2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship

The 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship was the eighth season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, an auto racing championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallycross.

The championship was due to begin on 12 June at the Lånkebanen in Norway and end on 10 October at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium; however after calendar adjustments, it began on 23 July at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain and ended on 28 November at the Nürburgring in Germany.

2021 was the first season with the WRC Promoter GmbH as the championship promoter after succeeding IMG,[1] subsequently formed Rallycross Promoter GmbH.[2] Johan Kristoffersson won the Drivers' Championship for the fourth time. Hansen World RX Team won the Teams' Championship.

Calendar edit

The 2021 championship was due to be contested over 10 rounds in Europe, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The initial calendar was released on 16 December 2020, it included two unconfirmed slots: 1 for a round in Europe, and one for a round in the Middle East/Asia.[3] On 26 March 2021, the calendar was adjusted due to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic; and the rounds in Finland, Middle East, and South Africa were removed from the calendar.[4] On 12 May 2021; the calendar was adjusted again by cancelling World RX of Norway, postponing World RX of Sweden, and World RX of Portugal returned to the calendar as the final round.[5]

Rnd Event Date Venue Class Winner Team Report
1   World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya 23–24 July Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló RX1   Kevin Hansen   Hansen World RX Team Report
RX2e   Guillaume De Ridder   Guillaume De Ridder
2   World RX of Sweden 20–22 August[a] Höljesbanan, Höljes RX1   Timmy Hansen   Hansen World RX Team Report
RX2e   Jesse Kallio   Olsbergs MSE
3   Bretagne World RX of Lohéac 3–5 September Circuit de Lohéac, Lohéac RX1   Timmy Hansen   Hansen World RX Team Report
RX2e   Dorian Deslandes   Olsbergs MSE
4   Ferratum World RX of Riga 18–19 September Biķernieku Kompleksā Sporta Bāze, Riga RX1   Niclas Grönholm   GRX-SET World RX Team Report
5   Johan Kristoffersson   KYB EKS JC
6   Benelux World RX of Spa-Francorchamps 9–10 October Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot RX1   Johan Kristoffersson   KYB EKS JC Report
RX2e   Guillaume De Ridder   Guillaume De Ridder
7   Cooper Tires World RX of Montalegre 16–17 October Pista Automóvel de Montalegre, Montalegre RX1   Niclas Grönholm   GRX-SET World RX Team Report
8   World RX of Germany 27–28 November Nürburgring, Nürburg RX1   Johan Kristoffersson   KYB EKS JC Report
9   Niclas Grönholm   GRX-SET World RX Team
RX2e   Guillaume De Ridder   Guillaume De Ridder
Cancelled Races
C   World RX of Norway[5] 12–13 June Lånkebanen, Hell RX1 Cancelled
RX2e

Calendar Changes edit

Series News edit

  • The FIA announced a tender process to find a new promoter to replace IMG. IMG had been the championship's promoters since its inception in 2014.[8]
  • On 11 February 2021, it was announced that WRC Promoter GmbH would replace IMG as the championship's promoter,[9] subsequently formed Rallycross Promoter GmbH on 21 April 2021.[2]
  • The Supercar class was renamed RX1.[10]
  • The RX2 class was discontinued. It was replaced by the electric RX2e class.[10]

Entries edit

RX1 edit

Constructor Team Car No. Drivers Rounds Ref
Audi   KYB EKS JC Audi S1 1   Johan Kristoffersson All [11]
91   Enzo Ide All [12]
  Kárai Motorsport Sportegyesület 73   Tamás Kárai 1, 8-9 [13]
  Volland Racing KFT 95   Yury Belevskiy 8-9 [14]
Citroën   Hervé Knapick Citroën DS3 84   Hervé Knapick 3, 6, 8-9[b] [15]
Ford   Ollie O'Donovan Ford Fiesta 2   Ollie O'Donovan 3, 6-9 [16]
  Juha Rytkönen 18   Juha Rytkönen 1-2, 4-6 [17]
  Team SKÅAB 31   Stefan Kristensson 8-9 [14]
  Nyirád Motorsport KFT 50   Attila Mozer 1-2 [13]
Hyundai   Hedströms Motorsport Hyundai i20 8   Peter Hedström 2 [18]
92   Anton Marklund 6, 8-9 [19]
  GRX-SET World RX Team 23   Krisztián Szabó All [20]
68   Niclas Grönholm All [20]
  Davy Jeanney 27   Davy Jeanney 8-9 [21]
  Patrick Guillerme 83   Patrick Guillerme 1 [13]
Mini   Oliver Bennett Mini Cooper 42   Oliver Bennett 1 [22]
Peugeot   Hansen World RX Team Peugeot 208 9   Kevin Hansen All [23]
21   Timmy Hansen All [24]
Renault   Unkorrupted Renault Mégane R.S. 36   Guerlain Chicherit 8-9 [14]
69   Kevin Abbring 1-6 [25]
SEAT   ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza 5   Mattias Ekström 4-5 [26]
38   Mandie August 1 [27]
44   Timo Scheider 1, 3-6 [28]
77   René Münnich 1 [27]
Volkswagen   Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo 17   Dan Öberg 1, 4-5 [13]

