With the Race of Champions once again taking place on snow and ice, it only makes sense for rallycross cars to show up. In 2023’s case, the Zeroid X1 and Supercar Lites will fill that slot once again.
The Zeroid X1 (stylised in all caps as ZEROID X1) is the formal name of the spec car used by the FIA World Rallycross Championship’s RX2e category. Developed by QEV Technologies, it attained its current name in March when QEV rolled out the Zeroid brand of electric commercial vans. It weighs 1,170 kg and is capable of 335 horsepower with 510 Nm of torque.
The Supercar Lites have appeared at ROC since 2017, with 2022 marking the first year that it ran on fossil-free biofuel developed by Olsbergs MSE and P1 Performance Fuels. The car is lighter than the X1 at 1,100 kg and is slightly slower with 320 horsepower.
QEV began 2023 focusing on promoting Zeroid, especially as its commercial vehicles intend to start production later in the year. A fleet of X1s appeared at the Autosport International show where they raced against Supercars with internal combustion engines.
The Andorran ice rallycross GSeries also débuted the GSeries-E as its top category, where all competitors race the X1. The season opener on 14 January saw an RX2e podium sweep with Guillaume De Ridder, Raül Ferré, and and Viktor Vranckx.
Also set to take part at ROC 2023 is the Polaris RZR and CUPRA UrbanRebel Racing Concept. Conversely, Nitro Rallycross’ FC1-X has not been confirmed for a return; the series is in its first season with the new electric vehicle.
The 2023 Race of Champions will be held on 28/29 January.
