Well, it's a sport, which is driven on a short circuit (about one kilometer, or two third mile) that contains some 50% loose (sand, grind, ...), and 50% tarmac. First you've got the practice laps (2-4) and the timed practice (which determines the startplace in the first heat). These are driven solo, you've got more cars at the same time on the track (6-10), but they all start with a certain time between them, so if they have a less or more similar speed, they wont meet each other. After this practise sessions, the drivers run 3 manches, and each manche consists several heats. In this heats, there are 3 to 5 cars that race at the same tame (against each other). In this heats, their is a lot of contact, but when you've got to much contact, you can get a black flag, or get stuck into the sandtraps. In the heats, their is a fight for the first place, but more important is the time that you race. Because of the large amount of participants (certainly at the european championship races), their are more heats /manche, and the times of all the drivers are placed in one table. the best time get's one point, the second one 2 points, the third one 3 points... After the 3 heats, the points of the 2 best times of each driver are putted together, and they make a rank. The first place is for the one with the least points, and so one... Than it's time for the great spectacle, the finals. In most european classes, there are 3 finals in each class. The C-Final, for numbers 11 till 16, the B-Final, for the numbers 6 till 10 and the winner of the C-Final, and at last the A-Final, with the numbers 1 till 5 and the winner of the B-Final. So in theory, it's possible to be ranked 16 after the heats, and still win the A-Final (and the whole event). But practicly, it has happened only 2 times, in the 40 year history of rallycross.
I will add some examples of circuits and time tables etcetera...
Now about the raceclasses. I will start with the main fia-classes
Division 2 : 2 wheel drive group N (so very standard) without turbo's or compressors, with maximum 2-litre engines (the european standard). This class is in his last years.
Some popular cars:
Opel Astra OPC (this years champion) => +200Bhp :
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/photos06/20060812/nmimage.php?z=08.jpg&width=640&height=426&title=08 - www.rallycross-photo.com
Renault Clio Renault Sport (last years champion) => +200Bhp :
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/photos05/20050814/nmimage.php?z=18.jpg&width=640&height=426&title=18 - www.rallycross-photo.com
Honda Civic Type R => +200Bhp :
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/pho...640&height=426&title=www.rallycross-photo.com
Division 1a : 2 wheel drive group A (so with many changes, but still according with the international fia-rules) without turbo or compressors, 1.6 litre engines
Some popular cars:
VW Polo (this years champion) => +220Bhp : COLOR="Navy"]
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/pho....php?z=112.jpg&width=640&height=426&title=112 - www.rallycross-photo.com[/COLOR]
Peugeot 206 (Last years champion) => +220 Bhp : COLOR="Navy"]
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/photos05/20050814/nmimage.php?z=63.jpg&width=640&height=426&title=63 - www.rallycross-photo.com[/COLOR]
Citroen C2 => +220 Bhp : COLOR="Navy"]
http://www.rallycross-photo.com/photos06/20060819/nmimage.php?z=82.jpg&width=640&height=426&title=82 - www.rallycross-photo.com[/COLOR]
Also Peugeot 106, Citroen Saxo, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris are common in use
I will post more tommorrow, but now I'm going to sleep (hard day at school)
greetz Jelle