Polaris and Can-Am ready for battle

A budding motor sport category has been given the go ahead as part of the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship -- a four-event Side x Side Rally Challenge.

The series will be fought out by competitors in Can-Am Commander or Polaris RZR side by side vehicles, billed like "a Holden versus Ford, Carlton versus Collingwood, Wallabies versus All Blacks" battle.

The Side x Side Challenge will run on closed road stages at Rally Calder in Melbourne from March 1-4, the Quit Forest Rally in WA (March 30-April 1), The International Rally of Queensland (May 25-27) and the Coffs Coast Forest Rally (October 13-14).

Polaris is likely to enter its long-time ambassador and three-time Australian rally champ Cody Crocker in the Challenge, while Can-Am will also be going the ambassador route with its poster boy and former world championship rally driver Michael Guest.

Side by side racing has exploded in North America in recent years.

According to Polaris national marketing manager Neil Anderson, one of the key factors that led to the introduction of the Australian Side x Side Rally Challenge is the development of a set of national guidelines by CAMS including a nationally recognised safety cage specification.

"From 2012 owners will now be able to enter a host of different CAMS-sanctioned events not just the Australian Side x Side Rally Challenge with the one specification of vehicle," said Anderson. "This will effectively be a stock class; basically everything is standard apart from the necessary safety changes such as the approved safety cages and harnesses.

"We are very keen that this does not become cheque book racing and as a result, there will be no engine or transmission modifications allowed and even the alloy wheels have to be stock.”

Recently, the Polaris RZR XP 900 side by side created history, winning two classes in the 2012 Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest off road race.

“In Puerto Plata, at the start of the race, everybody was amazed to see the Polaris. Some of them were even laughing! But day after day, many of them were not smiling when the RZR XP overtook them in the desert,” said Polaris Australia Country Manager, Peter Harvey.”

“There's no doubt that teams with more expensive cars and buggies will start looking at Polaris RZR as a more affordable extreme performance vehicle. This is a trend we’re starting to see in Australia also.”

Kym Pardey, marketing manager for BRP, which owns the famous Can-Am brand, says that with side by side vehicles offering outstanding consumer value, the company has every confidence that there will continue to be rapid growth in this market.

"Working with the Bosch ARC and CAMS is a great chance to build the recreational and sporting side of the SSV category, offering power sport enthusiasts a new entry point into the exciting world of off-road racing,” said Pardey.

Sporting and technical regulations are published at www.rally.com.au along with supplementary regulations and entry information for the opening round at Rally Calder.