The California Rally Series (CRS) Rallycross Championship is gearing up to be a fun-filled and competitive year. The competition in 2018 was exciting, and there are plenty of drivers that are chomping at the bit to get back in their seats and hit the dirt in 2019. If you’re new to Rally Racing and don’t know where to start, Rallycross is probably the easiest way to get into this sport; you can compete in almost any car (see the CRS rulebook for details), and we have plenty of opportunity for you to get some seat time.  For 2019 we will have 11 Rally Crosses among venues in northern and southern California. We may even have some additional new venues in the works, proving that this sport is on the move and growing!! 

2019 CRS Rallycross Schedule

February 10th, Ridgecrest

March 10th, Prairie City

March 31st, Santa Rosa

April 21st, Glen Helen

May 5, Ridgecrest

May 26, Prairie City

June 2, Glen Helen

June 30, Santa Rosa

October (date TBD), Santa Rosa

November 10th, Glen Helen

November (date TBD), Prairie City

In southern California, we have two rallycross ocations, one in Ridgecrest at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds and one at the Glen Helen Motorsport Park near San Bernadino. The Ridgecrest Rallycross races are typically held the day after the CRS Rally School in February and the day after the High Desert Trails stage rally in May; this venue utilizes a large smooth open plot of hard-packed land that tends to be a fairly fast course. Glen Helen is the closest venue to Los Angeles and host to multiple Rallycrosses throughout the year; although each venue is limited in the number of CRS point’s races they can host, this venue regularly sees a dedicated group of competitor turnout. In northern California, we currently race at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds, which is in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, and the Prairie City SVRA Park located near Rancho Cordova about a half an hour outside the State’s Capitol. Santa Rosa is generally a tight and technical course held on 10 acres with some fun elevation changes and rapidly changing course conditions. Prairie City uses a few (of the many) dirt roads held in this off-roading paradise and the course design never disappoints.

 If you’ve ever wanted to give Rally a try- 2019 is your year! The 2019 CRS Rally School is now open for registration and offers three different options to suit your needs. If you are wanting to learn more about stage rally driving, co-driving or to sharpen your Rallycross driving make sure to register as soon as possible; space is limited for these classes and they fill up quickly. The CRS represents over 40 continuous years of performance rally, making it the longest running rally series in the United States. To learn more about the CRS Rally School visit www.california rallyseries.com and http://crsrallyschool.com or follow @crspress on twitter. For more information about Rallycross races, in northern California, please visit www.norcalrallycross.com; and in southern California check out www.calclubrallyx.com. 

Photos courtesy of John Krzesinski.