Double DTM and FIA World Rallycross Champion Mattias Ekström put in a stunning performance to eclipse 17 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the 2023 Race Of Champions for a record-equalling fourth time – on a day of non-stop action on the frozen Baltic Sea at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle.

Following Team Norway’s triumph in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup, all cooperation went out of the window today. The individual Race Of Champions pitted some of the world’s greatest drivers – from series including Formula 1, Formula 2, IndyCar, Le Mans, W Series, World Rally, World Rallycross, Nitro Rallycross and X-Games –head-to-head on an icy parallel track featuring ROC’s iconic crossover bridge.

On a sunny afternoon at Pite Havsbad, the Race Of Champions saw greats of global motorsport battling for glory in a mix of identical machinery – including the electric Cupra UrbanRebel Concept, Zeroid X1 rallycross car powered by QEV and FC1-X Nitro Rallycross car. The off-road Polaris RZR PRO XP made a welcome ROC return as did the SuperCar Lites, now powered by 100% fossil-free biofuel.

In front of packed crowds of Swedish fans braving the cold, the best-of-three Grand Final boiled down to a duel between home hopeful Ekström and Mercedes-AMG F1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher. After a thrilling finale as both drivers pushed to the limit, Ekström saw off his German rival by two heats to nil – despite a brief scare when he had to put out a fire in his car – to be crowned ROC Champion of Champions for the fourth time. The Swede thus equals the all-time Race Of Champions record also held by French rally greats Didier Auriol and Sébastien Loeb.

Incredibly, Ekström won two of his previous ROC titles against Mick’s father Michael – at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2007 and at Beijing’s Olympic Stadium in 2009 – which made today’s finale even more special. To reach the Grand Final Ekström and Schumacher had to see off a field featuring 18 of the world’s greatest drivers. Because the track conditions on snow and ice can change quickly depending on the weather, ROC’s traditional group stage did not take place. Instead this year’s Race Of Champions used a straight knockout system with the field split into two halves: one featured the international racing drivers while the other had the rally experts and those with more experience of off-road driving.

At the semi-final stage Schumacher defeated his fellow countryman, the four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, 2-0 to take bragging rights in the circuit racers’ half of the draw. On the rally side, Ekström finished on top of the pile having brought an end to a spirited run by Thierry Neuville, the winner of 17 WRC rallies. The quarter-finals saw many big names bite the dust – not least nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, who lost to Vettel. The reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Felipe Drugovich was the other racing driver who went out, beaten by Schumacher on countback of fastest times after a 1-1 tie.

On the rally side Ekström saw off his fellow Swede, the five-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, after a close battle between the two home hopefuls. The last driver going out at this stage was yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup winner for Team Norway Oliver Solberg, who lost to Neuville after crashing out of their first heat.

The Round of 16 was another graveyard for motorsport’s superstars. In the racing half of the draw, double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen fell to Drugovich and 10-time F1 grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas lost to Kristensen. 2022 eTouring Car World Cup Champion Adrien Tambay and triple W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick also left the competition at this stage, beaten by Schumacher and Vettel respectively.

The rally side of the draw was just as brutal. Reigning ROC Champion of Champions and nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb fell to Neuville, albeit beaten by just four hundredths of a second. Loeb’s fellow World Rally Champion Petter Solberg lost the battle for family pride, defeated by son Oliver after their shared triumph for Team Norway in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup. McLaren Extreme E driver Tanner Foust was another of the early casualties, falling to Kristoffersson, while extreme sports legend and Nitro Rallycross Champion Travis Pastrana lost out to Ekström.

Kicking off the afternoon’s action, four of the racing drivers were matched up in pairs for two Round 1 play-offs. 13-time F1 grand prix winner David Coulthard fell to defeat by Tambay while IndyCar race winner Felix Rosenqvist had to bid an early goodbye after spinning off against Schumacher.

Ahead of the main competition, the home fans were given a treat as four Swedish heroes took part in a celebrity race in the Polaris RZR PRO XP. The field featured Olympic skiing gold medallists Ingemar Stenmark and Anja Pärson, ice hockey’s NHL legend and Olympic gold medallist Tomas Holmström and YouTube sensation Emil Hansius. In the end it was Holmström who came out on top, beating Stenmark in the final while Hansius pipped Pärson for bronze.

This year’s Race Of Champions has raised funds and awareness towards a selection of worthwhile charities. The key recipients have included German children’s charity Kinderlachen, the Zelmerlöw and Björkman Foundation’s school in Kenya, the ICM (institute for advanced research on brain and spinal cord injuries in Paris) plus a range of the drivers’ other favourite charities.

Here’s how Team Norway won Nations Cup: https://formularapida.net/video-team-norway-wins-2023-race-of-champions-nations-cup/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Video: Ekstrom beats Schumacher to win 2023 Race of Champions ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After the ‘Thanks Day’ of the last few seasons were stalled due to COVID-19, the mega event by Honda ran in its full glory culminating the 2022 season at Motegi on Sunday. It united all the different motor racing communities that the Japanese manufacturer are in.

The local events like Super Formula and Super GT were certainly on display, with the international stars coming in from F1, MotoGP, IndyCar and Motocross/Dakar. Despite the end in 2021, Honda still has solid links with Red Bull and AlphaTauri in F1.

All four drivers were present with world champion Max Verstappen along with Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. The Frenchman had its last appearance with Honda as he moves away to Alpine, where he will drive the Renault-powered F1 cars.

