Kristoffersson Motorsport Shifts to Sustainable Fuel for 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship

In a bold move, Kristoffersson Motorsport, now rebranded as KMS – HORSE Powertrain, has announced its strategic shift towards a sustainable fuel approach for the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The team’s VW Polo KMS 601 RX cars, driven by an internal combustion engine (ICE), are set to take on the inaugural “Battle of Technologies” season in world rallycross.

Championship Lineup

The formidable pairing of Ole Christian Veiby and six-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson will be behind the wheel of the two cars. Despite their dominant performances in the all-electric category, securing both drivers’ and teams’ championships in 2022 and 2023, the team has opted for a new challenge, facilitated by a partnership with Swedish company Aurobay and HORSE Powertrain.

“Aurobay develops, engineers, and manufactures world-class, next-generation powertrain solutions, while HORSE Powertrain Limited is a global leader in hybrid and combustion powertrain components and systems, with a 19,000-strong workforce across three continents.”

Technical Advancements

Developed over the winter, the cars have been touted by team principal Tommy Kristoffersson as the best his team has ever created. “This is a win-win situation – we will benefit tremendously from each other,” Kristoffersson explained. “We both have a large staff of extremely talented engineers, meaning we will be able to exchange experiences and also personnel.”

Competition Outlook

The team will face stiff competition from established all-electric machinery, with Hansen World RX Team and CE Dealer Team already confirming their all-electric lineups. When speaking with The Checkered Flag, 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen highlighted the relative merits of electric versus ICE. “On a lap, the electric cars don’t have shifting, we don’t have turbo lags, so we should gain there,” the Swedish driver explained. “Also, we have more power, so that should be our advantage. The disadvantage will come on braking. That’s where the combustion cars are very strong, because they’ve got one motor driving four wheels.”

Driver Perspectives

Six-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson remains pragmatic in his approach to the season. “It will be tough to compete against the electric cars with our newly-built machines, but Aurobay is a dream partner for us, not only as a sponsor but also in technical terms,” he remarked when discussing long-term plans. Veiby, who despite displaying great pace remains winless in world rallycross, is equally restrained in expressing how fast the car could be. “We are doing a turnaround and going in a different direction, which makes it difficult to predict how we will compare with the competition,” the Norwegian driver said.

Season Outlook

The 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship kicks off at the “Magic Weekend” in Höljes, Sweden on Saturday, July 6. With such a wealth of experience and talent in and supporting the team, it seems likely that KMS – HORSE Powertrain will be able to be competitive very rapidly.

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