INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Dec. 6, 2018) – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will join the Americas Rallycross (ARX) Championship calendar for the 2019 season. The Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio will mark the first-ever Midwestern events for ARX as well as Mid-Ohio’s first rallycross events, June 8-9 and October 5-6 next year.
The ARX Championship comes to the Midwest for the first time, June 8-9, then returns for a second weekend, October 5-6. The ARX and ARX2 events will be held on a temporary 0.7-mile, 10-turn asphalt and dirt configuration with a jump constructed near the “Keyhole” section of Mid-Ohio.
The multi-year agreement between Green Savoree Racing Promotions (GSRP), the owner and operator of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and ARX will enhance the positioning of rallycross in the Midwest and in the home state of ARX Founding Partner, Cooper Tires.
“There is no better way to introduce the sport of rallycross in America’s Heartland,” said Paul Bellamy, managing director of rallycross at IMG. “Partnering with Green Savoree Racing Promotions, an experienced motorsports management company, and our founding partner, Cooper Tires, at the historic Mid-Ohio facility creates a unique opportunity to connect with current motorsport fans in the area and create new rallycross and action sports minded fans throughout the Midwest.”
“Our team is excited to work with IMG to showcase world-class rallycross racing to our fans during the Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio. It’s going to be a thrilling, action packed weekend with spectacular cars and great drivers,” said Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course President, Craig Rust. “This event will be the 2019 finale and cap off one of our most exciting and expansive spectator schedules Mid-Ohio has ever had.”
Cooper Tires, the official tire of the ARX and ARX2 Championships, is based in nearby Findlay, Ohio and has been a partner with the Lexington, Ohio circuit since 2016.
The 2019 ARX and ARX2 competition is highly anticipated as reigning champion Scott Speed now joins Patrik Sandell and Chris Atkinson at Subaru Rally Team USA, marking a new beginning for the four-time rallycross champion and former Formula One and NASCAR driver. After Conner Martell’s ARX2 championship run with DirtFish Motorsports, ARX2 teams Dreyer and Reinbold Racing and Buhl Sport Detroit will look to challenge the Snoqualmie, Washington-based outfit.
“I think adding more rallycross tracks here in America really shows the growth of this sport,” noted 2018 ARX Champion Scott Speed when asked about the inaugural event. “I’m excited to come to a new venue. Mid-Ohio is a track that everyone knows here in America. I have no doubt it will be a great event!”
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course hosts IMSA, INDYCAR, NASCAR, motorcycle and other sports car racing events throughout the spring and summer. Americas Rallycross is the newest addition to the circuit’s prestigious history of motorsports events. The complete 2019 ARX schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
About Americas Rallycross
ARX is a North American-based rallycross championship fielding action sports stars, world-class manufacturers and competing in premier locations around the continent. ARX is the next evolution of the high speed, action-packed world of rallycross. Rallycross is the fastest growing form of racing in the world. Short races and viewer friendly asphalt and dirt circuits with 600 brake horsepower production-based racecars make for exciting racing and is suited to the way we enjoy sports today. IMG, the global sports and entertainment agency is the promoter and commercial rights holder of the series.
About Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
A comprehensive motorsports facility in Lexington, Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course sits on 330 acres and features a permanent road-racing circuit with two primary track configurations: 2.4-mile, 15-turn or 2.258-mile, 13-turn layout. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the natural terrain road course is commonly referred to as the “Most Competitive in the U.S.” and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned race events for amateur, club and professional drivers and riders. It is also home to The Mid-Ohio School, featuring over 20 driving and riding courses, for teenagers to professional racers using Honda vehicles. Opened in 1962, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is owned and operated by Green Savoree Racing Promotions since 2011, just the raceway’s third private ownership group in its history.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in sports training and league development, as well as marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. IMG is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network.