All four F1 drivers were involved in a kart race and also showrun. The MotoGP side saw Marc Marquez representing the factory team, while Takaaki Nakagami was there for LCR. Both Pol Espargaro and Alex Marquez chose to skip the event.

Here’s the full stream:

https://twitter.com/HondaJP_Live/status/1596734467569131520?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1596496285133152260?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1596488417696940033?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1596121706548330496?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

off for some karting fun with the squad ✌️ @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/elpsh0qpWf

— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) November 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1596501357552279553?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1596793667271786497?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1596775839156215808?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

Couldn’t leave @Max33Verstappen out, could we? pic.twitter.com/WcdhtdSGSv

— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) November 27, 2022

Only Honda. pic.twitter.com/1I1nBKaND1

— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) November 27, 2022

In case you're in a part of the world where #HondaRacingThanksDay took place overnight, don't worry. You haven't missed out!

You can check out what went on here:https://t.co/nGwW5La7uD#Honda pic.twitter.com/pGImwZAvDP

— Honda Racing Global (@HondaRacingGLB) November 27, 2022

https://twitter.com/HondaRacingGLB/status/1596745768026615809?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/HondaRacingGLB/status/1596757627392135168?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/HondaRacingGLB/status/1596763507424628736?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/HRC_MotoGP/status/1596748339978334208?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

https://twitter.com/HRC_MotoGP/status/1596692306081431552?s=20&t=Q82WHi8clDCKCryWSF3xpQ

Here’s Christian Horner on handling Brazil badly

Here’s Christian Horner crediting Red Bull people for 2022 success

Here’s potential earning of Red Bull drivers

Here’s Daniel Ricciardo rejoining Red Bull

L'entrada Video: Honda hosts ‘Thanks Day’ at Motegi as all F1 drivers attend ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Sulayem won against Stoker (36.62%) after 61.62% of votes went in favour of the UAE native in the presidential election, as he succeeds Jean Todt whose 12-year reign came to an end in 2021 after the Frenchman was first elected to FIA President post in 2009.

Sulayem stood for his first presidential election against Stoker, who has been the Deputy President of Sport in the FIA since 2009. The former had the backing of multiple clubs which included Motorsport UK, where Robert Reid is to replace Stoker in the role.

Carmelo Sanz de Barros from Spain will be the President of the Senate, while Canada’s Tim Shearman takes up the Deputy President for Mobility role. Another big name to feature on the list of Sulayem team is Fabianna Ecclestone – wife of ex-F1 boss Bernie.

She filed as the Candidate for Vice-President from South America region. Others on the list included Abdulla Al Khalifa (Middle East), Rodrigo Ferreira Rocha (Africa), Daniel Coen (North America), Lung-Nien Lee (Asia-Pacific), Anna Nordkvist (Europe) and Manuel Avino (Europe).

Sulayem is 13th FIA President to be elected and is the first to come from the Middle Eastern region and first non-European person as well. The 60-year-old former rally driver has been part of the WMSC as the President for the Middle East region.

“I am very honoured to have been elected FIA President at the conclusion of the Annual General Assembly in Paris today,” said Sulayem. “I thank all the Member Clubs for their esteem and trust. I congratulate Graham for his campaign and his engagement to the Federation.

“I wish to express my infinite gratitude in the name of the FIA and that of its Members to Jean Todt for all that has been achieved over the past 12 years. I am committed to pursuing the important work and make motor sport and mobility take further steps forward.”

At the same time, Todt added: “A chapter has come to an end. We can be collectively satisfied of our achievements in motor sport and safe and sustainable mobility over the past 12 years. I would like to warmly thank my team, our administration and all our Member Clubs for their unwavering commitment, enthusiasm and resilience. I congratulate Mohammed on his election as FIA President and wish him, his team, and the Federation the best of success for the years to come.”

Here’s how the FIA Prize Gala of 2021 panned out

L'entrada Mohammed Ben Sulayem named new FIA President succeeding Todt ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Despite the COVID-19 restrictions in place, the 2021 FIA Gala was held with most present in the ceremony after it was held virtually in 2020. There were many who couldn’t come and send a recording of theirs for winning their respective prize.

Apart from the champions and runners-up getting their trophies, the FIA also had some other special awards, whose recipients were only revealed during the ceremony hosted by Nicki Shields and Julien Fabreau from the headquarters at Geneva.

First up was the award for the FIA Rookie of the Year, which went to Alpine’s Oscar Piastri – as chosen by the Divers’ Commission – for his supreme title-winning season in F2 with Prema. He didn’t get a F1 drive for 2022 but is in a reserve role with the French outfit.

Piastri became the third F2 driver to get the award after Yuki Tsunoda and Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque won it twice, one as a F1 driver too. Other winners include Daniil Kvyat (F1), Max Verstappen (F1), Alex Albon (F1) and Kevin Hansen (European Rallycross).

Moving on to the FIA Action of the Year, it went to Alpine’s Alonso for his superb defence against Hamilton from Hungarian GP, where he battled with his former teammate for multiple laps and kept him behind for as long as possible.

He was voted as best by the fans. Previous winners included Kimi Raikkonen, Verstappen (four times, three in F1 and one in F3), Esapekka Lappi (WRC) and Teemu Suninen (WRC). The FIA Personality of the Year award then went to Hamilton.

It was voted by the permanent accredited media and it was his fourth time winning the award – second year in succession – as other holders included Verstappen (three times in F1), Robert Kubica (WRC) and Niki Lauda (F1).

