Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Red-Lined Motorsport‘s REVO T1+ has taken on rallies across the world, but only needed one stop in Australia to already be a winner there. Adam Kaplan dominated the first three days of the eleven-stage Sunraysia Safari Creoss Country Rally to secure the victory outright.

With Aleshia Penney as navigator, Kaplan set the fastest time on the first day, clearing the WRC-branded Subaru Crosstrek of Dean Herridge by nearly three minutes, then repeated the feat in Day 2. He kept his foot on the pedal and built his lead even more during the third stage while Herridge finished seventh, effectively securing the win for Kaplan.

Kaplan got lost on the first corner to start the final day and lost two minutes, which he called “the dumbest thing ever but that happens.” The misadventures prevented a sweep as Will Dunn‘s Nissan Patrol beat Herridge for the stage win. Kaplan still joined them on the day’s podium.

Developed in South Africa, the REVO has been busy since its début in 2023. After primarily competing in the South African Rally-Raid Championship, it has competed in the Dakar Rally, World Rally-Raid Championship, FIA Baja Cups, and even the Taklimakan Rally in China. The vehicle was Red-Lined’s first vehicle for the T1+ subcategory.

“A really big SHOUT OUT to Adam Kaplan and Aleshia Penney on winning the 4 day 11 stage 1200km Sunraysia Safari Rally in their AEH powered REVO T1+,” wrote Red-Lined boss Terence Marsh, “this was the debut event for our T1+ race car in Australia so to say that we are PROUD is an understatement!!!”

With his rally raid career in flux following Audi’s shutdown, Stéphane Peterhansel has kept busy by returning to his roots on a motorcycle. This past weekend, he threw it even further back by winning the FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy in Camerino, an enduro race for bikes built before 1991.

Peterhansel, an ambassador for Yamaha who won the Dakar Rally six times with the marque, raced a 1981 Yamaha IT 250. Although he switched to rally raid cars in 1999, he remained involved with Yamaha in the years since. In 2023, Peterhansel returned to bike rallies when he ran the Morocco Desert Challenge on a Yamaha Ténéré 700 as part of the non-competition Ténéré Spirit Experience; his wife Andréa is the programme’s general manager.

“Unfortunately, I missed the last two years because it is not always possible for me to come,” Peterhansel commented. “But this year, I had more freedom in my racing schedule, so I made it a priority to be here.

“For me, this is racing without pressure. During my career, I always had pressure to win when I raced, but that’s not the case here.”

Even with low stakes and not having done an enduro event in years, the two-time FIM Enduro World Champion still shined as he accumulated the fewest points to win the overall. The victory concludes a summer of dabbling in various off-road bike races in Italy, the Frenchman having finished third at the Swank Rally di Sardegna on his Yamaha WR450F in June.

Kevin Hansen has won the 8th round of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The Swedish driver secured his first victory of the season in fine fashion in Montalegre, Portugal, holding off a determined charge from Saturday’s winner Johan Kristoffersson. 2019 champion Timmy Hansen came home in 3rd, giving Hansen World RX Team another double-podium to add to their collection.

Race Report

As the second day of the double-header event in Portugal got underway, it looked as though Sunday could see a repeat of Saturday’s success for Kristoffersson. The Swedish superstar charged into the first corner of his first heat race in 4th, but came out of the corner in 1st, muscling through in his Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX to take victory. Meanwhile Timmy Hansen bounced back from a disappointing end to his Saturday racing with a confident performance, securing victory in both of his heat races.

Kevin Hansen made an inspired decision in his second heat race, diving for his Joker on the first lap of the race. This allowed him to continually log fast lap times while the rest of the field squabbled for position, meaning that, when the dust cleared, it was a Hansen World RX Team lockout of victories in heat 2.

Semi-final 1 saw both Hansens line up alongside each other with Klara Andersson and Anthony Pelfrene for company. The Hansens executed some perfect fraternal teamwork to shut the door on Andersson in the first corner, allowing the two Peugeot 208 RX1e drivers to pull away from the pack. Meanwhile, Andersson and Pelfrene were engaged in a fantastic battle for third, with the Frenchman doing just enough to defend from a charging Andersson and secure his place in the final. Due to a track limit violation, however, he was cruelly disqualified from the final.

