Button set for rallycross debut. Volvo partners with World RX. Polish RX starts. BEL/NED at the Eurocircuit.

10 April / The first round of the Polish Rallycross Championship takes place at Poznan where Zbigniew Staniszewski (Ford Fiesta) opens his season with a comfortable victory. Staniszewski set fastest time in all four qualifiers and then raced clear in final to finish six-seconds ahead of Lukasz Tyskiewicz (Fiesta) and Zbigniew Kwasniewski (Mitusbishi Lancer E9). Tyskiewicz was also the winner of the Supercars Light sub-class in which five of the six Supercar starters (all except Staniszewski) were entered. Piotr Budzynski (Honda Civic) was best of the Supernational field. Lukasz Zoll (BMW E36) was fastest in Q1 but after that Budzynski dominated the remaining heats, won semi-final one and the final in which Lukasz Grzybowksi (Peugeot 207) non-finished having earlier won semi-final two. There were 26 starters in the SC Cup class where Robert Kabat (Fiat Seicento) was the winner. The BMW-based RWD Cup boasted 32 starters and was won by Mariusz Szczepanski (BMW 318is).

10 April / The Eurocircuit at Valkenswaard was the scene for the first rounds of the Dutch and Belgian Championships. The over 2000cc Supernational class headlined and was won by Ludo Hermans (Volvo S40) ahead of Tom Meeusen (Mitsubishi Lancer) and Johnny Verkuringen (BMW M3). Kristof Bex spun in the third lap and non-finished having earlier challenged the leaders. Kurt Lambers (BMW M3) won the up to 2000cc Supernational final and Davy Van Den Branden (Citroen DS3) was best of the Super1600 field in which Danny Luyten was disqualified from the final. Luca van Hoof won the RST final and Mark van Eyken was best of the Superbuggy field. The Junior Cross Car final was won by Jordan Genten (Kamikaz K3) while Kobe Pauwels (LifeLive TN5) held off Jari van Hoof (Peters) to win the adult final. Viktor Vranckx completed a series of demonstration runs in his new RX2e car over the weekend.

12 April / 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button will drive with Xite Energy Racing powered by myenergi in its two-car Nitro Rallycross team this year. Button will be partnered by team onwer Oli Bennett and is aiming to follow in the footsteps of his rallycrossing father, John Button. “There’s a real family connection with rallycross. Dad used to race in the late 70’s and 80’s 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. I used to love going along and watching him race. I remember it was so loud. That won’t be a problem this time – the FC1 is not loud; it’s awesome that the kids can come and watch and don’t need to wear headsets!” he said. Button has so far tested Bennett’s Mini Supercar and impressed his new teammate/team boss. “We’ve already completed a lot of testing and we’ve learned a fair bit from each other. As you can imagine, he took to it really quickly, adapted his driving style and was very, very fast. It’s been really interesting and useful to compare the data – but I don’t think there’s any doubt which one of us is quicker in a go-kart! It’s great to work with Jenson. We competed against each other in Extreme E last season and immediately got on. He’s a great guy and somebody who’s going to be a great addition to XITE Energy Racing powered by myenergi,” said Bennett. Button has not previously raced in rallycross but drove a Retro Rallycross VW Beetle and a contemporary Supercar at Lydden in 2015 for a feature on British TV coverage of F1.

12 April / The FIA World Rallycross Championship announces a new partnership with Volvo Construction Equipment. Both parties are firmly committed to accelerating sustainable transformation, with Volvo CE targeting an all- electric range by 2030. The three-year partnership will see Volvo CE put its industry-leading construction equipment to work at the pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline, while pushing the boundaries for safety, equality and diversity and demonstrating the potential of electric power on a global stage. “A global shift to an electric future is inevitable and urgent – and we know that more sustainable construction solutions are a vital part of driving that change. That is why we are thrilled to partner with the now fully electric FIA World Rallycross Championship – a series that shares our commitment to not only demonstrate the power of electro-mobility today, but to also work together on a journey to build the world we want to live in,” said Volvo CE’s head of Brand, Marketing and Communications, Bill Law. World RX boss Arne Dirks added, “We are very proud to announce Volvo CE as our Official Construction Equipment Supplier. They are a great partner for World RX, and they join us at a seminal moment as the World Championship goes electric. Not only do we share similar goals with regard to sustainability, but Volvo CE will be working with us on some hugely exciting top-secret projects that we will be able to confirm shortly and which we are confident will kick- start rallycross’ new era in sensational style.”

14 April / The Spanish Rallycross Cup announces that N5 cars built by RMC Motorsport will be eligible for the new championship. Conceived as a step between Rally 4 and Rally 2, the N5 car has four-wheel drive, a 310bhp 1600cc engine and race weight of 1230kg. It is pitched as having an ideal cost:performance ratio and being ideal for the new Copa de Espana de Rallycross. RMC boss Roberto Mendez said, “I am very happy to do my bit for the greatest success of the Spanish Rallycross Cup, an exciting project in which I have a lot of confidence. The N5s are perfect for competing in these types of races and I am sure they are going to be a lot of fun. In addition, I will also participate as a driver because it is a discipline that I have always liked and I really want to compete in it.”

14 April / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and JC Raceteknik launch a four-car programme in Nitro Rallycross as a continuation of the partnership undertaken between the American and Swedish teams last year. In 2021, DRR and JC previously partnered to field two Supercars in the Nitro Rallycross Series. Additionally, the DRR organisation fielded a combined five drivers, including Sage Karam, Lane Vacala, and Conner Martell in the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Series NRX NEXT division. They combined for twelve podiums, with Sage Karam scoring five wins and finishing second in the Championship standings.

This weekend / Easter, the traditional start of the season in many places. Some championships are already up and running, but this weekend there is the British RX season opener at Lydden Hill (racing on Saturday and Monday) and the first CEZ event of the year at Mariapocs in Hungary. Championship in Italy and Austria continue, see our full events listing below.

pics: Nitro RX, World RX, NRV, Xite Racing, JC | DRR, CERX