All Roads Lead to Millville, New Jersey for the Final Rounds of the 2010 USA RallyCross Championship



Tanner Foust gets a low five from Dave Mirra’s daughter after his victory in round #2, had it not been for the red flag, Mirra and his girls might have been looking down on Foust from the top spot. Picture Neil McDaid.

Millville, NJ --RallyCar-Group, the organization behind bringing European style RallyCross to the USA has set the stage for a dramatic climax to their first championship season at New Jersey Motorsports Park November 6-7, 2010.

In their maiden year with just two events under their belts, RallyCar have taken note of what worked and what did not in the opening rounds and have made some significant changes to the course and schedule for the final rounds.

Most notable, they have significantly changed the track layout.  Gone are the long front and back straights where we witnessed the factory supported drivers cruise away from the privateer men in the first two rounds. Gone is the back section of the track where the cars would disappear out of the spectators’ view.

The new layout is a tighter, shorter, more fan friendly format that will significantly level the playing field between the drivers.  It will most likely increase the chances of contact with very tight door-to-door racing through the longer dirt sections. 

The original calendar for the 2010 season listed just three events to make up the championship. However, the organizers have split the last round into two separate events run on Saturday and Sunday, which will make four points scoring rounds in the 2010 Championship.

The final rounds have drawn in some of the top European RallyCross drivers.  In addition to English driver Liam Doran in the Citroen C4, who competed in round 2, we will see the 2010 European RallyCross Champion Sverre Isachsen of Norway in his Ford Focus ST T16.

Swedish Rally and RallyCross legend Per Eklund will be on hand with his Saab 9-3.  Eklund has elected not to drive but to put his nineteen year old RallyCross prodigy Toomas “Topi” Heikkinen behind the wheel of the AWD Saab.

Volvo will be represented by Norwegian Frote Holt in his exceptionally quick Volvo C30.  A confident Team Holt posted on their Facebook page, “We will show the Yanks how to drive a proper RallyCross car.”

Indeed the Yanks will have their work cut out for them with the influx of these top European competitors.

Leading the charge for the American drivers will be Tanner Foust in the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta.  Tanner dominated the first two rounds, taking the top spot on the podium in both events. Foust might lose some of his edge with the move to the new track format; nonetheless one should expect Tanner to stay in contention. 

Despite getting onto the podium in round 1, Team Subaru driver Travis Pastrana has had somewhat of a disastrous start to his RallyCross endeavors.  Several crashes and engine failures have plagued the multi-time U.S. Rally Champion.

While Pastrana has struggled, his Subaru teammate Dave Mirra has improved with every round. Dave is currently sitting second to Foust in the point standings.



Liam Doran [center] and a few of the other European drivers are throwing down some hefty predictions for the final rounds of the 2010 USA RallyCross Championship. Pictured with Doran, is [left] Rhys Millen driver of the WRC Hyundai and raining champion from rounds one and two, Tanner Foust. Picture Neil McDaid

Hyundai USA and Rhys Millen made a late entry at round 2 and spent most of the weekend figuring out how to make their WRC Accent work as a RallyCross car. Although Millen did not factor in the final standings, we expect to see a step up in game from the multi-talented driver next weekend.

The final rounds will also see a healthy crop of U.S. stage rally regulars trying their hand at RallyCross in both AWD and 2WD divisions.



They say old Fords never die, Matt Johnson proved that in round # 2 when he smoked the 2WD field in his Nitro Circus sponsored 1978 Ford Fairmont. Picture Neil McDaid

Matt Johnson might very well have an uphill battle to defend his most excellent 2WD victory in round 2.  Matt drove the Nitro Circus sponsored retro Ford Fairmont to the top spot on the podium. The new track layout might just have a little bit too much dirt for the old Ford so we expect to see Josh Wimpy and Dillon Van Way having the edge. 

With the 2010 championship titles for AWD and 2WD still wide open, a new track format in place, and a special $20 per car load admission package offered to the fans, the stage is set for a very exciting conclusion to this, our first USA RallyCross season. 

For more info and TV airtimes: www.rally-america.com  www.njmp.com



Ford Racing Offers Rally Package for Fiesta, Announces Fiesta Class for Rally America Series

•Ford Racing Performance Group is bringing the Fiesta R2 rally kit to the U.S., developed by M-Sport, a move expected to thrill rally enthusiasts across the country

•The R2 package offers several performance upgrades to give competitors a turnkey, rally-ready Fiesta, including powertrain enhancements that pump out 168 horsepower and 134 lb.-ft. of torque

•New Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will debut in RallyCar's Rally America Series 2WD class for 2011, designed specifically for competitors who have the Fiesta R2 package installed by Team O'Neil

For rally fans looking to imitate what successful Ford rally drivers Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latlava and Ken Block have accomplished, a new Fiesta R2 rally package is the place to start.

