By 1962, Chesson wanted to progress and laid a tarmac track in order to promote motor and motorcycle road racing.

On 4 February 1967, the sport of Rallycross was born at Lydden, thought up by TV producer Robert Reed and race organiser Bud Smith in co-operation with Chesson.

On 9 September 1968, then-unknown English driver James Hunt recorded his first race win driving a Russell-Alexis Mk14 Formula Ford car.

[citation needed] By 1986, the RAC Motor Sports Association (MSA) was pressurising Bill Chesson to erect Armco barriers, but he refused to do so, on the grounds that they would be dangerous to the motorcycle-racing fraternity.

Before already Andreas Bakkerud (Renault Clio Mk2) and Lars Øivind Enerberg (Ford Fiesta ST RWD) did the same in the Super1600 and Touring Cars classes.

With the absence of defending champion Sverre Isachsen the door is now open for last year's runner-up Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta Mk7) to start the season with a victory.

[2] The opening round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship was held over the Easter holiday, at Lydden Hill, with victory going to the American Tanner Foust in his Ford Fiesta for the second year running, only after reigning ERC champion Timur Timerzyanov for dropped back with a punctured tyre.

Robin Larsson claimed the runner’s-up spot in his Audi A1 Supercar, with Britain’s Andrew Jordan ending the event third in front of his home crowd.