Lydden Hill is ready and raring to go for the Bank Holiday weekend that sees the FIA World Rallycross Championship come to town for the UK Round.
There will be added interest for fans of the sport and Kent as home favourite Liam Doran will be taking to the track hoping to improve on his debut weekend in Portugal.
It is also the first time that Canterbury’s Lydden Hill has ever hosted a major World Championship event and they will be keen to impress the drivers, teams and fans watching over the bank holiday.
The milestone event has attracted a record entry in the headline SuperCar class for enormously fast 600bhp turbocharged versions of familiar street machines. No fewer than 38 drivers from right around the globe will all be gunning for the honour of winning the inaugural AUTOSPORT World RX of Great Britain.
Former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg leads the World RX standings after triumphing in the opening round earlier this month in Portugal, and tops a star-studded line-up which includes factory-supported teams representing Ford, Peugeot and VW.
Other likely front-runners include Solberg’s fellow Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud, reigning GRC champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen from Finland and American ace Tanner Foust – he’s not only a multiple winner at Lydden Hill but also a co-presenter on the US version of the Top Gear television series.
Hopes of a famous home win rest with multiple X Games Gold Medalist Liam Doran, Julian Godfrey current leader of the British Rallycross Championship, Scotland’s Andy Scott and reigning British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan who is one of a number of high-profile ‘wild-card’ entries.
A full supporting programme of TouringCars, Super1600s and RX Lites all add to the high-octane excitement, while dramatic demo runs by legendary Group B rallycross cars and tyre burning Drifters provide even more eye-catching on-track entertainment. Autograph sessions, an open paddock plus a special Fan’s Zone are among a long list of other attractions.
Speaking ahead of the weekend, circuit owner Pat Doran, said: “To be hosting a World Championship event is probably the biggest and most significant moment in Lydden’s history. Rallycross was born here at Lydden back in the sixties, and the fact that the sport is now returning to its birthplace as a fully-blown global World Championship makes this weekend even more special.
“To celebrate what’s going to be an absolutely brilliant occasion, we have made some major upgrades to the facilities. We’ve built a new Race Control centre on the start/finish line and more entrance points to provide better public access.
“Along with the amazing SuperCar entry, advance ticket sales are also at record levels, so we are expecting a bumper crowd to watch what’s going to be a truly momentous race meeting.”
To cater for the huge numbers expected, gates open at 05:30 on both Saturday and Sunday. The on-track action commences with practice at 09.00 on Saturday with competitive Heats running from 11:15 to 18:00. Sunday’s busy schedule starts with a morning Warm-Up at 10:30. A further round of Heats follows at 11:30 with the weekend’s top performers then qualifying for the Semi Finals and Finals.
Tickets are priced from just £25 on the gate but discounts of up to 20 per cent are still available for those booking before the midnight deadline on Tuesday 20 May. These can be purchased via either the official www.lyddenhill.co.uk website or the Ticket Hotline on 0844 858 8518 (calls cost 6p per minute plus network extras).
Tickets purchased in advance must now be collected on arrival at the venue. Accompanied children aged 12 and under are admitted free.