FIA RX2e Championship
Sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, RX2e is the first-ever FIA electric rallycross championship.
The vision for RX2e – a joint venture between Spanish electro-mobility specialist QEV Technologies and Swedish rallycross powerhouse Olsbergs MSE – is to provide a pathway to the top of the sport for aspiring rallycross stars via an arrive-and-drive concept.
Putting the Driver First
One of RX2e’s key appeals is that the emphasis is placed predominantly on ability behind the wheel in the single-spec series, prioritising driver skill and ingenuity above all else.
The 30kWh battery – which has been fully safety-tested – is mounted next to the driver in the centre of the car to ensure optimum, 50/50 weight distribution, while power is supplied evenly to the front and rear wheels by a pair of motors and inverters, all of which benefit from a cooling system to prevent excessive temperatures.
The motor pumps out 270kW (equivalent to 362bhp) of power and up to 510Nm torque. A ‘Power Boost’ mode delivers drivers an extra 80kW for 30 seconds during each race to increase overtaking opportunities and encourage more strategic play.
What’s more, in a first for rallycross, drivers have three key parameters to play with before and between races, injecting an extra element of skill into the equation.
From inside the cockpit, competitors can manually adjust the amount of torque produced by the front and rear motors, the total torque deployed by all four wheels during the launch and the degree of regenerative braking on the front and rear axles.
On the outside, noise is generated by the howl of the drivetrain running at more than 12,000rpm as well as the gravel spray and tyre squeals so synonymous with rallycross, treating fans to a mouth-watering feast of fast-paced entertainment.
The Founders
QEV boasts a long and successful history in the electric vehicle domain. Involved in Formula E from the outset, the company propelled Nelson Piquet Jnr to the title with NEXTEV TCR (now NIO) during the series’ inaugural season in 2014/15 before striking up a long-term operational partnership with Mahindra Racing.
Its many years of experience in racing – from Formula E to the FIA World Touring Car Championship and TCR – have yielded an impressive track record of success while simultaneously honing the company’s electro-mobility and R&D expertise.
OMSE, meanwhile, is a name synonymous with rallycross success. The 2014 World RX championship-winning team is one of the most decorated outfits in the discipline’s history, consistently excelling on both sides of the Atlantic.
A regular race-winner and podium-finisher in FIA World and European Rallycross competition, the team has also secured multiple championship titles in the United States and earned an astonishing 19 X Games medals, including podium sweeps at the world’s leading action sports contest (Los Angeles, 2011; Brazil, 2013).
