Side-by-side dirt racing action, big jumps and some of the best off-road drivers in the world will come to America in 2011 for an exciting new national championship series: RallyCar Rallycross.

Organizers are planning a 2011 Rallycross national championship series that includes six events at racetracks across the country. The sport will debut in America on Saturday at X Games, under the name SuperRally, with three initial events held later this year at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Top drivers including Subaru Rally Team USA competitors Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, as well as drift and rally stars Tanner Foust, Samuel Hubinette and Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard are set to compete in Rallycross.

The action-sport of auto racing, Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. Debuting at X Games under the name SuperRally, the sport promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. Five drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.

"It's an incredibly challenging and aggressive sport," said driver Foust, who has been competing in European championship events this season. "The action is non-stop and the fans can't get enough of it."

Fans get close to the action with trackside viewing of aggressive door-to-door action and the sliding and jumping that makes rally car events unique among motorsport.

It is expected there will be two classes of cars in this initial year of Rallycross competition. All-wheel-drive cars with over 600 horsepower. The second category of Rallycross cars will be two-wheel-drive, boasting 450+ horsepower, highly modified engines and rally-style suspension. Both categories include vehicles currently being used in the Rally America National Rally Championship.

Promotion for the Rallycross series will be undertaken by the youth motorsports specialists at Gale + Co. "Rallycross offers an excellent platform to showcase the power and durability of mid-size and compact vehicles in America," said Gale and Company President Brian Gale. "It's a sport that appeals to an audience hungry to see production based cars driven at the edge."

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Photo: Jen Horsey - click it to read about SuperRally on the worldwide leader's site...