Loeb fire leaves World Rallycross season in danger of cancellation

Rallycross News

Another World Rallycross top-tier electric race has been cancelled, with the root cause of a battery fire which destroyed Sébastien Loeb's team's cars and garage still not found – will the category return this season?

Sebastien Loeb Lancia Rallycross

After Loeb's Lancia fire, now the entire season is in jeopardy with two rounds cancelled so far

Special One

Author

Henry Hudson

Following on from the catastrophic fire triggered by Sébastien Loeb’s No9 Delta Integrale EVO-e, rallycross’s flagship WRX series now faces an existential threat with another round of the top-tier RX1e category cancelled over continued safety concerns.

On July 21, with WRX due to make a highly anticipated return to Lydden Hill that weekend, Loeb’s electric racer burst into flames, leading to both Special ONE Racing cars being destroyed along with the team’s garage, eventually leading to the cancellation of all RX1e action that weekend.

With no answers found, the next round in Belgium has also been called off.

The incident was reminiscent of a similar fire in Moto E in 2019 when a charging station short circuited that caused a massive blaze that destroyed the entire fleet of bikes ahead of the series’ debut race in Jerez.

A statement from the the championship clarified that the exact cause of the WRX fire was unknown and that an investigation was to be carried out into how the electrified EVO-e’s battery seemingly ignited whilst charging.

Sebastien Loeb Lancia Rallycross 2

The Special One team saw the majority of its on-site equipment destroyed, including both its cars and garage

Special One

“Video evidence shows that the fire was initiated at the battery of the car while it was in the team area charging, but it is not clear why this happened,” it said.

“Urgent investigations into the root cause of the incident were initiated by the FIA.

“At this time, it has been determined that the investigation has not progressed far enough to determine a root cause for the failure that led to the fire.

“The battery manufacturer, Kreisel, was unable to provide an appropriate level of assurance in the system, pending their investigations.

“Therefore, following input from the FIA Safety Department and in cooperation with the promoters, in the interest of the safety of all concerned, the Stewards have determined to stop the competition.”

Sebastien Loeb Lancia Rallycross 3

The Special One team uses a Lancia Delta-shaped bodyshell with an electric powertrain producing 680bhp

Special One

Now, after already cancelling one round of RX1e action, the FIA’s investigation appears to have not found any answers in time, as RX1e running has been called off once again ahead of the sixth round of the championship this weekend in Belgium.

As at Lydden Hill, the RX2e support series will provide the main track action for the attending fans, with the all-electric and single make RX2e cars having half the horsepower of the side-lined RX1e racers.

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World RX’s transition to electric racing had so far been a success compared to other electric series, with the short-form format of rallycross suiting the electric drivetrains and the incredible accelerating power of the electric drivetrains making for some thrilling races.

The 680bhp RX1e racers combined with the appeal of top drivers such as five-time champ Johan Kristofferson and WRC legend Sébastien Loeb battling in VWs and Lancias was quickly winning over traditional fans.

However, with the continuing fire debacle potentially scuppering what is only the second season of this electric generation, WRX will be keen not lose its following.

At Lydden Hill, the devoted rallycross supporters who had travelled with the expectation of watching the electric RX1es for the first time instead had to settle for the support races of the RX2e as well as the British Rallycross Championship. The British series has remained internal combustion-powered and it was this more traditional championship that stole the show from the slightly underwhelming RX2e class.

As the pops and bangs of naturally aspirated engines rang out across the Kent circuit on Sunday morning, the electric whine of the RX2e spec racers left a little to be desired, their lack of power and variety making the supercars clearly more popular and engaging.

Despite some exciting battles between the RX2e juniors, it was clear that if not for the excitement of British Rallycross the weekend may have been a dud, the supercar category grabbing the attention of young and old fans alike with some classic racing (and almost inevitable crashes).

RX2e FIA World Rallycross

The World Rallycross championship will see its top stars drop down into the second-tier category this weekend with their own race shelved

FIA World Rallycross

RX2e is of course a feeder series so to judge the class as a main event to carry a weekend would achieve little, but the FIA will look to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

RX1e regulars Johan Kristofferson, Ole-Christian Veiby and Kevin and Timmy Hansen are making the jump down to RX2e for the Belgium round and vouchers for food and drink will be handed out to paying fans as compensation; but will it be enough to maintain spectator attendance if RX1e running continues to be cancelled for the rest of the season?

For rallycross fans, it is now a waiting game to see if the outcome of the FIA investigation allows for RX1e racing to continue or whether rallycross’ electric revolution will be facing a costly hiatus.

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