Button excited by rallycross challenge with pal Bennett

XITE Energy Racing powered by myenergi is delighted to announce 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button will join Oli Bennett in the British-based squad for this year’s Nitro Rallycross series.

Button and Bennett, from Bristol, will drive a pair of XITE Energyliveried, all-electric FC1-X race cars in a global series which is redefining the sport of rallycross.

“I want to go racing,” said Button, 42. “I love racing, I love competing and I want to have fun. I’m looking forward to racing Nitro RX with XITE Energy – a team which has great experience of not just rallycross but also racing electric vehicles.

“I get to race alongside my mate Oli. He’s a great character, great for the sport and comes with a lot of experience of competing on the dirt. Hopefully I can learn that side from him and he can learn from my circuit driving. It’s going to be a fun partnership, but I think it’s going to be a good partnership as well and hopefully we can take it to the big boys in rallycross.”

Button and Bennett completed initial testing aboard XITE Energy’s Mini RX Supercar and a Fiesta Supercar at Pembrey, Wales, earlier this month.

But it’s Nitro RX and the FC1-X which the Frome driver’s most looking forward to.

“It looks awesome,” said Button. “There’s so much action. There are some fantastic drivers driving some absolute beasts. The car I’ll be racing is the FC1-X. It’s a 1000 horsepower, four-wheel drive EV with 12-inches of suspension travel – which it needs, to be fair.

“Some of the jumps I’ll be flying over are extremely big and kind of scary, but that’s why it’s exciting to me as it’s a new challenge.

“Rallycross is night and day different to Formula One and that’s why I love it. I left F1 after 17 years because I wanted to try something new. I’m all about new challenges. I’m a racing driver, not a formula one driver so new challenges is what I’m all about. I felt I achieved what I needed to in Formula One so it’s nice to try different things.”

While he spent 17 years at the top of the world’s premier motorsport series, Button’s family history is rooted in rallycross. His father John competed at the forefront of the British Championship while Jenson was growing up.

Button added: “There’s a real family connection with rallycross. Dad used to race in the late 70s and 80s in a Volkswagen Beetle and then a Volkswagen Golf. If you go on YouTube you’ll actually find some videos of my Dad racing at Lydden Hill with Murray Walker commentating.

“I’d like to emulate what he did – that would be pretty special.”