There will be a massive grid for the first ever FIA World Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill towards the end of May.
It has been confirmed that there will be no fewer than 37 cars taking to the Canterbury circuit, the biggest line-up seen at Lydden Hill.
For the first time ever the action-packed two-day meeting sees those contesting both the FIA World and European Rallycross Championships competing together for the honour of outright victory. The opening round of the 2014 World RX was staged in front of a sell-out crowd in Portugal earlier this month and the 2014 Euro RX blasts off at Lydden.
The massive number of Supercars on the provisional entry list is topped by Petter Solberg, the 2003 World Rally Champion who switched to the fast emerging sport of rallycross at the start of last year. The Norwegian superstar races a PSRX Citroen DS3 Supercar and leads the World RX standings after his sensational victory in Portugal but he faces stiff opposition from a large number of potential winners.
Olsbergs MSE Ford drivers Andreas Bakkerud and Reinis Nitiss will be looking to build on their podium finishes in Portugal while local hero Liam Doran has ground to make up after the Monster Energy World RX Team driver failed to score in the season-opener.
Two notable ‘wild cards’ are also adding spice to the racing at Lydden: Andrew Jordan and Tanner Foust. As the reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion, Jordan is returning to the sport in which he first cut his teeth as a promising young teenager. Foust is better known in America where he presents the US version of the Top Gear TV programme – he’s also a proven winner at Lydden having won the previous two Euro RX rounds at the venue.
The thrilling bill over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend also includes knock-out heats and finals for Super1600, TouringCar and RX Lites as well as special races for legendary Group B rallycross cars from the eighties and nineties.
Circuit owner Pat Doran is excited to see the series get underway and he will be taking to the track himself.
He said: “It’s an incredible entry – by far the best we’ve ever had at Lydden. The advent of a new world championship for rallycross was a huge step forwards but to have nearly 40 of these sensational Supercars all battling out for the top prize here has exceeded even our wildest expectations. It’s going to be an amazing event and one that no-one will want to miss.”
Indeed, Doran’s comments are supported by record advanced ticket sales for the AUTOSPORT World RX of Great Britain. Tickets are available 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). Discounts of up to 20 per cent are on offer for those booking in advance. Accompanied children aged 12 and under are admitted free.