Just under a year ago, GCK Motorsport made an announcement that shook the international motorsport community, revealing that it was working on a new electric rallycross car based upon the legendary Lancia Delta Integrale. At World RX of Germany next weekend (12-13 November), the iconic Italian ‘hot hatch’ will head into battle – as it joins the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the 2022 season finale.

In its original incarnation, the Lancia Delta dominated the FIA World Rally Championship scene at the end of the 1980s into the 1990s, securing no fewer than five manufacturers’ titles and three drivers’ crowns.

As a child of the eighties, GCK (Green Corp Konnection) Founder and President, Guerlain Chicherit, was inspired by the exploits of countryman Didier Auriol behind the wheel of this Group A beast. When the French entrepreneur launched his company’s retrofitting division in 2020, the emblematic Giorgetto Giugiaro-penned model was therefore an obvious choice.

Thus was born the GCK Exclusiv-e retrofit of the Lancia Delta Integrale – the road-going Lancia Delta Evo-e – presented by Chicherit to the World RX family at the Nürburgring last year, and which is now in the final phase of homologation and soon set to enter production.

The race-bred version – the four wheel-drive Lancia Delta Evo-e RX – was designed and manufactured from the ground up at GCK Performance’s workshop in Issoire in central France, with the use of bespoke tools and equipment. The chassis alone took more than 1,200 hours to complete.

In a neat fusion of past glories and future technologies, its unmistakeable body shape conceals a tubular structure and two cutting-edge electric motors generating 500kW – equivalent to 680bhp – meaning electrifying performance is guaranteed.

Four-time World Freeriding Champion and experienced rallycross racer Chicherit – whose most recent World RX start came at the Nürburgring 12 months ago, yielding a fifth-place finish on the second day – will climb into the cockpit for the car’s competitive debut, using the event as preparation for a full-season assault in 2023.

“I’m really excited to be back in World RX, a year on from my last appearance in the championship,” he enthused. “One thing is for sure – our Lancia Delta Evo-e RX will stand out from the crowd in a field of modern cars in this ultra-spectacular series.

“I must congratulate GCK Performance for the fantastic job they have done over the past nine months. The build quality and level of finish are both incredible – I have no doubt the Lancia will impress plenty of people out there. We’ll clearly need a bit of time to get to grips with the car and make it competitive, but right now, I’m just eager to get out on-track!”