Dodge Debuts in Nitrocross Series Richmond Event with Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X Race Car
Photo credit: Dodge
At Richmond Raceway, Dodge made an amazing debut in the well-liked and thrilling 2024–25 Nitrocross series. Two-time and current Nitrocross Group E champion Robin Larsson drove the Dodge Hornet R/T FC1–X race car to victory in a dominant performance in the series’ opening round on September 7, 2024. The 1,000+ horsepower Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X cars competing in the ten-round 2024–25 U.S. national series, which perform events on dirt and paved surfaces, are driven by teenager Lia Block, Andreas Bakkerud, Fraser McConnell, and Larsson.
The Dodge brand unveiled its four-car lineup with the defending Group E team champions, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR). The 32-year-old Swedish driver Larsson put on an incredible driving display during the opening round of competition on Saturday. He won his heat race, semifinal, and final, completing a perfect sweep of the challenging and quick 3/4-mile Richmond Raceway oval. Larsson was driving a DRR Monster Energy JC Dodge R/T FC1-X car.
“My starts were good today and our pace on track has been excellent. It was a heck of a day with a ‘clean sweep’ of the events. The track was slippery on the gravel sections, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. To be honest, I was a little nervous coming into this race, and I want to play it safe in certain sections. But I had a perfect day thanks to the team and it’s great to put Dodge in the winner’s circle.”
Larsson began the Saturday final in pole position and moved his Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X machine to the front of the race as soon as he entered the track’s dirt section. He then outran Bakkerud, Oliver Eriksson, McConnell, Conner Martell, Viktor Vranckx, Block, and veteran Tanner Foust, pacing the entire competition to the finish line. Naturally, everyone is vying for the championship at the first race, and DRR has a formidable roster. My confidence and the team’s confidence are greatly boosted by our two-year winning streak. Being with Dodge is a cool feeling for me. I have never worked with a car manufacturer before. I’m thrilled to have Dodge on the team, and the season is off to the best possible start.
Block, Bakkerud, and McConnell, Larsson’s DRR Dodge teammates, also made it into Saturday’s main race. McConnell finished third, Block sixth, and Bakkerud seventh after his mount developed a flat tire. During the second round of the race on Sunday, McConnell started the six-lap final on pole and led the way, but on the first lap, a hit from behind sent his car spinning slightly at turn three. After a determined effort, Fraser finished just behind Oliver Eriksson. In the Sunday final, Bakkerud’s car was hit on the first lap, forcing Andreas to retire, and Larsson finished fourth with Block in sixth.
“It was a tough finish in the Sunday race,” said McConnell, a former Rallycross Lites champion. “I feel if I didn’t get hit on the first lap that I would have won the race. I felt that the positions (first and second) should have been swapped. But, if that is the decision, such is life, and I will move on to the next event. The opening weekend is always a tough one, but we are so pleased to have Dodge with the DRR team and we look forward to the next weekend in Utah next month.”
“To be honest, I was just trying to get my feet underneath everything with these high-horsepower cars,” said Block, a former rallycross (O2WD) class champion. “These other guys have a couple of seasons on me already with these racecars and it has been hard. I have been learning so much with the Dodge Hornet, and my teammates have been a great help, giving me all of the tricks and tips. It has been a big change from driving formula cars in Europe where they don’t want you to slide the car to here in Nitrocross where you need to slide the racecar to be fast. It was a fun weekend and I’m anxious for the next race.”
Block relished working with the seasoned DRR team and competing in her maiden Nitrocross doubleheader event in the Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X race car. Dennis Reinbold, owner of the DRR team, was thrilled with Dodge’s debut in the new racing category at the Richmond Nitrocross weekend. The next Nitrocross doubleheader weekend for Round 3 and 4 is set on Oct. 5-6 with the “Busch Light Race to the Mountains” at the Utah Motorsports Campus near Salt Lake City, Utah.
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