Apart from these three, outgoing FIA President Jean Todt was presented with multiple gifts for his last day at helm, as the ceremony eventually closed with Verstappen getting his winning trophy. Prior to that Valtteri Bottas collected this third place trophy as James Allison took the constructors’ title with Hamilton and Toto Wolff skipping the event.

Here’s the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjTWjOcWYFA

Here’s what FIA WMSC said regarding Abu Dhabi and 2026 PU

Here’s what Toto Wolff said

L'entrada Alonso, Hamilton, Piastri & others win awards in 2021 FIA Prize Gala ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Amid the ongoing ban from World Anti-Doping Agency for Russian athletes due to dope related incidents, it is going to affect race car drivers as well in top FIA-sanctioned championships like F1, WRC, WRC, WEC, Formula E and karting.

The rule came into being from December 17, 2020, and will carry on until December 16, 2022, which is what saved AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat last year. This will, however, affect Haas F1 driver Mazepin, who is to make his debut this year in 2021.

With the ruling of non-usage of the Russian flag, Mazepin will be forced to race under neutral status. He can use the flag colours and acronym RAF or have ‘Russia – neutral athlete’ against his name but no flag and or direct usage of the country name is allowed.

In the case of a race win, there won’t be a Russian anthem as well – although it is unlikely that Mazepin will have a race win in 2021. It is unclear if it will affect drivers in F2 and or F3, as those championships hasn’t been mentioned in the press release.

Here’s the full statement:

“On February 4, the Russian Automobile Federation received clarifications from the FIA ​​(International Automobile Federation) regarding the enforcement of decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in terms of motor sports.

“By the decision of CAS, Russian athletes competing in the World Championships (namely, in the Formula 1 World Championship, the World Rally Championship (WRC), the World Rallycross Championship (WRX), the World Endurance Racing Championship (WEC)), world championship in Formula E, world championship in karting) are not entitled to:

– use the image of the Russian flag (actual or historical) in any sports gear and equipment, but may use the colors of the Russian flag;

– use national emblems or symbols in any sports equipment and equipment (the coat of arms of Russia, including the one with a two-headed eagle), but can use the acronym RAF instead of the Russian flag;

– use the names “Russia”, “Russian”, “Russian Automobile Federation”, but may use the name “Russia” exclusively in combination with the phrase “neutral athlete” or a semantic equivalent of this phrase, made in the same size and located next to or at least prominent place, for example, “neutral athlete from Russia” or “Russia. Neutral athlete. ” It is also allowed to use the acronym “RAF” instead of “Russian Automobile Federation”;

– publicly display the flag of the Russian Federation (current or historical), the name “Russia” or any national emblem or national symbol on their clothing at any official facilities or in other areas controlled by the FIA ​​or the organizers of FIA competitions;

– to perform the National Anthem of Russia in the official venues of the competition or in other places controlled by the FIA ​​or its designated organizer of the competition.

“These restrictions do not apply to spectators who are allowed to bring Russian national flags to any official FIA competition and event. The CAS decision is valid for two years from the date of adoption: from December 17, 2020 to December 16, 2022. The RAF, as an FIA accredited federation, confirms the strict implementation of all CAS decisions by Russian racers.”

Here’s news on Nikita Mazepin breaking red light rule

L'entrada Russian fed on no flag/name use, Mazepin set to have neutral status ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Having spent a day at Maranello on Friday, new Ferrari F1 recruit Sainz Jr traveled to Aragon, to not only see his and father’s Extreme E team in action, but also have a go himself in the ODYSSEY 21 – an electric SUV made for extreme off-road racing.

The Dakar legend has entered with Laia Sanz under ACCIONA | Sainz XE team, where Movistar F1 reporter Albert Fabrega is the team principal. “I kind of expected my father to want to be involved in Extreme E and I saw him taking an interest, so we’ve been very busy the last three to four months with the project,” said Sainz Jr.

“It’s a whole new challenge and I see that they are working very hard to make the team as competitive as possible. The climate message behind Extreme E is really important as we need to make people more conscious of what’s going on in the world, while still producing a show and good racing,” Sainz Jr summed up.

https://twitter.com/ExtremeELive/status/1340275313058734081?s=20

https://twitter.com/ExtremeELive/status/1340301148536918016?s=20

It was the first collective test for Extreme E teams, where eight teams were present apart from Techeetah. It is unclear if the Monegasque-based team will compete in 2021 or not at this stage, while Veloce Racing only had Jamie Chadwick testing.

Others like X44, Rosberg Xtreme Racing, Andretti United, ABT Cupre XE, Chip Ganassi Racing and Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team, had both their drivers present for the two-day run and undertook as much running they could ahead of Rd 1 in March in Saudi Arabia.

Driving for Lewis Hamilton’s X44’s Sebastien Loeb said: “The car is different to what I’m used to driving, so I was very happy to discover how powerful it is and with good traction and balance too – I’ve really enjoyed testing it out.

“It’s been great to work alongside the whole team while we get to know the vehicle and especially to drive alongside Cristina. She’s naturally a very skilled driver, as well as a hard worker, and I’m looking forward to having her as my partner in this new adventure.

“This weekend has also been a good opportunity for me to find out more detail about the series itself and the places we will be visiting. It’s a totally new concept so who knows how it will be, but I’m excited to start the season and begin competing against the other teams.”

At the same time, Nico Rosberg’s Xtreme Racing’s Johan Kristoffersson stated: “It’s been a great test for RXR. We came into the test excited to drive the RXR ODYSSEY 21 at full power for the first time and it didn’t disappoint.

