Rhys Millen And Emma Gilmour To Compete In 2014 Global RallyCross Series

Rhys Millen And Emma Gilmour To Compete In 2014 Global RallyCross Series

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Mar. 24, 2014 – Hyundai and Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) are again joining forces to create a groundbreaking new team for the 2014 Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) series. For 2014, Hyundai and RMR continue their assault on dirt- and tarmac-based circuits throughout North America with highly-tuned Veloster Turbo rallycross cars. The new two-car team will feature Pikes Peak champion and veteran racer Rhys Millen, with New Zealand rally champion Emma Gilmour behind the wheel of the second Veloster racecar.

“We can’t wait for the 2014 Global Rallycross season to get started with our new team and freshly-tuned Veloster Turbo racers,” said Steve Shannon, vice president of marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “Global Rallycross is the perfect racing series for the compact, fun-to-drive Veloster, and the RMR Velosters are sure to be pushed to the limit every race this season with rally veterans like Rhys and Emma at the helm. We’re proud to team up with two drivers known for their precision and consistency, and we are especially excited to give Emma the opportunity to be the first female driver in Global Rallycross.”
HYUNDAI/RMR VELOSTER TURBO
Hyundai Veloster Turbo employs a unique third-door design and an efficient, direct-injected, lightweight aluminum powertrain. The Turbo model boasts a hefty 63 horsepower advantage over the normally-aspirated model, generating an impressive 201 horsepower from only 1.6 liters of displacement. The fully race-prepared RMR Veloster Rallycross turbo engine generates more than 600 peak horsepower from its four-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled powerplant, for explosive acceleration out of corners.

2014 RMR Veloster Turbo Rallycross Enhancements

• Upsized turbocharger, wastegate control, ECU tuning, and Wiggins turbo clamps
• XTRAC® center differential, handbrake hydraulic coupler and handbrake lever
• Reiger Racing® internal bumpstop struts with roller bearings and roll control
• New Veloster Turbo rallycross front and rear fascia with new rear wing design

RHYS MILLEN
“The Global Rallycross series holds even more promise for the Hyundai/RMR team in the 2014 season, with great opportunities to leverage valuable racing and technical experience earned by the team in recent years,” said Millen. “The RMR Veloster is perfect for GRC by giving enthusiasts a glimpse of affordable, fun-to-drive production cars exploited to their full race potential in an action-packed rallycross series. Even more, I’m especially proud to have Emma as a teammate; with many top rally drivers hailing from New Zealand, her consistent top performance is sure to impress at every stage of the series.”

World Champion driver Rhys Millen set an overall world record at the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, earning “King of the Mountain” status in the RMR Genesis Coupe. In the 2012 Global Rallycross Championship Series, the Hyundai/RMR team finished second in manufacturer’s points and third in driver’s points. Millen’s driving credentials further include extensive movie and advertising stunts, 2008 Formula Drift World Champion, 2005 USA Drifting Champion, seven Pikes Peak world records and the 2008 New Year's Eve Las Vegas truck flip at Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. Behind Millen’s success in the driver’s seat is an experienced team of engineers and expert fabricators in race preparation and tuning.

NEW RMR DRIVER: EMMA GILMOUR
“I couldn’t be more honored to join the Hyundai/RMR Global Rallycross team for the 2014 season,” said Emma Gilmour, New Zealand rally veteran. “Rhys is known worldwide for his precise and consistent rally skills, and my years of successful rally experience are a perfect fit for the RMR team effort. It’s a true privilege to be the first female driver in the GRC series, and I’m confident my performance will open up more opportunities for a number of great female rally drivers in the future.”

Emma Gilmour: Recent Racing Results 2012

• 2^nd Overall, New Zealand Rally Championship
• 2^nd Overall, Group N Rally New Zealand

2011

• 2^nd Overall, New Zealand Rally Championship

2010

• 2^nd Overall, New Zealand Rally Championship
• 2^nd Overall, PWRC Rally New Zealand
• 2^nd Overall, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, Whangarei

GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIESThe 2014 Global RallyCross Championship season features 10 race events, including the ESPN Summer X-Games^®. The X-Games were one of the first public venues introducing the concept of rallycross to U.S. racing enthusiasts. The GRC circuit at each venue features a series of tight turns and a large jump where the cars become airborne, with most of the circuit visible to GRC fans for the duration of the heat. The 2014 GRC season will kick-off at the Caribbean island of Barbados at the BBC Top Gear^® Festival, Saturday, May 17, where fans are invited to get up-close with both drivers and technicians in the GRC paddock area. RMR fans will be able to view both RMR rallycross and production versions of the Veloster.
2014 GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

• May 17-18: Barbados, Top Gear^® Festival
• June 7: Austin, X-Games^®, ESPN
• June 21-22: Washington, DC
• July 19-20: New York, NY
• July 25-26: Charlotte, NC
• August 2-3: Detroit, MI (Riverfront)
• August 22-23: Daytona, FL
• September 19-20: San Pedro, CA
• September 26-27: Seattle, WA (DirtFish)
• November 5: Las Vegas, NV (SEMA)

    
Source; RMR

Ken Block Doesn’t often Go To Missouri, But When he Does, Locals Ask Him for Directions!

