how large is a rallycross course

by Courtney Deckow 9 min read

The track consisted of a section of concrete runway, loose sections through heathland and a hollow, about 40 metres long and 10 metres deep, usually used for tank testing.

Full Answer

What is a rallycross race?

Rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars. It is mainly popular in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain.

What are the requirements to participate in rallycross?

To be eligible for Rallycross competition, a driver must: Not be disqualified from event or suspended from competition. Be, at minimum, 15 years old and meet one of the following criteria: a. Possess a valid (not expired or suspended) drivers license in their state of residence, or b.

When was the first rallycross event held?

On Saturday 17 May 1969 a group of invited rally and racing drivers went to the spot for a test day. Everybody was really satisfied and enthusiastic and only three weeks later, on Saturday 7 June the first rallycross event on the European continent was held.

What is scoring in rallycross racing?

Scoring is the accumulation of timed runs plus penalties where the lowest time wins. One car is released at a time with course workers monitoring cones and penalties. Rallycross events are structured as a run-work format where competitors race during their class session and work the course when another class races.

What is the UK rallycross championship?

The Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship presented by Cooper Tires is the current national series in the United Kingdom. The calendar features iconic rallycross circuits including Lydden Hill Race Circuit. Recognised as an official championship by the MSUK, the governing body of motorsport in Great Britain. See rallycrossbrx.com for more information.

Where is rallycross popular?

It is mainly popular in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain.

When did rallycross start?

The sport started as a TV show (with especially invited rally drivers), produced by Robert Reed of ABC television for ITVs World of Sport programme, at Lydden Circuit (between Dover and Canterbury) in Great Britain on Saturday, 4 February 1967. The first true rallycross was organised by Bud Smith († 1994) and the Tunbridge Wells Centre of the 750 MC, with the aid of Lydden Circuit owner Bill Chesson († 1999), and was won by later Formula One driver as well as 1968 Rally Monte Carlo winner Vic Elford in a showroom Porsche 911 of the British importer AFN, ahead of Brian Melia in his Ford Lotus Cortina and Tony Fall in a BMC Mini Cooper S .

When did rallycross come to Australia?

Rallycross came to Australia in 1969 with a one off meeting at Leppington in New South Wales. Events were held at Calder Park Raceway in Melbourne until the mid 1970s and at the Catalina Park circuit in Katoomba in New South Wales from 1972 until the early 1980s.

When was the first rallycross race?

Everybody was really satisfied and enthusiastic and only three weeks later, on Saturday 7 June the first rallycross event on the European continent was held.

Who discovered rallycross?

Rob Herzet ( AVRO ), a Dutch counterpart to Robert Reed, discovered rallycross during a visit to Great Britain in 1968 and immediately understood its potential for the television viewers. By that time there were nearly ten million Britons watching some of the events on television.

Who won the 1979 Australian rallycross?

The inaugural Australian Rallycross Championship was held at the Tailem Bend circuit on 24 June 1979 and was won by Larry Perkins, driving a 2.0-litre Volkswagen Beetle for Kruger Motors.

The History of Rallycross

Rallycross racing began in Britain in 1967 as a television show produced by Robert Reed for ITV's World of Sport show and happened to coincide with the cancellation of the 1967 RAC Rally. As a result, a number of rally drivers used the off time to compete in rallycross.

Rallycross in the USA

If you're looking to get involved with rallycross events, your first port of call should be the Sports Car Club of America. You don't need a special rallycross car, years of experience, or even a helmet.

Rallycross Cars

As we just mentioned, rallycross is open to just about any type of car, but the best rallycross cars are usually powered by turbocharged engines producing 600 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque.

Conclusion

As you've seen, rallycross is accessible at many levels, but there are still some things you need to consider. The car that you use for rallycross will get damaged.

FAQs

We've discussed in depth above, but the best place to learn how to get into rallycross in the United States is by learning all about the SCCA's regional amateur rallycross events. These cater to all budgets and skill levels.

What are the classes in rallycross?

Competitors are divided into classes based on two qualifications: The driven wheels on the vehicle (Front, Rear or All Wheel Drive) and the amount and type of modifications made to the vehicle. These classes compete only against themselves, so you’ll never see a stock vehicle paired against a fully-prepped stage rally car. Complete details for class qualifications are published in the SCCA RallyCross Rulebook

What is rallycross?