“Everyone in the team has been focused on adapting and learning as quickly as possible which is important with very few chances to test the car between now and the start of the season.  We’ve gathered a lot of data over the two days and me and Molly have a good understanding between each other and with the car. It’s been a lot of fun and I already can’t wait to go racing in Season 1 next year.”

Meanwhile, Veloce’s Chadwick added: “It’s been a great couple of days being able to drive the Extreme E car at full power for the first time. Unfortunately, the fog meant we didn’t get as many laps as we would have liked but either way I’m always smiling when I drive this car. Lots to take in and be able to work on going into the season start next year.”

Suited, booted and ready for action! #ExtremeE #XETesting pic.twitter.com/rM0uYCaPwr

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) December 18, 2020

Halfway through the morning session and our drivers are well up to speed!#ExtremeE #XETesting pic.twitter.com/4zWoGnhiqg

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) December 18, 2020

It's the first ever session of Extreme E testing and we've already reignited this American rivalry!#ExtremeE #XETesting pic.twitter.com/TYNaydt2rr

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) December 18, 2020

https://twitter.com/andrettiunited/status/1339943368214888448?s=20

https://twitter.com/ExtremeELive/status/1339973415520878593?s=20

Join Sébastien Loeb for a lap of Extreme E pre-season testing!#ExtremeE #XETesting #TeamX44 pic.twitter.com/wh3kq32LQE

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) December 18, 2020

https://twitter.com/ExtremeELive/status/1340233325152268288?s=20

That's a wrap on #XETesting. Thanks for following and stay tuned for more content in the coming days!

Next, the cars are loaded up onto the St Helena and we're off to Saudi Arabia for Round 1!#ExtremeE pic.twitter.com/2pRYlkw5xt

— Extreme E (@ExtremeELive) December 19, 2020

Here’s the full calendar: https://www.extreme-e.com/en/race-calendar

Here’s photos of Carlos Sainz at Maranello

Here’s news of Carlos Sainz Sr joining Extreme E

L'entrada Sainz Jr tests Extreme E car as eight teams in action at Aragon ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Speed was hospitalised on Friday when he landed heavily during the qualifying heat of the Nitro Rallycross event at Utah Motorsports Park, which is part of the Nitro World Games.

The American drives a Subaru WRX STI, which he also uses in the Americas Rallycross series. Following a social media silence while he was being checked for a broken bone, Speed revealed he hurt is T6 vertebrae.

A statement from Subaru Motorsports USA on Friday stated: “Unfortunately, Scott Speed suffered a back injury during the first qualifying heat after a heavy landing over a jump.

“He was able to finish the heat and exit the car, but has been transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Scott will miss the remainder of the event.” Speed then took to his social media for an update:

“After landing hard in Q1 I broke my back. [I] was rushed to the local hospital for checks. CT scan confirmed a destroyed T6 [vertebrae], then [I] was taken to a spine specialist at University of Utah.

“Finally got an MRI done around 3 AM. We found I have three fractured vertebrae. Waiting now for the surgeons to give us the game plan. Last night was easily the scariest and most painful time I can remember.

“Was in a pretty dark place. But I want to thank so much everyone who came and spent time with me. No way I could have made it thruough alone. Peter Bminnig will forever have a place in my heart for all that he did.

“And luckily the best cousin in the world Jekka Arellano lives here to play mama bear for me…so excited to see Amanda and dad here soon. Thanks for all the kind text messages.”

L'entrada Ex-F1 racer Scott Speed suffers broken back in rallycross incident ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Solberg has had an illustrious motorsport career so far, where he claimed a World Rally Championship in 2003 with Subaru World Rally Team and two World Rallycross Championships in 2014 and 2015 with PSRX.

The 44-year-old has been racing in Rallycross for the past few seasons since moving away from WRC. But recently, he was hospitalised following a first-corner crash in Latvia in 2017, where he broke his two ribs and collarbone.

Following an X-ray, it was discovered that one of his lungs were producing too much iron. The Norwegian explained that he suffered from a lack of energy and noticed some changes in eyesight when he started shaking.

While he could continue on to race competitively, but would struggle with tiredness after climbing out of his race car. He contemplated finding a replacement for the 2018 season but ultimately decided to continue in the championship.

With the health issues catching up, the world champion decided to take a step back from active competitions – especially the world championships – and focus on other big-ticket events to remain in touch with the world of motorsport.

The Norwegian announced his ‘Farewell Tour’ which will kick-off in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He will then move to Norway’s biggest hillclimb event and will also undertake the Gymkhana GRiD World Finals in September.

Reflecting on his whole career and the future ahead, Solberg released a statement, which read: “I want to say straight away that my helmet stays on my head. I’m not hanging it up. I will still compete in some big events this year and in the future.

“But I am retiring from world championships. Last year’s World RX Championship was the last one for me. Honestly, it’s because the time is right. I had some sickness for the last couple of years which made me think about what I really wanted to do.

“But I recovered from that a couple of months ago. My fitness and energy are all back now and I’m ready for a new challenge. The years I spent with Subaru in WRC, I will never forget them. These people were – and remain – like family to me.

“We shared some special, special moments. But it’s incredible how 20 years have gone in a flash. It feels like yesterday that Colin [McRae] and Carlos [Sainz] were shouting at me for asking too many questions when I joined the Ford World Rally Team in 1999!

“Volkswagen’s decision to take a break from World Rallycross was also a factor in my decision, but I have some serious ambitions for the future and I want to start working towards those [with immediate effect].

“I start with two hillclimbs – the first is one of the most prestigious events in motorsport, Goodwood’s Festival of Speed and the second is very, very important to me and to my family in Norway, it’s Norges Raeste Bakkelop.

