Every now and again, a newcomer arrives upon
the scene who truly turns heads with their pace and performance. In 2023, we
were lucky enough to have six such talented rookies on the grid across the FIA World
Rallycross Championship support categories – but which one of them impressed
you the most?
Was it Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, not seen on-track at a World RX event since
2014, but immediately on the podium on her FIA RX2e Championship debut in Hell
last summer? The Swede went on to stitch together a concerted title challenge,
finishing second to guest entrant Johan Kristoffersson at Mettet and securing
third in the final standings, just ten points shy of the coveted crown.
Tommi Hallman may only have entered two rounds in the all-electric
single-spec series, but the flying Finn won them both. Dominated, you might
say, beating reigning title-holder Viktor Vranckx at Lydden Hill and pipping
champion-elect Nils Andersson to the chequered flag at the Estering. Of the 18 timed
sessions he contested in RX2e, on only four occasions did Hallman not come out
on top.
Or perhaps Patrick O’Donovan caught your eye the most? With just a
single prior appearance to his name in the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s
top-tier, the 19-year-old took the fight to the best in the business with all
the assurance of a seasoned pro. Triumphing at Höljes’ ‘Magic Weekend’ was
indisputably the highlight, but O’Donovan was a major factor every time out.
If the British teenager was one of the paddock’s most gregarious and
outgoing figures, then Máté Benyó preferred to fly under the radar. As the
saying goes, however, it is often the quiet ones you need to look out for, and
this introspective Hungarian certainly did his talking on the track. After
sensationally reaching the final on his Euro RX1 debut in a star-studded field
on home soil at Nyirád, Benyó belied his complete lack of experience of any other
circuit on the calendar to place fourth in the intermediate ranking in both Portugal
– where he posted two second-fastest heat times – and Norway en route to
ninth in the points table.
Benyó was not the only Hungarian to shine on the European stage in 2023.
In Euro RX3, Balázs Körmöczi did even better at Nyirád, reaching the rostrum
first time out in the championship – and if the field was arguably not quite as
strong as in Euro RX1, to defeat three of the five all-conquering Audis behind
the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo, and genuinely pose a threat to season-long
pace-setters Damian Litwinowicz and Espen Isaksætre was mightily impressive. Reliability
troubles hampered the 21-year-old’s hopes elsewhere, but his pace at the
Estering demonstrated that he can be a major threat moving forward.
Our final contender in the poll is Jens Hvaal,
who you voted as your ‘Driver of the Year’ in Euro RX3. Like Körmöczi, the Norwegian proved to be a thorn in the
side of the Volland Racing heavyweights, and only a technical disqualification
from victory in the last round of the campaign in Germany denied him a top three
spot in the overall classification.
So who gets your vote as the 2023 ‘Rookie of
the Year’? Choose carefully – you can select only one...
Finland
Italy
Hungary