The 2022-23 Nitro Rallycross season starts this weekend at the legendary Lydden Hill track. This season will see a lot of new faces and some old ones as well.
What Is Nitro Rallycross?
Nitro Rallycross is something straight from the mind of Travis Pastrana. NRX tracks are a mix of regular Rallycross tracks and Dirtbike tracks. Nitro Rallycross made its debut in 2018 at the Nitro World Games and became a full-time series in 2021. There are four car classes in Nitro Rallycross, those classes being Crosskart, NRX Next, Supercar, and the new Group E class.
Nitro Rallycross Race Format
Nitro Rallycross events span across two days of races. The first day features a single solo qualifying lap, to determine position’s in the battle bracket. Battle brackets are used to determine pull positions on day 2. Two drivers go head to head during the battle brackets. Every time a driver wins a battle they gain a championship point, so these are important to win if you want to go for the championship.
Day two features two heat races where eight drivers race five laps, the top two drivers of each heat go directly to the finals. The other six drivers from each heat go into the semi finals. I’m the semi finals six drivers racing five laps. The top two drivers in each semi final will move onto the final, the remaining four drivers will go into the last chance qualifier. The last chance qualifier will feature the final eight cars that haven’t yet qualified for the finals. They will race five laps and the top two drivers advance to the finals. The finals feature 10 cars doing five laps. All drivers who make the finals are awarded points. Winning the final will give you 50 championship points, placing second will give you 45, and third will give you 40.
A Look Back At 2021
The inaugural Nitro Rallycross season took place in America due to COVID-19 restrictions. The driver’s championship was won by Travis Pastrana in his 2021 Subaru WRX STI prepared by Vermont Sportscar. Although he was tied in points with teammate Scott Speed, Travis won due to more events won. 2018 and 2019 winner Timmy Hansen placed one point behind Pastrana and Speed with 218. Hasen won the final event but wasn’t able to gain enough championship points.
What Is Lydden Hill?
Lydden Hill is a racing circuit in the United Kingdom and is the birthplace of Rallycross. It was first won by Vic Elford in a Porsche 911. In 2014 Lydden Hill made its debut on the FIA World Rallycross schedule and was won by Andreas Bakkerud.
Group E Class Rundown
The 2022 Nitro Rallycross season will see the debut of the Group E class. The Group E class will feature the brand new FC1-X. The FC1-X can go 0-60 in 1.5 seconds and can make over 1,000 peak horsepower.
When NRX Mastermind Travis Pastrana was asked about the FC1-X he said the following “With the FC1-X, our goal was to create the toughest and fastest Rallycross car ever built for competition. A car that will be able to excite the drivers and the fans while withstanding the toughest tracks in motorsport. That’s a tall order, but after having the opportunity to work with the best in the business we’re excited to see the results.” Pastrana adds, “Group B cars were the baddest cars ever rally’d. With that in mind, we are proud to name this new era of car, Group E. With more torque, acceleration, and top speed than any current Rallycross Supercar, you have to see it to believe it.”
The Group E driver list consists of:
- Travis Pastrana- Vermont SportsCar
- Conner Martell- Vermont SportsCar
- Oliver Bennett- Xite Energy Racing
- Kris Meeke- Xite Energy Racing
- Andreas Bakkerud- DRR JC
- Robin Larsso- DRR JC
- Kevin Eriksson- OMSE
- Oliver Eriksson- OMSE
- Fraser McConnell- DRR X Team Frazzz
All drivers will be driving the FC1-X.
SuperCar Class Rundown
Fraser McConnell is the sole returning SuperCar driver, he will be driving a Hyundai i20 WRX. Joining him will be British Rallycross Championship driver Dominic Flitney, who will be driving his Volvo C30. Yury Belevskiy will be driving his Audi S1 Quattro WRX. Tristan Ovenden will be driving a Citroen DS3. Patrick O’Donovan will be driving a Ford Fiesta. Flitney, Ovenden, and O’Donovan are all familiar with the track and are all British regulars. Belevskiy comes from the European RX, where he dominated the 2021 European RX3 Championship.
SuperCar class entry list:
- Patrick O’Donovan
- Fraser McConnell
- Dominic Flitney
- Tristan Ovenden
- Yury Belevskiy
NRX Next
NRX Next features either new drivers or drivers who haven’t yet made the SuperCar class. The drivers will be driving SuperCar lites, which are custom-built Rallycross cars.
NRX Next Entry List:
- George Megennis
- Lane Vacala
- Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky
- Kyle Schwartz
- Casper Jansson
- Ole Henry Steinsholt
- Tommi Hallman
- Simon Olofsson
My name is Joe Moore, I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
