World Rallycross goes electric for 2020
World Rallycross champions Petter Solberg and Mattias Ekstrom have voiced their support for the series’ switch to electric cars in 2020, after the move was officially approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council last week.
Both Solberg and Ekstrom won the World RX title driving for their own teams, which are now supported by Volkswagen and Audi respectively, two of the marques to have publicly cited interest in signing up to the electric WRX.
“I’m very positive about it – I think they are finding a good system that will work for many manufacturers,” Solberg told Autosport. “It’s the only way to go. We have to look forward to the future. Maybe not everything is positive, the [lack of] noise people say, but I only have positive feelings with it, to be honest with you.”
Nine manufacturers have been involved in developing the electric rallycross concept with the FIA and World RX promotor IMG in a Technical Working Group for more than 18 months.
Although manufacturers are yet to sign up, Solberg made hints about Volkswagen’s commitment. “I don’t think we would have been here in this championship now if there wasn’t a plan for electric,” he said.
Ekstrom has been an advocate of the concept since Autosport first revealed the possible 2020 switch last August.
“I’m excited to drive an electric car in that specification, with that type of power and a lot of torque,” said the Swede. “I think the noise thing is what the spectators get most worried about. As a driver I don’t think it will change my life, because in the car you don’t hear it anyway. I think there will be ways [for spectators] to enjoy it, because I think the show on the track will be even more crazy than today. If the racing gets better and you have more competition, more guys fighting for the win, I think people will not complain once they have seen it. I would at least give it a chance.”
Entries will remain restricted to two-car teams, eligible to compete for drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles, but the makes are expected to run multiple cars through separate two-car teams (like in the DTM), with the top four cars from each make scoring manufacturers’ points at events.
Solberg has not ruled out continuing to run cars under his own PSRX banner. “We have a very good relationship with VW, so we just have to find a new structure how
“THE NEXT STAGE IS JULY 30 – THE DEADLINE FOR A DECISION TO ENTER”
we can do it together,” he said. “How it will be done, we don’t know yet.”
Moving away from the current steel-bodied Supercars, a single-make ‘silhouette-type’ carbon-monocoque chassis kit will be supplied by French firm ORECA, while Williams Advanced Engineering will supply a common battery pack. Manufacturers will fit their own composite body shells to the chassis, with increased aerodynamic freedom, similar to the current WRC rules. Constructors will install their own powertrain, with a 250kw motor at each axle, based on Formula E regulations with some restrictions aimed at controlling costs.
The WMSC also confirmed that privateers will be able to homologate their own vehicles, using the same common battery and chassis as the manufacturers, but instead of having a road-car body they will design their own bodywork from a ‘generic car model’ from the FIA.
But while the WMSC has approved the switch to electric technology at rallycross’s highest level, manufacturer commitment is required before the change is set in stone.
“We are very excited about the future,” said WRX managing director Paul Bellamy. “The next stage of the process is July 30 – that’s the deadline for manufacturers making their decision to enter. The FIA has said there needs to be four manufacturers to make it happen in 2020. If there are three, there will be discussions between the three manufacturers that have committed, and the other interested manufacturers. Then a decision will be taken as to how to move forward.”
Solberg and Ekstrom have confirmed to Autosport that they expect VW and Audi to continue in WRX in 2019, for what should be the final year for internalcombustion machines in the pinnacle category. Peugeot has already committed to 2019 and is the marque to have made the most noise about involvement in EWRX.
Peugeot driver Sebastien Loeb said: “I know on the performance side they [electric cars] can be lighter and more powerful. I just hope it will be still interesting for the show. For my generation I prefer the kind of engine noise that we have, but maybe for the future generation the young guys don’t care, maybe they just want the show. It can be interesting for me to live [through] the transition of normal cars to electric cars.”
There is currently much discussion about the future of the existing Supercars and whether there will be an expanded calendar on top of the current five-round European Rallycross Championship from 2020 for them. “There will be a future for the current Supercars; they are important to the sport and we are working on that project at the moment,” said Bellamy.