The RX2e championship, the all-electric support series for the World Rallycross Championship (World RX), is set to introduce a number of changes for its 2023 season.
The joint-venture is between Spanish electro-mobility specialist QEV Technologies and Swedish rallycross powerhouse Olsbergs MSE, with the former having acted as the operator of all cars in the series.
From 2023, RX2e will become a team-based championship, with private outfits able to buy or lease cars and adapt the bodywork, with QEV continuing as a single supplier.
Performance will also increase from 250kW to 270kW, with a boost up to 350kW. Greater technical freedoms are also under discussion, with competitors benefitting from ten per cent more track time at race weekends.
The series will award a European title from next season, with the 2023 campaign set to feature five races. All two-car entrants to World RX will receive a free entry to RX2e, with the eventual champion of the support series being granted a free entry to the following World RX season.
“After successfully proving its enormous potential over the past two seasons through a combination of fantastic racing, a competitive and reliable technical package and one of the best cost-to-performance ratios in the sport, it is now time to open RX2e up to private teams, many of whom have already expressed keen interest in taking part,” said Wlodek Szaniawski, president of the International Automobile Federation's (FIA) off-road commission.
“We also feel it is important to strengthen the link between RX2e and World RX, with whom the series shares both the paddock and the spotlight. Klara Andersson has shown this season that the skills she learnt in RX2e have enabled her to quickly adapt to the top level and take the fight to the very best rallycross drivers in the world – and we look forward to seeing many more following in her footsteps in the years to come.”
Joan Orús, chief executive of QEV Technologies, added: “RX2e started out as an arrive-and-drive concept, with the aim of making cutting-edge electric technology accessible to as many drivers as possible. Now that goal has now been achieved, we are delighted to present our changes for season three, which we are confident will bolster the series’ appeal and reinforce its position as the best category for aspiring professional drivers in rallycross as well as other off-road disciplines.”