VERMONT SPORTSCAR SWITCHES-ON NEW ELECTRIC RALLYCROSS PROGRAM
May 6, 2022
Off Road Racer Staff
Two-Car Effort Headlined by Reigning Nitro RX Champion Travis Pastrana Signals Bold Step Into Electrified Motorsport
Milton, VT. - Vermont SportsCar, America’s premier rally and rallycross constructor, announced today it will enter the Nitro Rallycross (Nitro RX) Championship’s new all-electric Group E division. The Milton, Vermont company, best known for their work managing the factory Subaru Motorsports USA rally and rallycross programs, will switch-on their own electrified motorsports program with driver and Nitro RX mastermind Travis Pastrana alongside the fast young talent Conner Martell. The duo will be behind the wheel of two all new, fully electric, ‘FC1-X’ rallycross cars.
Featuring an incredible 1070 peak horsepower (800kw), 811 lb-ft of torque (1,100Nm) and all-wheel drive, these purpose-built electric vehicles headline the new Nitro RX Group E class. Able to accelerate from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds, the FC1-X is engineered to handle the unique demands of Nitro Rallycross, from banked turns and mixed surfaces to 120 foot jumps.
“Our goal for the FC1-X was to create the best rallycross car possible. One that can put down more power than anything seen in competition and durable enough to thrive in the Nitro Rallycross,“ explained Travis Pastrana, who founded the Nitro RX series.
Nitro RX is going global for the 2022-2023 season, with the Group E series featured in ten races staged in six countries, including England, Sweden, Finland, and Canada along with several stops in the USA. The full 2022-2023 Nitro RX Group E schedule is listed below.
“This is a big step for our company and team, and shows we are serious about our commitment to the sport and the future,” said Vermont SportsCar (VSC) Founder and President Lance Smith. “We are proud to have been a seminal force in the rise of rallycross in the USA beginning over a decade ago, but this next step into the electric space, and where Nitro wants to go with it, makes us excited and more optimistic than ever about the future of the sport. This is spectacular racing and amazing entertainment for fans and drivers. All these ingredients make for a very compelling marketing opportunity for the automotive industry and sponsors. We think Nitro RX is perfectly suited to the EV space and vice-versa.”
Pastrana, who won the inaugural Nitro RX Driver’s Championship in 2021 with the VSC managed Subaru factory team, is expected to continue driving for Subaru Motorsports USA in the internal combustion engine Supercar Class.
“I’ve been driving for VSC since my very first rally nearly 20 years ago,” explains Pastrana. “I’m confident we will put forward an amazing effort and I’m excited to enter this next chapter with Lance, his team and Conner (Martell). Conner is a great kid and an amazing young American talent.”
Conner Martell, the 24-year old Vermont native who has served as VSC test driver in recent years, is a rising talent in the rallycross world. Having won the 2018 Americas Rallycross Lites Championship, he has been keen to find a full-time program at the top-level of the sport.
“I have been working with the VSC team for many years, and for me to finally get this opportunity and the full trust of the team is a dream come true,” said Martell. “After I tested the FC1-X my first thought was “wow the future of rallycross is going to be insane!’ I have never been in a car that is so fast and so controllable at the same time. It’s definitely going to be a big learning curve for the whole field because of all the power the car puts down, but it will be easy for the fans to love this…it’s going to be wild.”
Featuring an incredible 1070 peak horsepower (800kw), 811 lb-ft of torque (1,100Nm) and all-wheel drive, these purpose-built electric vehicles headline the new Nitro RX Group E class. Able to accelerate from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds, the FC1-X is engineered to handle the unique demands of Nitro Rallycross, from banked turns and mixed surfaces to 120 foot jumps.
“Our goal for the FC1-X was to create the best rallycross car possible. One that can put down more power than anything seen in competition and durable enough to thrive in the Nitro Rallycross,“ explained Travis Pastrana, who founded the Nitro RX series.
Nitro RX is going global for the 2022-2023 season, with the Group E series featured in ten races staged in six countries, including England, Sweden, Finland, and Canada along with several stops in the USA. The full 2022-2023 Nitro RX Group E schedule is listed below.
“This is a big step for our company and team, and shows we are serious about our commitment to the sport and the future,” said Vermont SportsCar (VSC) Founder and President Lance Smith. “We are proud to have been a seminal force in the rise of rallycross in the USA beginning over a decade ago, but this next step into the electric space, and where Nitro wants to go with it, makes us excited and more optimistic than ever about the future of the sport. This is spectacular racing and amazing entertainment for fans and drivers. All these ingredients make for a very compelling marketing opportunity for the automotive industry and sponsors. We think Nitro RX is perfectly suited to the EV space and vice-versa.”
Pastrana, who won the inaugural Nitro RX Driver’s Championship in 2021 with the VSC managed Subaru factory team, is expected to continue driving for Subaru Motorsports USA in the internal combustion engine Supercar Class.
“I’ve been driving for VSC since my very first rally nearly 20 years ago,” explains Pastrana. “I’m confident we will put forward an amazing effort and I’m excited to enter this next chapter with Lance, his team and Conner (Martell). Conner is a great kid and an amazing young American talent.”
Conner Martell, the 24-year old Vermont native who has served as VSC test driver in recent years, is a rising talent in the rallycross world. Having won the 2018 Americas Rallycross Lites Championship, he has been keen to find a full-time program at the top-level of the sport.
“I have been working with the VSC team for many years, and for me to finally get this opportunity and the full trust of the team is a dream come true,” said Martell. “After I tested the FC1-X my first thought was “wow the future of rallycross is going to be insane!’ I have never been in a car that is so fast and so controllable at the same time. It’s definitely going to be a big learning curve for the whole field because of all the power the car puts down, but it will be easy for the fans to love this…it’s going to be wild.”
2022–23 NITRO RALLYCROSS (GROUP E) CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE*
- June 18-19, 2022 // England (Lydden Hill Race Circuit)
- July 30-31, 2022 // Sweden
- August 27-28, 2022 // Finland
- October 1-2, 2022 // Minneapolis, USA
- October 29-30, 2022 // Los Angeles, USA
- November 12-13, 2022 // Phoenix, USA
- December 10-11, 2022 // Saudi Arabia
- January 21-22, 2023 // Quebec, Canada
- February 4-5, 2023 // Alberta, Canada
- March TBA, 2023 // Nitro RX 2022-23 Series Finale // TBA, USA