 February 18th, 2014, Park City, UT:  After their horrific wreck at final round of the 2013 Rally America Championship, Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino are back in the rally car  this morning for two days of testing in preparation for The 100 Acre Wood Rally, one of the two rounds that the team will compete in this year. The car has been fully rebuilt and the Hoonigan Racing team are also debuting their new  2014 livery, the team also 

announced Blocks full race schedule for the year, making him one of the busiest drivers in Rally..

 “I’m stoked with how the new liveries for my Ford Fiestas have turned out, as well as the race schedule we’ve been able to put together for 2014,” said Block. “Once again I’ve been fortunate enough to put together a highly diverse schedule that has me going around the world. I’m competing in the full Global RallyCross Championship, doing a handful of Rally America events, competing in a WRC round in Spain, doing the Monza Rally Sprint for the first time ever with Valentino Rossi as a teammate, returning to the Monster Energy Gymkhana GRID finale in Madrid, heading back to Japan to do more Gymkhana demos and, most interestingly, racing in three of the World RallyCross Championship rounds for the first time ever. I’m pretty sure nobody has a better job than me this year!”

 

 

In addition to having an action-packed year planned, Block has once again reinvented his race look for the 2014 season with a graphics package that will be incorporated across a full line of signature product including apparel from Hoonigan, sunglasses from SPY and RC cars from HPI.

“Every year I’m challenged with outdoing my livery from the season before,” said Block. “Luckily, I think we were able to do it once again. This year’s livery mixes animal pattern and 8-bit, which I love. We’ve come up with a sort of digital zebra graphic that I think is awesome and also brings me back into that familiar black and white color scheme I had starting back in 2010. I think the fans are going to enjoy this look.”

 

To catch Block and his all-new livery in action, be sure to follow along this coming weekend as he takes part in Rally America’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, where Block will be looking to reignite his winning streak for that event.

Block’s 2014 schedule:

 

Global RallyCross Championship:

• -    GRC Barbados: 5/18/14
• -    GRC X Games Austin: 6/17/14
• -    GRC Washington D.C.: 6/22/14
• -    GRC New York: 7/20/14
• -    GRC Charlotte: 7/26/14
• -    GRC Detroit: 8/3/14
• -    GRC Daytona: 8/23/14
• -    GRC Los Angeles: 9/20/14
• -    GRC Seattle: 9/27/14
• -    GRC Las Vegas: 11/5/14

 

Stage Rally:

• -    Rally America Rally in the 100 Acre Wood: 2/21-22
• -    Rally America Suesquehannock Trail Performance Rally: 5/30-31
• -    WRC Spain: 10/24-26
• -    Monza Rally Show: 11/22-24

 

World RallyCross Championship:

• -    WRxC Norway: 6/14-15
• -    WRxC France: 9/6-7
• -    WRxC Turkey: 10/11-12

 

Gymkhana demos:

• -    Japan: 7/5-6
• -    Gymkhana GRID, Madrid: 11/1-2

Source: Hoonigan Racing

Ken Block "The Fastest, The Biggest Wreck That I've Ever Had In My Career"

February 17th, 2014 Park City, UT: 2013 was a hugely successful race season for Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block, a driver who happened to have the most diverse and interesting racing schedule of last year.
Now, in preparation for the start of his 2014 race season, Block has released a video that shows and explains how he ended up 2nd overall in the Rally America Championship, after his chase at the title came to an abrupt, and brutal, end back in October at the final event, the Lake Superior Performance Rally.

Due to two simple letters (“in”) missing in his pace notes on one of the final stages of the event, Block and Gelsomino ended up cart wheeling down one of the final stages of the season, end over end, before coming to a stop against a tree.

The missing “in” allowed Block to go slightly wide around a very safe looking corner where his rear wheel went into the weeds and got caught up on a small clump of dirt, sending the Ford Fiesta HFHV into the air. While the crash was violent, the pair were fortunate to walk away from the championship-ending incident with minimal injury.

“This video is a tough one for me to watch,” said Block. “On the one hand, I’m proud of the fact that even after going through such a brutal crash, my first instinct was to try and get the car started again and press on. On the other, I’m still bummed that we were so close to winning the championship and that we lost it in such a spectacular fashion.

At the end of the day though, I’m grateful that the car did the job it was supposed to do and that I get to continue racing.” Block and Gelsomino’s run at the Rally America championship will have to wait another year however.

While the duo will be making their first competitive appearance of 2014 together at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Salem, Missouri—an event they’ve won six times previously—they’re unable to contest the entire season due to schedule conflicts with other race events. For details on Block’s race schedule for 2014, as well as seeing the debut of his all-new livery, stay tuned, as he’ll be dropping both on February 17th.

Source ; Hoonigan Racing

"XGAMES Gold on Sunday, Sell on Monday" - Subaru needs to Grab Gold at XGAMES

Subaru's STI is one of the only Cars at XGAMES Rallycross today that you can buy tomorrow, well minus a few safety bits and pieces that is. Subaru's core cult following will be looking for a win at XGAMES to keep the dream alive. Photo Lars Grange/Subaru Rally. 

Los Angeles CA, August 4^th 2013, Subaru will have their work cut out for them going up against a stacked lineup in the Ford Camp. But an XGAMES RallyCross Gold medal for any of the 3 Subaru drivers, over all of the 7 Ford Fiestas will most definitely have a greater gain for their brand in renewing the faith among the Subaru’s  cult following. To date Subaru has had a dismal showing in GRC RallyCross.

