IMG brings Monster Energy as presenting sponsor. Wraps-off 2013 calendar
The 2013 FIA Rallycross Championship was launched today, new championship promoter IMG revealing both a ten-event championship calendar and announcing that Monster Energy will be the presenting sponsor of the championship. Staged at Santa Pod, where Monster Energy were promoting the last part of the Gymkhana Grid tour with Ken Block, the launch heard confirmation that the championship will be restructured in 2013, the focus being on the Supercar class which will have a new race format. Super1600 and TouringCar remain a key part of the package and each will have its own FIA Championship title with races run on both days of the events and the finals included in the TV coverage of the championship.
The launch event featured the new VW Polo Supercar that 2012 TouringCar champion Anton Marklund will race in 2013. Shown in public for the first time, the Polo was presented in black with championship branding and the new ‘RX’ logo. Monster Energy driver Liam Doran was also present at the launch event during which Martin Anayi, managing director of Rallycross at IMG, presented plans for the 2013 season and the development of the series into a World championship. The public face of the championship will be presented at the new official website RallycrossRX.com and its associated social media outlets.
“It’s fantastic to have a brand like Monster Energy as our partner from the start of a new series. Their youth following, on-site fan interaction and extensive social media capabilities offer a great platform for Rallycross to grow. Rallycross has the components to be the perfect 21st century motorsport; it’s short, sharp, full of action and has some great personalities. We need to keep those core elements that make Rallycross so special but repackage it and present it to an audience that has not yet discovered how great it is,” said Anayi.
The only real surprise in the calendar for the championship is the return to International Rallycross of Mondello Park. A popular stop on the European championship tour between 1987 and 1995, regaining a championship event has been a stated aim of the Irish venue for the last few years. The racetrack boats impressive facilities and introduced a Joker Lap to its Rallycross track at the end of 2011. Also returning to the championship after a lengthy break, Lohéac, the mecca of Rallycross in France and arguably the biggest Rallycross event in the world, last appeared in the series in 2001.
2013 FIA Rallycross Championship
- Great Britain, Lydden Hill, March 30-April 1
- Portugal, Montalegre, April 26-28
- Hungary, Nyirad, May 24-26
- Norway, Hell, June 14-16
- Finland, Kouvola, June 21-23
- Sweden, Höljes, July 5-7
- Ireland, Mondello Park, August 16-18
- France, Lohéac, September 6-8
- Austria, Greinbach, September 13-15
- Germany, Buxtehude, September 27-29
