Fraser McConnell will add another program to his already busy 2021 season by joining the RX2e field at its inaugural event in Barcelona next month.
The DirtFish-backed driver has already been confirmed for the Nitro Rallycross season that begins in September, while he has spent this year racing in RallyX Nordic where he sits fourth in the points with one round to go.
“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel in Barcelona,” said McConnell. “This championship is really pushing the boundaries of electric technology in sport, and we have already seen that these machines can produce quality racing.”
“This is the future of rallycross, so I want to get a head-start!
“I am super excited to find out what I can do in the car, and I hope to be competitive right from the off. QEV and OMSE have done a great job bringing the championship together, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
McConnell is no stranger to the second-tier of international rallycross, having debuted in ARX2 in 2018 – a category he won in 2019. He also scored podium finishes in RX2, RX2e’s combustion-engined precursor.
He’s also tested the RX2e car as well, getting time behind the wheel in Denmark earlier this year following the RallyX Nordic season opener.
“Right off the bat it felt like I’d been driving for a couple of weeks,” he told DirtFish. “You get so comfortable in the car so quickly and you feel like you can push the limits right off in your first session.
“That that’s not really so typical in a race car, and it just feels like it’s built for good racing. The future is good.”
Kristoffersson heads RX1 entry
Earlier today the RX1 (formerly Supercars) entry list for World Rallycross’ season-opener was also revealed.
The biggest surprise on the list was the absence of RX Cartel duo Andreas Bakkerud and Liam Doran, who have competed together under the Monster Energy-backed banner firstly with EKS in 2019, then GCK last year.
Bakkerud’s absence is of particular intrigue given that, along with Timmy Hansen and Timur Timerzyanov, he has contested every World RX round since the series began in 2014.
Photo: World RX Media
DirtFish has contacted RX Cartel representatives for comment on the team’s plansfor 2021.
Double European Supercars champion Timerzyanov was initially left out of Grönholm RX’s team announcement for the year, but has been confirmed as a ‘wildcard’ entry for Barcelona although his plans beyond that point are unclear.
As for GCK, after hinting to DirtFish last year that it would not be continuing in World RX for 2021, it will field just one entry for former-World Rally Championship driver Kevin Abbring under the Unkorrupted banner. It represents a massive departure for the team which ran as many as five cars during the 2020 season.
Reigning and three-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson – now driving a JC EKS Audi – leads the returning class of veterans alongside Timmy and Kevin Hansen, Niclas Grönholm, Krisztián Szabó, Timo Scheider, and Oliver Bennett.
After an impressive debut on home soil last year, Finnish champion Juha Rytkönen will run a partial campaign for Betomik Racing in Ford Fiesta, while European frontrunners Ándrea and Jean-Baptiste Dubourg will also make the step up for selected events.
