PREVIEW: 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship – Nyirád, Hungary

The 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship heads to Hungary for the primary time on 27/28 July. The third and fourth rounds of the “Battle of Applied sciences” will happen on the Nyirád Racing Centre, with the same old suspects competing for glory in opposition to a Hungarian residence hero.

Nicknamed the “Crimson Cauldron” due do the distinctive color of the unsealed floor sections of the monitor, Nyirád is sometimes called one of the crucial “old-school” circuits on the calendar. The technical curves and turns mixed with dramatic elevation modifications current an attractive problem for drivers and assure an excellent spectacle for the followers.

The primary weekend of world rallycross motion within the new “Battle of Applied sciences” period noticed victory head the way in which of inside combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Certainly, six-time world rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson asserted his dominance early on, throwing down the gauntlet by profitable each occasions in Sweden. Nevertheless, staff principal Tommy Kristoffersson won’t be easing off any time quickly. “We all know what we’re good at, and I feel the double victory was well-deserved” Kristoffersson Sr defined, earlier than including “there are nonetheless areas for enchancment and it’ll get harder. We are going to come to tracks the place we can not dominate, so we should proceed to work on our improvement potential. We must always rejoice this success, completely, however we should additionally keep humble.”

Kristoffersson might have been untouchable within the moist, however within the dry situations on Saturday he was put beneath stress by the chasing pack. In the meantime teammate Ole Christian Veiby struggled with launching his automobile off the road, denying him the potential to assault on the very high.

Hoping to capitalise on this are the 2 CE Supplier Staff drivers, Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson, who’re tied on factors in second within the championship. Each might have taken at the least one victory in Sweden, with Grönholm displaying wonderful tempo in his electrical PWR RX1e earlier than occasions out of his management snatched these possibilities away from him. Andersson got here inside a whisker of taking victory from Kristoffersson on the primary day of motion, and can be hoping to go one higher than second in Hungary.

Hansen World RX Staff are eager to bounce again after a disappointing weekend in Sweden. Neither Timmy nor Kevin Hansen made it onto the rostrum in Sweden, regardless of each drivers getting their Peugeot 208 RX1e vehicles into the ultimate on each events. Each drivers have additionally triumphed at Nyirád prior to now, and they’re aiming to repeat their success in 2024.

“Höljes was a bit more difficult than we hoped for,” admitted 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen. “It looks like we’ve bought to do loads of work to know the brand new tyre however as at all times there’s nice motivation throughout the staff. We’re pushing ahead with new concepts so I’m excited to come back to Hungary. We wish to battle for one step larger within the outcomes than we have been in Sweden. Hungary is the place I bought my first ever win in Supercars again in 2013 and it’s the primary time since then the championship returns so there’s heaps to look ahead to.”

With such sturdy competitors lining up on the electrical facet of the “Battle of Applied sciences,” the ICE vehicles have their work minimize out to cease them claiming victory. Anthony Pelfrene impressed in his world rallycross debut within the Peugeot 208 WRX, and René Münnich at all times demonstrates respectable tempo in his SEAT Ibiza.

Getting into the battle on the ICE staff is Hungarian champion Jankó Wieszt. Wieszt entered the ultimate rounds of the British Rallycross Championship’s 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill in 2023, placing in efficiency to earn him a podium place within the closing spherical. Now making his debut in world rallycross in a Renault Mégane RS RX, a automobile designed for the 2018 championship, the Hungarian driver is aiming to placed on present for the followers. “It’s so thrilling to have the ability to compete at my residence monitor in Hungary’s first-ever World Rallycross Championship occasion, though it’s tough to set targets as a result of I’ve solely pushed the Mégane for round 90km, and I’ve in all probability not pushed greater than 150km in whole in rallycross vehicles since 2017! In fact it will likely be a giant problem, as I’ll be going up in opposition to the perfect drivers within the self-discipline, however I wish to have enjoyable – that’s my important goal.”