Silverstone & DA Racing to World RX, Sandell to Subaru

FIA World Rallycross Championship promotor IMG has announced that the British round of World RX will be held at Silverstone Circuit from 2018, moving away from current host venue, Lydden Hill. The Kent circuit has held the UK’s World RX event since the sport gained FIA World status in 2014. “We have been in talks internally at IMG for some time about creating a large scale motorsport festival weekend and we are delighted that Silverstone is able to share our vision for the future,” said World RX Managing Director, Paul Bellamy.

French team DA Racing will run a pair of 2015-specification Peugeot 208 Supercars in the FIA World Rallycross Championship this year, the team has announced. The cars are those used by Timmy Hansen and Davy Jeanney in 2015, both claiming victories, while Kevin Hansen dominated the European Rallycross Championship last season in a 2015-spec version of the 208. “The arrival of two Peugeot 208 WRX Supercars in our premises allows us to prepare in the best conditions for our participation in the World Championship,” said Dominique Dubourg. “It is very important for DA Racing to move up with the best assets at all levels. We have just started the first part with the acquisition of the two Peugeots, and will continue our approach by going into a phase of recruitment on all floors, for drivers, technical staff and management.”

Former World Rally driver Patrik Sandell has moved from the Bryan Herta team in the GRC to the Vermont SportsCar run Subaru Rally Team USA for 2017. He will partner former works Subaru driver Chris Atkinson in a pair of Imprezas. “To be a part of the Subaru family is a childhood dream coming true,” said Sandell. “I was watching Subaru cars rallying all over the world as a kid, and I am now very proud to be in those same shoes. Subaru have been able to create a unique passion around its brand and cars that I really like, as I am so passionate about both rally and rallycross myself.” Neither of the team’s former full-time drivers, Norwegian Sverre Isachsen and American Bucky Lasek have been retained.

Double Swedish Rallycross Champion Peter Hedstrom announced before Christmas that the Hedstroms Motorsport team will run two Supercars in the RallyX Nordic Championship this season, and is understood to be talking to a number of drivers about the seats. Whether Hedstrom himself will race in the series is yet to be confirmed, as is what cars the team will run. Hedstroms Motorsport owns two ex-Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polos, an ex-OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta and a pair of ex-Jernberg Motorsport Skoda Fabias.

OlsbergsMSE-run Supercar Lites will be used in the annual Race of Champions event later this month, which for this winter is set to be held in Miami, Florida. Lites cars were used in the ROC Scandinavian factor last year, where Petter Solberg, Thomas Bryntesson and Marcus Gronholm took part. The Race of Champions event has previously utilised rallycross machinery, using RX150 buggies on several occasions, Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo Supercars in 2014 and Eklund Motorsport Saab 93s in the 1990s.

The fifth driver that will compete in the 2017 RX Academy has been announced as 18-year old Mexican Touring Car driver Melhem L. Abed, who will race in the single-make Renault Clio RXs run by Set Promotion, alongside already confirmed drivers Kalle Markkanen, Sami-Matti Trogen, Martins Lapins and Troy Dowel.