdated - refer to OP

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The 2018 GRC calendar has been released, with a return to European soil for the first time in five years

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I might be able to go to the one in Louisville again. Can't wait

 

[The Stig Farmer]

So, GRC's electric category scheduled for 2019 isn't exactly happening... instead, the electric cars will be integrated straight into the Supercar class, and race alongside the traditional ICE models. Which I believe is going to be a world first in all motorsport?

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

The 2018 GRC calendar has been released, with a return to European soil for the first time in five years

That gaping hole in June better be DC. It's been too long.

EDIT: RE: Electric class. Well, then. How long until someone starts dropping a cage in a Tesla Model S or Roadster with a giant RC car battery in the back seat?

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Oliver Bennett (3rd place in British RX last season) has a new World Championship ride in the form of this ere Mini. Looking at contesting all the Euro rounds, plus COTA.

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Oliver Bennett (3rd place in British RX last season) has a new World Championship ride in the form of this ere Mini. Looking at contesting all the Euro rounds, plus COTA.

View attachment 705636

Interesting ride here. Hopefully that giant grill is just part of the camo/dust cover

 

[JohnBM01]

I can't wait to follow Global Rallycross this season. Since I don't get CBS Sports Network anymore, I don't think I'll get to see the FIA World Rallycross highlights. Rallycross is fun to watch whether it's the GRC or FIA World Rallycross.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

This is fun - reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden will join Hélio Castroneves in the RallyX On Ice winter series.

- - - - -

Mattias Ekström will announce his 2018 plans on Monday; Reinis Nitišs leaves the team.

 

[petesj26]

Oliver Bennett (3rd place in British RX last season) has a new World Championship ride in the form of this ere Mini. Looking at contesting all the Euro rounds, plus COTA.

View attachment 705636

Interesting that it's a whole new mini and not the ex-WRC ex-JRM mini countryman (remove the O and the R from the name for my opinion of that car....). With this, the Prodrive Megane and whatever new Audi EKS are bringing it will make up for the loss of the Ford Focus from the grid..... Looking forward to Silverstone!

Mattias Ekström will announce his 2018 plans on Monday; Reinis Nitišs leaves the team.

Toomas Heikkenen left the team before Christmas too. Has Bakkerud announced anything? He's probably the most talented unsigned driver right now. Audi would be silly not to get him. Nico Muller will hopefully have a full time EKS drive after his good outings last season.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Ekström retires from DTM; he will now focus exclusively on EKS and World RX in 2018.

 

[petesj26]

Called it, but it was hardly surprising! Bakkerud on EKS for 2018. The article says there will be two Audi sport entries but I'm expecting four Audi's to be racing after Eki stated 4 in a tease on Instagram at Christmas in the bottom link.

https://www.motorsport.com/world-rx/news/bakkerud-joins-ekstrom-world-rx-squad-for-2018-1000809/



Maybe Irish driver Tim O'Schneider in a B-team Audi given his DTM drives for them in the past?

 

[JohnBM01]

It seems a long way away for Global Rallycross to begin its 2018 campaign. All the crazy stuff that goes on makes rallycross fun to watch, let alone the GRC. I seem a bit interested in what Indianapolis and Seattle have to offer. I still remember the GRC race at the DirtFish Rally School up in the Seattle area. Whatever will be the June 9-10 venue and the season-ender in Europe will be interesting to figure out. Maybe GRC will visit Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and make our AMPRocketFan happy. Maybe the European venue could be Brands Hatch or Knockhill. Maybe the GRC goes to Hell... Norway, of course! No matter what, I'll be watching rallycross for sure!

I don't have CBS Sports Network on my parents' XFINITY, so I won't be able to see FIA World Rallycross highlights on TV. I'm sure FIA World Rallycross will be just as frenzied to watch.

 

[TheCracker]

So, GRC's electric category scheduled for 2019 isn't exactly happening... instead, the electric cars will be integrated straight into the Supercar class, and race alongside the traditional ICE models. Which I believe is going to be a world first in all motorsport?

Electric cars in Rallycross seems ideal to me. Short races, instant maximum torque, gear-free? - The two things are made for one another!

 

[NotThePrez]

The Red Bull GRC will host their European Double-header at Lydden Hill.

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

The Red Bull GRC will host their European Double-header at Lydden Hill.

Now this is exciting

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Great news about Lydden. Tickets are sorely tempting.

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GRC is now opening with a double-header weekend at Lancaster Speedway; the previous opening round in Kentucky has been removed from the schedule, and LA is now a double-header, retaining 12 events for 2018.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

The worst kept secret in racing is out but FIA World RX will go fully electric in 2020. Regs permit a carbon monocoque chassis and two 250Kw motors (one per axle). Spec battery for cost reasons. In old money that's 670hp AWD electric rally cars

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, when you mention instantaneous torque and stuff, it does seem very fitting. Full electric rallycross cars are going to be pretty nuts to rallycross in. That will be two years from now. This year, pretty cool news for the European doubleheader to be at Lydden Hill.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I'm gutted that they cancelled the GRC Louisville race.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Entry list for the first round of British Rallycross; the inaugurating race of Silverstone RX. Including some jokers named Seb Loeb, Timmy Hansen and Andrew Coley...

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Erm, well. Make of this what you will

Red Bull Global Rallycross announced today the 2018 season launch of the Red Bull GRC Gold class. An evolution of the series’ GRC Lites class from previous seasons, the new Gold class cars will debut aggressive bodywork and strategic mechanical updates designed to tighten up the field, highlight the skills of the drivers, and make for an incredible show for on-site spectators and broadcast viewers alike.

