Nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb is to return to the World Rallycross Championship for the first time in five years this season after being lured back by a ‘special’ project.

The 49-year-old will compete in the all-new electric-powered Lancia Delta Evo-e RX, joining forces with fellow Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit in a two-car line-up at Special ONE Racing founded by the four-time free-skiing champion.

Chicherit has revived the Lancia Delta name that was an icon of world rallying in the late 1980s and early 1990s via his GCK Motorsport programme, with the latest version powered by two 250kw motors.

“I’m from a generation that was brought up seeing wins by Lancia Deltas in rallying, so naturally I have a weakness for this car,” said Loeb, who competed for three seasons in World RX from 2016-18 driving a factory-supported Peugeot 208 WRX.

“But when Guerlain spoke to me the first time about tackling a rallycross season with it, I thought he was mad.

“Then I tried the car last December and was immediately won over by its dynamic qualities. I have great faith in this project and I can’t wait to champion it on tracks around the world.”

Loeb, who twice finished fourth in the standings in World RX in 2017 and ’18, scoring two victories overall, added: “I’m very motivated for the challenge, and I think rallycross is the ideal discipline for electrification because we have a lot of power and the races are short.

“These cars are exciting to drive, and World RX is the perfect platform to promote their evolution.

“The show on-track is just amazing, with great fights and even more spectacular action than before, and now we have the opportunity to attract a whole new generation of fans.”

The new season of World RX, which blends circuit racing and rallying in a head-to-head format, starts at Montalegre in Portugal on June 3-4, concluding with double-header events in Cape Town and Hong Kong in the autumn.