FIA World RX of HK, China, 2023 Official Website

FIA World Rallycross Championship 2023 - Hong Kong, China

Rallycross racing

The competition form of the rallycross racing is the same as the general circling race. The rallycross race is carried out on a track about 1km long, which is composed of mud, gravel, and asphalt roads. In addition, there are fewer drivers and laps in each race. Usually, there are about 5 drivers competing on the track, and a race can be completed within a few minutes. Therefore, each rallycross round will have multiple races to determine the winner of the round. In addition, when the cars pass through different sections, drivers need to make difficult moves such as sliding and jumping, and the contact between the cars is exciting, the tension and excitement are no less than in other top races.
History

The prototype of the rallycross was invented by Robert Reed in Lydden Hill, England in 1967. It was a sporting event specially designed for TV programs which to replace the horse racing program when it is canceled due to bad weather. What started off as a backup program quickly became a staple of Saturday afternoon sports broadcasts in the UK and quickly spread to the rest of Europe, where it developed into the European Championships. In 2014, the FIA granted this event the qualification for the world championship. The FIA World Rallycross Championship (WRX) was held for the first time in the same year, becoming one of the highest-level FIA world championships. [ Video ]
Racing cars

The racing cars used in the WRX entered the electric era last season and were divided into two groups, RX1e and RX2e. All WRX cars use the same power system to compete, and the RX1e’s dual motor output power can reach 500kW (equivalent to 680 horsepower) and 880Nm of instant torque, therefore the acceleration power is extremely strong, and the short-distance acceleration is even faster than Formula One (F1), which is the most powerful WRX car ever. Although the power system is changed to electric, the WRX car continues to use the body shell of the mass-produced car, and the appearance is not much different from the past.
Racing format

The race weekend begins with free practice, followed by official practice, superpole qualifying, four heats (reduced to three heats on a double-header round), two semi-finals, and a final, all races will be five laps or more. The drivers with the fastest total finishing time in the first heat (parallel start) will enter the first race of the second heat, and so on, the starting order is also determined according to the total finishing time of the first heat, the same procedure applies to the next two heats. After finishing the four heats, the top three drivers in the heats will get championship points, and the top 12 drivers in the heats will enter the semi-finals to compete for 6 final seats.
Round of Hong Kong, China - Season Finale

The FIA WRX Championship officially announced in March this year that the 2023 season finale race will be moved to Hong Kong, it will be held at the Central Harbourfront for two days on November 11 - 12, which is a double-header weekend. It is Hong Kong's first large-scale motorsport event after hosting Formula E in 2019, and it will be the first time for the WRX Championship to race in Asia. The temporary track set up in Central is about 1km in length. It will combine mud and asphalt roads which can accommodate 5 - 6 racing cars competing on the track. At that time, the new WRX world champion will be crowned in Hong Kong's most glamorous and prosperous city center of Central.