MOTORSPORT: Grand plans for Aussie rallycross

Plans are advanced for a new rallycross championship in eastern Australia, starting next July.

It would be aimed at attracting fans in the 16-30 age bracket, at venues in or close to major cities, and its rules would mirror those of the World Rallycross Championship (World RX) that began this year and concludes in Argentina this weekend.

However, the man behind the Australian plans, Gold Coast-based marketer David Ridden, says it would begin with Super Lites cars as its top class. Ridden says these naturally-aspirated 300-horsepower, small four-wheel-drive cars could be sourced from Olsbergs MSE – the world's major builder of RX cars – for about $230,000, rather than the $600,000-$700,000 for turbocharged 600-horsepower RX Supercars like the Citroen DS3 in which Norwegian Petter Solberg has already won the first World RX.

Ridden claims the new era of rallycross in Australia will change, even revolutionise, the country's motorsport landscape. "The timing is right," he says, adding that it will give Australian drivers a cost-effective pathway into international competition – and make it easy for internationals to compete here.

He envisages RX Supercars in Australian competition by the third season, perhaps opening the way for manufacturer participation as the RX Supercars don't use a generic chassis like Super Lites.

Ridden claims that two V8 Supercar teams are committed already to competing in the series and that he is talking to four others.

He said that any of these touring car teams competing in RX with two cars would not necessarily put V8 Supercar drivers in both.

While these touring car teams may be keen to get involved in RX, Ridden may quickly find himself at loggerheads with V8 Supercar organisers who have gone to great lengths to stop V8 Supercar drivers competing in GT cars at next February's Bathurst 12-Hour.

Rallycross is a combination of rallying and supercross on short circuits that include jumps of up to 30 metres and combine tarmac and gravel surfaces.

It began in Britain in the 1960s and was popular in Australia in the 1970s, with events televised on the ABC and stars including Peter Brock and Allan Moffat taking part.

However, it was Larry Perkins – another touring car legend, and one-time Formula One driver – who won the only Australian Rallycross Championship – in 1979, in a VW Beetle, at South Australia's Tailem Bend.

Perkins said last night he was not aware of Ridden's plans (or those of a Victorian group to revive rallycross near Melbourne) but that rallycross – which had largely faded but has blossomed again now in Europe and North America – was an excellent form of grassroots motorsport.

"I was attracted to rallycross because you could do, could compete as an individual or enthusiast and win," Perkins said.

"You didn't have to be part of a big factory team. You could engineer yourself ... it was grassroots motorsport, and there's always room for grassroots motorsport."

The most logical candidates for the Australian series are the country's top rally driver, Chris Atkinson, who has been on restricted World Rally Championship programs since Subaru's world rally team folded in the global financial crisis, and spectacular South Australian driver Jack Monkhouse, who has already tested an RX car in America.

Ridden says he has been working closely with World RX promoter IMG Motorsport and CAMS, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport – with which he said he would meet again tomorrow.

He claims to have a naming rights sponsor for the first series but that – unlike World RX and America's Global RX Championship – it was not an energy drink brand. World RX is sponsored by Monster and Global RX by Red Bull.

The launch of the Australian series is planned for next April, with two support classes to the Super Lites – one for all-wheel-drive turbo cars, the other for two-wheel-drive non-turbo cars.

Ridden says there is no TV deal yet for the series, but that he wants one – although there would be a heavy focus on new social media.

He admits no state governments have committed funding for rounds of the series but says he has strong indications of other assistance with venues and infrastructure.

Championship rounds have been scheduled at the Gold Coast on July 24-25, Melbourne on September 25-26, Sydney on October 30-31 at what Ridden says will be "a fantastic venue", Brisbane on November 13-14, Adelaide on December 11-12, another at a location to be confirmed on January 15-16, 2016, with a final in Melbourne on February 19-20, 2016 – which Ridden claims could be the opener to the third World RX.

He says that IMG Motorsport chief Martin Anayi has been "incredibly kind and open to us".

However, Anayi's colleague and World RX media manager Rachel Cavers was quite guarded in response to our query about the potential for an Australian round of that series.

"Next year we are concentrating on building our existing markets with the addition of a new round in Barcelona. We are wanting to grow our championship gradually, but Australia is certainly an option for the future. Sorry I can't be more precise, but we don't have any concrete plans for venues in 2016 and beyond yet."

However, Ridden told us: "Global Rallycross Australia Pty Ltd and IMG Motorsport/FIA World Rallycross Championship are working closely together to make sure that the Australian and world championships are aligned in every aspect.

"Myself and Martin Anayi have put together this partnership and are both excited about what the sport of rallycross will bring to the Australian motorsport landscape in the near future.

"Our operational staff will start hands-on training with the team at IMG in the new year. We are very focused on bringing a first-class championship to Australia next year and with the arrival of our first Super Lite car from Olsbergs MSE in January we are looking forward to a very exciting 2015.

"Our national rallycross road show kicks off February 14-15 on the Gold Coast and is designed to create excitement around our championship, engage the media, give drivers the opportunity to drive a Super Lite and attract competitors to the championship.

"We will launch the 2015 Australian championship on April 10 in Sydney. At the launch we will confirm all seven championship venues, TV broadcaster, championship sponsors and Super Lite teams and drivers. We will have a world championship driver as our ambassador at the launch."

Olsbergs MSE is a partnership between Swedish industrial company Olsbergs and rallycross specialists Motor Sport Evolution, with bases in Sweden and California.

Olsbergs MSE is aligned to Ford, having developed its Fiesta for RX, but Ridden says other initial bodywork options would be the VW Beetle (pictured), MINI and even Hyundai's i20.