Sebastian Loeb will be back on the grid full-time for the 2023 FIA World Rallycross Championship. In a move guaranteed to set the pulses of rallycross fans racing, the legendary driver will be piloting an all-electric version of another rallying legend: the Lancia Delta Evo-e RX.
Loeb will be partnered at the new Special ONE Racing team by compatriot Guerlain Chicherit. The team is the sports branch of new company Special One, who state their aim as “to manufacture and distribute exclusive, eco-friendly, sporty vehicles such as the Delta Evo-e, an icon of the 1980s-1990s, retrofitted to electric”. The two Lancias will be fuelled by two 250kW engines which enable the cars to achieve 0-60mph times of 1.8 seconds.
Rallycross fans have already had a taste of what the Delta can do when Chicherit debuted the car at the Nürburgring at the last round of the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The car captivated audiences with its stunning looks and amazing speed before an unfortunate incident meant the campaign ended in the wall.
With two excellent drivers on board and a commitment to the sport for at least three years, Special ONE Racing clearly don’t intend to make up the numbers; they are here to win. Chicherit summed up the team’s attitude: “The scene is set to see Special ONE Racing become a top-notch team. From this season, we’ll have the opportunity to make history, becoming the first to have a retrofitted car win a World Championship race. Let’s get going!“
The scene is indeed set, as both cars and drivers have excellent racing pedigree. Chicherit has 40 WorldRX starts to his name, but the focus will surely be on Loeb. During his three seasons in WorldRX to date, he has chalked up two wins and fifteen podiums from 36 events. In 2018, he was the only driver other than Johan Kristoffersson to achieve an event win in a thrilling wet race at Mettet, Belgium. With a calendar full of races at classic rallycross circuits, and both Kristoffersson and Loeb on the grid, the stage is set for an epic clash of the titans.
Between them, the Lancia Delta and Sebastian Loeb have a mind-blowing 17 WRC titles to their name. He admits to having a weakness for the car, as he is “from a generation that was brought up seeing wins by Lancia Deltas in rally racing…but when Guerlain spoke to me the first time about tackling a rallycross, I thought he was mad! Then I tried the car in December 2022 and I was immediately won over by its dynamic qualities. I have great faith in this project and I can’t wait to champion it on tracks around the world”.
The 2023 FIA World Rallycross Championship gets underway on 3/4 June in Montalegre, Portugal, and it promises to be spectacular.
