Nitro Rallycross will expand to 10 events across six countries for its second full season, with the calendar-straddling campaign beginning at Lydden Hill in the UK.
The Kent venue, which hosted the first-ever rallycross event in 1967, is the first track to be confirmed, and will be one of six international venues on the schedule, with Nitro RX expanding outside the US for the first time.
“I’m so excited to see Nitro Rallycross expand into a full worldwide series,” said series pioneer and reigning champion Travis Pastrana. “This is the action-packed, no limits racing that teams, drivers and fans have been looking for, and going global has been our goal from the beginning.
“We also have the fantastic opportunity to get things started at historic Lydden Hill, an iconic track that is the birthplace of rallycross and home to some of its biggest moments. We are going back to the beginning and making the changes we think are needed to take the sport to the next level.”
After the UK opener on June 18-19, Sweden will host round two on July 30-31, before Finland concludes the European run on August 27-28.
From there the series will take a break for September before embarking on a run of three US races in Minneapolis (October 1-2), California (October 29-30), and Phoenix (November 12-13).
A month later the Nitro Rallycross will make its maiden visit to the Middle East with a round in Saudi Arabia, before returning to North America for a brace of Canadian races in January and February 2023.
The season will conclude in the US on March 2023 at a location that’s still to be announced.
“We’re thrilled to see Nitro Rallycross step onto the world stage and become a global motorsports property, said Joe Carr, CEO of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, Nitro RX’s parent company. “Expanding to six countries, doubling the event calendar and running through the winter months shows the rising demand for this brand of high-adrenaline, fast-paced racing.
“We have exciting plans with broadcast and commercial partners that we look forward to sharing as anticipation builds for the 2022-23 season.”
For its second season Nitro RX will be headlined by the new Group E category, a single-make all-electric class utilizing the purpose-built FC1-X.
The car recently made its public debut at the Race of Champions in Sweden, with 2021 Nitro RX racer Andreas Bakkerud among the drivers to sample the car at a test day following the all-star event.
The series’ star car that featured the likes of Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott last year will also return for the 2022-23 season, this time, backed by recently-announced series partner A Shoc Energy, and it will run as part of the Group E class.
While Nitro RX’s ground-breaking electric class is set to be the headline attraction for season two, the ever-popular Supercars will remain, along with the Next development class.
2022-23 Nitro Rallycross schedule*
June 18-19, 2022 England (Lydden Hill Race Circuit)
July 30-31, 2022 Sweden
August 27-28, 2022 Finland
October 1-2, 2022 Minneapolis, USA
October 29-30, 2022 Los Angeles, USA
November 12-13, 2022 Phoenix, USA
December 10-11, 2022 Saudi Arabia
January 21-22, 2023 Quebec, Canada
February 4-5, 2023 Alberta, Canada
March TBA, 2023 Season finale, TBA, USA
*schedule subject to change
