Mario Kart IRL: The Race Built for Your Screen

A new entrant into the world of racing looks less like NASCAR or Formula 1, and more like a game of Mario Kart come to life. 

In Nitro Rallycross, an extreme racing series owned by Thrill One Sports and Entertainment, cars leap over large gaps, sometimes flying over lower sections of the track, and the series is played on a wide range of terrains and environments, from deserts to snowy forests. 

“The danger element of it is, I think, what makes it so attractive to a casual fan,” Thrill One CEO Joe Carr told FOS. 

Thrill One told FOS it has invested over $3 million in developing Nitro Rallycross and expects over $7 million in revenue this season.

After initial races in Utah in 2018 and 2019, the sport was put on hold due to the pandemic. In September, it will kick back into gear for its first U.S. tour, followed by an electric vehicle-focused international tour across North America, Europe, and the Middle East next year. 

Despite its short history, Nitro Rallycross has attracted well-known sponsors.

• Broadcast and highlight partners include Peacock, NBCSN, and Tencent. On Tuesday, Thrill Media also announced that Fox Sports, Sky, BT Sport, and EXTREME are among the series’ global broadcast partners. 
• Partnership deals, which Thrill One told FOS start in the mid-six figures, include Red Bull, Yokohama, Subaru, and O’Reilly Auto Parts.

Thrill One’s properties include Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus, Street League Skateboarding, and Thrill One Media. Nitro Rallycross will lean on the company’s 40 million social media followers across its properties to build its audience.

“All of the races are going to be six to eight minutes, with high profile, celebrity drivers,” said Carr. “It’s very much made for digital, social media, and streaming.”