Despite Fords longtime standing in the WRC and rallying around the work, and their ever increasing strong sales, they have lost a lot of the rally cult following they once enjoyed in bygone days with the likes of the Mk1 and Mk2 Escort.  

You will be hard pressed to find anything in a Ford dealership that remotely resembles any of the Fiestas that will fly through the air at XGAMES this weekend; Rally fans hold out a little hope for the soon to be released Fiesta ST, but the launch is not getting big Air, as you can't actually purchase the three door version in the USA, obviously there were too many accountants in that decision process!.

Yes without question winning is winning, and it transmits across the brand to all racing fans, but Ford has yet to bring a truly race/rally/rallycross inspired sport compact style car” in the current era” to the showroom floor; unlike what they what they did with the Mk1 and Mk2 escorts, 1600 Sport, RS 1800, RS 2000, Mexico, to name a few.

Subaru gladly took a lot of Ford’s rally fans and their car buying desires when they began winning with the Impreza platform. Rally fans could walk into dealers and purchase a rally blue Impreza that was visually identical, with rally inspired AWD to what Colin McRae had just put on the podium or spectacularly wrecked the prior weekend.  Ford recruited Colin, but never really delivered a Focus to the Showroom to unseat the Impreza. Yes, no question< Ford sold hundreds of thousands of Focus’s over the Impreza, but not to the core cult they lost to Subaru.

Fast forward to today, and little has changed, although Subaru’s sales are improving yearly, they pail in comparison to Ford. Despite struggling against Block’s Fiesta on the Rally America’s stages, Subaru still holds that core cult following among Rally fans in the USA when it comes to car sales, it’s so very evident by the number of WRX’s and STI’s lining the roads at Rally America events.

Yes this is RallyCross and not rally, and Subaru has no heritage in RallyCross, but Manufactures would have their heads in the sand if they thought for a second that the majority of the people in the stands or tuning in were are not the same fans from stage rally.

Although there is a great upside for Subaru grabbing the Gold, I strongly feel that if they continue to have poor finishes or mechanical failures in RallyCross it will ultimately trickle down to buyers losing confidence in the reliability of Subaru.  Of course Dodge and Mini are also in the RallyCross battle today, with Liam Doran’s performance to date in the ProDrive Mini, he’s definitely a contender to upset the show. But it’s really hard to know if Mini really cares to have us Rally types driving their cars with their half hearted effort in the WRC.  Should Team Dodge/Pastrana shine, finding something on the showroom floor in the Dart lineup that makes the heart skip a beat is highly unlikely.  

 

 

 

Let the battle of the brands commence,

TUNE IN: GLOBAL RALLYCROSS AT X GAMES LOS ANGELES

Sunday, August 4; 5pm ET on ESPN & ESPN3

 

 

From Concord Pond to the House of Drift, David Sterckx heads to the Summer XGAMES

David Sterckx on the attack last weekend on the infamous Concord Pond, the opening stage of the 2013 New England Forest Rally, Sterckx will now turn his hand to RallyCross this coming weekend at Summer XGames. Photo: Neil McDaid

 

Irwindale, CA, July 30th 2013:  After winning his class at the New England Forest rally race this past weekend, David Sterckx now prepares to compete at the Summer X Games in Los Angeles on August 2nd, 2013. The opportunity to race at the X Games came about as Sterckx was working on putting a deal together to race in the Global Rallycross series.

“The chance to race at X Games in Los Angeles has been my goal for a long time now; I am very excited to be able to compete there this year. One minute I am working on a deal to race, the Global Rallycross later this season and then this opportunity came up. I can’t wait to race against the best in rallycross from around the world” stated Sterckx.

 

David Sterckx will be driving one of the Rhys Millen Hyundai's ironically the Veloster Rally Cross car was debuted at Irwindale Speedway in 2012: Action Photo By Neil McDaid/ Rally World New

 

Teaming up with Rhys Millen Racing, Sterckx will be driving a Hyundai Veloster for this event and possibly more in the future.

 

Sterckx explained, “I am really looking forward to teaming up with such an accomplished racer as Rhys Millen. He has so much experience that I can learn from about rallycross and the Hyundai Veloster, this is a great opportunity.”

“I am very thankful for the wonderful support my sponsors are providing me so that I can make the X Games event happen. Ardeca Lubricants, Always Evolving, Exedy, and Oakley have all made this possible” stated Sterckx.

Currently leading the Rally America Super Production rally championship, Sterckx’s goal for the season is to win that championship and secure funding to do the full season of GRC next year and the Rally America championship. Being able to compete earlier than expected in the Global Rallycross Series at X Games will help Sterckx get valuable television and new fan exposure to help in his sponsorship efforts.

“X Games Los Angeles is really an incredible event and experience to be able to compete in. To be able to be a part of that, to meet the best from not only rallycross but also athletes from all different sports, and to be able to have my family, friends, and sponsors all there at the event will be incredible” explained Sterckx.

Sterckx is originally from Belgium and now lives in Los Angeles. He has raced in a wide range of series around the world including competing in the Belgium rally championship, Toyota Atlantic Series, FIA GT World championship, 24hr of Spa Francorchamps, Belgium Touring Car Championship, Formula Nissan, and Formula Renault series. In addition to car racing, Sterckx is also an accomplished European Equestrian Grand Prix rider and trainer.