“Next we have the Gymkhana GRiD World Finals on September 7th; which is going to be just amazing with so many people. Technically, this is some of the toughest driving you can do, you have to be so precise all the time.”

“There are more surprises to come this year and they’re good ones. It’s important to understand I will continue to do big events into the future, all around the world. And I want to do these things, this is where the passion is for me.

“I love to give people the big smile and make sure they enjoy themselves. My driving makes people smile and that’s why I never stop,” he summed up. While the senior Solberg hangs up, son Oliver is stepping up to the mantle step by step.

                                 This story is written by Junaid Samodien on his blog Slipstream SA

                                                                                        Edited by Darshan Chokhani

L'entrada Solberg steps back from active racing, announces other events for 2019 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The annual gala for the 2018 season took place in Saint Petersburg in Russia  on Friday evening – ending the year celebrating the champions from various championships and honoring the best racers and moments, which took place during the year.

Beside his F1 trophy, Hamilton took the big voted award of the Personality of the Year – taking it away from Max Verstappen who won it thrice already. He beat some well known personalities to win the award which included his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Apart from Hamilton and Wolff, the F1 contingent had Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Leclerc and Fernando Alonso while the others included Formula E and WEC’s Jean-Eric Vergne, World Rallycross’ Sebastien Loeb and World Rally Championship’s Ott Tanak.

The Rookie of the Year went to Leclerc again after he took it for winning the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017. This time the Monegasque won it for his supreme debut with Sauber in F1. He couldn’t make it to collect the award but had a video message.

The gala saw FIA’s President Jean Todt handing a special award to the Russian Automobile Federation’s boss and also to Mercedes F1 heads Wolff and Niki Lauda – the latter wasn’t present but the former collected the memento.

https://twitter.com/JeanTodt/status/1071124622853238785

The Mexican GP, meanwhile, won the Best Promoters Trophy for the fourth time in a row as the Action of the Year award went to World Rally Championship’s Teemu Suninen for his epic save in his home Rally Finland.

In the more traditional awards, Mercedes took its constructors’ trophy while Hamilton had his drivers’. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and his outgoing teammate Kimi Raikkonen – who ended up being drunk on stage – took the second and third place trophies respectively.

https://twitter.com/fia/status/1071147563481489410

The FIA Formula E Championship winners Vergne and Audi took their trophies as well with the latter represented by Allan McNish. The WRC’s drivers’ trophy went to Sebastien Ogier with Julien Ingrassia and the manufacturers’ award going to Toyota.

https://twitter.com/fia/status/1071146526523736064

https://twitter.com/fia/status/1071134549692829697

The World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson took the drivers’ title for the second time in a row, while Team PSWX – Volkswagen Sweden took their team’s trophy for the second time as well.

https://twitter.com/fia/status/1071135733434458112

In the junior single-seater categories, George Russell was awarded with his F2 trophy and Mick Schumacher took the European F3 title along with their respective teams ART and Prema taking the teams’ trophies.

https://twitter.com/JeanTodt/status/1071129549965012992

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm coming. Where am I?!" pic.twitter.com/VpKNahNvs5

— Ky (@FiftyBuckss) December 7, 2018

https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1071137198156730368

L'entrada Hamilton wins FIA Personality award, Leclerc takes Rookie honours ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Polemic decision in Catalunya RX. Stewarts has disqualified Mattias Ekström because of an avoidable contact with Petter Solberg.

Solberg had a better starting position and saw how he was out of space when he arribed at turn 1, because of Ekström movements. Solberg crashed into the barriers in a spectacular way.

He was dominating the whole weekend, and suddenly he was last, while Ekström took advantage of the situation to take the victory over Johan Kirstoffersson and Sébastien Loeb.

Afterwards, Solberg and Ekström were interviewed by stewards who have finally decide to exclude Ekström from race results.

L'entrada Mattias Ekström DSQ in Barcelona RX, Kristoffersson inherits victory ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Demoustier already raced for SLR on the 2016 WTCC season, but he moved to RallyCross the next year. As for Loeb himself, the rally legend is expected to stay at the Peugeot Factory Team, where he has achieved a win and ten podium finishes. The Frenchman will combine the driver and team owner role this season.

“I am delighted to return to Sebastien Loeb Racing with a new programme, surrounded by people I know and have appreciated for a long time. With Georges Kaczka and Pierre Arnaud, we were determined to partner Sebastien Loeb Racing, and the project started to take shape as the team was also looking at a World RX programme for this season,” said Demoustier. “2018 will remain a development year, on the technical side, as well as personally. Even if I competed at some rounds last campaign, it is still a brand new venture and I have not set any objectives for myself. Saying that, we hope to get good results here-and-there and reach some semi-finals. On the driving side, I have strong feelings about the fast and lively format of the championship and cannot wait for the season to start!” 

The 2018 World RallyCross session will start the 14th of April at the Barcelona Catalunya Circuit.

L'entrada Sébastien’s Loeb team to join World RallyCross championship ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The 2003 WRC champion completed more than 250 km last week in a test with the german team in northern Sweden. He did it with a Volkswagen ‘s Polo GTI R5. Honestly, the car was fantastic,” said Solberg. “It was really nice to drive, really predictable and easy to drive – this is so important for the R5 car.

About the questions of his return to WRC he answered: ”now I have done the test in that car, I really want to drive one in competition. I don’t know when it might be possible and we didn’t really talk about it yet [with Volkswagen], but I would love to do that.”

