World RX – Pat Doran: “Lydden Hill will always be the home of rallycross”

Lydden Hill can be considered the temple of rallycross and has long hosted the European Rallycross Championship, the highest level before the arrival of World RX in 2014.

A pillar round of the new World Championship, the Kent event will however abandon its world meeting in 2018, for the benefit of Silverstone, in line with the arrival of international circuits like Hockenheim and Barcelona.

Pat Doran, owner of the complex, expressed his opinion on this decision by the developer IMG not to renew the Lydden Hill contract and offers a possible explanation.

“The previous circuit directors, Amy Doran, Willie Woods and the new circuit director, Pauline Gevaux, have done a fantastic job in getting rallycross to where it is today in this country, comments Doran on the Lydden Hill website.

However, I don't think we can ignore part of the initial discussions with IMG, which included a development plan. In 2015, the circuit asked Dover District Council to build a new entrance, grandstands and visitor center which went hand in hand with the growing demands for the event and customer expectations.

However, this request dragged on and although I never based the continuation of the contract with World RX on the new development, I am sure that our failure to deliver the new facilities on time, may have slightly influenced the decision of the promoters to move the World RX round.

That said, we recognize that the event has grown more quickly year over year than we anticipated about two years ago. So, in essence, we could be considered a victim of our own success. »

Lydden Hill also hosts two rounds of the British rallycross championship and Pat Doran does not seem worried about the future of the complex.

“I have no doubt that the circuit will thrive and we look forward to offering fabulous new facilities and an exciting calendar of events to our customers in the near future and who knows, we may yet find World RX at Lydden Hill one day . Because it will always be the home of rallycross. »