Currently available throughout Europe, Ford Racing Performance Group is bringing the competition-ready package stateside to let enthusiasts turn their five-door Fiesta into a Fiesta R2 that's ready to compete on the roads of RallyCar's Rally America National Championship. The package is now available for order through Team O'Neil Motorsports, a division of Team O'Neil Rally School in New Hampshire (info@teamoneil.com).

"The spirit of One Ford is making it possible for us to bring the best of European rally racing to competitors in the U.S.," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsport. "The Fiesta R2 has already proven itself in Europe as a great platform for aspiring rally drivers."

The winner of the 2011 U.S. Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will also have the opportunity to compete in the R2 class during next year's Wales Rally GB.

Developed by M-Sport, Ford's WRC partner since 1997, the kit will convert a production Fiesta to rally specification. Included in the package are engine parts that will increase the performance of the 1.6-liter Ti-VCT four-cylinder engine: pistons, conrods, camshafts, valve springs, injectors, airbox, air filter and a sump baffle kit. The performance enhancements deliver 168 horsepower and 134 lb.-ft. of torque, a 40 percent increase in horsepower over the production Fiesta.

Other upgrades include:

•Five-speed Sadev sequential gearbox with flat shift gear cut

•Reiger adjustable dampers with Eibach springs

•Ventilated disc brakes with AP four-piston competition calipers

•T45 steel multipoint roll cage

Team O'Neil Motorsports is the official reseller and authorized installer for the R2 kits. Only cars prepared by Team O'Neil will be eligible for the U.S. Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship.

"The R2 kit provides a fantastic performance and dynamic upgrade for the already strong and light Fiesta platform, transforming it into an instantly competitive and durable rally car," said Tim O'Neil, founder and president. "We're really excited to be able to offer this to North American rally drivers."

In addition to the full R2 kit, Ford Racing will also offer a Stage 1 kit based on the R2 package.

The Stage 1 kit will include parts designed for the rigors of rallying, including a roll cage, ball joints, engine performance upgrades, dampers and a limited-slip differential. The package will offer competitors a lower-cost entry point to take a Fiesta rallying.

New Fiesta Sport Trophy class

Enthusiasts who add the R2 package to their Fiesta will have the ability to compete in the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship in RallyCar's Rally America National Championship 2WD class in 2011. The winner of the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will be awarded a ride in the R2 class in a Fiesta at Wales Rally GB. Additionally, the winner from the class will have the opportunity to compete in the Fiesta SportTrophy International Shootout in Great Britain for a chance to win a year's residential placement at M-Sport, working with the BP Ford World Rally team.

"Over the last two years, Ford Racing and the Fiesta have made a significant impact in the AWD Open class of RallyCar's Rally America, at X Games and in the debut of RallyCross," said JB Niday, managing director of RallyCar. "To see that emphasis expand into the 2WD class with an opportunity like the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship is a tremendous indicator of the value placed on the Fiesta program and the commitment to growing Fiesta through rally by Ford."

The rally kit also is the perfect way for enthusiasts to appreciate all that the Fiesta offers.

"Not only are we offering rally enthusiasts a way to experience the full capabilities of Fiesta, but we're also giving them an amazing opportunity to test their skills in Europe on their way to perhaps realizing a dream of competing in the WRC," said Allison.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.

For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

The WRC Academy is launched

Block scores first championship points at WRC Spain

Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino finish Rally de España 9^th overall, earning them their first WRC points, making Block the second American driver to ever score points in the championship. 

Coming off a 12^th place finish at Rally France, Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino entered Rally Spain with one goal—finishing in the top 10, subsequently earning their first World Rally Championship points. And right from the first stage, the two were on pace to do so. 

Day 1 of the Catalunya-based rally offered something different to the drivers: gravel stages. To celebrate its 20^th year as a WRC round, Rally de Catalunya–Costa Daurada reverted back to its original mixed-surface format—a unique challenge the WRC hasn’t seen since 1996—which actually gave Block and Gelsomino an advantage for putting down some fast Leg 1 times. “It felt great to get back out on gravel,” said Block. “While our speed is starting to improve on tarmac, we still have very few sealed surface miles under our belt and are only at the beginning of our development phase on paved stages. So we are still most confident on dirt.” And the times proved it. On the first stage of the rally, Block managed to keep only 1.6 seconds per kilometer off the stage winner and seven-time World Champion Sebastian Loeb. The team then maintained this time per kilometer off the top five drivers throughout the leg. The day’s steady push landed the American team in 9^th overnight, leaving them in a solid position to attack the next two days on tarmac.

The following day, Block and Gelsomino’s momentum was quickly thwarted with an off on the morning’s second stage. “We miscalculated a turn during recce and hadn’t noted it as a decreasing radius,” said Block. “By the time I realized this, it was too late to correct and we went off into a field.” While they were able to get the Monster Energy Ford Focus RS back onto the road, a small grass fire, caused by the hot exhaust, had to be extinguished before moving on. The entire excursion cost Block and Gelsomino an expensive 4 minutes, which, at the end of the rally, resulted in the difference of two positions and four championship points. 

