World RX of Portugal Event Preview

It is the start of a new chapter for the most action-packed category in all of motor sport. World RX features the iconic multi-surface, short circuit combat that is unlike anything else in racing. For 2025, sustainably-fuelled internal combustion engine cars will compete wheel-to-wheel against fully electric cars in the returning Battle of Technologies, and every race will be free to access for fans all over the world on the FIA World Rallycross Championship YouTube Channel.

In addition to the nine World RX entries, nine Euro RX1 cars will be competing, and an impressive list of 19 Euro RX3 will be on the support bill, ensuring the fans both trackside and watching around the world have a full-gas weekend of rallycross action to watch.

To keep up to date with all the latest news, live-timing and more, visit the re-launched, new-look FIAWorldRallycross.com.

FIA Road Sport Director Emilia Abel Added "“So much of what we are doing here is a new frontier for the championship and for the FIA. World RX has always been full of potential, but perhaps we haven’t always been able to maximise it.

Now, we are taking it step-by-step but putting the fans first. They wanted to be able to watch it online without any restrictions, this is what we’ve delivered. They wanted to have tight competition, we have made several changes in the regulations to make the races more exciting.

Rallycross is about being accessible, exciting and fun, and we hope people join us on this journey to grow the sport once again.”

Fast Facts

• This weekend will be the first time top-level rallycross has been to the Lousada International Circuit in 17 years. It is a hugely popular venue for the national rallycross championship in Portugal, and was also used as a Super Special Stage during the recent FIA World Rally Championship Rally de Portugal.

• The FIA conducted an Equivalence of Technology test last week at the Lousada track. This is essentially to equalise the performance characteristics of the internal combustion and fully-electric powertrains. Using a benchmark car and a neutral driver (none other than seven-time race-winner Andreas Bakkerud), the FIA has determined the various levels of equalisation applied to each competitor.

• Meet the new Quali format, same as the old Quali format. World RX reverts to the classic rallycross qualifying system for 2025. Drivers will compete in heats, where the drivers compete to set the best race time, scoring points that are added up to create the intermediate standings.

• These standings set the grids for the two semi-finals, and the top five cars go through to the final.

• Joker: Folie? Pas du tout. Every driver has to take what is known as the ‘Joker Lap’ once per race. The Joker Lap is longer, often a tricky technical challenge, and can often be the difference between glory and going home empty handed

❱ Legends return, new stars are rising...

The sport’s most iconic racing drivers and teams are returning to compete in the new-look, FIA-promoted series. Seventime World Champion Johan Kristoffersson is back to defend his crown in the combustion-powered KMS VW Polo, with Ole Christian Veiby in the sister KMS car.

A total of four EVs will be on the grid at the opening round to do battle with five sustainably-fuelled ICE cars: Championship stalwarts Hansen Motorsport field brothers Timmy and Kevin in their fully-electric Peugeot 208s – Timmy is in search of a second World Drivers’ crown and the team is looking to grab a fourth Teams’ Championship. The second EV pairing joins the grid courtesy of the CE Dealer Team – piloted by Klara Andersson and Niclas Grönholm.

Winner of the most recent FIA World Rallycross Championship race in Türkiye, Juha Rytkönen, is looking to repeat his success in a PGRX-run, ICE-powered Hyundai i20, while Anthony Pelfrene will pilot a similarly-sustainably-fuelled Peugeot

208 entered by GCK. Finally young-gun Patrick O’Donovan makes the step up to the world championship level as 2024 European Champion, who triumphed in all but one of the support series events last season

To view the full broadcast Schedule for the weekend click here