The 2021 Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy Presented by Cooper Tires plans to feature both electric and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles in its headlining Supercar class. This will be the first series to embrace electric and conventional powered vehicles competing together in the UK.
Motorsport UK is currently in the process of approving the inclusion of electric vehicles in the regulations which will give the green light to competitors looking to join the electric revolution. This has been made possible by utilising the STARD ERX™ powertrain, as previously seen in the World RX Projekt E Championship.
While Projekt E was an all- STARD series, 5 Nations BRX will see a mixed grid. Manfred Stohl, President of STARD and rally legend, has already competed side-by-side with conventional rallycross machinery, a concept that is also being adopted by domestic championships in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Italy and more. The performance of the STARD ERX™ is on a par with front-running engined rivals with the four-wheel drive 450 kW power delivering 1000 Nm torque, equivalent to 600 bhp.
Component kits are available to convert current Supercars to electric power. There is also the option to use STARD -built cars, currently the Ford Fiesta Mk8 ERX™ and the Rally2-based Citroen C3 ERX™. Drivers have already expressed interest in competing, including 2020 Projekt E International Champion Natalie Barratt.
Hannah Rynston, 5 Nations BRX Coordinator
“Rallycross itself was innovative from the outset and lends itself so well to the next era of motorsport. To be the first in the UK to combine the two types of power is very exciting and we’re very much hoping to have a few STARD powertrain equipped cars on the Lydden grid in May. We have been working on this behind the scenes for a long time so it’s great to see it becoming reality. It will be interesting to see the different performance characteristics and how that plays out with strategy during the course of races.”
Michael Sakowicz, CEO of STARD
“We’re delighted that 5 Nations BRX recognises how suitable the STARD ERX™ concept is for British rallycross. The relatively short runs and rallycross scheduling lend themselves very nicely to charging requirements with around 15 laps possible on a single charge. We believe that the ERX™ cars will be attractive to drivers looking for the next era of competition. ERX™ is the most cost-efficient high level electric racing concept on the market and at the moment the only one available for customer motorsport teams to purchase worldwide. Cheaper than a comparable ICE Supercar in purchase price, an ERX™ Supercar also has a significantly lower running cost of around 60% less than conventional ICE cars which has a big appeal. It will be good to see the mixed-power grid in an already hotly contested championship.”
[source: BRX]Natalie Barratt, 2020 Projekt E International Champion
“It’s an exciting prospect and one that couldn’t come soon enough for Motorsport. The ERX™ concept is exciting…. I’m trying to put a team together and I’m hoping I can pull it off!”