The Global Rallycross series will be a challenging new series for him to compete in against some of the best in the world. Sterckx wouldn’t have it any other way because what motivates him most is to race against the best of the best, like those at this year’s X Games Los Angeles.

 

Action Photos: Neil McDaid /Rally World News

 

Scott Speed to Debut Global Rallycross' Star Car at X Games in Brazil

LOS ANGELES, CA. (April 12, 2013) — Global Rallycross is all about introducing new and forward-thinking elements to race competition. In the spirit of that innovation, Global Rallycross is proud to announce the implementation of the Star Car, a competitive twist for Global Rallycross. To debut the Star Car at the X Games in Foz do Iguacu, Global Rallycross brought Scott Speed on board to take the wheel.

“The Star Car idea was sparked initially as means to create an element of surprise and suspense to both fans and drivers for each of the nine Global Rallycross events this season,” said Colin Dyne, Global Rallycross CEO. “But as the idea has become a reality for Global Rallycross, it is an exceptional element that allows for talented drivers like Scott Speed to get a taste of what Global Rallycross really has to offer.”

In each race of the 2013 season, Global Rallycross will select the Star Car driver who will compete against the regular field of Global Rallycross drivers. With that in mind, every Star Car driver is selected specifically, each bringing a different quality to the series.

For Speed, Global Rallycross selected him to debut the Star Car in Brazil because of his personality, driving ability and his overall fit for Global Rallycross. Speed has raced across the globe, winning two European Formula Renault championships before driving 28 races in Formula 1 in 2006 and 2007. Since transitioning to stock car racing, he has won in the Craftsman Truck Series and spent five seasons at the Sprint Cup level.

"I've always been open to looking for other racing series I can try," said Speed. "So when this thing came up, obviously the series has grown, it's gotten bigger and bigger, and I've always had my eye on this series and how it's coming. And when the first race was on one of the off weekends that I had, I immediately began working on something to be able to try it."

The Star Car will be run by OMSE2, a satellite operation of defending GRC champions OlsbergsMSE. The Star Car will be the same model of Ford Fiesta that took four race victories and the top two spots in last year's GRC standings.The Star Car will make its debut at Global X Games in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, on April 21.

Sebastien Loeb Confirmed for Pikes Peak 2013

Sebastien Loeb pictured here with Ken Block during his last visit to the USA, Loeb walked away with the Gold at XGAMES 2012. Picture Neil McDaid

Colorado Springs, April 3 One of the world’s most decorated auto racing stars is coming to Pikes Peak this summer.
Nine-time WRC World Rally Championship winner Sebastien Loeb of France has entered the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, adding more international luster to the nation’s second-oldest motor sports event behind the Indy 500 and helping to make the field the best in the race’s storied history..
The 91^st running of the race will be held on Sunday, June 30 with the help and support of title sponsors Discount Tires, Hankook Tire USA and TCI Tire Centers.
Loeb will be behind the wheel of a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak which is being built for the Race to the Clouds, and details of the high-powered auto will be released later this month. He’ll be entered in the powerful Unlimited division.
His entry in the 12-driver Unlimited division means that he will up against the legendary Rhys Millen, who established the all-time speed record on the Peak last year with a clocking of 9:46.164 in the Time Attack division. Millen has moved to the Unlimited field this year in a new purpose-built Hyundai PM580T.
Peugeot’s entry marks its first attempt on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, since back-to-back triumphs in its 405 T16 model in 1988 and 1989 by Ari Vatanen and Robby Unser in the Open Rally division, which now is the Unlimited division.
Driving for Citroën’s World Rally Team, Loeb won every World Rally Championship from 2004-2012 and is running in second place in this year’s series. He’s being loaned to Peugeot for Pikes Peak in an attempt to win the famed race, which began in 1916.
Loeb finished second in the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans, and was named the French Sportsman of the Year in 2007 and 2009.

Last summer, he won the Gold medal in Rally Car Racing at the X Games in Los Angeles in addition to his lengthy list of triumphs. He’s won the Monte Carlo rally in seven of the last eight outings, too.
“Pikes Peak is a one-off outing which has the potential to generate extensive media coverage and which meets the constraints of the current context.” said Peugeot CEO Maxime Picat. “It is a legendary race that has inspired all the Brand’s teams who have mobilized behind the project which targets outright victory. It is also a tough, exceptional challenge which leaves no room for error. In other words, it’s exactly the sort of challenge that Peugeot adores.”
Peugeot has maximized its chances of winning by enlisting the support of some of the biggest and best partners for the project, including Total, Red Bull, Michelin as well as nine-time World Rally champion Loeb.
“Our objective is to win,” continued Picat, “so we needed to stack up as many cards as possible in our favor by joining forces with the very best partners for this unique project. Indeed, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Citroën for this one-off ‘loan’ of its exceptional champion. Citroën’s support is emblematic of the cohesion that reigns within the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.”
PPIHC Tickets Available Now
Fans of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb can purchase tickets now for the June 30, 2013 race and assure themselves a spot on the Peak for what promises to be the best in the event’s long and storied history.
General admission seats are priced at $40.00 each, and the popular Family Four-Pack is priced at $135.00 when purchased in advance.
Tickets may be purchased on the PPIHC official website: www.ppihc.com

Source: PPIHC
Picture: Neil McDaid

Ford Announces Fiesta ST Race Car, Expanded Partnerships for Global Rallycross Championship

 

 

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 6, 2013 – In many ways the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST is a race car built for the street; Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) fans will soon get an up-close view of the same car built exclusively for competition at the Chicago Auto Show.