Niclas Grönholm got a superb start in semi-final 2 in his electric PWR RX1e, but unfortunately didn’t have the pace to contend with the two internal combustion engine (ICE) KMS – HORSE Powertrain cars of Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby. Unusually, it was Veiby who got the better of Kristoffersson on this occasion, coming home first in the semi-final to line up alongside Kevin Hansen in the final.

Johan Kristoffersson has won the 7th round of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship in style in Montalegre, Portugal, with one of the all-time great world rallycross finals. The Swedish superstar overcame the odds to secure yet another victory, followed home by Niclas Grönholm and Kevin Hansen.

Kristoffersson certainly did not have everything his own way. Following a dramatic semi-final, in which he sustained a rear left puncture and consequentially significant damage to the rear of the car generally, there was serious doubt as to whether his Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX would be able to take to the final grid at all. However, the team at KMS – HORSE Powertrain worked wonders in the short break between the races, getting the car ready, not only to race, but to take victory.

Race Report

World rallycross’s return to Portugal was set to be a stunning event and a crucial battleground in the “Battle of Technologies,” pitting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars up against their electric counterparts. The received wisdom before the event was that the long straights and fast, flowing corners should favour the electric vehicles.

Indeed, electric cars were leading into the first corner in every heat race. Despite pressure from the two Hansen World RX Team drivers, it was Kristoffersson in his ICE Polo that took wins in both of his heats. In the other heats, it was Grönholm in the electric CE Dealer Team car that claimed victory on both occasions.

In the first semi-final, it was Kristoffersson versus Kevin Hansen. Hansen defended mightily from a storming Kristoffersson, with Kristoffersson struggling with very poor visibility thanks to the dust being thrown up. Following the tyre issues, Kristoffersson was in a battle with Anthony Pelfrene. The French driver put in a superb drive to haul in and overtake the ailing Kristoffersson, but unfortunately a racing incident in the final sector saw Pelfrene spin out of contention for a spot in the final.

Motorsport UK has donated a Pinzgauer 6×6 vehicle to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after over two years of fundraising. It is expected to arrive in Lviv this weekend before being sent to Kyiv the week after. From there, it will be transferred to the 46th Airmobile Brigade for use as an armoured ambulance.

The project launched in May 2022, less than two months after the full-scale Russian invasion began. A GoFundMe was started with the goal of raising £60,000 to donate to the Ukrainian Embassy, who then used the money to purchase the Pinzgauer. David Richards CBE, the chairman of Motorsport UK and Prodrive, provided the opening and largest salvo of £25,000.

The British Motorsport Trust pitched in £5,000, the second largest donation ahead of the £3,000 from the village of Duns Tew. Contributions from Northern Ireland were spearheaded by the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs’ £2,000 alongside the Ballynahinch & District Motor Club and Ulster Rally (£1,000 apiece), Ulster Automobile Club (£500), and Dungannon Motor Club (£250). From Scotland, the Scottish Association of Motor Sports Club and RSAC Motorsport each donated £250. Other donors included the Association of Motorsport Recovery Operators and Shenington Kart Racing Club, both doing £250 as well.

Bicester Heritage, a former military airfield, hosted events like the Bicester Scramble and Flywheel to raise awareness for the cause. In June 2023, a booth was set up at Flywheel with the Pinzgauer on display; Victoria Prentis, then the MP for Banbury who has helped Ukrainian refugees in Britain, visited the booth and remarked the vehicle “looks more like a tank than an ambulance, but it has to considering where it’s going.”

Although Austrian rooted as part of the Steyr-Puch line, the Pinzgauer was produced in the United Kingdom by BAE Systems and its subsidiaries from 2000 to 2007, the last iteration being the Pinzgauer Vector PPV (Protected Patrol Vehicle). While new models are no longer made, the Goole-based Venari Group is currently responsible for building emergency vehicles as well as restoring and converting former British Army stock for such purposes. Other military vehicles in the company’s portfolio include an armoured Land Rover, Mercedes Vario, and a Unimog. Venari previously worked with the Embassy of Ukraine for Belgium and Luxembourg to supply fourteen Pinzgauers to Ukraine in March 2023.

Fesh Fesh‘s new Tatra FF7 truck had a strong début at the Baja Poland last month when it finished third in class. As the Rallye du Maroc and 2025 Dakar Rally loom, owner/driver Tomáš Vrátný is hoping it can keep up its pace.

