Stellantis Media Site Dodge Debuts in Nitrocross Series Richmond Event with Dominant Victory by DRR Driver Robin Larsson in Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X Race Car                                                 Contact:                                                             Tom                          Blattler                                                                                                Kristin                         Starnes                                                                                                Darren                         Jacobs                                                                                                                                                                                   Dodge Debuts in Nitrocross Series Richmond Event with Dominant Victory by DRR Driver Robin Larsson in Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X Race Car                                            Two-time and reigning Nitrocross Group E champion Robin Larsson put Dodge in victory lane in the brand’s Nitrocross debut Saturday at Richmond Raceway with a dominating performance Driving the 1,000-plus-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X racecar, Sweden’s Larsson recorded fastest qualifying time and won his heat, semifinal and final for the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) team, the defending Group E series team champions Dodge debuted its four Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X cars in the season-opening Nitrocross doubleheader event of the 10-round national tour which competes on dirt and paved surfaces Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell enjoyed a strong weekend in his Dodge machine with second and third place finishes in the two main events on the fast circuit inside the Richmond Raceway oval Seventeen-year-old Lia Block, the youngest competitor ever in the Group E division, posted a pair of sixth-place finishes with a bright red Dodge Hornet R/T in her first drive with Dodge and DRR After his clean sweep of events on Saturday, Larsson came back to finish fourth in Sunday’s Nitrocross main event, while his DRR teammate Andreas Bakkerud took seventh and eighth For more information on the Dodge Hornet R/T and Dodge Hornet GT, visit Dodge.com Follow Dodge Motorsports action at DodgeGarage and the @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel                                                                                                                                                           September 9, 2024,                                                                                                                      Auburn Hills, Mich.                                                       -                                               Dodge made a spectacular debut in the popular and exciting 2024-25 Nitrocross series this weekend at Richmond Raceway with two-time and reigning Nitrocross Group E champion Robin Larsson driving the Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X race car to victory in a dominating performance in the opening round of the series on Saturday, Sept. 7.The Dodge brand introduced its four-car lineup with defending Group E team champions Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) this weekend, which includes Larsson, Andreas Bakkerud, Fraser McConnell and teenager Lia Block in the 1,000-plus-horsepower Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X vehicles competing in the ten-round 2024-25 U.S. national series, which features events on paved and dirt surfaces.Larsson, the 32-year-old driver from Sweden, put on a superb driving exhibit in Saturday’s round one action by taking his DRR Monster Energy JC Dodge R/T FC1-X car to the fastest qualifying time along with winning his heat race, semifinal and final for a clean sweep on the fast and tricky circuit inside the 3/4-mile Richmond Raceway oval.In Saturday’s final Larsson started from the pole position and quickly took his Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X machine to the front of the field as he headed into the dirt portion of the track. He then paced the entire event to the checkered flag in defeating Oliver Eriksson, McConnell, Conner Martell, Viktor Vranckx, Block, Bakkerud and veteran Tanner Foust.“It’s always special going into a new season,” said Larsson after his Saturday win. “Of course, everyone is seeking the championship at the opening race, and we have a strong team with DRR. Having won the last two years brings a lot of confidence to myself and the team. For me, it’s a cool feeling being with Dodge. It’s the first time I have been with an auto manufacturer. I’m very proud to have Dodge on board and I couldn’t ask for a better start to the season.“My starts were good today and our pace on track has been excellent. It was a heck of a day with a ‘clean sweep’ of the events. The track was slippery on the gravel sections, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. To be honest, I was little nervous coming into this race, and I want to play it safe in certain sections. But I had a perfect day thanks to the team and it’s great to put Dodge in the winner’s circle.”  