Mechanic industry
NITRO RALLYCROSS AT GP3R—INTENSE AND ELECTRIFYING!
(Article published in L’Automobile magazine, February 2023)
By Piero Facchin
Every racing enthusiast knows the city of Trois-Rivières, especially if you are passionate about the history of car racing in Québec, as many memorable events have occurred at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières throughout its illustrious past.
The GP3R holds a long tradition of summer races, but this year, the GP3R welcomed for the first time in winter the Nitro Rallycross series, which featured all-electric cars. Even for the Nitro Rallycross series, it was a winter premiere on an icy track. The two-day event, with sessions on Friday evening and Saturday during the day, was packed with spectators enjoying the racing both inside and outside the racetrack. “The warm weather did not prevent the organizers from reaching all their goals for this first event,” says proudly Dominic Fugère, general manager of GP3R.
Decarbonized fuels for internal combustion engines
In addition to the all-electric FC1-X cars, there were also ICE vehicles powered by a synthetic fuel offered by P1 Racing Fuels, which has been supplying several FIA-sanctioned championships since 2022. These “decarbonized” fuels have little or no environmental impact, and by 2026, they are required to be 100% decarbonized.
Travis Pastrana—hero of the crowd
One of the crowd favourites, Travis Pastrana, has competed in multiple race series and will be trying his hand at this year’s Daytona 500. Mostly known for his prowess in the “Hoonigan” videos, he blew the audience away, like all the other drivers on the track.
1070 horsepower and 330 ice nails per tire
An event like the GP3R winter race demands a lot of preparation, especially for the quality of the track, which requires sufficient ice thickness. If you just take the FC1-X vehicles, which produce 1070 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.4 seconds with their deep-studded tires (there are 330 “studs” on each tire), the importance of ice is crucial.
Tribute to Ken Block—#43KBVER
An important event took place on Saturday in Trois-Rivières with the retirement of the number 43 of the late driver/stuntman Ken Block, who passed away only a few weeks before the GP3R. The number 43 will no longer be used by competitors in this series. In fact, all the cars were marked with the #43KBVER as a tribute to Ken Block.
The unique Nitro Rallycross formula
Both series president Brett Clarke and general manager Chip Pankow were present. They were completely amazed by the enthusiasm of the spectators, but also by the positive reaction of the pilots, who wore big smiles after having done a few laps on the ice for the first time with these cars. “Ticket sales for this kind of race have been the highest of all the series so far. We’re looking to increase the number of drivers registered and we really want to get back to Canadian tracks in the winter,” said Clarke. Chip Pankow added, “Nitro Rallycross is a unique formula, and we are constantly trying to push the envelope to make the show more exciting.”
The next stop for the Nitro Rallycross series will be in Calgary, Alberta.
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