FIA World Rallycross Championship (WRX)
The FIA World Rallycross Championship - also known as WRX or World RX - went electric starting with the 2022 season. Rallycross combines rallye, i.e. off-road motorsport, with circuit racing. Short races with few cars are held on tracks with different surfaces, such as asphalt, sand, or gravel.
The World RX is the top category in global rallycross and was created in 2014 from the European Rallycross Championship, which was awarded world championship status. After eight seasons, a new era began for the series in 2022: The traditional combustion engines were replaced by electric powertrains. The series' electric plans were originally set to be implemented in 2020, but were delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2021, the commercial implementation of the series has been the responsibility of Rallycross Promoter GmbH - a joint venture between Red Bull and KW25 - which belongs to WRC Promoter GmbH. The WRX made its electric debut on July 2nd 2022 in Höljes, Sweden.
WRX Calendar 2023
| Race | Date | Location | Country |
| 1 | 17+18/06/2023 | Hell | Norway |
| 2 | 01+02/07/2023 | Höljes | Sweden |
| 3 | 22+23/07/2023 | Lydden Hill | United Kingdom |
| 4 | 05+06/08/2023 | Mettet | Belgium |
| 5 | 26+27/08/2023 | Montalegre | Portugal |
| 6 | 09+10/09/2023 | Estering (Buxtehude) | Germany |
| 7+8 | 21+22/10/2023 | Cape Town | South Africa |
| 9+10 | 25+26/11/2023 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
WRX Standings: World Championship 2023
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Johan Kristoffersson | Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS | 23 |
| 2 | Kevin Hansen | Hansen World RX Team | 16 |
| 3 | Niclas Grönholm | Construction Equipment Dealerteam | 15 |
| 4 | Ole Christian Veiby | Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS | 12 |
| 5 | Klara Andersson | Construction Equipment Dealerteam | 11 |
| 6 | Sebastian Loeb | Special One Racing | 10 |
| 7 | Timmy Hansen | Hansen World RX Team | 10 |
| 8 | Guerlain Chicherit | Special One Racing | 8 |
| 9 | Timo Scheider | All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport | 7 |
| 10 | Gustav Bergström | Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS | 6 |
Drivers & Teams
So far, three teams have announced their line-ups for the RX1e class, the highest on the WRX bill. For the previous season in 2022, five teams had registered, also including Kristoffersson Motorsport, ES Motorsport, and All-inkl.com Münnich Motorsport. Whether or not they will return with new entries in 2023 has not been confirmed yet.
| Team | Vehicle | Driver |
| GCK Performance | Lancia Delta Evo-e | Sebastien Loeb |
| Lancia Delta Evo-e | Guerlain Chicherit | |
| Hansen World RX Team | Peugeot 208 RX1e | Kevin Hansen |
| Peugeot 208 RX1e | Timmy Hansen | |
| Construction Equipment Dealer Team | PWR RX1e | Niclas Grönholm |
| PWR RX1e | Klara Andersson | |
| PWR RX1e | Niklas Grönholm |
Race Format
Before the first full-electric season in 2022, organizers and teams have revised the race format. However, the basic structure, consisting of several short races (called heats), remains the same. A race event can now be divided into five sections: SuperPole, Heats, Progression Race, Semi-Finals, and Final. All heats include a maximum of five cars competing against each other over a distance of five laps.
SuperPole
In the WRX combustion engine era, the starting order for the first heat was drawn by lot. This format is replaced by a so-called "SuperPole". After free practice, each driver gets the opportunity to set a fast lap. This result determines the starting order.
Progression Race
After the SuperPole, three heats are held. All drivers generally qualify for the Progression Race, but those who perform best cumulatively in the heats can choose their starting position first. Those who finish in the top 10 in this race qualify for the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals & Final
The final phase of the race weekend remains unchanged, with only the number of vehicles in the semi-finals increased to ten. The first two drivers from each semi-final plus the third-placed driver with the faster time qualify for the final.
Points System
Points are awarded only at the end of the weekend, after the completion of the final race. The top 15 drivers receive championship points. A driver can earn a maximum of 20 points, while 15th place receives one point.
| Position | Points |
| 1 | 20 |
| 2 | 16 |
| 3 | 13 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 11 |
| 6 | 10 |
| 7 | 9 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 10 | 6 |
| 11 | 5 |
| 12 | 4 |
| 13 | 3 |
| 14 | 2 |
| 15 | 1 |
Technology & Performance of an Electric WRX Car
In any given season, up to 14 WRX cars could line up on the starting grids, as the FIA World Championship has reserved that many identical RX1 cars from Austrian manufacturer Kreisel Electric. The cars can to deliver 500 kW of power, 880 Nm of torque and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 1.8 seconds. Chassis and other parts can be individually produced or used by the teams.
| Car type | RX1 car |
| Performance | 500 kW |
| Torque | 880 Nm |
| Voltage | 860 V |
| Battery capacity | 52.65 kWh |
| Charging power | 60 kW |
| Total weight | 1,300 kg |
| Acceleration 0-100 kph | 1.8 s |
FIA RX2e Championship
The FIA RX2e Championship is a Rallycross championship supported by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which holds its events with all-electric vehicles as part of the FIA World RX race weekends. It was created when the planned electrification of its larger sister series in 2021 was postponed by one year. RX2e was thus a pioneer series in which the first experiences with the new vehicle technology were gathered. Today, it is intended to train young talents in electric motorsport.
