Deprived of all international competition in 2020 due to the pandemic, Autocross drivers will return to the usual tracks of the European Autocross Championship, but will also discover a new one in The Netherlands.

The three main Autocross categories of SuperBuggy, Buggy1600 and JuniorBuggy will compete on each of the tracks that should have hosted the 2020 Championship: Seelow and Matschenberg (DEU), Musa (LVA), Vilkyciai (LTU), Nova Paka and Prerov (CZE), St-Georges-de-Montaigu and St-Igny-de-Vers (FRA) and Maggiora (ITA).

The Dutch competitors, who are among the most loyal to the European Championship, will now have a home event, as the non-permanent circuit in Toldijk organised a test event to the satisfaction of the Off-Road Commission inspectors and thus won their ticket to the European Championship. The village of Toldijk (approx. 800 inhabitants), located north-east of the town of Arnhem, will host the European Autocross competitors on 31 July and 1 August 2021.

A single fuel supplier (ETS) has been appointed for all Autocross categories (including Touring AX), while a single manufacturer (Cooper) will be responsible for supplying the tyres to the SuperBuggy and Buggy1600 competitors. The TouringAX touring cars will compete in their FIA Cup at five events (Seelow, Musa, Vilkyciai, Nova Paka and Maggiora).

Other major new developments in the Autocross world will be the launch of the FIA European Cross Car Championship [Senior] and the FIA Cross Car Academy Trophy. The Senior Cross Car could not be run in 2020, so it will have its real start next year.

Before the emergence of the pandemic, the competitors had been rushing to register to such an extent that almost all of the 40 places available in 2020 had already been reserved 3 months before the first scheduled event. We can expect full grids in 2021, all the more so as the list of manufacturers who have had their Cross Car models certified has grown still further: to date it includes 11 makes, but a dozen other homologation applications are in progress.

As a reminder, the European Cross Car Championship is open to any Driver aged 16+, holding an international licence of minimum Grade D, and to any Cross Car complying with the technical prescriptions of the FIA Appendix J-279B.

Three types of engines have been homologated for the Senior XC category: the 600cc Suzuki GSXR, the 600cc Yamaha R6 and the 850cc Yamaha MT09. Fuel (ETS) and tyres (Goldspeed) will be of single make and type. The 2021 FIA European Cross Championship will be structured around 5 events: the first four will be shared with the Autocross categories, in Matschenberg, Prerov, St-Igny and Maggiora, and the last will be held in Spain, at the Mollerusa circuit (east of Lleida).

Like Toldijk, Mollerusa joins the FIA Off-Road events, after a convincing test race organised last October. In the event that the health crisis were to cut the start of the Autocross Championship season by one or more events, Mollerusa would then extend its programme to the three categories of Autocross Buggy.

The second novelty of the 2021 season will be the creation of the Cross Car Academy Trophy for drivers aged 13 to 15, whose principles are inspired by the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy: designation of drivers (one per country) by the ASNs, ‘Arrive & Drive’ principle with the supply of identical vehicles to all participants (LifeLive chassis with Yamaha MT07 engine), a contained budget and a calendar concentrated over a period of the year that takes into account the young drivers' schooling.

Thus, the Academy Trophy will start in May in Germany (Seelow), before resuming in the middle of summer, with stages in France (St-Georges-de-Montaigu), the Czech Republic (Prerov), Italy (Maggiora), and ending in October in Spain (Mollerusa).

[Photo by Marnic Meeuse]

FIA European Autocross Championship (incl. Cross Car & Academy Trophy)

15-16/05                                                DEU                                             Seelow [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]

05-06/06                                                LVA                                              Musa [1, 2, 3, 4]

12-13/06                                                LTU                                              Vilkyciai [1, 2, 3, 4]

26-27/06                                                DEU                                             Matschenberg** [1, 2, 3, 5]

03-04/07                                                CZE                                               Nová Paka [1, 2, 3, 4]

17-18/07                                                FRA                                              Saint-Georges-de-Montaigu** [1, 2, 3, 6]

31/07-01/08                                          NLD                                              Toldijk** [1, 2, 3]

21-22/08                                                CZE                                               Prerov [1, 2, 3, 5, 6]

18-19/09                                                FRA                                              Saint-Igny-de-Vers [1, 2, 3, 5]

25-26/09                                                ITA                                               Maggiora [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

09-10/10                                                ESP                                               Mollerussa** [5, 6]

Categories : [1] SuperBuggy ; [2] Buggy1600 ; [3] JuniorBuggy; [4] TouringAX Cup; [5] Cross Car Sr; [6] Cross Car Academy Trophy

** Subject to track (re-)homologation