The discussion of what will power the FIA World Rallycross Championship in the future is a thing from way before Projekt E, when Volkswagen started supporting the idea of having electrics in rallycross, and with the gasoline powered supercars to consider, it seems like the organization has found a happy medium until 2021 at least.
This year Projekt E will be the only electric championship in the ladder while the petrol side will feature the same, with Super 1600 being followed by RX2, Euro RX and eventually leading to the World RX. With Projekt E being in what can be called an experimental season, the focus will be on what STARD will do to bring the series to a good standard as the options with the REVelution are quite broad, including the conversion of gasoline-powered supercars to electric power.
For 2021 the ladder is dramatically changed, as Projekt E will have the status of a support series, just below the World RX, and still on the electric side, the new FIA Junior eRallycross championship will take the spot as the entry-level series, which will feature 250 kW (335 hp) four wheel drive cars to be built by QEV Technologies.
The petrol side is where the other change is, as Super 1600 and Euro RX become the only support series for those still running internal combustion engines, as the RX2 Series will be axed once the 2020 season is over, meaning there will be no international stage for the Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites, which actually may be a proper move as the Super 1600 is essentially doing the job that should be from RX2, that is attracting young guns to a continental competition, and with the spec series out, the way to supercars, be it in Euro RX or World RX, gets easier with one less step, given that teams and drivers have the resources to go to the next level.
The World RX, the top of everything rallycross, is in fact going in a way that was considered by the fans but never by the organization, which is combining the petrol and electric-powered cars into one single grid. The answer on how electrics will face the monstrous 600 horsepower gas guzzlers is in form of a kit offered by Austrian company Kreisel, which consists in two 335 horsepower motors in each axle, two inverters and a 52.65 kWh battery, with the total power being 670 hp applied to all wheels, and it may be fitted in any of the current supercars or in new projects that may come, like the 612 hp Projekt E drivetrain.
These changes are also paving a way so that the World RX will be changed to a complete electric car grid after 2021, as the contract with Kreisel for the electric supercars will go until 2024, which is also valid for QEV in FIA Junior eRallycross.
The 2020 World RX season will start on April 18th with the Barcelona RX in Spain.
PHOTOS - STARD, FIA World Rallycross
Comments
Post a Comment
Do you have an opinion? Feel free to comment.