The new all-electric FIA RX2e Championship support series hasn’t yet got underway but it has been announced that the cars will be being used in the 2022 Race of Champions in Sweden next year.
The 2022 edition of the Race of Champions will be held for the first time on icy and snowy conditions, and is set to be held on the frozen Baltic Sea in the outskirts of Piteå in Northern Sweden at the Pite Havsbad, where some of the world’s best drivers from all forms of motorsport disciplines will be racing head-to-head with the best driver in the world crowned the champion.
“We are thrilled to see the FIA RX2e car confirmed as part of the first-ever Race Of Champions to be held on the ice, and would like to thank Fredrik and his team for including us in what is always one of the highlights on the annual motorsport calendar.” Andreas Eriksson, CEO of Olsbergs MSE said.
“Race Of Champions invariably attracts the very crème de la crème of international superstars, and seeing them take to the track in the RX2e car will be an awesome sight. Rallycross is renowned for producing some of the most breathtaking action in the sport, and with this car’s eye-watering acceleration and ‘send-it-sideways’ style, I have no doubt that fans will enjoy every single moment – as, of course, will the drivers behind the wheel…“
Since the debut of the event as far back as 1988, the event has been held in various venues across the globe, from the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing to Paris’ Stade de France, as well as London’s Wembley and Olympic Stadiums to name a few and 2022 will mark the first appearance in the Nordic region.
There have been a total of 12 winners from Scandinavia, with Mattias Ekström, Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Mäkinen, Heikki Kovalainen and Stig Blomqvist being some of the drivers that have taken the crown previously. On the press conference that announced Sweden will be the hosting country, the three-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson was presented as the first driver to be confirmed to make a return.
“We are very happy to announce the stunning FIA RX2e car as the first electric car amongst the vehicles for the Race Of Champions Snow & Ice event at Pite Havsbad in Sweden, and we look forward to building a mutually successful long-term partnership together.” Fredrik Johnsson, President and Co-Founder of Race Of Champions, said.
“From what we have seen during the first tests, this brand new electric rallycross car has very impressive torque and overall performance. I’m confident that the RX2e car will be a spectacular addition to the event and that the many star drivers at Race Of Champions will love pushing this electric car to its limits as they compete head-to-head to prove that they are the fastest!”
Last week the RX2e car was tested at the location by Olsbergs MSE´s Kevin Eriksson and the fellow Swedish ralllycrosser Anton Marklund.
“This was a completely new world for me and I didn’t really know what to expect – I had never been in an electric race car before and had only been in an electric road car once – but I have to say, the RX2e car lived up to all my expectations and then some.” Eriksson, said.
“The driveability is the biggest thing. In a Supercar, although you have a lot of power, you can find yourself in the wrong gear sometimes or the revs might be too low which causes a slight delay, but in this car, the torque and power are always right there. That was the major surprise for me. It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it again!”
“It was my first time in a rallycross car with an electric powertrain, and my first impression was how easy the RX2e car was to drive, which was a very positive surprise. It handles very nicely, and I didn’t miss the gearbox at all – the electric motors give you the power you need from low revs to high revs, and you can really exploit that. Overall, it was a real pleasure to drive and I’m already looking forward to having the opportunity to try it again.” Marklund said.
In just under three months time the FIA RX2e series will be kicking off, the RX2e car uses an all-electric powertrain developed by the Spanish firm QEV Technologies and the cars have been doing a lot of testing in Spain over the past couple of months to ensure they are race ready.
“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into getting the new FIA RX2e project off the ground, and the current interest in the championship is just reward for everybody’s incredible efforts – but to be added to the 2022 Race Of Champions bill really is the icing on the cake and something very special indeed. It promises to give drivers from across the motorsport spectrum and fans in every corner of the globe an insight into rallycross’ exciting electric future.” Joan Orús, CEO of QEV Technologies, added.
“This is an event that brings together the very best racers in the world, and putting them on the ice will drag the vast majority right out of their comfort zone, so it will be fascinating to see who gets to grips with that challenge the quickest. It will also be very interesting and useful to gauge their feedback about the RX2e car, which they will clearly need to master if they want to win. We look forward to finding out who those drivers will be.”
