SA to get FIA World Rallycross round at Killarney

South Africa will play host to the final round of the FIA World Rallycross Championships next year.

Cape Town’s Killarney racing circuit will serve as the venue for the event, the FIA World Rallycross website reported.

“The construction of a brand new rallycross track will commence in the next six weeks and will be a permanent circuit,” read an excerpt of the post.

“Killarney is delighted to be hosting this first of its kind event in Africa.  Our thousands of loyal fans and spectators, Cape Town and its New Seven Wonders of Nature Table Mountain deserve no less,” Des Easom, Executive Manager of Killarney International Raceway, told the website.

A new rallycross track will be built at Killarney to accommodate the event

“This is a thrilling, highly competitive form of racing with international appeal and media coverage. We look forward to working with IMG and pooling our expertise and experience on the series of events.  This is a great addition to our whole-year racing calendar and spectators can look forward to an international and world-class event.”

Ian Neilson, the City of Cape Town’s executive deputy mayor, said that motorsport was a “significant generator” of economic activity. He added that the event would contribute “positively” to tourism and marketing Cape Town.

“We have been looking at South Africa as a potential new venue in World RX for some time and we are delighted to be able to announce the new deal from 2017 onwards. We are the only FIA World Championship to host an event in sub-Saharan Africa and the Killarney circuit is a fantastic facility where we can create a truly sensational season-closer,” said Paul Bellamy, World RX Managing Director for IMG.

“Next year will mark the first time that a rallycross event has taken place on the African continent and we are extremely excited to bring the sport to a new continent. I’d like to thank the Killarney organisers and the city of Cape Town for all their support in helping to get this project off the ground.”

Featured image: Jason Bagley via Flickr