As the global body in charge of motorsport, the FIA isn’t just in charge of fiddling with F1. It also has a noble goal to double participation in motorsports worldwide. The organization hopes that its new cheap off-road racer will help boost grassroots motorsports across the globe.
One can learn to play soccer with little more than a ball, and baseball with not much more than a bat. The barrier for entry is low. Motorsports, in contrast, are prohibitively expensive—perhaps the most expensive sports out there. You need to pay for vehicles, and the place to race them, and usually a whole bunch of safety equipment on top of that. Move up to even the most basic professional ranks, and the costs quickly spiral from there—consumables, pit crew, and so much more besides.
To that end, the FIA has developed the Affordable Cross Car. It’s a diminutive little buggy that hopes to make off-road competition cheaper and more accessible.
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The FIA has run a variety of Cross Car competitions for some time. These consist of autocross and rallycross style events, with competitors taking part in off-road buggies. Historically, these buggies have been of various commercial designs. However, the FIA has realized that these existing designs are not always appropriate for competitions in nations where motorsports are less established. Importing race cars from foreign manufacturers can be prohibitively expensive at times, particularly if hefty import taxes or tariffs are involved.
The solution to this issue was to create an off-road race car that could be produced across the world. To that end, the FIA has prepared blueprints for a Level 1 and Level 2 Affordable Cross Car, and provided them free of charge to national motorsports authorities across the world. The idea is that the designs can be produced by local industry in an affordable manner, and fitted with whatever engines are suitable and available in a given market.
Cross Car competition currently includes Junior and Senior categories; the new Affordable Cross Cars will slot in as two lower levels of competition. Level 2 cars are intended to cost around €10,000 (~$10,500 USD), with engine outputs around 40 horsepower. Aimed at 12 to 16 year old competitors, blueprints for the Level 2 cars were just distributed to national organizations in October. The cheaper Level 1 cars are intended to cost around €5,000 (~$5,250 USD), with more like 12 hp, and are intended for young competitors aged from 6 to 11 years old. The design of the smaller variant is still being finalized at this stage.
The cars are intended to be cheap and simple, without compromising on the essentials. Naturally, the cars are designed with an eye to providing both a viable competitive platform, as well as the proper equipment to keep drivers safe. Both cars share some common components. Level 1 and Level 2 designs use the same transmission, front uprights, chassis supports, seatbelts, and steering racks.
“If karting is where we find the next circuit drivers, this is where we find the next rally and rallycross drivers,” said Andrew Wheatley in June, while serving as the FIA’s Road Sport Director. “It’s not impossible to imagine drivers going from here to a side-by-side in the Dakar, for example, it’s a logical step.” The hope is that the design will bring motorsport not to a broader audience, but to a broader range of participants. “The concept works to help us towards many of our targets,” said Valerio Iachizzi, FIA Secretary-General for Sport. “Making the sport more accessible, more diverse and ultimately increasing the number of competitors we have all around the world.”
Despite the first reveal being made as early as 2022, the Affordable Cross Car is yet to gain a lot of attention. However, the program has recently gained attention as Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen will be getting involved, albeit somewhat against his will. As a punishment for swearing during a press conference, Verstappen has been required to attend a grassroots development program in Rwanda. The program will see him work with junior competitors, and will involve a locally-built FIA Affordable Cross Car.
As yet, the Affordable Cross Car designs haven’t seen much action. The first competitive outing of Level 1 cars took place at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games in Spain. A small field of cars ran on an off-road course at the Aspar Circuit near Valencia. The hope is that Level 1 and Level 2 designs will be picked up by various motorsporting authorities around the world to establish their own local series for grassroots competition.
Overall, it’s an admirable program from the FIA. If successful, the Affordable Cross Car could lower barriers to competition and spread motorsport farther and wider than before. It could also prove a boon to local industry, providing investment and jobs that would otherwise simply flow overseas to existing first-world manufacturers. For now, it’s an obscure program in the early days of development, but it could yet help spawn the new rally talent of tomorrow.
Image credits: FIA
I’ve driven something like this with a 600cc sport bike motor and they’re a freaking blast. They need a Level 3!
Im in my 40’s and wish they made a level 3 car for $18-$22k for adults who love racing and arent rich.
Kinda reminds me of a microsprint car.
I’ve seen enough entry level motorsport in my life to realize the offspring of the dad with the deepest pockets will win next year.
seems weird to be open wheel if these are for the young drivers. especially in the dirt!! i would think it would be better to have protection around the wheels to prevent damage from collisions and rubbing. why open wheel? ?
these kids aren’t idiots, and it’s really not that different from karting
I don’t know what to think about this. I really want it to succeed, but like a few other commenters I want an adult version as well.
In the last two years I’ve become a navigator for my mate, and we’ve started participating in our state rally championship in the “pocket rocket” class, in a Suzuki Swift Sport.