RallyCross is the most widespread and readily accessible form of extreme dirt motorsport in the Sports Car Club of America, and the perfect place to see if you have what it takes to powerslide your way to victory. Imagine a scaled down version of a rally stage laid out on a non-paved plot of land where the course is delineated by traffic cones ...

How many laps are there in rallycross?

Seat time is limited in rallycross, with races run over just four or six laps. Find out about official test days where you can do more laps than you would at an event. Or, budget permitting, rent a test venue for yourself. Karting, even rental karting with friends, is another good way to perfect your skills.

When did rallycross become a world championship?

The high-action sport of rallycross has grown exponentially since it became an FIA World Championship in 2014, with stars like Petter Solberg, Mattias Ekström and Sébastien Loeb racing door-to-door in 600 horsepower hatchbacks.

How old do you have to be to drive a rally car?

Don’t drive a car that’s too fast too quickly, let yourself grow into sport. If you enjoy it, you can progress into the bigger classes.”. In most countries, the minimum age for senior rallycross is 16 years old. Generally, drivers aged between 14 and 16 compete in Junior categories.

What does it mean to do lots of racing?

Doing lots of racing means you can learn out on track, come in and have a think, then go again,” says 2013 BTCC champion Andrew Jordan, who began his career in rallycross. “To get extra seat time, testing and track days are really good, and karting is a great way to learn race craft and to be smooth in a car.”. 8.

Is karting good for rallycross?

Karting, even rental karting with friends, is another good way to perfect your skills. “You don’t get a huge amount of track time in rallycross, but there are several championships you can do as a beginner with the same car.

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Overview

Rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars. It is mainly popular in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain. An inexpensive, entry level type of rallycross is the Swedish folkrace or its Norwegian counterpart, the so-called bil…

History

The sport started as a TV show (with especially invited rally drivers), produced by Robert Reed of ABC television for ITVs World of Sport programme, at Lydden Circuit (between Dover and Canterbury) in Great Britain on Saturday, 4 February 1967. The first true rallycross was organised by Bud Smith (d. 1994) and the Tunbridge Wells Centre of the 750 MC, with the aid of Lydden Circuit owner Bil…

In the United States

In October 2009 Rally America (for two years operating under the tag RallyCar) announced it would begin sanctioning European style rallycross events in the United States. The inaugural season of the RallyCar Rallycross Championship, held in 2010, featured four events and several rally, rallycross and drifting competitors have shown an interest in contesting these races. All four events (August 29, October 3, November 6, November 7) were organised at New Jersey Motorsp…

In the United Kingdom

The Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship presented by Cooper Tires is the current national series in the United Kingdom. The calendar features iconic rallycross circuits including Lydden Hill Race Circuit. Recognised as an official championship by the MSUK, the governing body of motorsport in Great Britain. See rallycrossbrx.com for more information.

FIA European Rallycross Championship and FIA World Rallycross Championship

The first FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX) took place from 4–5 May 2014, alongside the FIA European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX), the latter formerly known as FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers. Former World Rally Championship champion Petter Solberg took first place to become the first FIA World Rallycross Championship winner.

Race format

Different rallycross championships and events use different formats and scoring systems. For information on the scoring system of the FIA World Rallycross Championship visit rallycrossrx.com.

Electric rallycross

The FIA made changes to rallycross categories before the beginning of 2021 season. The Supercar category was renamed to RX1, and a new electric rallycross supercar category RX1e was introduced. The Junior RX2 series were dropped, and Junior electric series RX2e were introduced. RX1e championship is expected to debut in 2022 season, consisting of the RX1 supercars retrofitted with two 250kW electric motors (equivalent of 680 horsepower), and equipped with 52…

Similar types of racing

In Australia and in the United States, there are the dirt track racing, close to rallycross, but with two big differences, the vehicles are sprint cars, late models, modifieds and midgets instead, and they usually run in oval dirt tracks.
In Great Britain, they have the British autocross where some of the pioneers of rallycross started. In other Europeans countries there is the autocross, similar t…