Dave Hamel, the promoter of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS), has announced that the WORCS series will expand to a 13-round national off-road series for 2003. Currently, the WORCS series is six rounds and all of the races are held on the west coast, but for ’03, the WORCS series will be broken down to six rounds in the west and six rounds in the east, and a final east/west shootout round held at Cooperland in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Three championships will be on the line: WORCS West Championship, WORCS East Championship, and an overall WORCS National Championship.
“We have done this so that the privateer racer will be given the opportunity to compete for a championship in their region if he/she cannot afford to contest the national series,” Hamel said. “The amateur series championships will consist of seven races in either the west or east regions. The amateur competitors will be allowed one throwaway in their respective series.”
For the Pros all rounds will count towards an overall WORCS national championship, but one throwaway will be allowed per region. The final shootout, however, is mandatory for the pro class.
“Our goal is and has always been to bring all top pro riders together to compete in a series that incorporates all different types of off-road disciplines on a national scale,” Hamel says. “With the venues we have obtained we feel we have a truly rounded series, incorporating terrain from tight nasty woods to wide open desert racing and everything in between, hitting 10 and possibly up to 12 off-road markets across the U.S., truly highlighting the talents of the best off-road racers in the country.
“We are committed to bring off-road racing to a new level, to make it better for everyone and to unite every professional off-road racer, manufacturer, and fan in the U.S.”
The tentative 2003 WORCS schedule is as follows:
January 11-12 – Phoenix, AZ – West
February 8-9 – TBA – West
February 22-23 – Gilmer, TX – East
March 1-2 – Ocala, FL – East
March 22-23 – Lake Havasu, AZ – West
April 19-20 – Price, UT – West
May 17-18 – Washougal, WA – West
June 7-8 – Morrison, IL (Moose Run) – East
July 19-20 – Millville, MN – East
August 3-3 – Waukon, IA – East
September 27-28 – TBA – East
October 25-26 – Milford, CA – West
November 15-16 – Stillwater, OK – East/West
