Could an electric VW Beetle be a future car in the GRC all-electric series?
Supercharged: GRC creating all-electric series
Big changes are coming to the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship (GRC). Always at the cutting edge, the organization will be creating an all-electric series. It will be in addition to the GRC Lites and Supercar classes, so don’t panic about those being eliminated, because they aren’t.
What is the GRC?
In case you’ve missed our other recent articles on the GRC, here’s a quick refresher on what it is:
GRC events are a unique mixture of rallycross and traditional rally racing. The tracks are short, so you can take in all the action easier than with a spread-out rally race. Parts of the course are paved, while others are dirt or gravel. There are plenty of tight turns, a tabletop jump and the joker lane. Depending on the individual rules for each course, drivers must take the longer joker lane at least once each heat. If drivers skip it, they go into a penalty box.
There are as many as 10 cars on the track at a time. That might not sound like a lot, but since the courses are small, things can get crowded. Contact is encouraged, so you’ll see plenty of bumping and grinding.
The cars themselves are compact hatchbacks and are modified versions of production vehicles like the VW Beetle or Subaru Impreza. All-wheel drive is required, and each vehicle is tuned for about a peak 600 horsepower. As you can imagine, the cars are quick enough to keep up with most hypercars.
If you haven’t caught a GRC race yet, you should! It’s a fun event, even for people who aren’t that into motorsports.
USAC Backing
It’s not just Red Bull GRC that’s fronting this new electric racing series. The United States Auto Club (USAC) is in on it, too.
If you don’t know anything about USAC, it’s a big sanctioning body for different races. Right now, the organization works with the National Sprint Car Series, the Silver Crown Series, the National Midget Series and more.
Hopefully this means the electric GRC series will be a long-term thing. It’d be a shame it if were some short fling.
Moving and Shaking
People in motorsports know the GRC is a mover and shaker. Apart from getting Americans interested in rallycross, it’s been a trailblazer in plenty of areas. For example, just last year it was the first racing series to compete on an active U.S. military installation.
The GRC has been around for six seasons now. Plenty of people thought it would fold after the first one, because supposedly Americans only enjoy watching cars go in circles. With some efforts to make electric racing popular, most notably Formula E, Americans for their part haven’t gotten fired up about the races. This could be the difference that gets people fired up about watching high-powered electrics battle it out on crazy courses.
Future Technological Benefits
We don’t know which automakers will be involved in the new electric series. It’s possible Tesla could try to get the Model 3 in there. The Chevrolet Bolt is another potential fit. A heavily modified Leaf might be competitive. With more automakers going electric, the possibilities are exciting.
One potentially exciting development could involve Volkswagen. After being disgraced by the Dieselgate scandal, the German automaker is looking to mend its image. It also has legally agreed to promote electrification in the automotive industry. That right there could make VW a huge supporter of this new series. It already has been a leader in the Supercars series, thanks to some wickedly awesome Beetles.
More important, this new electric-racing series could have a huge benefit for consumers. As electric cars become more common, they’ll need to be more practical. Races are fun to watch, but they play a critical role in the industry by helping automakers try out practical technologies.
Plenty of innovations we use every day got their start in automotive racing, like seat heaters. Competition can give birth to incredible advancements. Maybe through a series like this, we’ll have EVs which recharge in just a few minutes, or that look better.
More to Come
In case you didn’t catch the overall message, there’s a lot about this new GRC electric series we don’t know. In the next year, there will be more announcements. Be prepared for some surprises and drama, adding to the fun.
