New Plans for DirtFish RallyCross National Challenge Program

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Jan 20, 2018) -- It was announced during the SCCA® National Convention that changes are ahead in 2018 for DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge events.

Howard Duncan, SCCA’s Senior Director of Rally/Solo, said this year the National Challenge model will transform to a Region/Division operated program with National Office support.  For the past couple years, these Challenge events had been managed by the National Office with Region/Division support.

“This year, the RallyCross Board and National Office plan to select three established, successful RallyCross weekends to be National Challenge events, and possibly select one additional event to be added to the National Challenge schedule.  The goal will be to have between three and five events each year distributed across the country,” Duncan said. “The plan is to have the 2018 DirtFish SCCA RallyCross calendar cemented and announced within the next few weeks.”

The one additional event in 2018, according to Duncan, will go to a Region interested in developing and advancing their local RallyCross program to a National level.  The yet-to-be-decided Region will show an interest in learning how to plan and support just such an event.

National Challenge events will still mimic the RallyCross National Championship.  However, under the new guidelines, there will be room for organizers to insert local “flavor” to an event, with the objective being to allow for some experimentation of new concepts/procedures. The exact degree of variance will be coordinated with the National Office and RallyCross Board (RXB).

All RallyCross national classes will still run at National Challenges, but there is now also the potential to include a limited number of local classes to bolster attendance and interest.  Each National Challenge will still include two days of competition on at least two courses with between six and fifteen scheduled runs.

Each RallyCross National Challenge event will still have a National Steward selected by the RXB and/or SCCA national staff.  But the host Region/Division will now manage all event functions, including but not limited to: site procurement, registration, course design, tech, timing and scoring, safety, protests, trophies and social components. Organizers must submit Event Supplemental Regulations to the RXB and National Office for approval at least 60 days in advance of the event, and regular sanction and insurance fees still apply.  However, the host Region/Division will now be able to retain all event registration income.

In support of the DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge program, the National Office will still provide standard Event Supplemental Regulations to be used as a model for developing individual Challenge supplemental regulations.  Results will be posted by the National Office to SCCA.com, and some marketing support provided by the National Office.  National staff will also help process contingency claims.

Photo Credit: Greggar Helgeland