Nitrocross

Last updated
Nitrocross
Nitrocross Logo.png
Category Rallycross
CountryInternational
Inaugural season2021
ClassesGroup E
NEXT
SxS
Manufacturers OMSE
Can-Am
Volkswagen
Tire suppliers Yokohama
Drivers' champion Flag of Sweden.svg Robin Larsson
Teams' champion Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC
Official website www.nitrocrossracing.com
Motorsport current event.svg Current season

Nitrocross, formerly known as Nitro Rallycross, is an American rallycross racing series. Created by rallycross driver Travis Pastrana and the Nitro Circus production in 2018, its inaugural season began in 2021. The championship is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club.

Contents

History

From 2018 to 2019, rallycross was a sport in the Nitro World Games at Utah Motorsports Campus. In late 2020, it expanded into its own series with plans of running the inaugural season in 2021 and debuting an electric class in 2022. [1]

Although American rallycross leagues like the Global Rallycross Championship and Americas Rallycross Championship had failed, NRX founder Pastrana envisioned the series as an inexpensive discipline that did not need to rely on heavy manufacturer support. [2]

NRX cars raced with exclusively internal combustion engines in 2021 while the electric Group E class was introduced in 2022. [3] [4] [5] Group E's electric vehicles are built using a battery-powered SUV platform called the FC1-X, which is developed by First Corner – a joint venture between QEV Technologies and Olsbergs MSE, the project received manufacturer support such as Ford, Subaru, and Volkswagen. The FC1-X began testing in February 2021 and made its racing debut at the 2022 Race of Champions. [3] [6]

Ahead of the 2023–24 season, the series was renamed to Nitrocross to reflect its deviation from the traditional rallycross format. [7]

Tracks

NRX tracks are purpose built with mixed surfaces and jumps. [8] Speaking with DirtFish in March 2020, Pastrana stressed the construction of such courses with an emphasis on dirt, high-banked corners, and large jumps, comparing his plans to motocross courses as "every track was unique." As part of the series' development, Pastrana built a test circuit near his house. [2] The series also races on short course dirt tracks used in the defunct Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series such as Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Arizona. [9]

For the second season in 2022–23, the series expanded to include races in Canada, Sweden, and Lydden Hill Race Circuit in England. [5]

Race format

Race weekends feature the main Supercar class, the NEXT developmental division, and the electric Group E class. [5] While the Supercars have one race per weekend, NEXT runs two. [10] A weekend is split into two days, with the first consisting of qualifying while racing takes place on the second. [11]

After single-lap qualifying is conducted, drivers are paired up into a bracket tournament called battles, with the winner of each battle receiving a point in the championship. The winner of the bracket is rewarded with pole position for the next day's races. [11]

The second day features a series of qualifying races to reach the final, with the top two in each race advancing. The first pair of heat races have eight cars and last five laps apiece, and those remaining are placed into two semi-final races. Drivers who fail to qualify for the final via the heats and semi-finals enter a Last Chance Qualifier. [11] The final consists of ten cars and points are allocated in five-point intervals beginning with 50 for the winner. [12]

1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
5045403530252015105
Bonuses
Battle winner1

Champions

YearDriverTeamCar
Nitro World Games
2018 Flag of Sweden.svg  Timmy Hansen  (SWE) Team Peugeot-Hansen Peugeot 208 T16
2019 Flag of Sweden.svg  Kevin Hansen  (SWE) Team Peugeot-Hansen Peugeot 208 T16
2020Canceled
Nitro Rallycross Championship
2021 Flag of the United States.svg  Travis Pastrana  (USA) Subaru Motorsports USA Subaru WRX STi
2022–23 Flag of Sweden.svg  Robin Larsson  (SWE) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC FC1-X

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rallycross</span> Form of sprint style automobile racing

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydden Hill Race Circuit</span> Racing circuit near Canterbury in Kent, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Pastrana</span> American racing driver and stunt performer

Travis Alan Pastrana is an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several disciplines, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, rally racing and offshore powerboat racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus and the rallycross racing series Nitrocross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreyer & Reinbold Racing</span> Racing team

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and Nitrocross. The team is owned by Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen, MINI, and Subaru dealer Dennis Reinbold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanner Foust</span> American racecar driver, stunt driver and television host

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Johan David Kristoffersson is a Swedish racecar driver. He is a six time World Rallycross Champion having won the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2018 he won a record breaking 11 out of 12 events in the championship. He is the son of former racing driver and Kristoffersson Motorsport (KMS) team owner Tommy Kristoffersson. He also won the Superstars Series championship in 2012, the same year in which he claimed the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia titles.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Bakkerud</span> Norwegian rally driver

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Larsson</span> Swedish racing driver

Robin Christian Zacharias Larsson is a Swedish racing driver currently competing in Nitrocross. He is the current Nitrocross champion driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC. He previously won the 2014 FIA European Rallycross Supercar Championship. He is the son of double European Rallycross Champion Lars Larsson.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023–24 Nitrocross Championship</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lia Block</span> American racing driver (born 2006)

Lia Block is an American racing driver. She has competed for Block House Racing in the American Rally Association and Carl Cox Motorsport in the 2023 Extreme E Championship. She has also competed in Nitrocross in the 2023–24 season for OSME. In 2024 she will compete in F1 Academy driving for ART Grand Prix. She is in the Williams Driver Academy.

References

  1. Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (December 7, 2020). "Travis Pastrana launching an electric rallycross series in 2022". Motor Authority. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Wilde, Dominik (May 12, 2020). "Pastrana's plan for a full Nitro Rallycross championship". DirtFish. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Glendenning, Mark (December 2, 2020). "Nitro Rallycross expands into full championship; adds electric class". Racer . Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  4. Wilde, Dominik (October 30, 2020). "Revealed: first details of 2021 Nitro Rallycross series". DirtFish. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Nitro Rallycross announces first global series". Racer . March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  6. "FC1-X Electric Rallycross SUV, to make competition debut at 2022 Race Of Champions". Race of Champions . November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  7. Wilde, Dominik (May 15, 2023). "Nitrocross needs a separate identity from Rallycross - Clarke". Racer . Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  8. "Nitro Rallycross unveils inaugural calendar; broadcast schedule". Racer . March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  9. "First Nitro Rallycross series schedule revealed". DirtFish. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  10. Wilde, Dominik (October 1, 2021). "How Nitro RX is tweaking its format for round two". DirtFish. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 Wilde, Dominik (September 22, 2012). "All you need to know about Nitro Rallycross's debut season". DirtFish. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  12. "About". Nitro Rallycross. Retrieved October 5, 2021.