On Saturday (May 15), the Interfor Mill yard will be transformed into a makeshift racecourse for Squamish's first-ever Rallycross event. Twenty rallycar racers will be competing against each other in the timed event, which features souped-up cars and talented drivers from Squamish and the Lower Mainland.
"The Rallycross will give people a taste of what rally racing is like on TV," said Rallycross organizer Warwick Patterson. "It's a good place to get a feel for it and it's going to be an interesting day."
Local driver Pat Richard, who is the current U.S. ProRally and Canadian National Series leader, will also be in the field.
A rallycross is an event generally held on an unpaved, flat surface, wherein the course generally consists of straight sections and connecting turns and corners. Accent in course design is also placed on the general avoidance of obstacles such as trees, exposures and deep ditches. The course at the Interfor site will feature a mixture of sand and gravel and plenty of tight turns, and will put an emphasis on car-handling skills rather than speed and performance.
"It'll be a challenge to keep the momentum going throughout the course," said Patterson. "There's a lot of tight spots and the best drivers are going to know how to control their car."
Sanctioned by the Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) and Rally Pacific Motorsports (RPM), this is the second race of the 2004 Rallycross circuit.
The rallycross event is open to anyone wanting to come and check out what the sport is all about. All you need is a helmet and a car that will pass eligibility requirements.
Cars will be divided into the following classes:
Open- AWD with unlimited tire choice (including gravel, rally, mud or snow)
Group 2 - 2WD with unlimited tire choice
Production GT - AWD with road tires (no aggressive tires, eg. gravel, rally, mud or snow)
Production- 2WD with road tires
Each driver will race one lap at a time on the 1 km. course, pushing their cars and their abilities to achieve the fastest results. Their time will then be recorded and the fastest combined total of six laps will determine the winner in each category.
"It's one of the few introductory events that you do in a regular car," said Patterson.
"You'll get to see some nice cars driven by good riders sliding around on gravel - it'll be a blast."
