The Red Bull Global Rallycross series looks set to end after months of turmoil including numerous lawsuits and unpaid bills.
A comprehensive report from Jalopnik reveals that GRC was preparing to shake-up its vehicle classes for the 2018 season. Most significantly, the top-level Supercars class was to be dropped in favor of a Gold class, restricted to vehicles competing in the previous Lites class. As a result, numerous teams were left without a segment to race their Supercars vehicles in.
At roughly the same time, the organizers of the FIA World Rallycross Championship revealed that they will launch an American Rallycross (ARX) series. A selection of teams soon announced their participation in this series, including Andretti Autosport, Subaru Rally Team USA and Ken Block’s Hoonigan team.
Financial issues are rife
Global Rallycross chief executive Dolin Dyne claims that the championship was blindsided by Subaru’s decision not to participate in the 2018 season after reportedly asserting that it would compete.
“The Subaru departure was not something that we anticipated. In fact, Subaru even committed to the 2018 season and, for some reason, they decided not to participate,” Dyne said.
Legal documents reveal that Subaru’s departure is the least of GRC’s worries. Numerous rental companies, employees, event organizers have sued the series for breaches of contract and unpaid bills or wages. What’s more, the United States of America has filed suit against Global Rallycross, seeking $441,379 in principal and interest.
For the moment, Global Rallycross has yet to release an official statement regarding the issue.