The 2018 FIA World Rallycross season kicks off this weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya—roughly five months before the sport makes its debut in the United States, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The sport has exploded in popularity across Europe thanks, in large part, to an electrifying brand of racing that utilizes a head-to-head, multi-day format featuring cars that accelerate quicker than F1.

World RX USA Onboard | Let @Petter_Solberg guide you on a lap of the new @COTA track! #WorldRXUSA pic.twitter.com/fxsL2R4hz1

— World RX USA (@WorldRXUSA) April 4, 2018

Watch the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship in Barcelona LIVE on FloRacing

In the U.S., NASCAR’s top series—now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—has long been the king of auto racing. But, for more than two decades, the sport has struggled to turn around fading interest among younger generations of fans for two reasons:

1.) With 43 cars on tracks that are often well in excess of 2 miles around, the speed of the sport simply doesn’t translate through the lens of a camera. And, when it moves off of an oval and onto a road course, the series’ stock cars feel almost rigid and clunky to the uninitiated.

2.) The races are long. The recently adopted stage-racing format helps some, but all told, a single race in its entirety is still going to be an unbroken three-hour commitment.

World RX does not share these challenges—and, as a result, figures to catch on quickly with American viewers, for whom the sport will be streamed live for the first time this season.

Rallycross 101

The elevator pitch for rallycross is a spectacular one: A series of six-lap qualifying races trim the field to a dozen drivers for the knockout rounds. The high-torque engines in the Supercar class produce an unreal 600 brake horsepower. Oh, and that “quicker than F1” acceleration we mentioned? Yeah, that’s 0-60 mph in less than two seconds.

The FIA World Rallycross Championship, now in its fifth season, is one of the largest racing series in motorsports.https://t.co/vRUKup7Xy9

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) April 4, 2018

The tracks are mixed surface, forcing drivers to adjust from asphalt to dirt with hairpin turns and microscopic margin for error waiting to greet them. These venues are also equipped with high jumps, which are awesome for fans but can ruin a team’s day if they’re poorly negotiated.

Who’s Behind The Wheel?

We’re looking at 15 drivers across nine teams. Among them, defending champion Johan Kristofferson and legendary two-time series champion Petter Solberg—both of whom drive for PSRX Volkswagen Motorsports.

Great day yesterday launching @WorldRXUSA - really excited to come back to Austin and race here for real at Rd.10 of the @FIAWorldRX on 29-30 September! ✌??? pic.twitter.com/ulY5Iz30oP

— Petter Solberg RX (@Petter_Solberg) April 5, 2018

If you’re into Audis—and, more specifically, the second-generation Audi S1 EKS RX Quattro that is, in two words, freakin’ majestic—you might be inclined to root for 2016 champion Mattias Ekström or his teammate Andreas Bakkerud.

A full list of World RX drivers can be found here.

How Does It Work?

Every event begins with four qualifying heats featuring no more than a handful of cars. The 12 fastest advance to the knockout stage: two races, six cars each, six laps. The top three from each semifinal advance to the final.

Once there? Well, as the great philosopher Samuel L. Jackson once said:

Six cars, six laps, and points are awarded like this:

1st: 8 points

2nd: 5 points

3rd: 4 points

4th: 3 points

5th: 2 points

6th: 1 point

A maximum of 30 points can be earned throughout the course of the weekend, with points being awarded in descending order from… You know what? Just take a look at this super cool graphic from the FIA World Rallycross education page:

The Joker Lap

In addition to the whole dirt-to-pavement-to-flying-through-the-air thing, there is yet another differentiator of rallycross known as the “Joker Lap.”

The Joker Lap is an extension of the course that often looks like nothing more than a haphazard addition to the track. Drivers are required to take one Joker Lap once during each race—and its impact is just a little bit different at each venue.

The strategy of exactly when to take the Joker Lap can make or break a driver’s bid for the win.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

The FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster begins this weekend in Montmelo and we’re bringing all of the Sunday action to North American viewers LIVE on FloRacing.