All eyes may be on the next title in the DIRT series, DIRT 5, but DIRT Rally 2.0 still has a few things to give. Today, Codemasters has announced that the World Series esport competition, running in DR2, will return for 2020.
The first series ran through fall and winter last year, ending with a live final event at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, UK. That saw Quentin Dall’Olmo of France crowned the first ever DR2 world champion in the rallycross segment, and Finland’s Joona Pankkonen — also the DIRT 4 world champion — win in the rally class.
As with the 2019 event, the second World Series will see drivers take each other on in two different disciplines. Codemasters has doubled the available prize money, to a $10,000 prize pool for each category, and there’s a very special prize awaiting the this year’s rallycross champion.
There’s qualifiers to get out of the way first though, and these get underway on August 25. The qualifying event is open to all DR2 players across PC, PS4, and Xbox, under the World Championship tab in the game’s main menu.
This year there’s three separate qualifiers, made up of three rounds each ahead of a livestreamed final. The fastest time in each round, along with the three fastest runners-up (two in rallycross) on cumulative time, will advance to the qualifying final for that event. Each qualifying final will send two drivers to the playoff stage.
The full schedule for the qualifiers is below:
Rally
- Round 1 – New Zealand
- August 25 – Elsthorpe Sprint Forward/R2
- September 1 – Waimarama Sprint Forward/Group A
- September 8 – Ocean Beach Sprint Forward/H2 RWD
- September 26 – Qualifying Final 1 (Livestream)
- Round 2 – Spain
- September 29 – Centenera/R5
- October 6 – Ascenso por valle el Gualet/Rally GT
- October 13 – Vinedos Dardenya/H2 FWD
- October 31 – Qualifying Final 2 (Livestream)
- Round 3 – Australia
- November 3 – Noorinbee Ridge Descent/H1 FWD
- November 10 – Taylor Farm Sprint/R5
- November 17 – Yambulla Mountain Ascent/H3 RWD
- Qualifying Final 3 (Livestream)
Rallycross
- Round 1
- August 25 – Holjes/RX Supercars
- September 1 – Hell/RX2
- September 8 – Loheac/Super 1600
- September 26 – Qualifying Final 1 (Livestream)
- Round 2
- September 29 – Barcelona/RX2
- October 6 – Montalegre/RX Supercars
- October 13 – Hell/Super 1600
- October 31 – Qualifying Final 2 (Livestream)
- Round 3
- November 3 – Loheac/RX Supercars
- November 10 – Holjes/RX2
- November 17 – Barcelona/Super 1600
- December 5 – Qualifying Final 3 (Livestream)
At the end of all of this, the six finalists in each class will then meet in a livestreamed semi-final, on December 19. That will determine the players for the live final — again at the Autosport International Show — on January 16 next year.
In addition to the prize money, the winner in the rallycross class will receive the chance to drive a new rallycross car. The car in question is a QEV, a 335hp, all-electric machine that will be the basis of the 2021 FIA eRX2 Championship.
All players who enter the qualifiers will also receive a free in-game car. The new Ford Fiesta R5 MKII will become available in the v1.16 update in October, and be gifted to players who take part in any qualifying event.
Ross Gowing, game director of DiRT Rally 2.0 at Codemasters, said:
“The DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series surpassed our expectations. We knew there was an appetite, but we didn’t expect the vast level of participation and engagement. Now we get to do it all over again with a bigger event and even more prize money. We are also delighted to reward players with the in-game Ford Fiesta R5 MKII and hope this is an added incentive for players of all levels to get involved.”
See more articles on DiRT Rally 2.0 World Championship.