 

With Ford’s global launch of Fiesta ST under way, Ford Racing will introduce the ST performance badge in the 2013 season of the Global Rallycross Championship and Global X Games events.

The move is part of an expanded Global Rallycross program for Ford as it capitalizes on the growing popularity of the series and its increased visibility through X Games and some larger-than-life personalities, including Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan and Ken Block.

The first Fiesta ST GRC cars will debut this season with Block, Deegan and two-time Global Rallycross champion Foust. Foust and Deegan will give performance car enthusiasts and media the first look at the OlsbergsMSE Fiesta ST GRC race car this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

“Global Rallycross has been a great series for us to demonstrate what Ford’s small performance cars can do,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “With great drivers and teams, and now a formal manufacturer partnership with OlsbergsMSE, Ford Racing’s commitment to Global Rallycross is quickly growing. We’re excited about the debut of the Fiesta ST GRC car this year, and it will be fantastic to see Ford’s global performance car compete in four countries around the world this season.”

To support development of the RallyCross Fiesta ST program, Ford Racing has formalized its manufacturer partnership with OlsbergsMSE, whose credentials include two consecutive GRC driver championships with Foust, and podium finishes at all six rounds in 2012. The team has helped Ford earn GRC manufacturer’s championships in 2011 and 2012.

OlsbergsMSE will field the Fiesta STs for Foust and Deegan.

“OlsbergsMSE has a good history developing extreme/RallyCross cars, and with the longer-term manufacturer relationship with Ford and its technical support, together we will develop even stronger RallyCross cars,” said Andreas Eriksson, OlsbergsMSE team principal. “The partnership is exactly what OlsbergsMSE needs to continue to be a winning team in the coming years.
 

“There are great teams and manufacturers coming to the series and the sport,” Eriksson continued. “We will have better and tougher competition, and I look forward to the challenge of staying persistent in the development of our cars.

“Outside of our technical development, we will also be very focused on providing our drivers with the information and input they need to be the best,” Eriksson added. “This is the way our entire OlsbergsMSE program moves forward, together with Ford. To be the best in this extreme sport, hard work and dedication is required from drivers and team.”

Joining Foust and Deegan to round out Ford’s GRC program is Block and the Hoonigan Racing Division. Block’s strong 2012 Global Rallycross season was highlighted by a silver medal at X Games 18 behind World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, and he posted top two qualifying positions in each of the series’ last four rounds.

“I’m stoked to be able to say I’m going to be continuing to race Fords in Global Rallycross for the next few years, especially with the four X Games events this summer,” said Block. “For the upcoming 2013 season, my team is taking everything we learned during my rookie season last year and applying it to an all-new RallyCross car. It’s going to be a fun season.”

The Global Rallycross Championship will have a true global presence in 2013. In addition to five expected North American events, there will be four X Games in 2013 with RallyCross competition. Ford is sole automotive sponsor for all four 2013 summer global X Games, which will include the traditional event in Los Angeles and new venues in Brazil, Spain and Germany.

“Global Rallycross and X Games allow us to connect with the next generation of Ford customers and a very important group of performance enthusiasts,” said Allison. “They already know Ford for great products like Mustang and Raptor, but are becoming a real force helping drive the growing B- and C-car performance segments.”

L’Estage Wins the Rally; Higgins Wins the Championship, While Duplessis Wins with the Fans

Antoine L"Estage and Nathalie Ricahrd, charge to victory at the 2011 New England Forest Rally - Photo Neil McDaid

EDIT: *See note regarding Concord Pond record:

Newry, Maine, July 16^th 2011.  Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard capped off a bitter sweet 2011 season with a victory at New England Forest Rally, the final round of the 2011 Rally America Championship. L’Estage who ran first on the road, seemed to charge unopposed to victory over Team Subaru USA driver David Higgins. Higgins clearly drove to plan with a caution approach throughout the event to secure the 2011 Rally America Championship title for Subaru. Despite the lack of a battle off the front, the same could not be said back in 2WD, local driver/legend Chris Duplessis won over the fans in his 2011 Ford Fiesta R2  as he drove at and beyond the limit to place first in 2WD and a unbelievable 5^th overall in the event.

The New England Forest Rally will definitely go down as the sting in the tail of the 2011 Rally America Championship, as temperatures flutters in the upper eighties, drivers and co-drivers faced some of the toughest/rocky/dusty stages of the season. Many of the stages were still showing scares from heavy runoff after a very snowy New England winter. Throw in a few big spring storms and rally organizers were scrambling pre -event to repair the stages where they could.  Maine has always been notorious for rocks; year after year the organizers have taken the time to highlight the worst of these immovable objects, but for some reason this year the trademark orange markings seemed to have quadrupled over prior years.

The opening stages of the NEFR event got underway with three short spectator super specials, the first ran on some of the service roads of The Sunday River resort, which was also the rally headquarters. Then after a short transit to the town of Mexico the drivers would tackle a rather steep man made jump as they completed this series of short Spectator specials SS1,2,3.