RX2e edit

Constructor Team Car No. Drivers Rounds Ref
QEV Technologies   Ann Luijten ZEROID X1[29] 2   Kobe Pauwels 5 [30]
  Ruben Fernandez Gil 5   Pablo Suárez 1 [31]
  Monlau Competición 2-5 [32]
  Olsbergs MSE 11   Dorian Deslandes 3 [33]
12   Klara Andersson 4-5 [34]
28   Filip Thorén 4-5 [34]
35   Fraser McConnell [c] 1-2 [35]
47   Jesse Kallio All [36]
82   Isak Sjökvist 2-5 [32]
121   Conner Martell 3-4 [33]
  Patrick O'Donovan 13   Patrick O'Donovan All [37]
  Kristoffersson Motorsport 14   Nils Andersson 2-3 [38]
  RN Kaspersky Racing Team 15   Reinis Nitišs 3 [33]
  Linus Östlund 18   Linus Östlund 2 [32]
  Damien Meunier 21   Damien Meunier 1-2 [39]
  XITE Energy Racing 22   Christine Giampaoli Zonca 4 [34]
  Jan Oscar Ortfeldt 36   Jan Oscar Ortfeldt [d] 1 [40][41]
  Acciona Sainz XE Team 44   Laia Sanz 4 [34]
  G4 Motors SA 55   José-Luis García Molina 1 [42]
  Mark Flaherty 77   Mark Flaherty 1 [43]
  Ole-Henry Steinsholt 88   Ole-Henry Steinsholt 1 [44]
  Guillaume De Ridder 96   Guillaume De Ridder All [45]
  Escuderia Mollerussa 112   Pepe Arqué 5 [30]
  Cyril Raymond 113   Cyril Raymond 3 [33]
  EKS JC 170   Isak Reiersen 2 [32]

Championship Standings edit

World Championship points are scored as follows:

Position
Round 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th
Heats 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Semi-Finals 6 5 4 3 2 1
Final 8 5 4 3 2 1

RX1 Driver's Championship edit

Pos. Driver BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
LAT
 
BEL
 
PRT
 
GER
 
Points
1   Johan Kristoffersson 3 7 7 5 1 1 6 1 3 217
2   Timmy Hansen 2 1 1 2 3 4 2 5 4 217
3   Niclas Grönholm 8 8 3 1 2 8 1 4 1 197
4   Kevin Hansen 1 2 2 3 5 2 3 9 2 191
5   Krisztián Szabó 4 5 5 4 6 3 4 3 7 162
6   Enzo Ide 10 4 8 9 9 5 5 6 6 125
7   Kevin Abbring 6 3 4 8 8 7 97
8   Timo Scheider 7 6 6 7 9 75
9   Juha Rytkönen 9 6 10 10 10 52
10   Mattias Ekström 7 4 37
11   Ollie O'Donovan 9 12 7 13 13 37
12   Yury Belevskiy 2 9 36
13   Anton Marklund 6 12 8 33
14   Guerlain Chicherit 7 5 27
15   Tamás Kárai 11 10 11 25
16   Davy Jeanney 8 10 20
17   Hervé Knapick 10 11 NC WD 18
18   René Münnich 5 16
19   Stefan Kristensson 11 12 14
20   Attila Mózer 14 10 13
21   Peter Hedström 9 11
22   Oliver Bennett 12 8
23   Dan Öberg 16 11[e] 11 7
24   Mandie August 13 4
25   Patrick Guillerme 15 2
Pos. Driver BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
LAT
 
BEL
 
PRT
 
GER
 
Points
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

RX1 Team's Championship edit

Pos. Team No. BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
LAT
 
BEL
 
PRT
 
GER
 
Points
1   Hansen World RX Team 9 1 2 2 3 5 2 3 9 2 408
21 2 1 1 2 3 4 2 5 4
2   GRX-SET World RX Team 23 4 5 5 4 6 3 4 3 7 359
68 8 8 3 1 2 8 1 4 1
3   KYB EKS JC 1 3 7 7 5 1 1 6 1 3 342
91 10 4 8 9 9 5 5 6 6
Pos. Driver BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
LAT
 
BEL
 
PRT
 
GER
 
Points

RX2e Driver's Championship edit

Pos. Driver BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
BEL
 
GER
 
Points
1   Guillaume De Ridder 1 4 3 1 1 134
2   Jesse Kallio 5 1 4 2 2 123
3   Pablo Suárez 4 10 10 5 3 76
4   Patrick O'Donovan 3 6 9 7 7 76
5   Isak Sjökvist 3 6 3 5 72
6   Fraser McConnell 6 2 49
7   Klara Andersson 4 8 35
8   Dorian Deslandes 1 30
9   Nils Andersson 7 8 29
10   Conner Martell 5 9 26
11   Reinis Nitišs 2 24
12   Filip Thorén 6 9 23
13   Damien Meunier 8 9 23
14   Ole Henry Steinsholt 2 21
15   Kobe Pauwels 4 21
16   Linus Östlund 5 19
17   Pepe Arqué 6 18
18   Cyril Raymond 7 16
19   Jose-Luis Garcia Molina 7 13
20   Christine Giampaoli Zonca 8 13
21   Isak Reiersen 8 13
22   Mark Flaherty 9 10
23   Jan Oscar Ortfeldt 10 9
24   Laia Sanz 10 9
Pos. Driver BAR
 