Larsson’s DRR Dodge teammates — McConnell, Bakkerud and Block — also qualified for Saturday’s feature event with McConnell taking third, Block sixth and Bakkerud seventh after his mount suffered a punctured tire.In Sunday’s round two program, McConnell held the pole in the six-lap final and took the lead at the start, but the Jamaican’s car was hit from behind, causing a slight spin in turn three on the opening lap. Fraser fought back to place a close second to Oliver Eriksson at the finish. Larsson placed fourth in Sunday’s final with Block taking sixth, while Bakkerud’s car was hit on the first lap and Andreas was forced to retire.“It was a tough finish in the Sunday race,” said McConnell, a former Rallycross Lites champion. “I feel if I didn’t get hit on the first lap that I would have won the race. I felt that the positions (first and second) should have been swapped. But, if that is the decision, such is life, and I will move on to the next event. The opening weekend is always a tough one, but we are so pleased to have Dodge with the DRR team and we look forward to the next weekend in Utah next month.”Block enjoyed her first Nitrocross doubleheader event in the Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X race car, as well as working with the veteran DRR team.“To be honest, I was just trying to get my feet underneath everything with these high-horsepower cars,” said Block, a former rallycross (O2WD) class champion. “These other guys have a couple of seasons on me already with these racecars and it has been hard. I have been learning so much with the Dodge Hornet, and my teammates have been a great help, giving me all of the tricks and tips. It has been a big change from driving formula cars in Europe where they don’t want you to slide the car to here in Nitrocross where you need to slide the racecar to be fast. It was a fun weekend and I’m anxious for the next race.”DRR team owner Dennis Reinbold was very pleased with the Richmond Nitrocross weekend and Dodge’s introduction to the new motorsports discipline.“I’m so ecstatic with the Dodge’s debut with our Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team and it’s introduction into the Nitrocross series,” Reinbold said. “You think about Dodge, and you think about muscle cars. And our Dodge Hornet R/T FC1-X race car is so fast and quick off the line and making these amazing jumps. Dodge is all about performance and feel, and they will fit in so well with Nitrocross. And it was a great start for Robin to sweep the events on Saturday in Dodge’s debut here.”The next Nitrocross doubleheader weekend — Round 3 and 4 — is set for Oct. 5-6 with the “Busch Light Race to the Mountains” at the Utah Motorsports Campus near Salt Lake City, Utah.Dodge HornetThe Nitrocross kickoff event in Richmond will also host Dodge Hornet Rally Rides, allowing fans to ride along in the passenger seat for hot laps and experience a production-spec Dodge Hornet R/T on a specially built course.The Dodge Hornet disrupts the fast-growing compact utility vehicle (CUV) segment, building buzz with a distinctive Dodge combination of muscular styling wrapped around best-in-class standard performance from a multi-energy powertrain roster and a swarm of class-exclusive performance features. The Dodge Hornet R/T performance hybrid — the first-ever electrified performance vehicle from Dodge — delivers the most powerful utility vehicle in the segment with 288 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque, offering 32 miles of all-electric range via a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, as well as 77 MPGe and 360 miles of total range.The Hornet R/T carries extra sting with a class-exclusive, on-demand PowerShot feature that supplies a burst of 30 horsepower, reaching 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, while the Dodge Hornet GT reaches 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds in Sport Mode. The Dodge Hornet GT is the industry’s fastest and most powerful gas-powered compact utility vehicle. Fueled by the Hurricane4 engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four cylinder, the GT boasts the segment’s most powerful gas engine at 268 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.For more information on the Dodge Hornet, visit Dodge.com.                         @DodgeMoparMotorsports on InstagramThe @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.Dodge//SRTFor 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge, America’s performance brand, shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger. The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine. Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news, including daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise.Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis (NYSE: STLA).  MoparMopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at www.blog.mopar.com. Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.comMedia website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.comDodge brand: www.dodge.comDodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.comMopar brand: www.mopar.comMopar blog: blog.mopar.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/moparInstagram: @DodgeMoparMotorsports, @DodgeOfficial and @OfficialMoparTwitter: @Dodge, @OfficialMopar and @StellantisNAYouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA