Here, the star’s electric rally cars light up

Rallycross cars competing in Sweden recently were completely gutted in a massive fire. Two electric racing cars based on the legendary Lancia Delta Integrale caught fire on Friday. The British round of the Rallycross World Championship was canceled due to a battery fire.

Almost two months ago, Special One Racing showed off two of its latest creations, the Lancia Delta Evo-E RX. The iconic rally cars were completely reconfigured for electric propulsion, reviving an unforgettable era in Lancia’s motorsport history. The Deltas were built to compete in the 2023 FIA World Rallycross Championship. Two cars were completely gutted in a fire at Lyddon Hill Race Circuit in England on Friday.

The FIA ​​has revealed that one of the Special One Racing-built cars caught fire in the early hours of Friday 21 July. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the team’s entire compound in flames and smoke, including the other Deltas and their transport vehicles. Despite the best efforts of the fire brigade, everything in the area was destroyed.

Special One Racing’s Delta Evo-E RX is powered by two electric motors that generate 662 hp. Thanks to the car’s low weight and advanced four-wheel drive, it can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 1.8 seconds. Both cars have been driven so far by Sébastien Loeb and French rallycross driver Guerlain Chicherit. In early July, the two rallycross cars competed at the Holges Motorstadion in Varmland. A month ago, the cars received colors inspired by the classic Martini. The new livery was reminiscent of the original Delta Integrals that competed in the Rallycross World Cup between 1987 and 1992.

The cause of the fire was initially unknown. An investigation now launched by the FIA ​​has shown that a fire broke out around a battery in one of the deltas during charging in the crew’s area. It is not yet clear why the battery caught fire. Kreisel, which made the batteries for Delta, is also participating in the investigation.

After the fire, it was decided to cancel all World Rally Championship action over the weekend. The main reason is that the investigation could not find out why the battery fire started. It is not yet clear whether replacements will be made for the destroyed rally cars. If Special One is to continue racing through the season, they will need new electric deltas. The next round of the World Rallycross season is scheduled for August 6 in Belgium.

Erik Aspegrén writes for Carup, studied economics and design and has a background in Porsche, BMW and Audi dealers. reached [email protected]