Following hot on the heels of an extremely successful test day at Eastern Creek earlier this month, the promoters of the SIDCHROME EXTREME Rallycross Championship have confirmed the plan to run a seven round championship that will include stops in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Adelaide.
“We have been working closely with venues and our track designer has been working overtime. The dates and locations are all locked away,” said David Ridden, managing director, Global Rallycross Australia.
Fans, drivers and partygoers alike will be treated to two days extreme action at each championship round.
“We’re kicking it off in a big way on 4 September at Lakeside Park in Brisbane,” David explained. “It’s going to be a massive event and the track design is guaranteed to deliver some wild overtaking moves and big jumps.
“The Lakeside set up is going to be amazing,” said David. “The track is being purpose built to a world class standard. Its natural amphitheater will give spectators an amazing view of the action from every vantage point.”
Owner of the Lakeside Park John Tetley said “We’re very excited to be hosting two rounds of the SIDCHROME EXTREME Rallycross Championship and to make sure it’s a success we are investing heavily to make the Rallycross circuit both challenging and rewarding for the drivers with lots of places to make a daring move. The viewing areas will provide spectacular viewing of the whole track for both fans and teams. It will not be dull!”
“I was there the first time around and saw how it got messed up by egos. This time, the professional approach of Global Rallycross guarantees there can be a huge future for the sport; and our plan is to make Lakeside Park the best place for Rallycross in Australia. We are going to make the new track available to everybody. In addition to hosting the SIDCHROME EXTREME Rallycross Championship Events, QR will run a six round QR Rally-X State Championship with some help from the team at Global Rallycross Australia” added John.
Public access to Lakeside Park is fantastic for fans as they can jump on a train from downtown Brisbane and be dropped on the doorstep of the track. The other three venues the series will visit include Calder Park Melbourne, Eastern Creek Sydney and the Adelaide Show Grounds.
“We’re particularly excited about the Adelaide round,” David said. “There is a massive motorsport fan base in South Australia proven by the popularity of Clipsal. We reckon that hosting it at the Show Grounds will be a fantastic way for fans to join in the party.”
In addition to announcing the full calendar of Championship Round dates and locations, the team at SIDCHROME EXTREME Rallycross Championship has also released track maps for all four venues the teams will visit in their quest to win the series.
When it came to track design, the team at Global Rallycross Australia left nothing on the table, employing the services of one of the world’s more decorated and respected co-drivers, Mark Stacey.
“Getting Mark on board in the role of Motorsport Manager was fantastic,” said David. “He brings with him a wealth of experience and when it comes to track design, there is no one more qualified in Australia. When you team Mark with Chris Atkinson who has helped design the Lakeside circuit, you know that things are spot on.”
As a co-driver, Stacey has enjoyed success both in Australia and overseas. Sitting alongside quality steerers including Possum Bourne, Ed Ordynski, Katsu Taguchi and Michael Guest, Mark has competed in and won the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), Group N, the Australian and New Zealand legs of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and the competitive Asia Pacific Rally Championships.
The four championship tracks look great, all featuring a mixture of tarmac and gravel surfaces that will put both drivers and cars to the test.
“There is one massive jump at each track that will sort the men from the boys,” said David. “As you know Rallycross isn’t just about the racing. From the minute the gates open on Friday to when the DJ drops the final track on Saturday night, it’s one massive party.”
“We have just locked away a couple of big name DJ’s for the first two rounds so keep an eye out as we’ll soon be releasing more details,” he added.
SIDCHROME EXTREME RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES CALENDAR
R1 – September 4 & 5 Lakeside Park, Brisbane
R2 – September 25 & 26 Calder Park, Melbourne
R3 – October 30 & 31 Eastern Creek, Sydney
R4 – November 13 & 14 Lakeside Raceway, Brisbane
R5 – December 11 & 12 Wayville Show Grounds, Adelaide
R6 – January 15 & 16 Calder Park, Melbourne
R7 – February 19 & 20 Eastern Creek, Sydney
CLICK HERE to download the Extreme Rallycross track maps.
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