Heading into the final day of the rally, Block and Gelsomino sat 10^th overall, but with Citroën factory driver Sebastien Ogier’s sights set on their points-scoring position, after his Day 2 crash, it wasn’t going to be an easy Sunday. “I knew with Ogier trying to hunt us down, we couldn’t continue with our Day 2 pace. We had no choice but to step it up,” said Block. Over the final four stages, Block and Gelsomino, for the first time, showed their gravel speed and confidence on tarmac, managing to keep within 1.5 seconds per kilometer off the Frenchman who is currently sitting 2^nd overall in the championship, and holding off his attack in the process. 

The Monster World Rally Team finished Rally de España 9^th overall, which earned Block and Gelsomino two championship points. The last American to score a point in the championship was Block’s mentor John Buffum, both at the 1988 Olympus Rally and the 1984 Acropolis Rally. 

“Even though it may have taken a few more rallies than I would’ve liked, I am super stoked on our result in Spain, and I am happy this first hurdle of earning WRC points is now behind us,” said Block. 

The next and final WRC round of the year for MWRT is Rally Great Britain. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com. 



McCormack and Farrell win Rally New York

Forestburgh, New York (October 24, 2010)    Enda McCormack and Bernard Farrell driving a Mitsubishi Evo 9 won the Rally New York Autumn Rallysprint 2010 yesterday. McCormack’s other recent success is the third place in the 2010 United States Rally Championship concluded at the final round at Prescott, Arizona earlier this month.

            Autumn Rallysprint 2010 was a short rally with 50 miles of special stages and the total length of 86 miles. This one-day Rallysprint offers reconnaissance in the morning followed by competition that starts in late morning.

            A small but competent field ran a single stage two times in each direction and this was repeated again after the lunch break. The event was marked by close competition and several racing accidents, none of which resulted in any injuries, and ran on time all day. Watching rally cars blasting down the long hill followed by a high-speed turn at the Aquehonga Spectator Area was a real treat for true rally enthusiasts.

            Tom Lawless, the 2010 United States Rally Champion, codriven by Alex Kihurani in another Mitsubishi Evo 9 lost his turbo on the first stage and rejoined the fight under Super Rally rules. He battled valiantly by winning five of the remaining six stages and whittling down the stage record to mere 5 minutes and 2 seconds on the last stage. This was a 45-second improvement over the previous stage record established by Seamus Burke in 2007. Without diminishing Lawless’ achievement, this large improvement was in part caused by the fact that the Mortimer Schiff road was in a better shape than ever because of the road improvement program by Rally New York, Ltd. Lawless could not overcome the Super Rally penalties and ended up fifth overall.

            O’Brien and McCabe in a Subaru WRX STi also broke the old stage record on the first three stages but were sidelined by an engine failure.

            Second place overall and the first in Two-Wheel-Drive went to Greg Healey and Aaron Crescenti after an outstanding drive in an old Datsun 280Z.

            Niall Johnson with Daniela Manago in a Subaru WRX achieved a big success with their third place overall and a win in Production All-Wheel-Drive with amazingly consistent stage times just over six minutes.

            Competition was very close with Don Kennedy and Jeremy Neyhart in a Subaru Impreza in the fourth overall rounding up the top five.

Results:

1. Enda McCormack / Bernard Farrell, Mitsubishi Evo 9, 1^st AWD, 0:44:05

2. Greg Healey / Aaron Crescenti, Datsun 280Z, 1^st 2WD, 0:50:05

3. Niall Johnson / Daniela Manago, Subaru WRX, 1^st Production AWD, 0:50:34

4. Donald Kennedy / Jeremy Neyhart, Subaru Impreza, 0:52:08

5. Thomas Lawless / Alex Kihurani, Mitsubishi Evo 9, 0:53:33

6. Adam Krolikowski / Richard Perez, Subaru WRX, 0:57:05

7. Liam Mulvey / Brain Kirby, Mazda RX3, 1:10:12

8. Bill Doyle / Terran Olson, BMW 325i, 1^st Production 2WD, 1:13:07

9. Justin Carven / Ayo Carven, VW Rabbit TDI, 1:23:11

10. Martin Shekleton / Brian McNamara, Eagle Talon, DNF

11. Danny O’Brien / Brendan McCabe, Subaru WRX STi, DNF

12. Matt Gottlieb / Austin Gager, Subaru WRX, DNF

13. Joseph Reilly / John O’Reilly, Eagle Talon, DNS

            The Autumn Rallysprint 2010 was the final round of the New York Rally Championship – Thunder 102 Cup, sponsored by Tearoff Guys (www.tearoffguys.com) and presented by Thunder 102 Rally Radio (www.thunder102.com). The event took place in beautiful weather on excellent roads on Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in Narrowsburg, New York and was enjoyed by all.

            More information about the New York Rally Championship and Rally New York events can be found at http://www.rallynewyork.com/ .