PREVIEW: 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship – Nyirád, Hungary

The 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship heads to Hungary for the first time on 27/28 July. The third and fourth rounds of the “Battle of Technologies” will take place at the Nyirád Racing Centre, with the usual suspects competing for glory against a Hungarian home hero.

Nicknamed the “Red Cauldron” due do the distinctive colour of the unsealed surface sections of the track, Nyirád is often referred to as one of the most “old-school” circuits on the calendar. The technical curves and turns combined with dramatic elevation changes present an enticing challenge for drivers and guarantee a great spectacle for the fans.

The first weekend of world rallycross action in the new “Battle of Technologies” era saw victory head the way of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Indeed, six-time world rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson asserted his dominance early on, throwing down the gauntlet by winning both events in Sweden. However, team principal Tommy Kristoffersson will not be easing off any time soon. “We know what we are good at, and I think the double victory was well-deserved” Kristoffersson Sr explained, before adding “there are still areas for improvement and it will get tougher. We will come to tracks where we cannot dominate, so we must continue to work on our development potential. We should celebrate this success, absolutely, but we must also stay humble.”

Kristoffersson may have been untouchable in the wet, but in the dry conditions on Saturday he was put under pressure by the chasing pack. Meanwhile teammate Ole Christian Veiby struggled with launching his car off the line, denying him the potential to attack at the very top.

Hoping to capitalise on this are the two CE Dealer Team drivers, Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson, who are tied on points in second in the championship. Both could have taken at least one victory in Sweden, with Grönholm showing excellent pace in his electric PWR RX1e before events out of his control snatched those chances away from him. Andersson came within a whisker of taking victory from Kristoffersson on the first day of action, and will be hoping to go one better than second in Hungary.

Hansen World RX Team are keen to bounce back after a disappointing weekend in Sweden. Neither Timmy nor Kevin Hansen made it onto the podium in Sweden, despite both drivers getting their Peugeot 208 RX1e cars into the final on both occasions. Both drivers have also triumphed at Nyirád in the past, and they are aiming to repeat their success in 2024.

“Höljes was a bit more challenging than we hoped for,” admitted 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen. “It seems like we’ve got to do a lot of work to understand the new tyre but as always there’s great motivation within the team. We’re pushing forward with new ideas so I’m excited to come to Hungary. We want to fight for one step higher in the results than we were in Sweden. Hungary is where I got my first ever win in Supercars back in 2013 and it’s the first time since then the championship returns so there is lots to look forward to.”

With such strong competition lining up on the electric side of the “Battle of Technologies,” the ICE cars have their work cut out to stop them claiming victory. Anthony Pelfrene impressed in his world rallycross debut in the Peugeot 208 WRX, and René Münnich always demonstrates decent pace in his SEAT Ibiza.

Entering the battle on the ICE team is Hungarian champion Jankó Wieszt. Wieszt entered the final rounds of the British Rallycross Championship’s 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill in 2023, putting in a good performance to earn him a podium position in the final round. Now making his debut in world rallycross in a Renault Mégane RS RX, a car designed for the 2018 championship, the Hungarian driver is aiming to put on a good show for the fans. “It’s so exciting to be able to compete at my home track in Hungary’s first-ever World Rallycross Championship event, although it’s difficult to set goals because I’ve only driven the Mégane for around 90km, and I’ve probably not driven more than 150km in total in rallycross cars since 2017! Of course it will be a big challenge, as I’ll be going up against the very best drivers in the discipline, but I want to have fun – that’s my main objective.”