The FF7 was revealed in July at the Colours of Ostrava festival, where it was christened by Czech President Petr Pavel. Luck did not seem to be on its side at first when the team had to abort the Baja Poland’s Prologue due to the gas pedal sensor malfunctioning, forcing them to work overnight to get it fixed for the weekend. From there, however, they managed to regain their footing and finish third among trucks in the Polish Cross-Country Rally Championship behind a pair of fellow Tatras from Buggyra ZM Racing.

“Ahead of the Morocco races, we’re assessing a lot of feedback and issues that came up during Baja Poland, and I hope the car will be well-prepared for Africa,” said Vrátný. “I believe the ‘Seven’ in the name will bring us good luck.”

The FF7 is a 4×4 vehicle that stands in rather stark contrast to Fesh Fesh’s Ford Cargo EVO I and Tatra Jamal EVO III. It measures at 6.49 metres long by 3.2 m wide and 2.5 m high, with a wheelbase of 4,500 millimetres. From there, it weighs in at 8,750 kilograms.

The truck’s body was designed in partnership with the Slovakian R&D company Werkemotion. It boasts a cab-over design pulled from the wildly successful Tatra 815 Puma, which sits atop a chassis with swinging axles, air springs, and a central load-bearing tube frame. A central tyre inflation system, common among Tatra’s military trucks, is used within the cabin to manage the 14.00R20 Michelin X Force ZL tyres.

While the FC1-X is a spec electric car, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will be the first team to technically field a manufacturer-backed vehicle for the 2024/25 Nitrocross season. On Friday, the team announced a new alliance with Dodge in which Robin Larsson, Andreas Bakkerud, and Fraser McConnell will drive a trio of FC1-Xs badged as the Dodge Hornet R/T.

The car is simply the regular FC1-X with Hornet-style markings, but Dodge hopes to design custom bodywork in the future. It will be the first time Group E has OEM involvement.

“Dodge is well known as a performance brand, so to have them come on board to partner with us is the perfect fit,” commented DRR boss Dennis Reinbold. “We both love to go fast, so it’s like we share the same DNA. Such a great alignment for us to compete in Nitrocross as it continues to grow at a record-breaking pace. The level of excitement is growing throughout this series and Dodge has just cranked it up even more. You have to come out to see the power of these cars battling as they literally fly around the track.”

Dodge had been through tumultuous times since the Great Recession in the late aughts; it cycled through a litany of owners before Stellantis was formed from the merger of Fiat, who owned the marque, and PSA Group in 2021. As of late, the line has transitioned from its muscle car heritage to EVs or hybrids. The production Hornet is a hybrid crossover SUV, sold overseas as the Alfa Romeo Tonale, that was introduced in 2022 ad marked Dodge’s first time dabbling in such a vehicle since the Dodge Nitro a decade prior.

The rocky waters meant Dodge has not maintained much of a major motorsport presence in recent years. Its factory NASCAR programme ended after 2012 while the last stock cars competed in the Xfinity Series in 2018. Likewise, while it was successful in American road racing like IMSA, Dodge will probably not be back anytime soon as Stellantis prefers to use Peugeot.

Extreme E‘s final season will end differently from planned. On Friday, the series announced the last three rounds in Sardinia and Phoenix have been cancelled and new dates are currently being sought out.

XE officially described itself as “reworking its Season 4 calendar” rather than simply cutting the season short. In other words, the series intends to still finish out the year and Extreme E era with a race of some kind before débuting Extreme H in 2025.

“As we continue our transition to Extreme H, we are fully committed to becoming the world’s first hydrogen racing series,” said series boss Alejandro Agag. “The investment and progress in the innovations are in full flow. Excitement grows every day as the industry continues to turn its head towards the possibilities hydrogen presents.

“In this current year of evolution, we all want to find a conclusion to Extreme E, which enables us to finish what we started, whilst at the same time, allows us to commit maximum resource into our Extreme H developments.

“We thank the Automobile Club d’Italia, Regione Sardegna, and the Italian military along with our Phoenix team, for all their support and understanding in recent weeks, and keep the door open to future collaboration. We are working closely with our teams and stakeholders to find alternative solutions to fulfil Extreme E’s final season schedule.”

With the ten-year anniversary looming in 2025, the Morocco Desert Challenge will introduce a special category for vehicles built at least a decade before the inaugural rally.

