EV rallycross car to debut this weekend, Solberg wins at GRiD

The world’s first electric rallycross car, created by Austrian firm STARD, will make its competition debut this weekend in the Austrian Race of Champions at former FIA European Rallycross Championship venue, Greinbach. Former WRC driver Manfred Stohl, who’s Stohl Group company owns STARD, will drive the car. While Stohl will campaign the car in rally trim, Euro RX and World RX driver Max Pucher (Ford Fiesta) leads the list of rallycross entrants in the event, driving his title-winning World RX Team Austria car.

Volkswagen has announced that despite ending its World Rally Championship programme at the end of this season, it will continue to support the Andretti Autosport Global Rallycross Championship programme, and has committed to exploring the option of competing in rallycross going forward. “The brand will investigate the expansion of these activities on the strength of their existing experience in rallycross,” said the German marque in a statement.

Double FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg won the Gymkhana GRiD European Gauntlet event in Marathon, Greece last weekend, driving his Citroen Xsara WRC car that he regularly uses for shows and demonstrations. Solberg won the timed knock-out event in the final against Liam Doran, who drove the Citroen DS3 with which he had won MSA Rallycross British Rallycross Grand Prix a week earlier at Croft. Reinis Nitiss (Mitsubishi Evo) and Ken Block (Ford Fiesta) were the two drivers to be knocked out by Solberg and Doran in the semi-finals, Nitiss making it onto the podium by beating Block in the third-place shoot-out. European Championship driver Riku Takho (BMW Mini) also took part, while British RX Swift Sport driver Luke Woodham won the two-wheel drive category. Andreas Bakkerud also competed in the two-wheel drive class, driving Block’s Ford Escort Mk2.

The final round of the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship takes place this weekend at Croft, with an entry of 87 cars. Season-long front-runner Tommy Graham (Ford Escort) will miss the event due to engine problems with his Ford Escort, leaving the overall and class titles wide open heading into the double-points scoring event.

FIA European Rallycross Super1600 race-winner Ulrik Linnemann has announced plans to gradate full-time to Supercar next season in Euro RX, the Dane has told the FIA World Rallycross Championship website, and is speaking to existing teams about the move. He hopes to confirm his plans before the turn of the year.

Colin Folwell, best known in motor sport as the founder of Corbeau Seats, died on October 29. Folwell, who had briefly been a member of the Rolling Stones before they hit the big time, founded Corbeau in 1963. A successful national racer himself, he pioneered the development of ‘bucket’ seats and always enthusiastically backed drivers to promote his products. In later years he added the Luke Harness brand to his business. Good company and a great raconteur, his company was always enjoyed. Our best wishes to his family and many friends.