The FIA World Rallycross Championship goes to its second season with a privateer-only grid at the moment, as most of the teams that competed in 2019 are confirming their returns in an influx of announcements that happened in the past few days. Unfortunately, the effort will need a waiting period to be shown due to unexpected circumstances.
Despite having most of the 2019 gang on it, the biggest change happened at GCK, as Guerlain Chicherit not only announced the new team name, UNKORRUPTED by GCK, but also a surprise switch to an upgraded GCK Clio R.S. RX after competing with the GCK Megane R.S. RX since the team’s introduction in World RX, with his team mate being young gun Rokas Baciuska, who demonstrated his pace at certain moments in the 2019 season, probably setting his position as a threat for the championship contenders.
Anton Marklund also stays with the team, though he stays loyal to the Megane R.S. RX in the GCK Bilstein named team, with the suspension and shock company being his sponsor.
Also with the French gang is Monster Energy RX Cartel, as the team that counts with Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud ends its link with EKS to go to GCK, which also means they will trade the pair of Audi S1 EKS RXs for the GCK Megane R.S. RXs. Doran knows the car from a brief time in Americas Rallycross and World RX in 2018, so he should give some advice to Bakkerud, who goes for his fourth different model in his World RX career since 2014.
Following GCK, AllInkl.com Münnich Motorsport not only announced they will stay for 2020, but also that their full time program will be back to two examples of the SEAT Ibiza Cupra RX, with Timo Scheider keeping his place from last year while team owner and driver René Münnich returns to World RX after a period competing in Euro RX while also bringing a multi-car squad to the continental championship.
Last year’s runner-up team GRX TANECO also kept their bets on stability by having the same two-car operation with Niclas Grönholm and Timur Timerzyanov, and the pair of Hyundai i20 RX models is set to come with updates for the 2020 season. With Timerzyanov winning at Spa-Francorchamps and Grönholm not only winning at Hell and Cape Town but also demonstrating incredible reliability and speed despite an illness that affected his season start, the Finnish team comes with the status of title candidate.
The champions from Team Hansen return with no changes in the squad compared to 2019, with title holder Timmy Hansen having the company of younger brother Kevin Hansen in the trusted pair of Peugeot 208 WRXs.
The Volkswagen Auto Group fleet suffered a massive drop compared to the 2019 permanent grid, but the two cars confirmed have loads of quality in them. Robin Larsson re-established his relationship with Audi last year, thanks to JC Raceteknik, and the champion from Euro RX and RallyX Nordic steps into World RX with his Audi S1 EKS RX. This is the first time Larsson will go for full time action since 2018, when the Swede was driving for Olsbergs MSE.
The incredible news of the week then goes to Johan Kristoffersson, as the two time champion and multiple record holder returns to rallycross with his Kristoffersson Motorsport team under the Volkswagen Dealer Team BAUHAUS banner, in what will be the Volkswagen Polo GTi RX that he used in his titles in 2017 and 2018, with the aim of conquering the third title. KMS has been active even though Johan was out racing only in WTCR, aligning a car for Sondre Evjen in Euro RX, with the 2020 campaign meaning a return for the team too.
Further entries will be put in a race by race way, although no plans for part-time campaigns emerged. Due to the Covid-19 spread around the World, the Barcelona RX, first event of the season, was the first event to face a postponement, being reallocated to a new date as soon as the organization can confirm it. The returning Montalegre RX is the new season debut on May 2nd, but with Covid-19 needing constant monitoring, date changes for it and for the Spa RX, set for May 16th, are possible.
PHOTOS - FIA World Rallycross Championship, Team Hansen, Johan Kristoffersson, GCK, GRX TANECO
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