DRX in Buxtehude: Magnus Dall from Denmark dominates the 2023 season opener
The DRX kicked off the 2023 season on the rallycross track in Buxtehude – Denmark’s Magnus Dall dominated the DRX1 class
The first two rounds of the 2023 German Rallycross Championship (DRX) powered by TYPE S took place on the Estering in Buxtehude and numerous drivers as well as teams provided plenty of action on the about 950-meter track, which consists of 40 percent gravel and 60 percent asphalt. In the DRX1 class, the Dane Magnus Dall prevailed on both race days. In his Renault Clio, he is a regular guest in northern Germany.
DRX1
Dall defeated his compatriot Torben Moller in a Volkswagen Scirocco in Saturday’s final, with Dutchman Paul Allerts in a Peugeot 208 finishing third. Audi drivers Dietmar Brandt and Marc Klebs completed the top-5. On Sunday, Dall was again unbeatable and took first place, followed by Klebs in his Audi A3. Third place remained open due to Moller’s disqualification in the final only, with Brandt finishing fourth.
In the DRX1 class, vehicles are entered according to the RX1 regulations. The all-wheel-drive vehicles have a minimum weight of 1,300 kilograms and produce up to 480 kilowatts (653 hp). The displacement of the combustion engines is not limited, so that a diversity of makes and models is guaranteed in the class. DRX1 is the top class in the German championship.
DRX2
In the DRX2 class for vehicles with front or rear-wheel drive, Bart Bel from the Netherlands was the big favorite. The Dutchman came to Buxtehude with his BMW E30, which is a guarantee for top results in the DRX. However, Bel missed the jokerlap on Saturday, so victory went to Bjorn Urbach in a Volkswagen Golf. Maikel Alewijnse from the Netherlands and Peter Puttenaers from Belgium completed the podium.
The cars with up to 480 kilowatts (653 hp) were also in action on Sunday. This time, Bel stuck to the rules and won the final. Andres Maschkotter finished third in the Volvo. Ariane Vanlommel finished second, but was disqualified after the race just for the final. The cars in this class are equipped with naturally aspirated or turbocharged engines with a displacement of more than two liters. The minimum weight is between 1,100 and 1,490 kilograms, depending on the engine capacity.
DRX3 and DRX4
Three DRX3 cars competed in the season opener and were included in the field of DRX4 cars. Markus Rosrud won both days in his Honda Civic. The cars are front-wheel drive, weigh between 770 and 960 kilograms depending on engine capacity and produce around 240 hp. The naturally aspirated engines are limited to a maximum displacement of 1.6 liters. Lukas Ney from Germany finished second in class on Saturday in his Skoda Fabia.
Numerous drivers competed in the popular DRX4 class for vehicles with front- or rear-wheel drive, a minimum weight of 770 to 1,040 kilograms, an output of around 280 hp and turbo as well as naturally aspirated engines with a displacement of up to two liters. Benett Zobel won on Saturday in the Ford Fiesta and stood on the podium together with Gerhard Völzer in the legendary Opel Manta and Ole Bech in the Peugeot 306.
On Sunday, the first place in the results list remained empty, although Dustin Völzer – son of Gerhard – had won the race. Reason for his disqualification without the next driver moving up in the final was a missing locking of the parking brake. Niels Warrenburg was second in the Opel Corsa, while Tim Kulikowski completed the top-3 in the second Opel. Johan Kwinten and Benett Zobel rounded out the top 5 in the DRX4 class.
DRXN1
The DRXN1 class features production-based vehicles with front- or rear-wheel drive. In addition, the drivers here have to adapt to a conventional H-shift and street tires. Depending on their displacement – a maximum of two liters – the vehicles weigh between 770 and 1,040 kilograms and produce up to 148 kilowatts (202 hp). Both naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines are permitted.
Daniel Habicht won on Saturday in a BMW ahead of Philipp Peine in a Seat Ibiza. Third place was secured by Manuel Peral from Spain in a Peugeot 205. Habicht was also unbeatable on Sunday and again took first place. Peine was again his closest pursuer, while Dirk Bublies in the Honda Civic took the bronze medal.
DRXN2
The second national class of DRX also allows production-based vehicles with H-shifting, street tires and front- or rear-wheel drive. The minimum weight is calculated by multiplying the horsepower by a factor of 8.5. The vehicles have an output of up to 105 kilowatts (143 hp) and naturally aspirated or turbocharged engines with displacements of up to 1.8 liters. Due to the low costs, the class is considered a good entry into German rallycross racing.
Dominic Drange drove to first place in the Citroen Saxo on Saturday and relegated Mika Henning in the Volkswagen Polo to second place in the final. Third place went to rookie Yannik Martynko in the Volkswagen Lupo. Drange confirmed his good performance on Sunday and drove to victory again, Marcel Euteneuer kept Henning behind him in the Volkswagen Polo and secured second place.
DRXC1 and DRXC2
At the opening round on the Estering, the racy Crosscars were also back in action. The rear-wheel-drive buggies weigh 425 or 410 kilograms depending on the class and have an internal combustion engine with a displacement of 0.847 liters that produces up to 120 hp. In the C2 Juniors class, young talents aged up to 15 years compete in those unique cars.
Erik Flashar won the C1 classification on Saturday ahead of Dutchman Sem Peters and Willi Kisser. In his first race, 12-year-old Marc Gerstenkorn beat Bryan Neumeyer, who in turn won the C2 race on Sunday. In the C1 classification, Flashar won again on Sunday ahead of Kisser and Peters.
Rounds three and four of the 2023 DRX season will be held on May 27 and 28 at the Gründautalring in Gründau. Full grids in all DRX classes are again expected on both race days. The 2023 season consists of a total of eight races over six race weekends.
