FIA championship launch date set

IMG, the promoter of the 2013 FIA Rallycross Championship has today revealed that championship will be launched on October 26 when the new brand and details of the presenting sponsor will be revealed.

Information distributed to event organisers, drivers and teams (below), has confirmed IMG’s position and added some details, including the news that the Super1600 and TouringCar champions will get a Supercar test as part of their prize in the 2013 championship. The two class champions will also benefit from half-priced entry to the 2014 Supercar championship.

IMG has released information about the 2013 FIA championship. © Henk de Winter/RallycrossWorld.com

Following the World Motorsport Council Meeting in Paris Last month IMG, the global sports, fashion and media company has been appointed promoter of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for a period of at least 10 years. IMG, as Championship Promoter, shall coordinate all commercial areas connected to the Championship while all sporting, technical and regulatory aspects shall remain with the FIA.

The Championship will be run at existing tracks in Europe in 2013 and combine the best aspects of traditional mixed-surface Rallycross action with an exciting new racing format that will offer drivers and spectators more races in an easily understood visual event that has a clear path of progression from heats to finals. 

All three current classes (Supercar, Super1600 and TouringCar) will be continue in new structure and each will retain its FIA Championship title. Supercar will become the featured class, with 25 cars taking part in each event and racing in a ’round robin’ series of heats that lead to semi-finals and the final. The 25 starters in each event will consist of 20 permanent drivers who will drive in every round of the Championship, the remaining five places taken by wildcard entries and national qualifiers. The TouringCar and Super1600 classes will not have mandatory permanent driver places but an incentive scheme shall be put in place to ensure competitors take part in the whole Championship where possible.

All three classes will race over both days of Championship events, the Super1600 and TouringCar finals being run between the Supercar finals and included in television coverage.

IMG will bring its event production expertise to Rallycross to deliver fast moving events that offer fans an exciting experience and unlock the potential of Rallycross to be a world class motor sport. Television coverage of the Championship will be increased and expanded by employing high production values and the experience of IMG Media, the world’s largest independent distributor of sports programming, to achieve global exposure.

Some Key Facts:

• The Championship will be called FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2013

• All 3 Rallycross categories are retained – with full FIA Championship titles for Supercar, TouringCar and Super1600 

• Racing for all three categories on both days of each event

• Super1600 and TouringCar finals run prior to Supercar finals and will also be featured in television programming

• New event format for 2013 – round robin (all drivers drive against each other), points-based system (lap timing will be used for tie-breaks) with semi-finals and final – winner of the final is the overall event winner

• Each event has a 25-car Supercar field comprising 20 permanent drivers, national qualifiers and wildcards to be selected by the event organiser and IMG/FIA

• Winners of the TouringCar and Super1600 Championships shall be give half-priced Supercar entry fees for the next calendar year and a free Supercar test session

• TV Production – world class production values to improve image of Rallycross

• TV Distribution – will be over three times more than in 2012 with a mix of national and international broadcasters

• Promotional video will be released to the public following the Championship launch event on October 26

• The Championship calendar is being reviewed by the FIA – it includes 10 events spread over the same period as the current season. The draft calendar should be available in the next few weeks

• New official Championship website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites will be launched in January 2013

• This will be the only FIA Rallycross Championship and has official sanction from the FIA, as well as support of the best drivers and teams in the world

IMG/FIA are planning an official Championship launch event on October 26 to unveil the new FIA European RallyCross Championship brand and presenting sponsor for 2013.