LONDON — The organizer of the World Rallycross Championship (World RX) is launching a second series, Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX), which will replace the troubled Global Rallycross series.
London-based IMG Ltd. plans to feature the Rallycross Supercar category — which Global Rallycross had indicated it was phasing out — along with an ARX2 series for Supercar Lites.
Global Rallycross competitors Volkswagen and Subaru have committed the new series.
The news comes after it was announced that the Global Rallycross Championship will curtail its Supercar class in favor of the Lites category.
The series will feature four events in 2018, starting May 25-27 at Silverstone, England, and including rounds in Canada — Aug. 4-5 at Trois-Rivières, Quebec — and the U.S. — Sept. 29-30 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. A second U.S. race is being organized.
It is expected that Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. — the World RX tire supplier — will be designated the new series' tire supplier as well, although the deal has yet to be confirmed officially.
Continental Tire the Americas, which earlier had disclosed a contract to supply Global Rallycross, acknowledged the demise of the GRC series and said it was "continuing to explore various opportunities within motorsports for 2018 and beyond."