Old skool tracks get 2023 World RX dates. Barbosa takes Portuguese Cup.

30 November / The 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship announces that it will visit the Eurocircuit at Valkenswaard in 2023. The event will be for a selection of the British championship’s supporting classes (as happened at the Glossocircuit in Belgium this year), as the actual British championship (for Supercars) will repeat its 2022 visit to Dreux in France. British RX has previously visited Valkenswaard in 1995 and 2014.

4 December / The Portuguese Cup event at Sever do Vouga is won by Mario Barbosa who, after a title winning season in his Super1600 Citroen Saxo, switched back to his Citroen DS3 Supercar and beat Portuguese champion Jose Oliveira’s Peugeot 208. With Barbosa having stepped up, the Super1600 field started without the season champion and it was Sergio Dias (Renault Twingo) who took the win after race leader Jorge Machado’s Citroen C2 stopped in the sixth of seven laps with engine problems. Joaquim Machado (Peugeot 208) passed Dias on the track but was pushed back to second place by the Stewards after the race. The destiny of the Kartcross final was settled after a first lap clash ended the challenge of Spanish visitor Ivan Chinchila whose Semog Bravo was out of action after the incident. Jorge Gonzaga (LBS RX01) survived the incident and raced clear of the pack to add the Cup to his championship title. Rafaela Barbosa led the Junior final but ultimately lost out to Guilherme Nunes (Peugeot 106) who won. Jorge Costela (Citroen Saxo) won the National 1.6 final while in the larger capacity two-wheel drive classes the winners were Hugo Lopes (Peugeot 206) and Luis Moreira (BMEW 316). Carlos Dinis (Semog Bravo) won the Junior Cross Car final while the Trucks class was won by Bruno Neto.

4 December / The Andros Trophy season began at Val Thorens where rallycross drivers were, as usual, prominent in the resuts across the two days of racing, although it was Aurelian Panis (Audi A1) who completed the weekend with an early lead in the championship. Dorian Boccolacci (SLR) won the Supefinal on the opening day before Panis added to his third place from Saturday by winning on Sunday. Defending champion JB Dubourg was third on Sunday having been fourth on day one. Dubourg’s DA Racing teammate Julien Febreau (Renault Zoe) won the Elite final on Saturday, Junior Rallycross graduate Edgar Maloigne then taking the Sunday victory. The Trophee Andros moves on to Andorra on 16-17 December for its next events.

7 December / The calendar for the 2023 FIA World Rallycross Championship is published after being approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. The schedule shows eight events and includes events at Lydden and Estering in a calendar that featurws old skool and no F1 venues. Mettet replaces Spa as the Belgian venue while Montalegre and Holjes remain in the series. Scheduled to move outside Europe for the first time since 2019, the popular Cape Town event returns with the season to finish at a yet to be announced venue in Asia. Cape Town and the Asian event are slated as double-headers while in Europe the ore traditional format of one event taking place over the weekend returns. Nyirad in Hungary is back as Euro RX standalone event that opens the season in May.

This weekend / IRX wraps up its 2022 season at Mondello Park. Derek Tohill is bossing the Irish Rallycross Championship but there’s a promise of an addition to Supercar field for this weekend.

pics: World RX, British RX, Trophee Andros, Rallycross Portugal,