Story By: TOM BLATTLER / DODGE MOTORSPORTS – AUBURN HILLS, MI – Dodge is making its debut in the 2024-2025 Nitrocross Series with the introduction of four Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X electric-powered race cars in the Group E class, set to begin competing at the season-opening Nitrocross event scheduled for Sept. 7-8 at Richmond (Virginia) Raceway.
The Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X car, a 1,000-plus-horsepower all-wheel-drive race car, will be fielded by the Nitrocross Group E championship-winning Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) team, with four vehicles entered during the 10-race national tour.
“Nearly 75% of Nitrocross race fans are between the ages of 18-34, making the series the perfect venue for Dodge to expand its motorsports presence and to showcase the Dodge Hornet to a youthful, enthusiastic new audience,” said Matt McAlear, Dodge brand CEO – Stellantis. “We’re looking forward to a great inaugural Nitrocross season for the Dodge brand, with a championship-winning organization like the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team carrying the Dodge banner and with fans getting the chance to experience the Dodge Hornet up close and personal through our Dodge Hornet Rally Rides. It all starts at Richmond.”
Seventeen-year-old Lia Block (U.S.) will race in the flagship Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X car, with two-time Group E series champion Robin Larsson (Sweden), Fraser McConnell (Jamaica) and Andres Bakkerud (Norway) also part of the talented group of DRR Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X drivers.
Block has already made history as the youngest American Rally Association champion and has previously raced in the Nitrocross NEXT class. She is also the youngest competitor ever in the Group E class and the first and only woman in the class. Larsson, 32, is a former FIA European Rallycross Champion (2014) and captured the last two Nitrocross Group E titles for DRR with seven victories in the past two campaigns, while McConnell, 25, is the 2019 ARX2 Rallycross series champion and has won four Nitrocross Group E races in the last two years. Bakkerud, 32, has placed second and fourth in the Group E division with two wins.
The Nitrocross Series, initially introduced by motorsports star Travis Pastrana in 2020, has been one of the fastest growing and popular motorsports tours in North America and features unique competition with spectacular jumps and wild drifts. Nitrocross cars battle inches apart in a program with practice rounds, qualifying, heat races and main events in five separate categories, led by the leading Group E class.
“Nitrocross is thrilled to welcome Dodge to the series as our first official manufacturer entry,” said Chip Pankow, Nitrocross general manager. “Dodge is about performance and so are we, and we can’t wait to see them prove it on the track.”
Called “controlled chaos” by its fans, the Nitrocross Series is contested on both pavement and dirt surfaces in the 10-round series, which will commence in Virginia. Following events include:
- Utah Motorsports Campus in Salt Lake City (Oct. 5-6)
- Firebird Motorsports Park near Phoenix (Nov. 15-16)
- Miami Marine Stadium (Jan. 11-12)
- Las Vegas course (March 1-2)
The Nitrocross series will be televised all season on the FOX network.
The four Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X race cars are powered by axial flux motors, generating the equivalent of 1,070 horsepower (800 kW), with the capability of accelerating from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds and producing nearly 2g of acceleration from a standing start — more than enough to propel vehicles across the 200-foot gap jumps that are common on Nitrocross courses. The Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X features a tubular chassis, carbon-fiber chassis tub, Alcon braking system, electric power-assisted steering, front and rear double wishbone R53 suspension with adjustable camber/caster with 12-inch wheel travel and adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars.
The Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X Group E machines are developed and maintained by the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing organization, a longtime IndyCar team and current championship-winning Group E Nitrocross operation based in Carmel, Indiana. Founded in 1999 by Indianapolis auto dealer Dennis Reinbold, the legacy of the Dreyer and Reinbold organization dates back to the 1920s with Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, a former Indian factory motorcycle racer and open-wheel car constructor. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has successfully qualified 48 drivers for the Indy 500.
“Dodge is well known as America’s performance brand, and to carry the Dodge brand’s banner and compete in Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X cars is the perfect fit for our group,” said team owner Dennis Reinbold. “Like Dodge, we love to go fast, so it’s like we share the same DNA. It’s such a great alignment for us to compete in Nitrocross as it continues to grow at a record-breaking pace. The level of excitement is growing throughout this series and Dodge has just cranked it up even more. Fans have to come out and see the power of these cars battling as they literally fly around the track.”