Round 10: World RX of USA, Austin (USA)

Date: September 29–30, 2018
Track: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), 22 km southeast of Austin
Track length: 0.812 km
Surface: 60 % tarmac, 40 % gravel
Turns: 3 left, 6 right
Lap record: Sébastien Loeb (F), 33.517s (2018
Winner in 2017: Johan Kristoffersson (S), 3m 31.118s

Race facts
In addition to the new event at Silverstone, the World RX is celebrating another premiere this year. For the first time in the racing series’ history a round will be held in the United States. The venue will be the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on which the United States Grand Prix in the Formula 1 World Championship has been held since 2012 as well as races of the World Motorcycle Championship since 2013. The five-year agreement with the World Rallycross Championship, similar to the round at Silverstone, provides for a festival weekend featuring spectacular supporting races and non-track events.

The track is located in the stadium area of the Formula 1 circuit between turns 12 and 15 and comes up with a massive jump. Even before the inaugural event of the World RX, the COTA can look back on a past in rallycross racing. In 2014, a race of the Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) was held there as part of the X Games which three-time GRC Champion Scott Speed won.

2018 flashback
During the first outing for the World RX in the USA, EKS Audi Sport scored its seventh top 3 result of the season. With temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. both drivers in the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro reached the final for the best six. The Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud took third overall while team mate Mattias Ekström finished the final in fifth place after contact with an opponent. Both EKS Audi Sport drivers had made their way into the final with strong performances in the preliminary races: team owner Mattias Ekström held second in the intermediate standings after the first day, and won third qualifying as well as the semi-final on Sunday. With consistently good times in the qualifying sessions and a third place in the semi-final, Andreas Bakkerud also made the final. In the decisive race for the best six, the Norwegian drove a flawless race in the hot and humid temperatures of over 30 degrees to finish third.