The new rallycross circuit at Silverstone was unveiled at a media launch today as it was announced that tickets for the inaugural SpeedMachine Festival have also gone on general sale.
The SpeedMachine Festival will form the British round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy from 2018 onwards and will be based around the concept of a festival atmosphere, with track action supported by a range of head-line music acts, finest street food, manufacturer test drives, e-gaming and camping. Ultimately, the SpeedMachine Festival will deliver pure indulgence for fans of speed and cars.
The circuit (above) makes use of Silverstone’s Stowe facility, as promoter IMG did not want to interfere with the FIA safety standards of the traditional Silverstone circuit. As a result, and in Rallycross configuration, Stowe will now be taken clockwise and utilize turn one in the opposite direction to its traditional layout. The circuit then cuts infield and takes to the, largely, gravel surface that covers the jump along the back straight, the joker lap, and the majority of the technical turns.
The circuit launch also gave a taste of what to expect from the festival itself with Supercars, passenger laps on the new Silverstone rallycross circuit, a car parade through the international pit boxes, Codemaster’s DiRT 4 simulators, street food and music entertainment from DJ BBQ.
“It’s always been our desire at IMG to create a large scale festival weekend with World Championship motorsport at the heart of it and we are delighted that Silverstone is able to share our vision for the future,” explained Paul Bellamy, World RX managing director for IMG. “The move comes at a pivotal time in rallycross history with the sport celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and continue its rapid growth.”
A full case-study of the new Silverstone Rallycross circuit will be in the Professional MotorSport Circuit section, of the forthcoming issue of Professional MotorSport World magazine.