On Thursday, race officials informally announced the creation of the Vintage class for cars of at least twenty years and older, meaning 2005 is the latest production year for the upcoming edition. The class will be separate from the main rally categories, though the tentative plan is to let them follow the same route as everyone else. Additional details will be revealed during the race presentation at QFF Eersel‘s shop on 19 September.

Historic rally raids are far from a new concept with events such as the RallyClassics Africa and Pionniers Classic. Some with modern vehicles incorporate vintage categories like NORRA’s Mexican 1000 and NORRA 500 in Baja California. The Africa Eco Race, which runs through Morocco along the Dakar Rally’s old route, débuted a Historic class in 2024 (then called Classic) for pre-2007 cars that alternated between navigation and regularity formats on each stage.

Even the Dakar Rally has a vintage division of its own with the Dakar Classic, a regularity event that runs in conjunction with the main rally. For 2025, the Classic increased its eligibility range to also permit cars built as late as 2005.

Carlos Santaolalla, who won the latest Dakar Classic, entered the Morocco Desert Challenge in April in his Toyota Land Cruiser KZJ95. As the Vintage class did not exist at the time, he was lumped into Cars and Buggies alongside state-of-the-art vehicles like the race-winning Century CR7 and Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ machines.

Zdeněk Kahánek, a Tatra employee who went on to race the Dakar Rally, passed away Thursday. He was 81 years old.

Growing up in the Tatra Mountains, Kahánek attended a mechanical engineering school in Kopřivnice. After completing his mandatory two-year service in the Czechoslovak military, he was hired by Tatra Trucks as a test driver in 1963 on trucks like the 813, 148, and 815.

In 1986, Tatra began selling trucks to foreign customers interested in running the Paris–Dakar Rally. Kahánek’s familiarity with the 815 prompted the manufacturer to enlist him as the driver of a factory-backed truck, and he made his debut that year in a 6×6 815 VE nicknamed “Ostrý-II”.

While Tatra coworker Karel Loprais often stole the show in the Truck category as the 1988 winner and eventual six-time champion, Kahánek had his moments as well. He defeated Loprais outright when he finished third in class at the 1990 race and thirty-third overall.

Kahánek continued to race the Dakar through 1994 but exited in his last start. He remained involved with the race by driving service trucks over the next two years before retiring for good in 2003.

The Palestinian Motor Sport & Motorcycle Federation has partnered with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, providing off-road vehicles that would transport food and medicine to civilians living in the West Bank amidst increasing Israeli military operations.

The first wave, which included vehicles like Jeep Wranglers with Red Crescent flags and markings, arrived on Wednesday in Tulkarm. Additional efforts to head to Jenin are currently in the works.

“With the help of Allah, 4×4 vehicles have successfully entered Tulkarm camp in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent to distribute food and medicine and assist the sick,” reads a statement from the PMSMF. “Arrangements are now being made for entry into the city of Jenin and its camp.

“Over the past few hours, approval was granted for a handful of vehicles to enter, and we are awaiting coordination with the Red Crescent to increase the number for both Tulkarm and Jenin camps.”

The ongoing drive marks the federation’s largest collective humanitarian contribution during the war to date. The PMSMF, an FIA and FIM member club, is headquartered in Ramallah on the West Bank.

Hervé and Maxime Guillaume plan to enter the 2025 Dakar Rally in an SSV, though their entry will also come with a philanthropic angle. They will race under the Les Enfants du Dakar, or “Children of Dakar”, banner to raise awareness and support for children battling illness.

“The adventure begins! A father and son story,” reads a post made on Wednesday. “We are joining forces for a major challenge: participating in the 2025 Dakar. Beyond performance, our mission is to support sick children through ‘Les Enfants du Dakar.’ Follow us to discover this human and charitable adventure!”

The Guillaumes primarily compete in amateur rallies, but entered the World Rally-Raid Championship’s Rallye du Maroc last October. With Hervé as the driver and his son Maxime as navigator of a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR for BTR-DriversPark, the two finished in their class as high as ninth in Stage #9 but retired on the final day.

In April, they finished runner-up in the SSV category at the Fenix Rally in Tunisia. The two have also run amateur races like the Morocco Desert Challenge and Carta Rallye.

Outside of racing, the elder Guillaume is the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Whisper Yachts, an environmentally friendly luxury yacht manufacturer.

