Mondello Park International Racing Circuit 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship Event Cancelled!

Mondello Park wishes to announce, that despite the best efforts of the circuit owners, the Kildare track will not now host a round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship, even though it was listed on the original calendar. On Wednesday last, January 30th, in consultation with the Championship promoters, IMG, it was decided to sit out 2013, with a view to running an event in the 2014 Championship. The FIA was advised of the decision on Thursday, as were the other event organisers at a meeting in Modena in Italy, prior to the 2012 Championship Prize Giving and the 2013 Safety Seminar.

Speaking about the cancellation, Mondello Park Managing Director John Morris, who was present in Modena said: “We’re obviously disappointed but it was undoubtedly the correct decision. After the FIA calendar had been published, the organisers of the Rallycross Challenge, which appears to be a rival series, scheduled a date in Holland on the same weekend as the Mondello Park date and the FIA seemed powerless to intervene. We highlighted our concerns about this to IMG in writing on several occasions and we discussed the issue at a meeting in London on January 11th. Mondello Park is an Internationally Licensed Race Circuit and we are solidly booked with events and shows from the middle of July until the middle of October, so we simply had nowhere to move our ERC event. The clashing event could have taken competitors from our event and consequently neither Mondello Park, nor IMG was prepared to take the risk”.

“Although there will be no FIA Rallycross in Mondello Park this year the door remains open for 2014,” Mr Morris continued, “IMG has indicated its genuine wish to have Ireland on the calendar, due to the level of facilities and infrastructure Mondello Park brings to an event and the Championship. We’ve had a preliminary discussion about 2014, where undoubtedly the most cost effective option for competitors would be to twin our event with the British round, which simply wasn’t possible this year. Ireland has a great Rallycross tradition and fans are naturally very upset, but hopefully the FIA will take control of the situation, work closer with the promoters and be seen to more actively support its own Championship”.

Photo: In 1992 Mondello saw its last ERC round with Group B cars, here Gollop and Gibson, and in 1996 the last ERC visit. © EL/ERC24