- Brits Nathan Heathcote and Oliver Bennett join all-star line-up
- Former GRC king Joni Wiman ready to test his mettle
- Tickets for opening round on sale for just SEK 100 on the gate
The reigning MSA British Rallycross Champion and a former Global Rallycross Champion are the latest additions to the star-studded RallyX on Ice entry list – with the opening round at Östersund in Sweden now just a few short days away.
Nathan Heathcote – who last year clinched the crown in Britain’s headlining Supercar class at his first attempt – has thrown his hat into the ring in the Supercar Lites field and will make his debut in round two at Höljes, venue for the FIA World Rallycross Championship outing in the summer.
Amongst the 20-year-old’s rivals will be World RX Supercar race-winner Kevin Eriksson, 2017 RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires Champion Cyril Raymond, erstwhile FIA European Rallycross Champion Robin Larsson, 2015 GRC Lites Champion Oliver Eriksson and upcoming American aces Austin Cindric, Cole Keatts and Conner Martell. Later in the campaign, he will even have the chance to go wheel-to-wheel with Verizon IndyCar Series heroes Josef Newgarden and Hélio Castroneves.
The newly-unveiled RX Academy entry list features ten protagonists, all of whom will pilot identical, factory-built Renault Clio RS RX cars and some of whom need little introduction. Joni Wiman is a former GRC Champion and X Games gold medallist, Simon Syversen is a regular front-runner in RX2, Oliver Solberg – the teenage son of motorsport hero Petter Solberg – lifted the runner-up laurels in RallyX Nordic last season and namesake Oliver Bennett finished third in the British Championship.
Add to that the likes of Timmy and Kevin Hansen and Niclas Grönholm in Speedcar Xtreme – for potent, 180km/h crosskarts – and the scene is set for a magnificent display of ice driving prowess and spectacular sideways action, with a total of 49 drivers across the three classes (24 Supercar Lites, 10 RX Academy and 15 Speedcar Xtreme), representing no fewer than 11 different nations.
Tickets for the curtain-raiser at Östersunds Motorstadion this Saturday (3 February) can be purchased on-site for SEK 100 (cash only), with gates opening at 08h30 and the racing getting underway at 09h00.
2018 RallyX on Ice Calendar
February 3 Östersund, Sweden
February 10 Höljes, Sweden
February 25 Ål, Norway
March 3 Gol, Norway
Media accreditation for all four RallyX on Ice events is now open. Interested journalists and photographers should contact RallyX on Ice Media Officer Russell Atkins (russell.atkins@mpacreative.com / +44 (0) 7725 223288).
