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Lydden strengthens team as it gears up for world championship debut

Lydden Hill is delighted to announce that it has secured the services of International Motor Sports Limited (IMS) to assist with staging the British round of the exciting new FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy.

Rallycross has just been elevated to World Championship status and the Lydden Hill circuit in Kent has the honour of hosting the second of 12 rounds on the globetrotting 2014 calendar.

To ensure the eagerly-anticipated UK round - taking place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend of 24-25 May - is a huge success on all fronts, Lydden has joined forces with IMS, the country's leading motor sport event organiser.

IMS is the commercial arm of the Motor Sports Association, the governing body of motor sport in the UK. It is the organiser of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix and is both the organiser and promoter of Wales Rally GB.

"This really is the perfect ‘win-win' scenario," said Pat Doran, owner of Lydden Hill. "We are the undisputed home of British rallycross and IMS has huge experience in the successful staging of premier league motor sport - by working together we can put on an amazing show worthy of a truly outstanding World Championship event."

Maximising its experience - notably in the recent hugely successful revitalisation of Wales Rally GB - IMS will assist Lydden in several key areas including promotion, ticketing and hospitality.

"It's abundantly clear rallycross has huge potential to become a major motor sport attraction ranking alongside F1 and the World Rally Championship - that's why we are so delighted to be helping Pat and his team to deliver what's going to be a world class event," said Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of IMS. "I'm confident that by combining our joint knowledge and expertise, we can create something really special not only for existing followers but also, and perhaps more importantly, for a new generation of fans. It's hard to beat the mind-blowing drama and excitement delivered by these incredibly powerful 600bhp machines as they compete against each other at breathtaking speeds on a mix of loose and hard surfaces."

IMS and Lydden are already working together to formulate a ticketing strategy - this and other significant developments will be confirmed in the next few weeks.