Four teams confirmed for RallyX Americas season

This year, RallyX Americas looks more serious than ever in cementing stability for North American rallycross, and although a full calendar was released, with an all star race and participation in RallyX Global as extras, there were only some hints of the teams taking part of the new competition, but this week the identities of the organizations were revealed, with four squads between known names and returning entities for what will be called the Hypercar division.
 
Those campaigning the FirstCorner FC1-X indicate a slightly different direction taken by RX Promoter, just like they did with the track selection for the season. All four teams confirmed come from Europe, with no American team attached to them in this first moment, and these squads actually competed in the same turf some years ago, but not in RallyX.
 
Olsbergs MSE is the leading squad here, as they built the FC1-X, with the 1000hp model remaining as the sole high level electric rallycross car in action. Having campaigned supercars like the hugely popular Ford Fiesta ST RX and the Honda Civic Coupe RX, OMSE changed direction some years ago, following what was done with the Supercar Lites model but in a bigger scale, which is shown not only with the FC1-X but also with the FC2 model, which will be part of the second tier in RallyX Americas. They also have a long relationship with the United States, thanks to their factory Honda program and other ventures, so they are the team that’s the most at home.
 
JC Raceteknik kept their foot in the US since they started competing in Nitro Rallycross, and while in a collaboration with Dreyer& Reinbold Racing but also on their own, the Joel Christoffersson led squad has considerable mileage with the FC1-X, all while keeping other rallycross operations in Europe, like in OMSE’s case. Not only JC was the champion of the last two Nitrocross seasons with Robin Larsson, they were able to sign the only top class manufacturer deal the series had with Lia Block, a possibility that might be open for them again if Dodge is interested to come back.
 
SET Promotion expands to the US after the end of the World RX and of the RX1e spec, which occurred in the disbanding of the Construction Equipment Dealer Team project. With more and more efforts to appear in the American market but lacking a top class program until the moment, they will have to rely on every piece of knowledge that those with previous NRX experience can offer.
 
Lastly, Hansen Motorsport also moves from World RX after the end of the RX1e spec, which left the Kenneth and Susann Hansen led team without a place to drive, as they only had their electric cars in the garage. There was a time where Hansen would send the two sons to compete in Nitro Rallycross, meaning they had split programs in the US and Europe, but once Nitrocross got, their focus went back to World RX, and without any rallycross championships confirmed until now, their attention went to rally raid racing. Both Timmy and Kevin Hansen are well versed in electric machinery due to their time driving RX1e machines and competing in Extreme E, and this can be extended to Catie Munnings, so the Swedish team won’t be totally lost in the new environment.
 
It is likely that this announcement comes with the formation of the teams’ association in order to facilitate negotiations with the series and other parties, just like Nitrocross had, and nothing will stop that other squads join in, in special with the interest seen in the open tests held some time ago. While some drivers might be seen in one of these four squads once the season is underway at Crandon on 20 and 21 June, but others might appear in the RXA all star race later in the season.
 
PHOTO: RallyX