A tribute livery to the Delta

Unveiled today in the Montalegre paddock (Portugal), the livery of the two Delta Evo-e RXs is a hit with fans. Let’s hope that these colours, so often victorious in the past, will return to the top thanks to the Special ONE Racing team, which will be making its debut in the World Rallycross Championship this weekend with Guerlain Chicherit and Sébastien Loeb.

Today’s presentation of the two Delta Evo-e RXs marks the end of a long time-trial race which began at the end of February when driver and businessman Guerlain Chicherit confirmed his decision to create the new Special ONE Racing team and enter it in the World Rallycross Championship. It took the GCK Performance technicians three months and over 2,000 hours of work to build the second chassis, identical in every respect to the first, which was delivered last November.

All that remained to be decided was the decoration of the two cars. Initially envisaged as a tribute to a famous karting video game, the livery will finally pay homage to the Delta’s rallying past, an option that was almost self-evident to the whole team… And a good choice, given the unanimous reactions today in the paddock at Montalegre (Portugal), where the opening round of the 2023 World Rallycross Championship is being held this weekend.

Under its vintage bodywork, the Delta Evo-e RX houses a tubular structure compliant with the safety standards in the FIA 2023 regulations. With 500 kW (680 hp) under the bonnet, common to all the RX1e entered in World RX, the car accelerates from 0-100 kph in just 1.8 seconds, seven-tenths faster than an F1 car by the same measure!

This is enough to fuel the ambitions of Guerlain Chicherit and Sébastien Loeb, the two Special ONE Racing drivers who, however, prefer to remain cautious for this first meeting, during which they will have to continue learning the car, against teams who have already accumulated a full year of competition with their RX1e.

I find the idea of bringing the Delta back into competition with a similar livery to that of thirty years ago extremely motivating. At the same time, it puts a lot of pressure on our shoulders, because we refer to the most successful car in the history of rallying. So we can’t afford to miss out! We’ve taken the design of the car very far. It’s shorter than the others, which makes it a bit nervous. Depending on the circuit, that could be an advantage or a disadvantage.

Guerlain Chicherit, driver of the #36 Delta Evo-e RX

It’s a very different car from what I’m used to. There’s one engine for the front axle and another for the rear, but there’s no link between the two, no longitudinal shaft. You have to get used to it when you’re driving and find the right settings. On paper, the Delta Evo-e RX looks pretty good, compact with good weight balance. The aim will clearly be to get out in front, even if I can’t say today whether we’ll be able to do that. I’m curious to see where we’ll be this weekend.

Sébastien Loeb, driver of the #9 Delta Evo-e RX