SWE
 
FRA
 
BEL
 
GER
 
Points

Notes edit

  1. ^ World RX of Sweden was originally due to take place on 2–4 July 2021; however it was rescheduled to 20–22 August 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[5]
  2. ^ Hervé Knapick was entered into round 9, but was later withdrawn as a result of crash damage sustained in round 8.
  3. ^ Fraser McConnell is a Jamaican driver competing under a Swedish license.
  4. ^ Jan Oscar Ortfeldt is a Swedish driver competing under an Italian license.
  5. ^ Dan Öberg was deducted 10 championship points for the use of a fourth turbo over the season.

References edit

  1. ^ "FIA and WRC promoter to run World Rallycross from 2021". 11 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Rallycross Promoter GmbH builds team for World RX future". FIA World Rallycross. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ Wood, Elliot (16 December 2020). "Finland returns for World RX 2021 but no new promoter yet". dirtfish.com. Dirtfish Media. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "FIA World Rallycross Championship Adjusts 2021 Calendar". fiaworldrallycross.com. FIA World Rallycross. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Montalegre Returns On Revised Calendar". fiaworldrallycross.com. FIA World Rallycross. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  6. ^ "2021 WORLD RX OF RIGA-LATVIA BECOMES DOUBLE-HEADER EVENT". 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  7. ^ "World RX of Germany postponed as Nürburgring assists disaster relief effort". 22 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  8. ^ Ridge, Hal (14 October 2020). "FIA launches tender process to find new WRX promoter". motorsport.com. Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Wilde, Dominik (11 February 2021). "WRC Promoter appointed new World RX Rights Holder". dirtfish.com. Dirtfish Media. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  10. ^ a b FVR (9 October 2020). "What's in a name - new names Supercar and Super1600". rallycross.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Kristoffersson fired-up for 'new challenge' with EKS JC". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  12. ^ "IDE FIRST DRIVER TO COMMIT TO FULL 2021 SEASON". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 19 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "CATALUNYA ENTRY FEATURES 17-STRONG GRIDS IN WORLD RX AND RX3". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ a b c "Fourteen-car entry for Nürburgring season finale". FIA World Rallycross Championship. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
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  21. ^ "World RX's first French winner returns to the fray for the Nürburgring". FIA World Rallycross Championship. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  22. ^ "BRITAIN'S BENNETT REJOINS FRAY FOR CATALUNYA CURTAIN-RAISER". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  23. ^ "KEVIN HANSEN: IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE!". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 7 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  24. ^ "TIMMY HANSEN AIMING TO RECONQUER HIS CROWN IN 2021". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  25. ^ "ABBRING SET FOR FIRST FULL WORLD RX SEASON WITH UNKORRUPTED". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Former World Champion Ekström rejoins fray for Riga". FIA World Rallycross Championship. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  27. ^ a b "THREE ALL-INKL.COM MÜNNICH MOTORSPORT SEATS FOR BARCELONA". FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP. 28 June 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
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  29. ^ RX2e. "The drivers test the car ahead of the 2023 season – RX2e". Retrieved 20 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  31. ^ "Suárez excited to start FIA RX2e adventure on home soil with Spaniard all set for Catalunya contest". FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP. 5 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  32. ^ a b c d RX2e. "FIA RX2e Höljes entry list confirmed – RX2e". Retrieved 18 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ a b c d "Ex-World RX aces Nitišs and Raymond join RX2e field at Lohéac". FIA World Rallycross Championship. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  34. ^ a b c d "Trio of fast females bolster stellar Spa grid in RX2e". FIA World Rallycross Championship. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  35. ^ "Fraser McConnell targeting all-electric glory as Jamaican joins FIA RX2e for Barcelona curtain-raiser". FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Kallio promises flat-out performances as flying Finn latest rising star added to FIA RX2e grid in Barcelona". FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  37. ^ "O'Donovan turns dream into reality with FIA RX2e entry as rallycross starlet announced for Barcelona". FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP. 5 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  38. ^ RX2e. "Andersson bolsters FIA RX2e Championship field with Swede ready to get stuck in at Höljes – RX2e". Retrieved 5 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ "Meunier joins burgeoning FIA RX2e field as French prodigy prepares for season-opener". FIA RX2e CHAMPIONSHIP. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  40. ^ RX2e. "Oscar Ortfeldt a late addition to RX2e grid as Pepe Arqué ruled out of Catalunya contest – RX2e". Retrieved 23 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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External links edit