It took quite the time to start the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship season, and due to the current circumstances in the World some tracks also paid the price, but we will have quite the spectacle with the names that composed the 2019 grid having the company of some new and returning drivers that will make the title race get really hot.
So, before turning the attentions to Höljes as the teams are preparing their things there, here is the guide of who’s starting, so you can know the names and maybe discover someone to root for.
Team Hansen
Car model: 2x Peugeot 208 WRX
Drivers: Timmy Hansen (Sweden - #1) and Kevin Hansen (Sweden - #9)
One of the World RX traditional families secured their return this year, quite unlike the 2019 season where the team had a late announcement for their pair of drivers. The always reliable Peugeot 208 WRX stays in the stable, but the title defenders will need some sort of extra given the level increase of the grid. Along the fact that the driver pairing is unchanged, Timmy and Kevin Hansen are the best in team play when the need comes, which helped them in some occasions for the 2019 title bid.
GRX TANECO/GRX Set
Car model: 3x Hyundai i20 RX
Full time drivers: Niclas Grönholm (Finland - #68) and Timur Timerzyanov (Russia - #7)
Part time drivers: Krisztián Szábo (Hungary - #123) and Juha Rytkönen (Finland - #177)
GRX TANECO was one of the teams that demonstrated more potential in 2019, with the full and part time drivers being impressive in the WRC-based Hyundai i20 RX prepared by SET Promotion. Timur Timerzyanov returned to victory ways, and it’s undeniable that Niclas Grönholm was the “moral champion”, as the Finn could’ve fought for the title if it wasn’t the illness that sidelined him for two events.
The question mark lies more in the partial drivers. As despite the fact that Szábo and Rytkönen are fast drivers, they have to go up a high bar that was set by Reinis Nitiss, Joni Wiman and Toomas Heikkinen in 2019.
Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel
Car model: 2x GCK Megane R.S. RX
Drivers: Andreas Bakkerud (Norway - #13) and Liam Doran (UK - #33)
The reformulation of the GCK operation somehow gets mixed up with the RX Cartel reformulation, as a free pair of Meganes ended with the team after leaving the Audis operated by EKS behind. The pair of French machines will be well served with the Bakkerud/Doran pairing, but especially with the current World RX runner up. The stability of the car will be key to their title bid, and will aid into Doran’s bold driving style.
Along Team Hansen, RX Cartel benefits from some good team tactics but also from Doran’s knowledge of the car, as his return to action was with GCK.
KYB Team JC
Car model: 2x Audi S1 EKS RX
Full time driver: Robin Larsson (Sweden - #4)
Part time drivers: Mattias Ekström (Sweden - #5) and Janis Baumanis (Latvia - #6)
KYB Team JC’s entry into World RX was mostly a matter of time and resources, as Robin Larsson left nothing more to prove in the lower levels with his hard-fought RallyX Nordic title and his Euro RX thrashing last year, which even gave time to sample the World RX ambient at Riga.
Larsson will be the pacemaker of the team, but Ekström can’t be ignored, even though he is only doing one-offs from time to time. Although focused in support to his former Audi fleet, Ekström can be fast from the go and can do the team play if needed, so it’s a pity that he won’t be racing all the time.
GCK UNKORRUPTED/GCK
Car model: 3x GCK Clio R.S. RX
Full time drivers - Guerlain Chicherit (France - #36) and Rokas Baciuska (Lithuania - #14)
Part time drivers - Kevin Abbring (Netherlands - #24)
GCK now has the biggest operation in the World RX grid, but the main team will leave the GCK Megane to its peers to use the agile and nimble GCK Clio R.S. RX, and Guerlain Chicherit decided to keep Rokas Baciuska around to aid in their quest to be main players of the game. Baciuska made a name for himself last year after leaving ESMotorsport, being quick enough to pose a threat to the established names, so keep an eye on him.
