While they wait for their RX1e beasts to be
readied for action for the inaugural season of World RX’s upcoming ‘Battle of
Technologies’, Grönholm and Andersson took advantage of the opportunity to
climb behind the wheel of the ZEROID X1 – the similarly all-electric car used
in the supporting FIA RX2e Championship – to find their way around the ‘Red
Cauldron, as Nyirád is affectionately known due to the distinctive colour of
its bauxite-based unsealed sections.
The circuit might have been new to them both, but
the car was not, with CE Dealer Team having participated in last year’s RX2e finale
at Germany’s Estering, where Grönholm and Andersson finished respectively
fourth and fifth.
“It was my
first time at Nyirád, and it’s an amazing place,” enthused the Finn, third in
the World Championship standings in each of the past three campaigns. “It’s
quite iconic, and it’ll be nice to come back to go racing here in the summer.”
Indeed, the
27-28 July double-header race weekend will mark the first time Hungary has ever
welcomed World RX, and Andersson shared her team-mate’s enthusiasm for what is
to come.
“It was fun
to get some practice in at Nyirád,” the Swede commented. “It’s a challenging
track – super-fast and technical with a lot of elevation and some blind corners.
You need to be very committed, so I think it’s for sure a big advantage to have
been here once before we return with the World Championship.”
Combined tickets for World RX of Hungary – including
support categories RX2e, Euro RX1 and Euro RX3 – and the FIA European Autocross
Championship at Nyirád on 17-18 August are on sale here,
with discounted ‘Early Bird’ rates until 30 June.
Finland
Italy
Hungary