Natalie Barratt has been confirmed as the first ever champion of the all electric rallycross series. She was crowned after the Nurburgring finale was officially cancelled this week.
The British driver scored a podium at the first round in Sweden followed by a 4th place finish in Latvia. That gave her 35 points out of a possible 48 giving her the title. After the season was delayed due to COVID-19, a four round calendar was released. However, after the Belgian and German rounds were cancelled no other replacement events were put forward. In the two events that were held Projekt E struggled for numbers with only 3 drivers at the first meeting and an additional car in round 2.
Ken Block won the opening event ahead of Barratt who passed Hermann Neubauer in the final. The Austrian was challenging for victory when a technical issue slowed him down. At round 2 Citroen made their debut in the hands of Cyril Raymond. The young Frenchman controlled the weekend resisting pressure from local driver Janis Baumanis to take the win. Svein Bjarte Holten made his rallycross return in Riga to complete the grid and managed a podium. Most drivers piloted a Ford Fiesta which had been developed with support from the American company. The only exception was Raymond driving a Citroen C3 which was modified from the rally specification C3.
Barratt was the only driver to take part in both events. Combined with low car numbers this guaranteed her the championship even if she had finished last in each event. The European Rallycross Championship for both Super 1600 and Supercars both held only 2 events. Due to FIA rules set out during the pandemic neither championship could crown a champion. As Projekt E is only an FIA International Series this rule did not apply thus allowing Barratt to be champion.
2021
The future of Projekt E is somewhat uncertain as World Rallycross series promoter IMG have stepped down for 2021. IMG and Austrian company STARD collaborated to set up the series. The World Championship and its support categories face an uncertain future until a new promoter can be found. Projekt E is expected to continue next year and will be joined by a new look RX2e. The single make junior category will now run a brand new electric car developed by Olsberg MSE and QEV Technologies. It includes more power and torque from the all electric motor than its predecessor. Both series are expected to support the 2021 World Rallycross Championship with a calendar yet to be announced.
Feature Image Credit: @ProjektESeries
