19/02/2026
The 2026 FIA XC Junior Cross Car Championship: Why waste a winning formula?
The FIA XC Cross Car Championship (formerly the Academy Trophy), open to young drivers aged 13 to 16, is a series that identifies the future champions of tomorrow. With events taking place between May and the end of September, and a minimum of five races per year across Europe, you have the chance to compete in an international environment on 100% dirt tracks. For XC Cross Car manufacturers, this allowed several European manufacturers to showcase their products in a semi-professional championship, demonstrate the benefits of their FIA XC Cross Cars, and promote their official drivers, with the aim of later moving up to the Elite category, the Senior XC Cross Car.
It should be noted that this formula has allowed many talents to emerge: such as Karl Peder Nordstrand, who competes in the Baltic States and Norwegian Rally Championships, and Gil Membrado (Red Bull Spain driver, whose honorary mentor and advisor is none other than Carlo Sainz), who will compete in WRC 3 in 2026.
Today, with eight European rounds from the end of May to the end of October 2026, it is difficult for teenagers to find the time, given the constraints of school schedules, to participate in a full championship, let alone find the budget for eight events. So why waste a formula that worked yesterday and that will diminish the appeal of this category tomorrow? The XC Junior Cross Car category must remain a non-elitist category with simple rules, accessible to everyone. (As desired by the former FIA president)
The figures speak for themselves:
- 2024: 12 permanent drivers and a total of 25 drivers in the Junior XC Cross Car category
- 2025: 11 permanent drivers and a total of 19 drivers in the Junior XC Cross Car category
