The 2022-23 Nitro Rallycross season continues this weekend with the second and final event of the European leg.
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 Dirtbiking 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.
Looking Back On Lydden Hill
The legendary Lydden Hill track started the 2022-23 NRX Season and also saw the debut of the Group E class and the FC1-X. Robin Larsson was able to take home first place honors at Lydden Hill, while also winning the Group E class for the first time. Fraser McConnell was able to take home first place honors in the SuperCar class.
A Rallycross Legend Goes Nitro
Joining the already stacked Group E class this weekend will be four-time World Rallycross Championship Johan Kristoffersson. This will be Kristoffersson’s second Rallycross event in Sweden this month, as he raced round two of the European Rallycross Championship in Höljes where he placed 12th. Kristoffersson has won the last four World Rallycross titles, winning three of the four in a Volkswagen Polo and the fourth in an Audi S1.
Group E Rundown
Johan Kristoffersson will be joined by the regular group of Group E drivers, with a few familiar faces among the group. Kristoffersson and Bakkerud are normally rivals when racing against one another, but this weekend they’ll have to get used to being friends, as they alongside Robin Larsson and Fraser McConnell will be racing for DRR JC. Travis Pastrana and Conner Martell of Vermont Sportscar should be looking to bounce back after a rather disappointing result at Lydden Hill, which saw Pastrana place seventh in the finals, and Martell missing the finals.
Group E Entry List
- Robin Larsson DRR JC
- Andreas Bakkerud DRR JC
- Johan Kristoffersson DRR JC
- Fraser McConnell DRR JC
- Travis Pastrana Vermont Sportscar
- Conner Martell Vermont Sportscar
- Niclas Grönholm OMSE
- Oliver Eriksson OMSE
- Ole Christian Velby JC
- Kris Meeke Xite Energy
- Oliver Bennett Xite Energy
Group E Championship
- Robin Larsson 50
- Andreas Bakkerud 46
- Niclas Grönholm 42
- Fraser McConnell 35
- Ole Christian Velby 32
SuperCar Class Rundown
Fraser McConnell will be looking to go two for two in the SuperCar class with a win again this weekend. McConnell is one of three returning SuperCar class drivers, the other two are Yury Belevskiy and Patrick O’Donovan.
SuperCar Class Entry List
- Fraser McConnell Hyundai i20
- Yury Belevskiy Audi S1
- Patrick O’Donovan Ford Fiesta
- Gustav Bergström Volkswagen Polo
- Per Eklund Volkswagen Beetle
NRX Race Format
Nitro Rallycross events span two days of races. The first day features a single solo qualifying lap, to determine positions in the battle bracket. Battle brackets are used to determine pull positions on day two. 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, and the top two drivers of each heat go directly to the finals. The other six drivers from each heat go into the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, six drivers race 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.
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.
