After competing in the FIA Euro RX TouringCar Championship from 2014 to 2018, Norwegian Per-Magne Røyrås will make his RallyX debut in the 2024 season.
With a total of three career podiums in Euro RX at the wheel of his Mazda RX8, Per-Magne Røyrås is about to take his rallycross investment in a new direction.
Fourth in the 2016 European TouringCar Championship, the Norwegian will abandon his traditional Japanese machine in favor of a Citroën Xsara powered by a Wankel engine.
A weapon that Per-Magne had the opportunity to try out last year in the ranks of his national championship as well as in the support race organized in conjunction with the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Höljes last July.
Competing in the PRO Open 2WD category, Per-Magne Røyrås will naturally be one of the favorites for the 2024 season.
“My partners and my team were very keen to take part in a championship with rounds in different European countries. So it’s only logical that we chose the RallyX championship. What’s more, it will also allow us to discover a different category from the one I have been competing in over the last few seasons,” explains the driver from Kvinesdal.
Focused on the Norwegian Rallycross Championship since the 2019 season, Per-Magne notably took sixth place in Class 2 in 2020, before finishing third in the overall standings in 2021.
Although he decided to switch from his Mazda RX8 to a Citroën Xsara, there was no question of renouncing the Wankel engine.
“The reason for this choice is simple: once you’ve tasted this Wankel engine, you can’t help but fall in love with its unmistakable sound”
As he awaits the start of the 2024 RallyX Championship season in Tierp, Per-Magne Røyrås makes no secret of his ambitions.
“If I didn’t feel I had the potential to challenge the two championship favorites, Simon Tiger and Viktor Johansson, I wouldn’t have decided to enter RallyX. I know that I have a very good car. As proof, this Xsara passed through Tiger’s hands in the Swedish championship and he achieved some very good results. If I’ve decided to bet on this Xsara, it’s for the simple reason that I’m convinced of its potential and its ability to be a winning car in the RallyX championship.”
