ERC at Lydden Hill

[wilma]

after enjoying my first Rallycross experience at Lydden Hill at the weekend, i'm planning my second trip for the bank hoiliday weekend. I notice the Lydden Hill website has been updated and is much more informative and easier to negotiate, seems it'll cost me £35 in total for a 2 day ticket plus camping.

just wondered if anyone could tell me about how the ERC would compare to the BRC in terms of number of races, different classes, etc. How will the races be divided over the 2 days? and most importantly, how is the camping experience there?

[chunder]

ERC is rather different. 3 classes. Supercar, basically a Super1600 class and a sort of hoth potch supernational category where the cars have to be rwd and 2 litre.

Some of the classes look a bit lost round Lydden, but most are good and promote close racing, but be warned if the weather is nice it will be busy and they dont start racing til late on the Sunday because of noise restrictions.

But I have booked up, booked tickets and making a weekend of it this time.

[Sarge]

Based on recent years at Lydden, and most ERC events generally, there will be very good entries in Supercar and Super1600 with between 30 and 40 cars for each

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by Wilma

just wondered if anyone could tell me about how the ERC would compare to the BRC in terms of number of races, different classes, etc.

The ERC has just three classes: Supercars (2.0L, 4wd), Touring Cars (2.0L, rwd) and S1600 (1.6L, fwd).

Because of the tighter regulations you tend to find that there is a less eclectic mixture of cars in the ERC when compared to the BRC but, as the budgets are higher, the cars fielded tend to be more modern and better prepared (don't take that as a dig against any of the British contenders, just that the majority of ERC contenders have deeper pockets )

The RX150s and Swifts have put on little demo races in the past, but thats about it in terms of other classes. I would say overall you might get slightly less races in total, but the grids are likely to be full for all of those and the entry list is normally of a large enough size to warrant multiple finals.

Originally Posted by Wilma

How will the races be divided over the 2 days?

If I recall correctly the racing on the Sunday consists of practices in the late morning and early afternoon, with the first set of heats being run towards the end of the afternoon.

On the Monday you will then get the second and third round of heats and the all important finals.

Originally Posted by Wilma

and most importantly, how is the camping experience there?

Pass on that one. Never camped as I'm only an hour or so away in the car!

[ClintonRX]

Hi Wilma. There is a very useful internet site called Rallycross.com. They cover a lot of the Rallycross in Europe as well as what is going on over the pond. They have news articles to read and plenty of Stats, ie results and championship standings going back over many years. They also have a Preview page of up coming events, where they give the web site of the circuit/club organising the event, as well as an entry list and time schedule for what will happen on the racing days. In a nutshell the ERC events tend to have practice and one set of heats on the first day, then the second & third set of heats + finals on the second day. I appreciate there is an expense involved, but last year my son (19y) and I ventured onto the continent to see some of the other ERC rounds. Prior to doing this I managed to have a telephone conversation with Amy Doran (MD [?] at Lydden) and she very kindly gave me the lo-down on some of the European Circuits. Based on her advice I scrapped together the funds to go to Holjes in Sweden at the beginning of July'11. We only went on the Sunday and it was most certainly the experience of a lifetime. The location, the atmosphere, the racing, the weather (Saturday was very wet, but on the Sunday it was glorious), the commentators, the spectators, etc, etc. One of those days I will never forget. I hope you get as much fun from following Rallycross as it has given me over the years.

[Hickey]

we have camped there for the last two years and the experience was decent both times. First year was a bit better as Rockstar had put a bit of money into the night time entertainment with a beer tent with music and a few Xboxes with Dirt 2 to play on (as it was Tanner's first time over). Last year it was pretty much dead after 9pm. But in terms of facilities, space to pitch a tent and park, it was decent.

As CitroenRX suggests, go have a look at rallycross.com and the previews section for the 2011 round http://www.rallycross.com/preview/11...01entries.html for a taste of what's on offer in terms of the entries. With it being a BRC SuperCar round this year, expect to see more British entries.

If you want to see more rallycross cars than you can shake a stick at, then get to France this year http://www.rallycross.com/preview/11...03entries.html - we'll be there.

[bobster55]

Anyone know if camping is available on the sat night as its a bit far for us to go on sun morning

[BertMk2]

I'd guess so (probably best to confirm with the circuit though). Don't forget that there won't be anything on track Sunday morning due to the noise restrictions so you don't need to be there at the crack of dawn.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by Hickey

If you want to see more rallycross cars than you can shake a stick at, then get to France this year http://www.rallycross.com/preview/11...03entries.html - we'll be there.

Off topic: how easy is Essay to get to?

[Hickey1]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Off topic: how easy is Essay to get to?

Essay is about 3 1/2 hours from Calais and is a fairly straight forward run down to Rouen and out the other side heading due south west towards Alencon.

This year's ERC event is at Dreux, which will follow the same route to Rouen and then head south through Evreux. Should be a little bit shorter.

[paul1982]

Biggelt field you have to go to France best track And atmosphere defenitly sweden. I did Many erc rounds. 20x Holland, 15x belgium, 8x germany, 7x France, 5x Czech rep., 3x England, 3x sweden. This year Will be England , France, norway, sweden, belgium, Holland And germany.

So if i can help some one with questions let me know

[Stephen H]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Off topic: how easy is Essay to get to?

From Croydon, you might want to consider Portsmouth to Le Harve or Newhaven to Dieppe, when heading for Essay. Longer ferry journeys and they are less frequent, but cuts out some of the driving in France.

Essay for the opening round of the French, is two weeks before the ERC at Dreux

There is a motorway, which is toll in places, but as you are heading towards Le Mans, thats signed posted on most of their versions of A and B roads. Head for SEES, then ESSAY

[tbtstt]

Many thanks for the info Hickey1 and Stephen H, really want to get to a European event (or two), just gathering info at the moment.

[chasing cars]

Just to make it clear Essay on the weekend of 14,15th April is the first round of the French championship, 5 well supported classes including supercars, super 1600 plus 2 of their own classes and the Logan cup, excellent circuit and atmosphere. The French ERC round is 2 weeks later at Dreux, the first time the ERC has visited the circuit but should get a good entry as France has a strong supercar catagory and an even stronger super 1600 class.

Back to Lydden in the past camping has not been permitted on the Monday night after the event which I know has caught out a few european visitors who were not getting a ferry until Tuesday.

[ClintonRX]

Steve. Been trying to respond to your PM this afternoon. Not sure i have had any success? Please let me know, thanks.