The countdown to the start of the FIA World Rallycross Championship 2017 has already begun. In a month, on 1st and 2nd April, the opening round of the new season will be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. For the third consecutive year the World Championship will land in Barcelona and this 2017 will do it even more strongly.
The series doesn’t stop growing and presents important news for this 2017. Audi and Volkswagen will officially support the 2017 Championship. These two major world manufacturers will be involved to the maximum: Audi will offer financial and technical support factory to the team of the current World champion, the EKS RX, which for the first time will consist of three cars. Thus, the reigning champion Mattias Ekström, his teammates Topi Heikkinen and Reinis Nitiss will have three Audi S1 RX.
For its part, Volkswagen also officially enters the world Rallycross. It will be with the team of the double champion of the specialty Petter Solberg and the young Swedish Johan Kristoffersson. Both with their Volkswagen Polo RX will be one of the most powerful sets and with options to take both the individual and teams title.
In this way, the FIA World Rallycross Championship already has four teams that offer official support. Audi and Volkswagen join Peugeot with the Team Peugeot-Hansen and Ford Performance with the Hoonigan Racing Division.
The best driver grid so far
For this new season, the Championship presents its best lineup of drivers who will perform the 12 rounds that make up the series. They will start in Barcelona on 1st and 2nd April and will travel through Portugal, Hockenheim, Belgium, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Canada, France, Latvia, Germany and end in South Africa.
The 9-time WRC Champion, Sébastien Loeb, is one of the most outstanding figures. For the second consecutive season, the Frenchman will complete the whole championship with Team Peugeot-Hansen. His big rivals are also WRC champion Petter Solberg, who also holds two World Rallycross titles; And German Mattias Ekström, current RX champion and who also has two DTM titles. Who also shares this double title of DTM is Timo Scheider, that for the first time will do all the rounds of the championship.
In addition, you can also enjoy in Barcelona the great star of the gymkhanas, American Ken Block. Next to them will be the Nordic youngsters and specialists in rallycross like Timmy and Kevin Hansen, Andreas Bakkerud, Kevin Eriksson, Johan Kristoffersson. There will also be on the list of permanent drivers British Guy Wilks, Topi Heikkinen, Reinis Nittiss, Janis Baumanis, Timur Timerzyanov and JB Dubourg. Over the next few days the FIA will officially make the definitive list of permanent drivers for this 2017.