With the departure of Travis Pastrana and Ken Block from the 2011 Rally America Championship and Dave Mirra been pulled from the rally in the weeks leading up to the event, one could clearly see a drop in spectator’s attendance over prior years at this very popular Rally.



Subaru Team driver David Higgins takes a safe approch in his bit to secure the 2011 Championship. Photo Neil McDaid



L’Estage would open big taking victory on the first two stages,  Higgins took the third super special by a headlight bettering L’Estage by a mere four hundredths of a second.

Onto the first true test of the rally, SS4 “Icicle Brook North” for the most part this is a fast flowing two car logging road with some soft crests, that is until you tackle the new section around Metallak Pond, the stage tightens to a tight technical single lane road, with a few hidden gotchas to keep drivers on their game.

Running first on the road therefore sweeping the loose gravel for those in his wake, we had expected L’Estage to lose time to David Higgins over this 16 mile test. But L’Estage attacked hard and opened a 19second advantage over the Team Subaru driver through the flying finish.

Again on SS5 which was a reverse of SS4, Antoine L’Estage pushed hard for his fourth stage victory on day one, adding 23 seconds to his advantage on Higgins.  Heath Nunnemacher and Mike Rooney in their rented Evo 9, edged out Travis Hanson on SS5 moving Heath to third overall heading into the historic Concord Pond stage.

SS6 Concord Pond, although short in length at only 5.76 miles, this may very well be one of the most popular stages in US stage rally. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino took it upon themselves to set the record time on this stage, with their last record set in 2009.  

In an interview with David Higgins prior to the event, when asked would he go after  Block’s time on Concord Pond, Higgins replied, “we need to focus on the Championship for Subaru, but if its right we will see what happens” I don’t recall anyone asking Antoine L’Estage regarding his intention to dethrone Block.

Ken Block’s fastest time on Concord Pond was set in 2009, with a time of 4:17.9, but it’s important to note that the stage length was 5:38 miles. After some research post event it seems that in 2010 the stage length was changed to 5:76 miles. So in that same year Travis Pastrana effectively set the new stage record at that distance with a time of 4:23.1.

This year Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard smashed Pastrana’s 2010 record stopping the clocks at 4:20.7; it’s also interesting to note that L’Estage had an average speed for the stage of 79.54 mph versus Block [2009 record time at 75.1 mph], so did L’Estage actually smash Block’s time over the shorter distance, we think so. 

Ramana Lagemann was the closest to L’Estage in Concord pond, but was a whopping 15 seconds off the pace.  David Higgins time over Concord Pond was handicapped by transmission problems, pushing him to third. Heath Nunnemacher, who had battled his way to an impressive third overall coming into Concord Pond, made an uncharacteristic mistake over the last crest on the stage and veered off the stage into the trees.

"Flat over Rock" Chris Duplessis Schools the fans and his competition on how to drive 2WD. Photo Neil McDaid

By the reaction of the fans that were packed into the woods at the infamous “jump over rock” towards the end of Concord Pond, Chris Duplessis stole the show with his epic sideways over crest move. In this only his second rally in the newly developed Fiesta R2, Duplessis was already shredding the 2wd field and then some.

Heading into day two, with Antoine L’Estage holding a minute lead over David Higgins it was fairly obvious that neither Higgins nor Subaru were going to risk the overall Championship by trying to chase down L’Estage for the overall victory at Maine.

Due to some major water damage on the Success Pond stage it was not run this year, but was replaced with a short Spectator super special in Errol NH. The balance of the rally would be fought out over four growling rocky stages, varying in length between 12 and 19 miles in length.

Antoine would take stage victories on three of the final stages sealing his overall Rally victory. Higgins would claim his only “proper” stage win of the rally on SS9 while holding onto 2^nd overall in the rally and claiming the 2011 Championship title.

The 2011 SP Class winner Travis Hanson in his now overheating Subaru would manage to hold off a late charge by Tom Lawless to secure third overall in the rally, a perfect ending to a dream season for Travis and his co-driving father Terry.

For L’Estage the victory was bitter sweet as he reflected on how the Championship slipped through his fingers, “a stupid mistake at Snowdrift, not pushing all out at STPR” exclaimed Antoine, “but we make David work for his title”

Chris Duplessis and his new co-driver for this event Karl Atkinson took their Ford Racing R2 Fiesta to the top of the 2WD podium. Chris had opened a 40 second gap on his nearest rival Andrew Comprie Picard on day one, and continued to widen the gap on day two. Andrew in his Scion Racing XD would eventually finish over three minutes behind Chris to grab second on the 2WD podium. Fellow Ford Fiesta driver Dillon Van Way rounded out the podium for Ford grabbing third.

The New England Forest Rally capped off another great season for Rally America, a season where the light dimmed some with the departure of some top names, but also a year where we have seen some very exciting activity in the 2WD class.

*7-24-11 -The rally organizers have since clarified that the stage length has not changed,-
"That's the (total) distance they way the stages are laid out in a route book (from ATC->FTC), so they just didn't get adjusted/corrected when noting/transferring the actual "competition" distance. It's just something that slipped through the cracks with all the other things that needed to be done with much of the organizing committee having undergone changes since 2009".

TEA AND HOONING - KEN BLOCK RETURNS TO GOODWOOD

June 27th, New York, New York: Monster World Rally Team driver, Ken Block, will be returning to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming weekend to attempt to recapture the Veuve Clicquot “Most Thrilling Driver” award, a title he was given during last year’s event for hooning up the famed hill. 2010 marked the World Rally Championship driver’s first-ever visit to one of motorsports’ most prestigious and well-known motoring events, where drivers from all forms of racing convene and run their respective cars up the 1.2-mile long driveway of host Lord March’s estate in Chichester, England. 

“I had an incredible time at Goodwood last year,” said Block. “The Festival of Speed is such a great event and I can’t wait to get back. The fans, the cars, the runs up the hill, the forest rally stages, the whole experience is dope. Plus, I managed to take home an award for hooning last year, which was basically given to me for destroying Lord March’s lawn. To me, that’s awesome, so I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure I secure that title again this year.”

To double his odds of securing the Veuve Clicquot “Most Thrilling Driver” award once again, Block will be bringing out two cars to this year’s Festival of Speed. His Gymkhana THREE Ford Fiesta and his Ford Fiesta RS WRC that he currently runs in the World Rally Championship. 

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from July 1st through July 3rd. Follow Ken Block during his visit to the event at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

BLOCK HITS ARGENTINA FOR THE FIRST TIME, FINISHES AND PULLS OFF HIS BEST STAGE PLACEMENT TO DATE.

May 30, 2011, Cordoba, Argentina – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino headed to South America for their first visit to WRC Argentina and came away with their best-ever WRC stage finish this past weekend. Over the course of the rally, Block and Gelsomino attacked the notoriously difficult stage roads of the Argentinean country side at a promising pace, showing consistent top 10 stage finishes, until a broken driveshaft stunted their effort. Still the two pressed on, and upped the pace, eventually laying down speed on WRC Argentina’s SS17 that placed them 5th fastest, the team’s best-ever stage finish in a WRC rally.

“I’ve loved being down here for WRC Argentina. If it wasn’t for suffering yet another mechanical issue on Saturday, I would have been on pace to score my first points of the season. So, missing out on that sucks. It wasn’t all bad though, on Sunday I took 5th on-stage for SS17, which is a personal best for me in the WRC. I’m definitely stoked about that. Plus the fans are absolutely wild and the stages have been incredible.”

Following a win in the heads up format of Thursday’s opening SuperSpecial SS1, Block and Gelsomino headed out on Friday in good shape and with the intention to run a conservative, steady pace. Block’s overall goal for the rally was simply to keep it clean, have fun and cross the finish line. By the end of Leg 1 on Friday, that goal was being realized as Block found himself sitting in 9th place overnight. Saturday however, would be less kind. After Friday’s reserved pace, Block decided to step things up as he gained back his in-car confidence following an eight-week hiatus from racing. Unfortunately, on the second stage of the day, SS9, Block suffered a broken driveshaft, which eventually forced a retirement on SS11.

However, Sunday morning brought a fresh chance to restart for Block under SuperRally rules. Unfortunately, on the first stage of the day, a slight off, which caused a tire puncture, cost the two 16 minutes. Despite this though, Block went on to lay down his best WRC stage finish to date on the next stage, placing 5th, while being about 3 seconds off of stage winner, and fellow Ford teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala.

“To have Ken driving at this level after being out of the car for eight weeks and pull off a personal best for a stage finish on these roads is massive,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “He showed great poise on some very difficult stages and demonstrated great future potential for next year here in Argentina.”

The next WRC stop for MWRT will be ADAC Rally Deutschland, August 18-21. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins Wins 2011 Oregon Trail Rally

Portland, OR (May 15th, 2011)  -- Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew took a commanding win at the Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2011 Rally America Championship. Higgins finished 3 minutes 26.9 seconds ahead of rival Antoine L'Estage and won ten of the fifteen stages. It was a tight battle with David Higgins but the Mitsubishi Rockstar crew of Antione L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard suffered three tire punctures in a row on day two, which cost them the chance to keep pace with Higgins. Oregon marks Higgins' second consecutive victory of the season having just won the Olympus Rally two weeks ago in Washington State. Higgins now assumes the overall Championship from Travis Hanson, who has lead the points race since the opening round at Sno*Drift Rally.

The Oregon Trail Rally began Friday with spectator stages held at the Portland International Raceway before moving to the scenic farmlands in and around The Dalles and Dufur for days two and three. Oregon Trail began as a dry and dusty rally, but was consumed by heavy rains and thunderstorms during the middle of day two. The inclement weather forced event organizers to cancel the last two stages of day two and shorten some of day three's stages.

In addition to the changing weather and road conditions, attrition quickly set in for several teams including Subaru Canada's Pat Richard and co-driver Leanne Junnila. Richard was forced to retire on Stage 8 due to persisting fuel pump problems. Another notable retirement was Subaru Rally Team USA's Dave Mirra and co-driver Marshall Clarke, who were in third overall before Saturday's stages before crashing out on Stage 6.

Super Production (SP) driver Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis completed the overall National podium by finishing a distant third despite having engine issues on day one. Lagemann also took the SP class win over Travis and Terry Hanson by a mere 3.6 seconds, but the results remain provisional pending a protest about Lagemann filed by Hanson. The Hansons put in a solid run and lead Super Production up until the morning of day three when they began battling closely with Lagemann for the class win. Travis Hanson is still in contention for the overall Championship and is now closer to securing the 2011 Super Production title. Local driver Paul Eklund and co-driver Jeff Price took third in SP and ninth overall.

