World Rallycross Comes To Canada

This weekend, August 7 to 9. FIA World Rally X will be a the feature event of this years Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières is about to get a severe smoke warning…

This weekend will be the Grand Prix De Trois-Rivières (GP3R), one of the country’s largest motorsports events. The feature event, as last year, will be the FIA World Rallycross streetrace. It features all the best rallycross drivers in the world, as well as some Canadian heavy hitters guest-driving. You’ll see Patrick Carpantier (of Indy and Nascar fame) and LP Dumoulin (representing Nascar Canada), also the World RX Lite series will feature the great Alex Tagliani (representing pixel-perfect facial hair).

If you’re not familiar with rallycross, it’s pretty much the coolest thing. With pro drivers whipping around high powered cars across tarmac, dirt, jumps, hairpins, and jumps. Jumps needs to be said twice because cars going over jumps is always amazing. Think of it as a 5-lap rally stage, except there’s five cars on the stage at once. It makes for intense battles, crashes and brilliant demonstrations of skill. With Canada being known across the world as a land of unpredictable terrain, rallycross should be at home here, quick transitions from pavement to dirt are something anyone who’s ripped it up to the cottage on a friday night should be used to.

Here’s the video roundup of last year’s event to give you an idea of what kind of action to expect. Last year’s winner, former WRC World Champion Petter Solberg will be returning to defend his title.

Along with FIA World Rallycross, attendants of the GP3R will be treated to events from SXSX (Side-by-side cross… think tandem drifting), Formula Drift Canada, and FestiDrag Castrol (for those who are less interested in turning.) It should be a wheel and tire smoked experience like no other in the country, and a great way to end the summer. If popularity of these motorsports ramps up in Canada, maybe the FIA will bring the World Rally Championship here. We’ve got forests and farm roads and would put any winter stage to the test, I’m looking at you Finnish and Swedish rally! We’ve got drivers here that know all about your icy flicks and snow flipping drifts.

The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières Festival will be going on all this week. And we hear tickets for the WRX event are still available. See you there!