After leaved the championship in 2012 when we compete with Ford, Solberg went to Fia World Rallycross Championship. There, Norwegian driver won three time the title. Furthermore, he helped his son Oliver to begin his trajectory in the world of rallys. Petter admitted that he would love to be in the same rally as his son: “if Oliver does the event, it would be a really nice story to be competing there as well”.

Solberg also affirmed he didn’t bring less pressure because of compete in WRC2. “There’s always pressure if you are competing in the world championship. The competition is good there anyway, but I would bring my own pressure to myself.”

Before any possible return to WRC, Solberg and his wife Pernilla will be back aboard an RS1800 for another Rally Sweden Historic outing on February 16/17.

L'entrada Is Solberg returning to WRC? ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The 2014 World RX of Norway race winner joined EKS for 2017 as an Individual entrant, in a third car alongside Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom and Finland’s Topi Heikkinen, but has this morning announced that he is seeking new challenges for this season.

“2017 with EKS was a great experience and I will value the lessons learned and cherish the fun moments we had together! Thank you each and every one at #EKSRX and Audi Sport – now it’s time for me to seek new challenges in 2018,” he said.

The Latvian driver has raced for the OlsbergsMSE, Muennich Motorsport and EKS teams in his four year World RX career after winning the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Super1600 in 2013. He finished third overall in the World RX Drivers’ standings in 2014, and helped OlsbergsMSE to win the first Teams’ title.

EKS owner Mattias Ekstrom will announce his future plans in a press conference next Monday (January 29^th).

FIA World Rallycross Press Release

L'entrada Reinis Nitiss leaves EKS ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Two-time World RX Champion Petter Solberg finished runner-up, making it a one-two for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden this weekend. Team Peugeot-Hansen’s Sebastien Loeb took the third podium spot.  EKS driver Topi Heikkinen is the only driver to have reached every Canadian final since it was introduced to the World Championship in 2014.  He was awarded the Monster Energy Super Charge Award following his rapid launch on the start of today’s final but was denied a podium spot due to a slow puncture.

MJP Racing Team Austria’s Kevin Eriksson had another solid weekend in his Ford Fiesta RX Supercar finishing fourth, one spot ahead of Heikkinen.  Team Peugeot-Hansen’s Timmy Hansen finished sixth after the Swede retired from the final on the penultimate lap due to a technical issue with his car. Reigning Champion Mattias Ekstrom ended the seventh overall after the Swede suffered from a clutch problem which dropped him to the back of his semi-final.  Meanwhile temperature problems denied Janis Baumanis a spot in the final and the Latvian STARD driver finished in eighth place. Elsewhere Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block finished ninth with Kevin Hansen rounding out the top ten.

In the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires, it was Frenchman Cyril Raymond who returned to the top of the podium after a lights-to-flag victory in today’s final. Belgium’s Guillaume De Ridder finished second, while American Tanner Whitten took the third podium spot.  Great Britain’s Dan Rooke was leading overnight but a collision caused the 20-year-old to retire from the final.  In the overall RX2 standings, Raymond now leads Rooke by 14 points.

Press Release

L'entrada Kristoffersson wins CanadaRX ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Reigning Champion and series leader Mattias Ekstrom finished the event fourth, putting an end to the EKS driver’s winning streak [having won the season’s first three rounds in Barcelona, Montalegre and Hockenheim].  Kristoffersson’s triumph in Belgium has edged the Swede closer to Ekstrom in the overall standings as the two drivers are now separated by only three points.

Hansen was on course to win yesterday’s final but a front-left puncture on his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar hindered his progress in the final lap, allowing Kristoffersson to take the lead.  Hansen and Solberg were separated by just 0.009 seconds as they crossed the finish line in second and third respectively

Despite securing the Monster Energy Super Charge Award for the fastest reaction time off the line in today’s final, Andreas Bakkerud got stuck in turn one traffic which saw him drop behind the top three.  The Norwegian was later caught in the tussle between Solberg and Hansen, which saw him collide with a tyre wall and cause his retirement.  Last year’s Germany RX winner Kevin Eriksson had a strong outing for MJP Racing Team Austria to finish the event fifth overall – the Swede’s best result in 2017 so far.

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb was seventh overall – the Team Peugeot-Hansen driver spun in turn one of his semi-final and damaged his car. America’s Ken Block secured his best result of the year in eighth overall. STARD’s Timur Timerzyanov and MJP Racing Team Austria’s Timo Scheider were ninth and tenth respectively.

L'entrada Kristoffersson wins in Belgium ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Hockenheim RX runner-up Johan Kristoffersson had another strong weekend after winning his semi-final which allowed the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver to line up alongside Ekstrom on the front row of today’s final.  Ekstrom was quickest to turn one and Kristoffersson remained second for the duration of the race. Team Peugeot-Hansen driver Timmy Hansen finished third in his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar – two spots ahead of his team-mate Sebastien Loeb who won two qualifying races and was placed top qualifier at the end of Q4.

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Petter Solberg finished fourth, slowed by a bad getaway in the final.  EKS driver Topi Heikkinen finished sixth and also won the Monster Energy Super Charge Award – a prize given to the driver who had the quickest reaction off the lights during the final. EKS has won all three Monster Energy Super Charge Awards so far this season with Ekstrom winning the first two in Barcelona and Portugal.

Elsewhere, MJP Racing Team Austrria’s Timo Schieder was seventh.  Kevin Hansen – younger brother of Timmy – was eighth, the 18-year-old having suffered a setback earlier in the day when he damaged the rear of his car after an impact during the sighting laps.  Kevin Hansen, Kevin Eriksson and Reinis Nitiss were then caught in a collision in turn two of their semi-final. Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block spun in his semi-final.

