100% electric CE Dealer Team hunts crucial points for FIA World RX title fight in Belgium
CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment heads to Belgium this weekend to continue its quest for the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship titles at the iconic Mettet circuit - racing the all-electric PWR RX1e race cars against sustainably fuelled combustion-engine cars.
Finnish ace Niclas Grönholm heads to Belgium fresh off securing CE Dealer Team's first win of the season in Hungary.
The now eight-time World RX winner enters the weekend at Mettet – which returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019 – in third place of the drivers' standings.
“It is great to return to Mettet after a long time and showcase electric and sustainable motorsport to our Belgian fans and partners. I believe our car is well-suited to this track. Now it is all about having a strong weekend overall. We need solid results on both days to stay in the fight for the championship,” said Niclas Grönholm.
Leading the first-ever gender-equal driver line-up in FIA World RX history, Sweden's Klara Andersson shares third place in the driver standings with her team-mate Niclas Grönholm following two podium finishes with her 100% electric PWR RX1e.
“Sharing third place in the standings with Niclas is fantastic. We are determined to fight for the title as a team. This year, we have been able to leverage each other's strengths to develop both the cars and ourselves. I believe we are the strongest team in the championship, with the most potential of all," said Klara Andersson.
“I am incredibly excited to head to Belgium. It is my first time on this track. It will be challenging, but I am looking forward to it. This weekend is all about delivering and gathering points, but it is going to be tough as always.”
CE Dealer Team is off to its best-ever start in a FIA World RX season, solidly in the run for both the teams’ and drivers’ world championships.
“Another track returns to the FIA World RX calendar after a few years. It is technical, with rough curbs and a tricky first corner. It will definitely be interesting,” said Jussi Pinomäki, Team Manager of CE Dealer Team.
“We are looking to build on our experiences from the last two race weekends and elevate our overall performance. Both drivers have shown good speed, but we need more consistency to achieve better results as a team. That's our number one goal for Belgium.”
CE Dealer Team will have more than 100 guests on site in Belgium from hosting dealer SMT, as well as from team partners Parker and Engcon - featuring on a large activation site at the Mettet circuit.
Volvo Construction Equipment is the Official Track Building Partner to the FIA World RX championship in 2024 and will be present at Mettet to showcase its product range and innovative services - as well as keeping the circuit in top condition.
The World RX of Benelux weekend starts on Saturday with round five of the 2024 FIA World RX, followed by round six on Sunday.
The action is broadcast LIVE worldwide on TV – as well as through the Rally.TV online streaming platform and SVT for Swedish viewers.
The full World RX of Benelux schedule is available here.
About CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment
CE Dealer Team was founded in 2022 by the PWR Group in cooperation with Volvo Construction Equipment and its partners. The core goal of the rallycross programme is to drive the shift to improved sustainability and diversity in society and highlight the excitement that a move to an electric future offers. CE Dealer Team is run with support from independent dealers of Volvo Construction Equipment, along with several prominent industrial partners, who together share a commitment to leading a sustainable future, both on track and off.
About FIA World Rallycross Championship
An evolution of the popular FIA European Rallycross Championship, the FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) was launched in 2014. Representing the international pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline, the series blends cutting-edge innovation with family-friendly spectator appeal and visits some of the most iconic venues in the sport. In evidence of its commitment to sustainability, World RX entered a new era in 2022 by embracing electric technology, while 2024 heralds the beginning of the ‘Battle of Technologies’, as the championship’s powerful EV cars take on their sustainably-fuelled combustion counterparts on equal terms for the first time.
