Supercar Lites to go fossil-free at 2022 Race Of Champions

For the first time in the event’s history, Supercar Lites rallycross cars will run on fossil-free biofuel at Race Of Champions in 2022, as the result of a pioneering collaboration between Olsbergs MSE and P1 Performance Fuels to work towards a more sustainable future.

Supercar Lites has been a familiar feature at Race Of Champions since 2017, with some of the world’s very best drivers – from Michael Schumacher to Tom Kristensen, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Petter Solberg, Sébastien Loeb, Travis Pastrana, Jimmie Johnson, Juan-Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon – putting the car through its paces in a variety of environments.

As announced earlier this year, Pite Havsbad in Sweden will play host to the multi-discipline event for the next five years on a specially-designed circuit built on the frozen Baltic Sea, just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle – making the forthcoming edition Race Of Champions’ first venture onto the ice. Competitors will benefit from an updated version of the popular Supercar Lites car, offering more power and performance than ever before courtesy of its revolutionary new, 105 Octane 100% fossil-free biofuel developed jointly by P1 and OMSE. This will help to fire the car from 0-100km/h in an eye-watering 3.85-4.10s, depending on grip levels.

Martin Popilka, CEO, P1 Racing Fuels, said:
“We have been working on this exciting project together with OMSE for many years, and to see it finally come to life is immensely rewarding. Like the automotive industry and the world in general, motorsport needs to move with the times and that means adapting for a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future.

“We could not wish for a greater stage than Race Of Champions to showcase our new, 105 Octane 100% fossil-free fuel in the Supercar Lites cars, which – with their improved acceleration – are sure to put on a truly spectacular performance. I can’t wait to see them kicking up the snow spray at Pite Havsbad next winter – it’s going to be an awesome show!”

Alongside Supercar Lites, the new FIA RX2e Championship car will similarly join the bill, as the first electric addition to ROC’s inaugural snow and ice event. Exhibiting the extraordinary potential of EV technology, the Olsbergs MSE and QEV Technologies-developed car is set to play a headlining role in what is sure to be a sensational show. Race Of Champions was the first major international motorsport event to introduce electric race cars back in 2010, and is aiming to be fully sustainable and carbon-neutral next year.

Fredrik Johnsson, President and Co-Founder, Race Of Champions, said:
“We are very happy to announce the stunning FIA RX2e car as the first electric car amongst the vehicles for the Race Of Champions Snow & Ice event at Pite Havsbad in Sweden, and we look forward to building a mutually successful long-term partnership together.

“From what we have seen during the first tests, this brand new electric rallycross car has very impressive torque and overall performance. I’m confident that the RX2e car will be a spectacular addition to the event and that the many star drivers at Race Of Champions will love pushing this electric car to its limits as they compete head-to-head to prove that they are the fastest!”

Due to race into life in just two-and-a-half months’ time, the first-ever FIA electric rallycross championship has already been making waves on the international motorsport scene. During testing, the RX2e car has routinely wowed drivers with its instant torque and power, lightning-quick acceleration, excellent balance and stability and cutting-edge on-board features.

​​​Andreas Eriksson, CEO, Olsbergs MSE, added:
“We are thrilled to see the FIA RX2e car revealed as part of the first-ever Race Of Champions to be held on the ice, and would like to thank Fredrik and his team for including us in what is always one of the highlights on the annual motorsport calendar.

“By the same token, we are delighted to confirm that the Supercar Lites cars will run on completely fossil-free fuel, and would like to thank our partners at P1 for working so hard and so closely with us to make this innovation possible. Not only that, but this new biofuel will also make the cars faster than ever before – and more power while looking after the environment sounds like a winning combination to me!

“Race Of Champions invariably attracts the very crème de la crème of international superstars, and seeing them take to the track in the RX2e and Supercar Lites cars will be an awesome sight. Rallycross is renowned for producing some of the most breathtaking action in the sport, and with these cars’ astonishing acceleration and ‘send-it-sideways’ style, I have no doubt that fans will enjoy every single moment – as, of course, will the drivers behind the wheel…

After testing the RX2e car late last year, three-time FIA World Rallycross Champion and 2019 Race Of Champions Nations’ Cup winner Johan Kristoffersson – who will return in an effort to reclaim his ROC crown in 2022 – described it as ‘impressive’, ‘a real step in the right direction’ and ‘a great springboard to World Championship level’.

What’s more, the Swede – the most successful rallycross driver of recent times – is far from the only one to have been won over by the four wheel-drive ‘pocket rocket’, built around a spaceframe chassis and incorporating two independent powertrains alongside a 30kWh battery, with the motors generating 250kW (335bhp) of power and up to 510Nm torque.

Fellow World RX race-winner Kevin Eriksson and countryman Anton Marklund – a multiple podium-finisher at the pinnacle of the sport – similarly tried out the RX2e car on the ice last week, and both were full of praise for its performance.

Kevin Eriksson said:
“This was a completely new world for me and I didn’t really know what to expect – I had never been in an electric race car before and had only been in an electric road car once – but I have to say, the RX2e car lived up to all my expectations and then some.

“The driveability is the biggest thing. In a Supercar, although you have a lot of power, you can find yourself in the wrong gear sometimes or the revs might be too low which causes a slight delay, but in this car, the torque and power are always right there. That was the major surprise for me. It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it again!”

Anton Marklund echoed:
“It was my first time in a rallycross car with an electric powertrain, and my first impression was how easy the RX2e car was to drive, which was a very positive surprise. It handles very nicely, and I didn’t miss the gearbox at all – the electric motors give you the power you need from low revs to high revs, and you can really exploit that. Overall, it was a real pleasure to drive and I’m already looking forward to having the opportunity to try it again.”