As the navigator I’ve paid for my safety gear and we split entry costs and accommodation costs when we go to events, but he is paying all car related expenses, and I’m too afraid to ask what they are.
We did have a Hyundai Excel class, which was intended as the cheap entry point, but that has now been discontinued for 2025 due to low entries, probably because the Excel is now quite old and there aren’t that many left.
The sport is dominated by WRXs and EVOs, but they’re all getting long in the tooth as well.
Having an almost spec type car that could have different engines in it would mean classes could be larger and not be so prone to cars being out of date. It wouldn’t be “cheap”, but it probably would be cheaper than keeping a 15yo WRX going or buying a full factory rally Yaris.
Main hurdle in our state would be ensuring they could be “rally registered” which allows limited on road usage to transit between stages etc. That means lights, indicators, wipers and all those things, which adds complexity and cost.
Ultimately the solution is for everyone to be born rich and to waste their money on their own particular passion.
This feels like the FIA’s first step towards motorsports in the Olympics. Cheap, spec racer designed for off-road and non-permanent unpaved tracks targeted worldwide. Lowers the barrier for entry not only with regards to the vehicle (assuming those price tags are remotely accurate) but also the facilities needed to host these races. Something tells me the Olympics are one of the end goals of this car.
10,000 at the bare minimum is enough to make a hockey parent blush
As a Dance Dad, I can tell you it’s actually in the ballpark, maybe even on the low side.
10k is just the car – spares, maintenance, fuel, safety checks, a travel trailer to tow this around, even the cheapest of racing is wildly expensive.
So, Formula Vee for the 21st century?
There was an article in the Washington Post yesterday about parents spending millions on preteen go-karting: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/formula-1-karting-children-parents-racing-costs/
This needs to be a NASCAR feeder series (or alterate series) like YESTERDAY. The road courses and Rovals are gaining in popularity, but we still don’t have an actual category that resembles the origins of NASCAR — cross-country, windy courses that could help boost rally interest in the US. It would be a real boon for tourism in rural areas as long as they provided semi-safe spectator locations.
Rally is really hard to televise so it will have an up hill battle to gain traction in the US
Rally WAS really hard to televise…today’s drone footage is spectacular and super cheap (at least compared to helicopters). The harder part is getting people to sit around just to watch a car go by once every 5 minutes, never to be seen again…but if I were a race organizer, I’d try to do it like marathons — set up multiple viewing areas with parking, allowing spectators to take shortcuts between key track locations using secondary roads.
Desert Racing and Ultra4 are absolutely pushing the boundaries of televised motorsport. Many teams have on-board Starlinks to live stream in-cab footage to YT. The drone footage is also incredible, especially in slow rocky sections where drones are flying between cars.
Looks like it would be a blast to throw around offroad and the goal is laudable but I question the $10k price. Seems pretty optimistic to me since that one shown has probably $2k-3k worth of remote reservoir coil overs on it alone. I suppose that maybe they are the cheapo amazon variety but once you buy the suspension, tires, wheels, adjustable links, roll cage, harness, engine…. gets expensive real fast.
Agreed, I don’t see it. There is no way anyone sells a limited production race car, (however diminutive) for $10k.
For that price, you’re looking at a barebones 500cc ATV/SXS with steel wheels, cheap tires, and throw-away shocks.
They seem cheaper than an atv/sxs and I bet would be fun on trails.
There is no way these sell for less than an equivalent mass produced SXS.
Can we get a level 3 for adults, please?
It’s pretty awesome seeing the collegiate SAE competitions baring fruit after so many years.
Yeah! us olds wanna cheaply race too!
The only option here is to turn a fwd economy car into a dirt-track car and then just go in a circle. Probably still fun, just not my cuppa.
No need. Just go down to your local Polaris or Can Am dealer and they’ll finance you an RZR for 1.99% or whatever.
Lots of regional competition with classes for even the basic utility machines.
with the popularity and rapid speed of modern side by side atvs i’m suprised there is not a racing series for them yet!
So 35 is too old to compete in one of these? Asking for a friend.
Umm, how about 47? Asking for
myselfa friend.I feel you buddy
FIA is it’s own entity.
Not in charge of global motorsport Lewin.
Just in charge of FIA, etc.
In the USA there’s a shit ton of racing series NOT related or associated with the FIA in any way.
Just saying…have a nice day.
Nothing boosts participation and diversity better than treating a trip to Africa as a punishment.
Strictly speaking, going to Africa is not the punishment; the FIA Awards at which he’ll receive his F1 2024 WDC trophy is being held in Rwanda. Interacting in a positive manner with local youths is the punishment. In which case, I think your point still stands. I would’ve hoped there’d be some local engagement regardless of frivolous “community service” handed out by an idiot. It’s a bad look all around.