Americas Rallycross returns this weekend to where its season began at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to crown 2019 champions. The Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio Round 2, October 5-6, is the sixth and final round for some of the world’s elite rallycross racers and also wraps up the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course season schedule.
Five total races will be featured across three different racing categories running on the asphalt, dirt and through the air of a 0.761-mile purpose-built track within the “keyhole” section of Mid-Ohio’s permanent layout. The condensed, action-packed schedule features practice, qualifying and final races for ARX Supercar, ARX2 Lites and the entry-level Sierra ARX 3 class. The first on track action for the Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio Round 2 begins on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. ET, and the day wraps up at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. Sunday’s racing schedule runs 9 a.m. ET until approximately 3:30 p.m. ET.
“Mid-Ohio is an awesome track. It’s our fastest track. I think it’s our longest track potentially of the season. It’s an absolute place of battle,” said Tanner Foust, the points leader in the top ARX Supercar class for Andretti Rallycross. “The on track experience is great, but the different thing about Mid-Ohio that I noticed on the first round when we went there this year is the whole camping atmosphere. It’s almost like there’s this mecca of racing, kind of a little bit in the middle of nowhere, and whenever there’s an event at the track, everyone just shows up.
“We had so many fans at the beginning of the year that had never heard of rallycross,” he continued. “They just knew there was an event. They showed up, and they were like ‘oh my god, this is bad ass,’ so that’s a cool thing.”
Foust, leading the title chase by 17 points in his No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle, is teamed with Cabot Bigham on Andretti Rallycross. Bigham currently sits seventh in the championship. Subaru Motorsports USA has expanded to four entries with Norwegian FIA World Rallycross driver Andreas Bakkerud filling in for the injured Scott Speed, who won the ARX Supercar final at Mid-Ohio in June. Joining Bakkerud on the popular Subaru team listed in point standings order are Patrik Sandell (second), Chris Atkinson (third), and Joni Wiman (ninth). Wiman like Bakkerud is making his second ARX appearance driving for Subaru after debuting last weekend in Austin, Texas.
The remaining two-car entry in the ARX Supercar class is Loenbro Motorsports with Steve Arpin and Travis PeCoy behind the wheel of Ford Fiesta RXs, ranked fourth and sixth in the championship, respectively. The team had a very strong weekend at Mid-Ohio back in June with PeCoy placing second and Arpin third in the final.
“My in-laws are from the Mid-Ohio area. We have so many people coming up there, and there was such a good atmosphere, such a good environment up there the first time around,” said Steve Arpin, the Canadian driver who now resides in Mooresville, N.C. “It’s going to be so good. I rented an RV to put up on the side of the racetrack, and I’m just going to stay at the racetrack all weekend. It’s going to be chaos.
“This championship is so close, anything can happen. It’s rallycross, so it’s going to be wild,” he exclaimed. “And, that’s an awesome racetrack. So many opportunities for passing. So easy to make mistakes which creates good opportunities for passing. I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Garage access is free for all spectators during the Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio to get an up close view of the cars and interact with the drivers. Autograph sessions will be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Cooper Tires Stage. Visit midohio.com to view the complete weekend schedule and purchase tickets in advance.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course offers an exceptional family value. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult, plus free parking is available. General admission is $60 for the weekend and $45 for Saturday or Sunday ($5 additional for tickets purchased at the gate.). Grandstand seating positioned near the rallycross course jump is $20 additional daily or for the weekend. Reserved trackside motorhome spaces and tent camping are available on site.