Kevin Abbring made the transition to rally with style, also being fast at ESMotorsport, and the fact that he won’t be around all the season doesn’t mean he will lose touch of how to be competitive, so he can be considered another weapon of the team.
GCK Bilstein
Car model: GCK Megane R.S. RX
Driver: Anton Marklund (Sweden - #92)
The only combo that’s staying unchanged from 2019, but it’s not like Anton Marklund and the gang aren’t working on improvements in the Megane R.S. RX, with the focus being on launch sequence and handling. As per Mr. Marklund’s explanation, the Megane is good but offered very little margin for error, so the suspension improvements and weight reduction were aimed to to make the Megane’s driving more forgiving, which also offers more possibilities to try different lines and overcome deficiencies depending on the track.
Volkswagen Dealer Team BAUHAUS
Car model: Volkswagen Polo GTi RX
Driver: Johan Kristoffersson (Sweden - #3)
Yes, the champion is back! After a year dedicated to touring car racing in WTCR and STCC, Johan Kristoffersson includes rallycross in his schedule again, but don’t expect the dealer team to be like the factory-blessed PSRX Volkswagen RX Sweden where he conquered the 2017 and 2018 titles, as his current operation is more like the Volkswagen RX Sweden that was KMS and Marklund Motorsport combined into one some years ago.
Despite the disadvantage of a one car team, Kristoffersson has his driving style as his valuable trump card, which brings the speed of the machine with absolute precision, so if left alone, he is the threat on the grid.
Olsbergs MSE
Car model: Honda Civic Coupé RX
Driver: Sebastian Eriksson (Sweden - #93)
Olsbergs’ return to World RX couldn’t be in more comfortable conditions, at home, the circuit where a wildcard Olsbergs Fiesta RX won its one-off in 2019, and with the same Sebastian Eriksson doing the driving. There are only two differences in 2020, as the Fiesta gives place to the Civic and Eriksson is on its own now, with Oliver Eriksson going to Euro RX and Ulrik Linnemann staying in RallyX Nordic.
The Civic has some good recent records, as Oliver Eriksson comes from a runner-up place in RallyX Nordic, though it is expected that the Swedish team may have made the car more nimble with the 2020 upgrades as it suffered with more twisty tracks, which are a major part of the World RX calendar.
ALL-INKL.com Münnich Motorsport
Car model: 2x SEAT Ibiza RX
Drivers: Timo Scheider (Germany - #44) and René Münnich (Germany - #77)
This is one of the squads that had the least changes between seasons, though the announcement of a new pair of SEAT Ibizas and the addition of René Münnich to Timo Scheider gives some sort of strength to battle with the big names.
Ferratum Team
Car model: Ford Fiesta RX
Driver: Jani Paasonen (Finland - #11)
Ferratum Team is a new team and isn’t at the same time, as Jani Paasonen simply came with its own squad as STARD will be away from the grid. The trump card in Paasonen’s hand is being able to work at home, as his base is in his home country and the car’s mechanics were also done at home. Curiously the Fiesta of the former WRC driver will be the only Ford in the grid, so he has to represent well the most popular rallycross supercar of the modern era, but he also has to do some catch up as he still needs to go past the qualifying phase in World RX.
A good remind is that since it’s a double header, each event will have all of its phases done within a day, with Round 1 going on Saturday (22) and Round 2 going on Sunday (23). Another change is that there will be only three qualifying heats, but the rest will stay as it is, with the six lap semifinals and the six lap final. Best 12 within the qualifiers go to the semis, and the best 3 of each semifinal go to the final.
For the countries with World RX TV deals, the finals will be there while all the other sessions will be available on live stream on Facebook and YouTube. For the countries without TV deals, all sessions including the finals will be live streamed for free in the same online channels.
PHOTOS - GCK, Team Hansen, JC Raceteknik, Kristoffersson Motorsport, Timo Scheider, Jani Paasonen, FIA World Rallycross
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