After the first three rounds of the 2017 season, Ekstrom leads the overall standings with a total of 85 points – 16 points ahead of Kristoffersson in second.  Solberg remains third with 62 points, while Loeb has moved up to fourth with 48 points – one point ahead of his team-mate Hansen.  In the teams’ standings, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden lead the way with 131 points – 17 points ahead of EKS.

Coyote World RX of Belgium will commence next weekend (13-14 May), with free practice and Q1 for some classes taking place on Friday 12 May.

FIA RX Press Release

L'entrada Three in a row for Ekström! ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Scheider will race one of two new Ford Fiesta Supercars for Max Pucher’s team in his first full assault, having sampled rallycross at selected events over the last two years and finished fourth in Argentina last November.

“I am very excited to join MJP Racing Team Austria and to be able to compete in the full 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship. We have been talking for some time but now we have realised a great partnership,” said Scheider, who is also a former winner of the Nürnburgring 24 hours. “For me, rallycross encompasses the great passion of motorsport. The level of the Championship goes up in 2017 with more manufacturers entering, but MJP Racing has built a new car for this year that will be a serious contender. I look forward to a fantastic rallycross season.”

Team owner Max Pucher is excited to be working with Scheider in World RX this year. “Having Timo with us in the team is just fantastic and makes all of us really proud. I very much look forward to the 2017 season with him,” said Pucher. “In 2016 our team achieved great results, including three new track records in World RX. We reached the semi-finals regularly and the fact that we placed third and fourth in Barcelona showed how competitive both the team and cars are. Our infrastructure and capability has grown substantially over the past nine months we were able to realise our plan for a more competitive car for 2017.”

Racing as World RX Team Austria, MJP Racing Team Austria finished sixth in the 2016 World RX Teams’ Championship standings.

Press Release

L'entrada Scheider joins MJP Team Austria for RallyCross campaign ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In the FIA European Rallycross Championship, where Barcelona marked the penultimate round, it was Kevin Hansen who took the victory and also won the Championship with one event still remaining. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy,” said the elated 18-year-old. One round of Euro RX remains in Latvia in two weeks’ time but Hansen’s four event wins and 30-point lead makes it impossible for his competitors to catch him in the overall standings.  Norwegian drivers Tommy Rustad and Tord Linnerud finished second and third respectively.

“I’m really happy – to win a race in World RX makes me smile every time,” admitted Barcelona RX winner, Ekstrom, who also scooped the Monster Energy Super Charge Award for beating his competitors to the first corner during today’s final. “At the start of the season, there were only a few drivers who could take a victory but now there are so many who can win – the competition is very tough and you need to be on your A-game throughout the weekend to be in with a chance.  This weekend the competition has been fierce so this win feels even more special today.”

Ekstrom’s win this weekend now sees the Swede lead the World RX driver standings by 10 points but the question remains as to whether he is able to miss a round of DTM in order to compete at Buxtehude in Germany next month.  Ekstrom took up the story: “The entry deadline for the Buxtehude race is next week so I’ve been getting asked about what I’m doing a lot at the moment.  I haven’t missed a single DTM race in 15 years so it’s a big discussion.  I will speak to my bosses tomorrow morning to see what they say but it’s in their hands so I will respect whatever decision they make.”

Runner-up Timmy Hansen was Top Qualifier at the end of the four qualifying sessions, and spoke positively about the performance of his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar over the weekend. “The car has been working very well – the whole weekend we’ve had very good starts and the team have done a great job with the car following my test last week,” explained the 24-year-old. “I want to say that I’m very proud of mysecond semi-final. The result is even more special for the Austrian-based team after an incident with Timerzyanov’s car at the previous round in France meant the squad had to change the chassis in order for him to drive this weekend. “We are delighted with this result after a difficult season and we are now looking forward to Riga,” said team boss, Max Pucher.

Audi privateer driver Robin Larsson finished fifth, the Swede having retired from today’s final after damaging a wheel.  Volkswagen RX Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson initially finished third but was later demoted to sixth place for pushing.

Reigning Champion Solberg finished the weekend in seventh position.
“Frustration is definitely the word from here,” explained Solberg. “We made it through qualifying into the semi-final and that race started OK. I made a good start from where I was on the grid. I was behind Loeb going down the hairpin and then Larsson hit me and knocked me wide. After that, I did everything I could, I tried my best to come back at them [Loeb and Larsson fighting ahead], but the final wasn’t possible this time. I’m really disappointed, but let’s look forward and push on for the next race.”

Elsewhere, double DTM champion Timo Scheider made his return to World RX and finished 17^th in the Intermediate Classification standings in a Munnich Motorsport Seat Ibiza, one place ahead of Ken Block who had a challenging weekend in his Hoonigan Racing Division prepared Ford Focus RS RX after suffering gearbox problems in Q3.

In the fifth round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Super1600, Denmark’s Ulrik Linnemann triumphed in his Peugeot 208.  Hungary’s Luigi finished runner-up at the wheel of his Skoda Fabia and Lithuania’s Kasparas Navickas was third in another Skoda Fabia.

In the penultimate round of the supporting RX Lites Cup, it was Cyril Raymond who took three qualifying wins and the overall victory. Norwegians Thomas Bryntesson and Simon Wago Syversen finished second and third.  Raymond’s win this weekend has seen the Frenchman extend his lead over Bryntesson in the overall standings by eight points.