In Two-Wheel-Drive, Scion xD driver Andrew 'ACP' Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey took the class win and placed seventh overall. ACP, who won the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally in Open class, finished 26 seconds ahead of Mazda Speed 3 driver Wyatt Knox. Knox and co-driver Ole Holter spent the entire weekend entrenched in a close battle with the Scion team, but finished second in class and eighth overall. Ford Racing Fiesta driver Dillon Van Way and co-driver Jake Blattner finished third in class and 12^th overall, but fell minutes behind ACP and Knox early in the rally after having suspension issues. Brian Gottlieb and co-driver Pat Darrow finished behind Van Way, taking fourth in class and 13^th overall.

The Oregon Trail Rally ran one Northwest Regional event on each day of the event. Carl Decker and Adam Craig won the 'Wagons Ho!' Regional hosted at Portland International Raceway with 27.4 seconds over Brian Svedin and co-driver Teresa Buren. Mark Tabor and co-driver Ben Bradley placed third.

Brian Svedin and Teresa Buren won the 'Shunpikur Stages' Regional held on day two, finishing 16.6 ahead of Decker and Craig. Byron Garth and co-driver Greg Allen placed third.

Decker and Craig came back on day three to win the 'Trails End' Regional by 36.5 seconds over Svedin and Buren. Dave and Richard Hintz finished in third place.

The next round of the Rally America National Championship is the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA, this June 3-4.

AMERICAN TANNER FOUST TAKES FIRST EUROPEAN WIN IN PORTUGAL

Tanner Foust on course for victory in Portugal at the European Rallycross Championship. Photo by Jakub QBA Nitka (ERC24.com)



MONTALEGRE, Portugal (May 16, 2011) - It was a dominant weekend for Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust, who became the first American ever to win an FIA European Rallycross Championship round in Portugal.

"Simply incredible!" said Foust, who earned his victory in front of a sell-out crowd at the race. "The team showed its potential this weekend, finishing one-two."

Foust was the driver to beat at the Pista Automóvel de Montalegre, setting a pair of fastest practice session times in his Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta on Saturday before scoring two out of three heat wins heading into Sunday's final round.

"This place is amazing," said Foust. "The fans are so into it that you can tell what's happening just by listening to the crowd; they scream when somebody passes and for a good lap. It's a really fun place to race."

Foust and teammate Andreas Eriksson lined up side-by-side to start the final race of the weekend and crossed the finish in first and second place, respectively.

The racing was not without its challenges for newcomer Foust, who finished his first heat of the weekend in sixth place after an error that led him into the Joker lap at an inopportune time and forced him to make an emergency change of direction mid-race.

"I had to reverse and do a 180 onto the regular lap to avoid getting a penalty," said Foust. "The crowd loved it, but I was kicking myself. It was a good reminder that I've still got a lot to learn about this sport."

Foust made his series debut at the Portugal round of the European Rallycross Championship last year, finishing in eighth-place overall. The driver ran select events in 2010 and is now undertaking his first full European championship season.

After two rounds in the championship, Foust sits in second place overall, just one point behind defending champion Sverre Isachsen. At Round 1 in the UK last month, Foust set strong practice times but suffered some bad luck that knocked him out of podium contention.

Foust is also contesting the Global RallyCross Championship in 2011, persevering through pain after dislocating his shoulder to take the win at the most recent round, Twin Peaks, held outside Seattle a month ago.

Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. As many as six drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.

In addition to rallycross competition in Europe and the United States, Foust's 2011 competition schedule also includes a return to X Games Rally Car Racing events this July. He will be back in Europe this coming weekend for the third round of the championship at Circuit des Ducs in Essay, France, May 21-22.

Global RallyCross Championship Twin Peaks airs Saturday at 4:30 on ESPN

West Hollywood, CA (May 13, 2011 | GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP) -Tune in to ESPN on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern as the excitement of the Global RallyCross Championship returns to television with the DiRT 3 Global RallyCross Championship: Twin Peaks, presented by Best Buy.

The Saturday broadcast features drivers from the top ranks of action sports and rallycross in the United States and Europe as they take on a second-round battle for the inaugural Global RallyCross Championship title - and a chance to earn an invitation to X Games 17 Rally competitions held in downtown Los Angeles this summer.

Top drivers including Tanner Foust, BMX and rally pro Dave Mirra, and Formula DRIFT drivers Rhys Millen and Stephan Verdier tear it up on the inventive industrial course near Seattle. Action includes a huge gap jump where cars fly 70-feet through the air - a feature seen only at X Games and Global RallyCross competition - and racing through an industrial warehouse, with the sound of high-power engines ricocheting off the walls.

The show will be rebroadcast Saturday evening at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

Rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. The series benefits from a multi-year programming relationship with ESPN. 

Competitors will next travel to Colorado at the Pikes Peak International Raceway for Round 3: Last Chance (June 17-18). Ticketing and other information will be available soon at http://www.global-rallycross.com/. Invitations for X Games 17 Rally events will be announced soon after the conclusion of the third round of the 2011 series.

Fans can also find the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GlobalRallyCross) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GlobalRallyX) to sign up for a chance to win tickets and other prizes.

The RallyCar organization sanctions the Global RallyCross Championship events.