Electric rallycross specialist STARD says it is to deliver its first ERX powertrain kit to be used in the British Rallycross Championship, due for fitment in British driver Steve Harris’s Mini RX.
With national ASNs throughout Europe adding electric cars to their existing rule sets, and with the ERX powertrain kit designed to be retrofitted to ICE cars, as well as being implemented in new builds, Harris and his technical partner in the UK, Sim-Tech Solutions, chose the STARD solution.
“I’ve had the Mini for a while, but it needed a lot of money spending on it to fit an [ICE] engine and transmission to make it competitive, which could have been out of date in two or three years’ time,” explained Harris. “The initial price wasn’t a lot different to convert the car to using an electric powertrain, and then the running costs are less too, so I thought I’d jump in to have the first electric supercar on the grid in the UK. The Mini’s chassis is proven, so together with Stard’s electric powertrain, it should be an interesting package.”
The powertrain produces 450kW (613bhp) combined power, 1,100Nm of torque with a top speed of 240km/h from three road car electric motors, using a four-wheel-drive system and 2-speed transmission. Testing at the Lydden Hill circuit in the UK last year proved the performance to be comparable to that of the leading ICE supercar contenders at one of the fastest rallycross circuits in the world.
Kevin Morris, STARD sales and business development manager, added, “Steve’s decision to acknowledge the advances and benefits that electrification has made in motorsport, specifically with the STARD ERX powertrain, is a major factor in the development of electric rallycross in the UK and across Europe at national and international level, and something that the sales team at STARD will continue to work on and promote. This decision to upgrade the Mini with a STARD ERX powertrain is particularly significant given Steve’s long-standing background in the sport with internal combustion engine cars, and is one that we are pleased to support. We look forward to working with him and Sim-Tech Solutions into the future.”
