Andrew Carlson has made a name for himself in short course off-road racing, but will get another chance to strut his stuff in rallycross vehicles when Nitro Rallycross returns to ERX Motor Park on 1/2 October. He will drive the #15 FC1-X for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC in his first foray into the nascent Group E category.
Carlson’s family owns and operates ERX Motor Park in Wisconsin, which had been the source of local scrutiny in the spring regarding a conditional use permit until new terms were outlined in July. During Championship Off-Road‘s round there later in the month, he finished ninth in both Pro 4 races and won once in Pro Turbo SxS. Carlson would finish sixth in both classes’ standings with two Pro 4 podiums at Antigo and Bark River and the ERX Pro Turbo victory; a second Pro Turbo win eluded him at Dirt City when a belt broke as he began the final lap while leading.
In 2021, he ran the Nitro RX Supercar round at ERX for Olsbergs MSE and finished fifteenth overall. Among his adversaries in the race were Tanner Foust and Travis Pastrana, both of whom also competed against him in the Crandon World Cup that year; Foust returned to the 2022 World Cup with a truck provided by Carlson.
Unlike the Supercars, the Nitro Rallycross FC1-X is touted as the most powerful rallycross car ever built with much larger and stronger specs, which Carlson finds comparable to his short course vehicles.
“I’m very excited to get into a car that is going to be closer to the weight and power level of the off-road truck I am used to racing,” stated Carlson. “The fact that the FC1-X is a spec car is cool because it allows guys that haven’t raced the earlier races, like myself, to know that we are not going to be way off on the vehicle setup.”
Carlson will be joined at DRR JC by Andreas Bakkerud, Robin Larsson, and Fraser McConnell. The team won the first two Group E rounds of the season at Lydden Hill and Strängnäs with Larsson and Bakkerud, respectively. Other drivers to race for the team in 2022 include Johan Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby.
“We are very happy to have Andrew join us for his home event at ERX Motor Park,” said DRR owner Dennis Reinbold. “Andrew has thousands of laps around ERX Motor Park and we anticipate him to be quick out of the gate. His intimate track knowledge should provide him a boost as gets familiar with the FC1-X.”
