Nitro RX will thrive with everyone’s “voice at the table” – Pastrana

It’s no secret that throughout the history of US rallycross, there’s been some form of discontent at one time or another. It’s an ever-present ingredient in any major motorsport series, but it’s something Nitro Rallycross is hoping to stamp out by creating a series where everybody has “a voice at the table”.

Travis Pastrana, the man behind the revolutionary new series, feels that by taking onboard everyone’s views, NRX can provide the perfect entertainment product for both fans and participants.

“What’s cool about the series is [that] it is a driver series, it is a team series, it is a manufacturer series. If you are part of this series, you have a voice at the table,” he told DirtFish.

“We’re not trying to come in and say, we have all the answers. I’m pretty confident that the tracks are going to be amazing, and if anyone has any input or any suggestions to make the racing better or safer, I’m all ears.

“And that’s the same thing with the teams. Every team has a little bit of a different agenda [with] what they want, but we have to be able to try to accommodate everybody.

“We want racers from all different series to come in and we want everyone to feel safe, but we want to provide a great show.

“I think racing needs a series, not necessarily designed by the drivers, but it has to be a driver series,” Pastrana added, “and it has to be [where] all the manufacturers have a word and [we say] ‘hey, what do you guys want? What do you guys need? What can’t you do?’”

NRX has already attracted the attention of drivers and teams from further afield, with big European names like EKS JC, Hansen, Grönholm RX, and Xite Energy Racing committing to the series in one form or another. Despite it being a fundamentally American series, with tracks radically different to those found in Europe, Pastrana feels that the European interest has been key to its success so far – before it’s even run a race as a fully-blown championship.

“It’s good that the drivers are all excited to be challenged. They don’t want the same thing. You know, the European tracks are… they race phenomenally, but they don’t provide enough excitement for the US market.”

But with NRX already plotting an international expansion for 2022 that’ll include Europe, could some of those traditional circuits find their way onto future schedules?

“I’d like to have everything,” Pastrana said emphatically. “We want snow races, we want all pavement, we want all dirt.

“Every race, I want drivers to get there and have a challenge. That’s my goal, to really challenge and find out who the best all-around drivers [are] – and be excited.

“What we learned is how to make it exciting,” he added, alluding to his experience with Nitro Circus and its touring live shows. “If the drivers are excited, the crowd’s excited, they can see that. And if we can challenge the drivers, if we can make it so that every single corner, every single track, is something different, it’s unique.”