The first RX2e event took place in Spain in July 2021. The first champion of the series was Guillaume de Ridder. In the second season, the title remained in Belgium, as his compatriot Victor Vranckx collected the most points over the 2022 season.
The RX2e is part of five European WRX events per season.
| Race | Date | Track | Country |
| 01 | 17.-18.06.2023 | Hell | Norway |
| 02 | 01.-02.07.2023 | Höljes | Sweden |
| 03 | 22.-23.07.2023 | Lydden Hill | United Kingdom |
| 04 | 05.-06.08.2023 | Mettet | Belgium |
| 05 | 19.-20.08.2023 | Estering | Germany |
Since the RX2e is mainly made up of young drivers, not all of them are permanently linked to a racing team. Some of them are individual starters. Also, the grid can vary as some drivers only take part in certain rounds of the RX2e calendar.
| No. | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Isak Sjökvist | #YellowSquad | 36 |
| 2 | Nils Andersson | Team E | 31 |
| 3 | Victor Vranckx | VMV Racing | 27 |
| 4 | Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky | Team E | 25 |
| 5 | Pablo Suarez | Zeroid Motorsport | 20 |
| 6 | Filip Thoren | Zeroid Motorsport | 20 |
| 7 | Ole Henry Steinsholt | Ole Henry Steinsholt | 17 |
| 8 | Christina Gutierrez | Zeroid Motorsport | 17 |
| 9 | Catie Munnings | #YellowSquad | 16 |
| 10 | Marko Muru | SET Promotion | 8 |
| 11 | Laia Sanz | Acciona | Sainz XE Team | 8 |
*Ole Henry Steinsholt was deducted 5 championship points for a crash with Catie Munnings.
Each RX2e event consists of three practice sessions, one qualifying session, four Heat races, two semi-finals and one final. The regulations of the series are laid down in Appendix I of the "FIA European Rallycross Championship Sporting Regulations" and are therefore publicly available.
Up to five vehicles take part in each Heat, competing against each other in a short race over five laps. After each Heat, points will be awarded in an intermediate classification - a maximum of 50 points per Heat win. The best twelve drivers in this intermediate ranking will qualify for the semi-finals.
In semi-final 1, the drivers 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th place meet. The others compete in semi-final 2. The semi-finals are each scheduled for five rounds. The top 3 of both semi-finals will each make it to the final. This means that six cars take part in the final race. The driver with the most points from the Heats will start the race from pole position.
In RX2e, points are awarded two times during the race weekend: Firstly, the top 3 drivers in the Heat phase are rewarded with championship points - similar to the point for pole position in Formula E. Three points are awarded to the best driver in the Heats, two points for second place and one for third place.
Also, at the end of each race event, championship points are awarded to the top 15 drivers of the weekend. The winner of the final will receive 20 points, while 15th place will receive one point.
| Pos. | Points |
| 1 | 20 |
| 2 | 16 |
| 3 | 13 |
| 4 | 12 |
| 5 | 11 |
| 6 | 10 |
| 7 | 9 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 10 | 6 |
| 11 | 5 |
| 12 | 4 |
| 13 | 3 |
| 14 | 2 |
| 15 | 1 |
QEV Technologies, a specialist in electric motorsport, is responsible for the production of the RX2e vehicles.The Spanish company once managed the entries of the Mahindra and NextEV (now: Nio 333) teams in Formula E. The RX2e receives additional support from the Swedish Rallycross team Olsberg MSE.
All RX2e teams use an identical car, which is equipped with two e-motors that provide propulsion independently of each other on the front and rear axles. In seasons 1 and 2, this produced a maximum performance of 250 kW with a torque of up to 510 Nm. With the start of the third season, the power output was increased to 270 kW. In addition, there is a boost mode that the drivers can use once per race. It increases the performance by 80 kW for a short time.
| Energy output (max.) | 270 kW |
| Motors | 2 motors by QEV Technologies (max. 12,500 rpm) |
| Drive | All-wheel drive |
| Torque | 510 Nm |
| Battery | 30 kWh |
| Chassis | Tubular frame, high-strength steel, lightweight bodywork |
| Suspension | Double wishbone, push rod suspension |
| Dampers & Brakes | Triple adjustable dampers, lightweight brake calipers |
| Electronics | Powerful VCU, customised dashboard for manual input |
| Weight | 1,290 kg (incl. driver), distribution 50/50 |
| Dimensions (length / width / height) | 4,050 mm / 1,800 mm / 1,500 mm |
