Throughout the early 2010s, Mitchell deJong was one of many rising stars in rallycross with race wins and titles in a plethora of Lites collection starting from World Rallycross to the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Nonetheless, his profession ended up on maintain by 2018, although he stayed just about contemporary as a sim racer.
Seven years after his final real-life racing motion, deJong discovered himself behind the wheel of a NEXT EVO throughout final weekend’s Nitrocross season opener at Richmond Raceway. Regardless of the lengthy absence, he didn’t must shake off any rust as he held off reigning Nitrocross NEXT champion Tommi Hallman to win the primary race. Whereas Hallman returned the favour the following day, deJong nonetheless wrapped up the slate by ending second.
deJong was referred to as into motion by Bak40 Motorsports on comparatively brief discover. Even then, he was the quickest driver in NEXT qualifying earlier than successful his warmth race and semi-final on Saturday. He set the tempo early within the ultimate and saved Hallman at bay for the win.
“Plenty of unknowns coming into this weekend however all the things simply appeared to fall into place,” he stated following the Saturday win. “I’m getting an increasing number of snug with the automotive and all of the races main as much as the semi-final and ultimate went just about good and on-point.”
The profitable weekend provides to a formidable portfolio for the 26-year-old, who gained the 2014 GRC Lites title and an X Video games gold medal that 12 months. He has additionally triumphed within the FIA World and European Rallycross Championship’s Lites divisions in addition to RallyX on Ice, successful the latter’s 2017 crown earlier than committing to sim racing full time. On the esports facet, deJong has competed within the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing and Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup.
Hallman was not the one 2023/24 champion to begin the season on a robust notice as Group E’s Robin Larsson ushered in Dodge’s Nitrocross period by successful on Saturday. Final 12 months’s runner-up Fraser McConnell hoped to comb the weekend for the marque on Sunday however spun on the primary lap and was handed by Oliver Eriksson.
Larsson’s win marked the primary victory for Dodge at Richmond since Kasey Kahne gained the 2005 NASCAR Cup Sequence spring race there. Richmond marked a little bit of a throwback to utilizing inventory automotive ovals for rallycross, one which deJong was conversant in as GRC continuously made such stops. He gained each NASCAR monitor dates at Charlotte and Daytona throughout his 2014 GRC Lites marketing campaign.
“I’ve by no means even been a spectator in a NASCAR monitor, and now we’re racing there,” Hallman quipped after his Sunday win. “It’s so completely different to what I’m used to.
“In Europe, it’s not the identical. That is a lot extra adrenaline stuffed. Massive jumps and a extremely troublesome monitor, particularly this one, so it’s nice.”