The 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship heads back to Montalegre, Portugal, the site of the very first world rallycross event a decade ago in 2014, for the fourth event weekend in the intriguing “Battle of Technologies” season, pitting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars versus their all-electric rivals.

Celebrating its 25 year anniversary in 2024, the Circuito Internacional de Montalegre has always been a firm favourite for rallycross drivers and fans alike. The fast, flowing gravel sections require precisely perfect off-road driving skills, and the longest straight on the calendar requires bravery and maximum attack to squeeze the most out the cars.

So far, four out of six races have been won by ICE cars, with all four of those victories going to six-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson. The KMS – HORSE Powertrain driver is in the enviable position of having his teammate, Ole Christian Veiby, as his closest rival in the championship. The Norwegian driver is a whopping 39 points behind Kristoffersson, and can act as a buffer between him and their electric rivals. However, it is widely thought that the nature of Montalegre should favour the electric cars. Knowing Kristoffersson, expect him to try everything to overthrow that conventional wisdom.

Hansen World RX Team are coming into Portugal having finally had a successful weekend this season. Kevin Hansen achieved back to back podiums at the double-header event in Mettet, Belgium, and now sits just four points behind Veiby. 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen is just one point behind his brother, having won his first event in almost two years on the Saturday thanks to some stunning on-track teamwork. The team believe that Montalegre offers the best chance of the year so far for their Peugeot 208 RX1e machines.

“The results in Belgium were just what the team needed” explained Timmy Hansen “and we’re going to be riding that momentum into these next rounds in Portugal. The track at Montalegre is one that both Kevin and I enjoy, and our family have had some success here before, so we’ll be channelling that and everything we have learned so far this season into this weekend’s races. The testing that we did after Hungary really paid off and the car is feeling so much better. Thanks to that and some amazing teamwork we are still in the fight and the team are feeling great. We will keep giving it everything we’ve got.”

Radovan Kazarka will make his Africa Eco Race début in 2025 behind the wheel of a Tatra 815 Puma.

He revealed the restored truck in late August at Automotodróm Slovakia Ring, where his sons Tomáš and Marko were racing in the Renault Clio Cup’s Clio Cup Bohemia. The Tatra itself was part of the OMV MaxxMotion Grand Prix of Slovakia, where the elder Kazarka did demonstration laps around the circuit.

“I’m glad that Slovakia Ring showed interest in me and my Tatra 815 Puma and that I had the opportunity to showcase it in action. Although, let’s be honest, the Puma very much prefers unpaved surfaces and isn’t too fond of asphalt,” Kazarka remarked. “I’m pleased to see such great interest in experiencing firsthand what it’s like to race in a Dakar special (stage).

“Our Puma will participate in the Africa Eco Race at the end of this year and the beginning of next year, whose tracks are identical to those of the former Dakar Rally when it was still held in Africa.”

Kazarka raced the Tatra at the Dakar Classic, an regularity-based rally for historic vehicles that is held adjacent to the Dakar Rally, in 2022 and 2023. He finished ninetieth overall and thirteenth in the H1T category for trucks at the 2022 edition before cracking the latter’s podium with a third in 2023 and thirty-sixth outright.

In November, Kamena Rally Team will tackle a slightly different Baja from what they’re used to when they make their SCORE International débuts at the legendary Baja 1000. Tomasz Białkowski and Dariusz Baśkiewicz will pilot a Can-Am Maverick X3.

“Participating in the Baja 1000 is the fulfillment of one of our biggest dreams,” said Białkowski on Tuesday. “Ever since we saw the Mexican competition live, taking part in this rally has been on our minds. It’s a very challenging and demanding race, but for us, nothing is impossible. We are ready and will give it our all.”

Kamena Rally Team competes in cross-country bajas, a discipline inspired by desert races in Baja California like the 1000 but are otherwise a different form of off-road racing. A Baja desert race is a point-to-point event that typically takes place in a single day, whereas a cross-country baja is basically a shorter rally raid.

Białkowski is currently fifth in the FIA European Baja Cup overall standings and second in the SSV points battle, having won his class in two of three starts at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura and Hungarian Baja. In late August, Białkowski was the top SSV at the FIA World Baja Cup‘s Baja Poland in his home country.

The team is currently aiming to race the Dakar Rally after their 2024 entry was aborted because their Polaris did not meet FIA regulation. Kamena eventually switched to a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR for the 2024 season.