The calendar for the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship season has been announced ahead of the final race of the current campaign next week.
Sebastien Ogier will go in search of a fourth consecutive WRC title in 2016, beginning his title defence at the traditional season-opener in Monte Carlo.
The Rallye de Monte Carlo is the first of 14 rounds planned for 2016, expanding from 13 in 2015 after the addition of Rally China. The event in Huairou, 70km from Beijing, returns to the calendar for the first time since 1999.
The other major change for 2016 is Rally Australia’s move to the final round of the season, taking the place of Rally GB which is now the penultimate event.
2016 FIA World Rally Championship calendar
1. Monte-Carlo 22-24 January
2. Sweden 12-14 February
3. Mexico 4-6 March
4. Argentina 22-24 April
5. Portugal 20-22 May
6. Italy 10-12 June
7. Poland 1-3 July
8. Finland 29-31 July
9. Germany 19-21 August
10. China 9-11 September
11. France 30 September – 2 October
12. Spain 14-16 October
13. Great Britain 28-30 October
14. Australia 18-20 November
Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles
“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.
“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”
Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.
“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”
Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.
Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.
The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.
Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.