World RX Managing Director for IMG, Paul Bellamy, concluded: “We’ve had 28,000 passionate motorsport fans travel to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend. Well done to Mattias who took a well-deserved victory and in doing so managed to move ahead of Petter in the overall standings, which has made this year’s title fight even more exciting.  Now it remains to be seen whether Mattias will be able to compete in Germany or whether he will be required to race in DTM.  Either way, it’s going to be a very exciting final three rounds.  It’s also been a very positive weekend for Peugeot with Kevin Hansen crowned Euro RX Champion and Timmy Hansen finishing second in World RX. The Hansen family now have 15 Euro RX titles between them, which is a staggering achievement. We now look forward to Riga with the World Championship visiting Latvia for the first time.”

A new location awaits the World RX crews for round 10 of the World Championship as the team prepare to compete at the all-new rallycross circuit at the Bikernieki circuit in Riga, Latvia.  Neste World RX of Latvia will take place in just under two weeks’ time (1-2 October).

Press Release

L'entrada Ekstrom wins in Barcelona and regains Championship lead ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In the overall driver standings, Petter Solberg regained the championship lead.  The Norwegian driver was TQ [Top Qualifier] at the end of the four qualifying sessions, and took the maximum 16 points available. Solberg went on to win his semi-final but made a slow start to the after choosing dry weather tyres despite a shower of rain that saw four of his rivals switch to wet tyres. EKS driver Mattias Ekstrom slipped back to second in the standings, four points behind Solberg.  Ekstrom was fifth at the Intermediate Classification but retired from his semi-final due to a front-left puncture.

Canada RX winner Hansen couldn’t believe his luck: “I am so surprised to win – I wasn’t even supposed to be in the last six but after Timerzyanov’s black flag, I was told I needed to line up for the final,” explained 22-year-old Hansen, who broke his car’s front-right suspension during yesterday’s second qualifying session.

Hansen continued: “Moments before the final, it started to rain which was a blessing for us as the car worked perfectly in the wet. Opportunities like what happened today don’t come along very often and we made the most of everything.  It feels great to be sharing the podium with Andreas and Johan too, we always have good battles together.  Today has been like a dream but we need to keep working to improve the car and now we move forward to Loheac which we hope will be another good event for the team.”

Runner-up Bakkerud added: “Firstly, congratulations to Timmy on his victory.  The whole weekend has been crazy and today we saw non-stop action.  In fact, the final is a bit of a blur and I can’t even remember what happened right now!  I didn’t feel like I had the best pace over the weekend but I took opportunities when I had them and thankfully everything worked out really well for us. This is our third podium in a row and now I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

Kristoffersson’s third place finish sees the Volkswagen RX Sweden driver on the podium for the first time this year and the Swede was relieved to be back in the top three. “We’ve been so close and finally our hard work has paid off and we are back on the podium – it feels really good to be back here.  Petter was outstanding in the semi-final and I felt like I couldn’t catch him but then the rain started and our car works so well in the rain.  The first two laps were really good for us and the car worked perfectly.”
EKS driver Topi Heikkinen was fourth overall and was awarded the Monster Energy Super Charge Award for beating the other finalists to the first corner in today’s final.  Heikkinen explained: “There were some small rain showers immediately prior to the final. Petter and I were the only guys on slicks – it was the right decision. My start was perfect, but we were not fast enough in the wet.”

Solberg was fifth overall, with Volkswagen RX Sweden’s Anton Marklund sixth in his VW Polo RX Supercar. Marklund hit a wall on the first lap of today’s final and damaged a rear tyre.

Following his disqualification from today’s final, Timerzyanov finished the event in seventh place.  The World RX Team Austria driver was placed second at the Intermediate Classification having demonstrated excellent pace in his Fiesta RX Supercar throughout the weekend. Ekstrom finished eighth, with nine-time WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb ninth.  Rounding out the top 10 was America’s Ken Block – the driver having broken his car’s suspension on the final lap of his semi-final.

Ekstrom commented: “Although the end wasn’t as expected, I’m quite happy with the weekend. We have been in the top three whenever we had fresh air and our starts were absolutely insane. But, with the two punctures, there is also a stale aftertaste. I lost the lead in the drivers’ standings to Petter and went from being the hunted to the hunter. In France, we will strike back.”

In the standalone RX Lites Intercontinental Cup, it was America’s Mitchel DeJong who triumphed in the one-make support category. The 18-year-old took two qualifying wins to sit as Top Qualifier.  A spin in his semi-final saw DeJong start on the back row of today’s final but he recovered in the last race to take a well-deserved victory.  UAE driver Saeed Bintouq finished runner-up after a strong performance in what is only his first season in an RX Lites car. Sweden’s Oliver Eriksson rounded out the top three.

World RX Managing Director for IMG, Paul Bellamy, concluded: “This has been our third year in Canada and I’m delighted to announce that this weekend we’ve had our biggest crowd at this event to date. It’s always great to be part of a wider motorsport festival which attracts such passionate fans. We’ve had glorious weather all weekend and minutes before the final, the heavens opened and made for some nail-biting action out on track.  Nobody could have predicted today’s winner but Timmy’s pace, clean driving and Joker Lap strategy saw him finish the race on top. Congratulations also to Andreas and Johan for their podium results. I’d also like to say commiserations to both Petter and Timur – both drivers showed fantastic pace throughout the weekend.”

The FIA World Rallycross Championship will now return to European soil for the eighth round of the season which will take place in Loheac, France (3-4 September).

Press Release

L'entrada Unexpected win for Hansen in Canada RX ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.