A revised 2021 World Rallycross Championship calendar has been issued which includes a return to the Montalegre circuit in Portugal for the first time since 2018.
The popular venue, which was supposed to return in 2020 before the pandemic hit, will be the new season finale.
Further changes include the scrapping of World RX of Norway at Lånkebanen near the town of Hell for the second year running, while World RX of Sweden moves from its previously confirmed early July slot to late August in a bid to accommodate fans.
The change for the Höljes event means that Barcelona will once again host the season opener, as it had in 2017 and ‘18, on July 23-24. The inaugural Nürburgring World RX round will still take place on July 31-August 1, but will take the form of a double-header event, while France and Belgium also retain their initial dates.
A new, but not entirely unexpected, addition is that of Latvia which, as was the case in 2020, joins the calendar late-on. The round at the fan-favorite Biķernieku track will take place on September 18-19, and like Montalegre’s return remains subject to a final agreement being reached with World RX’s new promoter, WRC Promoter.
This latest round of changes confirms that the schedule for World RX’s headline RX1 category will remain a Europe-only affair for the second year running while motorsport continues to work around COVID-19.
European Rallycross RX1, previously known as Supercars, will support World RX at four rounds – Sweden, France, Latvia, and Belgium – while RX3 (previously European Super 1600) will appear in Barcelona, Sweden, France, Belgium, and Portugal.
For its inaugural season, the all-electric RX2e second-tier competition will feature at all but two events, skipping Latvia and Portugal.
Arne Dirks, executive director of Rallycross Promoter GmbH said: “We all acknowledge the positive trend over the summer of the pandemic in Europe. That’s why, after having liaised closely with our key stakeholders, we have taken the deliberate decision to delay the start of the campaign in the hope of being able to open the gates to fans at as many rounds as is feasible and safe, and have assembled what we believe is an irresistible blend of iconic rallycross tracks and state-of-the-art modern venues.
“We are confident we now have the best possible World RX calendar for 2021.
“To be able to confirm the return of Montalegre – a circuit that has always been a fan-favorite and never fails to offer World RX a warm welcome – is fantastic news for all concerned, and whilst we are obviously disappointed not to be able to race in Norway this year due to ongoing complications related to the pandemic, we are sure we will see Hell back on the calendar in the future as World RX races into a bright new era.”
2021 World RX calendar:
July 23-24 World RX of Spain
July 31-August 1 World RX of Germany
August 20-22: World RX of Sweden
September 3-5 World RX of France
September 18-19 World RX of Latvia
October 9-10 World RX of Belgium
October 23-24: World RX of Portugal