“We are giving the sport of rallycross back to the drivers with the Gold class,” says Colin Dyne, CEO Red Bull Global Rallycross. “By creating a more closely matched generation of top-tier rallycross vehicles, the Gold class will provide a platform where our drivers can highlight their driving skills and create even more dynamic racing for the fans.”

For the 2018 season, the Gold class will replace the Supercars, and will join recently announced Polaris GRC to produce even closer racing, a hallmark of the series. The Gold class platform will include seven (7) events with twelve (12) rounds of racing, and the best overall media package in motorsports with all rounds of racing airing on the NBC network, as well as streaming on a soon-to-be-announced Turner Broadcasting digital platform.

The growth and evolution of the series continues to attract top tier drivers, teams and partners, including premier, multi-year partnerships with TOTAL as its Official Lubricant Partner, and Continental Tire as its Official Tire Partner for all classes, beginning in 2018.

Red Bull GRC will continue to revolutionize the motorsport landscape by introducing in 2019 a new purpose-built rallycross car known as the Platinum class. The Platinum class will serve as the premier series to complement both the Gold and Polaris classes already competing. More information on the Platinum class vehicle will be announced later this week.

Supercars are out for 2018. Instead, the RX Lite platform will be upgraded to the new 'Gold' spec to take its place, with new bodywork and components. 2019 will see the GRC 'Platinum', "a new purpose-built rallycross car" positioned above the Gold, which is going to be detailed later in the week. Wonder if they've changed their plans once again and are going for a straight electric-only Supercar category.

Pretty poorly worded, and asks more questions than it answers. It's obviously moving to specification system, but how much so? Flexible TCR-style spec, or stringent NASCAR-style spec? Will the manufacturers stick around if they can't bring along their custom race cars?

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

Erm, well. Make of this what you will



Supercars are out for 2018. Instead, the RX Lite platform will be upgraded to the new 'Gold' spec to take its place, with new bodywork and components. 2019 will see the GRC 'Platinum', "a new purpose-built rallycross car" positioned above the Gold, which is going to be detailed later in the week. Wonder if they've changed their plans once again and are going for a straight electric-only Supercar category.

Pretty poorly worded, and asks more questions than it answers. It's obviously moving to specification system, but how much so? Flexible TCR-style spec, or stringent NASCAR-style spec? Will the manufacturers stick around if they can't bring along their custom race cars?

1. WHYYYYYYYY?!?!?!
2. No Supercars? WTF are they thinking. That is the heart and soul of rallycross. Good thing the FIA added an American round as GRC might be going off the deep end.
3. That said, I'll reserve judgement until the first race.
4. Bye bye VW, Foust, Speed, the entire Subaru and Honda operation and honestly 2/3rds of the field.

 

[JC_Dude]

I've never seen a championship go out of their way to get rid of literally every single manufacturer taking part in it. What a joke.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Lites and ATVs ain't main event. Was about to order tickets for Lydden before this broke but unless the "Gold" is a serious upgrade instead of a generational update they won't be seeing my money...

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Timo Scheider to All-Inkl Münnich Motorsport for a partial season

 

[L8 Apex]

Erm, well. Make of this what you will



Supercars are out for 2018. Instead, the RX Lite platform will be upgraded to the new 'Gold' spec to take its place, with new bodywork and components. 2019 will see the GRC 'Platinum', "a new purpose-built rallycross car" positioned above the Gold, which is going to be detailed later in the week. Wonder if they've changed their plans once again and are going for a straight electric-only Supercar category.

Pretty poorly worded, and asks more questions than it answers. It's obviously moving to specification system, but how much so? Flexible TCR-style spec, or stringent NASCAR-style spec? Will the manufacturers stick around if they can't bring along their custom race cars?

RIP GRC

Also: How does the series expect to NOT get sued into oblivion by the now-banished OEMs who had their travel arrangements, marketing materials and budgets locked in months ago? Or big name sponsors like Oberto and Rockstar who would conceivably be tied to an on-track product that's now worth a lot less?

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

RIP GRC

Also: How does the series expect to NOT get sued into oblivion by the now-banished OEMs who had their travel arrangements, marketing materials and budgets locked in months ago? Or big name sponsors like Oberto and Rockstar who would conceivably be tied to an on-track product that's now worth a lot less?

Now that you brought that up, I bet this is going to magically go away and get consigned to the dumpbin of Motorsport history if VW and Honda get wise to what this means for their teams.

 

[The Stig Farmer]

2019 will see GRC will launch a GRC Europe series, alongside the American championship. The top performers in each will meet in a "Champion's Cup" final.

MJP Racing will develop the "GRC Platinum", a tube-frame chassis that will be lighter than (and have a larger displacement engine than) a traditional Supercar.

Linky

 

[AMPMROCKETFANN]

2019 will see GRC will launch a GRC Europe series, alongside the American championship. The top performers in each will meet in a "Champion's Cup" final.

MJP Racing will develop the "GRC Platinum", a tube-frame chassis that will be lighter than (and have a larger displacement engine than) a traditional Supercar.

Linky

#1 is something that's been a long time coming, though the timing now is odd to say the least.

#2. On one hand, these tube frame monstrosities can't be all bad if it opens the doors to This

or this

That said, part of the thrill of rallycross is seeing differently shaped, differently powered cars being pushed to the absolute limit. Trophy, short course, and Stadium trucks are already doing high powered spec or near spec on dirt very well, so unless this new class brings something unique to the table, the whole thing may as well be absorbed by WRX wholesale.

Honestly though, a RWD or combined RWD/FWD class catered towards sport coupes would put on a show while being very driver oriented and give a chance for privateers to work their way up.