World RX – ‘Battle of Technologies’ arrives in Belgium

The FIA World Rallycross Championship’s ‘Battle of Technologies’ has arrived in Belgium for the World RX of Benelux (17-18 August)

The FIA World Rallycross Championship’s ‘Battle of Technologies’ has arrived in Belgium for the World RX of Benelux (17-18 August), with another exciting double-header race weekend between all-electric and sustainably-fuelled internal combustion engined cars taking place at the Circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet.

Johan Kristoffersson arrives leading the championship as he ramps up his quest for an extraordinary seventh World RX title. Driving his sustainably-fuelled Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX, the Swede has won three times out of four this season – with just a first corner collision with Kevin Hansen last time out in Hungary denying him a clean sweep.

Kristoffersson is the only driver in the current World RX pack to have previously triumphed at Mettet – on the way to the first of his world championship titles back in 2017.

His KMS – HORSE Powertrain team-mate Ole Christian Veiby arrives sitting second in the overall classification, 25 points in arrears and eager to make up ground. The Norwegian reached the rostrum at Mettet in the FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2015, and he holds the record for the most podium finishes in World RX without a victory – a tag he will be aiming to shake off this weekend.

Tied for third in the title table are CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment duo Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson. The Finn profited from Kristoffersson’s misfortune to prevail in Hungary – claiming the first win for electric power in 2024 in his PWR RX1e – with his Swedish stablemate coming within a whisker of triumphing for the first time in the Höljes curtain-raiser, before adding another rostrum result to her increasingly impressive CV at Nyirád.

Hansen World RX Team siblings Timmy and Kevin Hansen are similarly closely matched in fifth and sixth positions. 2019 world champion Timmy is a three-time World RX podium-finisher at Mettet, while younger brother Kevin dramatically barrel-rolled out of contention there in 2017. The pair are still searching for the squad’s first top three finish of the season, which they hope to achieve this weekend.

The field is completed by experienced campaigner René Münnich in his ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza and Frenchman Anthony Pelfrene in his JDM Raptor Racing Peugeot 208, both piloting sustainably-fuelled combustion-powered cars.

World RX of Benelux also hosts the penultimate round of the 2024 FIA RX2e, Euro RX1 and Euro RX3 championships, spearheaded by respective category leaders Nils Andersson, Patrick O’Donovan and Nils Volland.

Former Euro RX3 champion Kobe Pauwels is a ‘wild card’ entry in RX2e, as the talented Belgian teenager returns to rallycross for the first time in almost two years at his home track.

Fans can view the action on Rally.TV