The fifth World RX season is ready to go! 18 drivers will race in Barcelona

  • World Rallycross Championship, World RX logo
  • World Ralycross Championship
  • 2018 World RX preview PSRX Volkswagen Sweden
  • 2018 World RX preview, Audi Sport EKS

The fifth season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will kick-off on the upcoming wekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The opening round of the twelve-event championship will host 18 drivers in Supercars machinery.

Next to fifteen drivers who are announced as full-time entries for the 2018 season there will be three drivers with a part-time schedule. On the list of full-time entrants, there are six two-driver Teams and three Individual entries.

Renault Megane RS RX

Renault Megane RS RX will have a competitive debut in the first round of the 2018 World RX season

The cars from six different manufacturers will compete in the fifth World RX season. In addition to Volkswagen Polo R, Audi S1, Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 208, new cars on the grid will be Hyundai i20 and Renault Megane RS. In the opening round at Barcelona, Mini Cooper RX and Citroen DS3 would be also represented.

The 2017 World RX Champion Johan Kristoffersson will carry the number 1 on his PSRX Volkswagen Sweden‘s Polo R. His teammate would be again two-time champion Petter Solberg. They will also defend Teams’ championship title. The 2016 world champion Mattias Ekstrom is returning to the championship in an Audi S1 of EKS Audi Sport, joined by Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud.

Petter Solberg, Johan Kristoffersson, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden will try to defend Teams’ title

Team Peugeot-Hansen changed its name to the Team Peugeot Total because of bigger factory support. Peugeot will have an unchanged line-up with Sebastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen fighting for the Teams’ title while Kevin Hansen will drive as the Individual entry.

Olsbergs MSE will field two new Ford Fiestas for Kevin Eriksson and Robin Larsson. The French team GC Kompetition will join the World RX field for the first time led by owner/racer Guerlain Chicherit in one Renault Megane RS and Jerome Grosset-Janin in the second car. The striking new Renault Megane RS has been developed and built by Prodrive. Niclas Gronholm, a son of two-time WRC champion Marcus Gronholm, will drive Hyundai i20 for GRX Taneco Team, joined by the Russian Timur Timerzyanov.

Another new car at World RX grid would be Hyundai i20 Supercar

Another new car at World RX grid would be Hyundai i20 Supercar

Two more Individual entries announced for the full season are Belgian Gregoire Demoustier in a new Peugeot 208 run by Sebastien Loeb Racing and Janis Baumanis in Team STARD‘s Ford Fiesta. Manfred Stohl’s Team STARD will also run another Ford Fiesta in Barcelona for Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua.

British driver Oliver Bennett announced two-race World RX program with Mini Cooper RX at Spanish and Portuguese rounds. The French rallycross veteran Herve ‘Knapick’ Lemmonier will compete in Spain with Citroen DS3.

2018 World RX entry list

TeamCarDriverNationality
PSRX Volkswagen SwedenVolkswagen Polo RJohan KristofferssonSweden
Volkswagen Polo RPetter SolbergNorway
EKS Audi SportAudi S1Mattias EkstromSweden
Audi S1Andreas BakkerudNorway
Team Peugeot TotalPeugeot 208Sebastien LoebFrance
Peugeot 208Timmy HansenSweden
Peugeot 208Kevin HansenSweden
Olsbergs MSEFord FiestaKevin ErikssonSweden
Ford FiestaRobin LarssonSweden
GC KompetitionRenault Megane RSGuerlain ChicheritFrance
Renault Megane RSJerome Grosset-JaninFrance
GRX Taneco TeamHyundai i20Niclas GronholmFinland
Hyundai i20Timur TimerzyanovRussia
Sebastien Loeb RacingPeugeot 208Gregoire DemoustierFrance
Team StardFord FiestaJanis BaumanisLatvia
World RX USA

World RX is going to the US for the first time

2018 World RX calendar

RoundDateCountry Track
1April 14-15SpainBarcelona
2April 28-29Portugal Montalegre
3May 12-13Belgium Mettet
4May 26-27Great BritainSilverstone
5June 9-10NorwayHell
6June 30-July 1SwedenHoljes
7August 4-5CanadaTrois-Rivieres
8September 1-2FranceLoheac
9September 15-16LatviaBikernieki Riga
10September 29-30USACOTA
11October 13-14Germany Estering
12November 24-25South AfricaKillarney Cape Town

Photos: fiaworldrallycross.com,

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