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/ . 



RALLYCROSS HITS THE AIRWAVES STARTING IN OCTOBER ON NBC’S WORLD OF ADVENTURE SPORTS!

Friday, October 22, 2010
Aura360 signs deal to secure media distribution for Rallycross and 360 Productions to produce Series for television


All the great results and event highlights from the inaugural 2010 RallyCar rallycross season are coming to broadcast television this fall as featured content on NBC’s World of Adventure Sports.

Four rounds of rallycross from New Jersey Motorsports Park, where the U.S. was introduced to rally cars competing wheel-to-wheel on a short tarmac and dirt course, will be highlighted in multiple episodes airing throughout the remaining 2010 season and into 2011.

The World of Adventure Sports; a multiple time Emmy Award nominee and winner is a leader in capturing the globe’s most demanding sports, combining incredible action and behind-the-scenes content with high level story telling production.

Shows broadcasting rally and rallycross content will air on the following dates:

October 31st, 2010, 3:00pm - 4:00pm ET Red Bull Speed Chasers
November 14th, 2010, 3:00pm - 4:00pm ET Round 1 Rallycross Championship
December 19th, 2010, 3:00pm - 4:00pm ET BAJA
January 16th, 2011, 3:00pm - 4:00pm ET Round 2 Rallycross Championship

Additional 2011 Schedule times will be announced in the coming weeks.

Boasting huge audiences and a very diverse fan base in Europe, rallycross sits at the intersection of rally, drifting, and road racing disciplines and features stars from each respective autosport. It is widely believed that rallycross racing in America is changing the face of motorsports, attracting teams from around the world and bringing exotic racecars never seen on American soil to compete against the U.S.A.’s best drivers.

A race consists of five rally style cars jumping and sliding on a road course made up of pavement AND dirt. Five 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. Each car must also take a “Joker” lap at some point during their heat. A Joker Lap is a small detour that adds a level of unpredictability to the heat’s outcome by changing a driver’s strategy in an instant.

"It's an incredibly challenging and aggressive sport," said driver Tanner Foust, who has been competing in European championship events this season. "The action is non-stop and the fans can't get enough of it."

RallyCar’s initial events have attracted top talent from the European Rallycross Championship (ERC) as their season ended in September to compete against U.S.A.’s finest. The European teams brought exotic racing machines never before seen in America, such as Liam Doran’s 2009 Citroen C4 and Frode Holte’s 2010 Volvo C30. Each of these machines packs a punch powered by 550 horsepower engines, All-Wheel-Drive drivetrains, and two second 0-60mph acceleration times. They are joined by Sverre Isachsen, two time ERC Champion in rounds 3 and 4.

World of Adventure Sports will chronicle the European challenge as the U.S.A. brings out their top guns; Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, and Rockstar Energy Drink’s Tanner Foust, who won the first two RallyCar rallycross rounds.

The competition became even more interesting with the addition of New Zealand’s Rhys Millen, 2005 Formula DRIFT Champ and ex-Mitsubishi Rally Team driver, who arrived with a 2008 Hyundai Accent that was originally campaigned in the World Rally Championships.


Sponsors of the World of Adventure Sports include Red Bull, Garmin, Oakley, Progressive and BFGoodrich.


About Aura360
Aura360 specializes in animating client brands through innovative event and media properties and related marketing ventures. Aura360’s services are structured into three operating units; Ownership & Ventures, Client Property Development & Management, and Productions. Allied business 360 Productions provides global video production services.

For more information please visit www.aura360.com or www.360Productionsgroup.com.

The MaxAttack!™ Rally Series Heads to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for Epic Season Finale

Click on Image for Wallpaper -Go MaxAttack!

Portland, OR (October 14, 2010) – The final round of the 2010 MaxAttack! Series, presented by the Danza del Sol winery, will roll into Houghton, Michigan on October 16. Sanctioned by Rally America, the Lake Superior Performance Rally will cover 90 racing miles that will test rally teams on a variety of road surfaces, in an event where constantly changing weather conditions can significantly alter the outcome of the event. An excellent field of more than twenty two-wheel-drive rally cars from nine different marques will make the finale one to remember.

The battle for the $1500 first-place check and maximum championship points will be a fierce one. American rally legend Doug Shepherd and co-driver Karen Wagner will have to be considered one of the favorites going into the event. Shepherd has entered this rally many times over the years, and has a high-horsepower Dodge Neon SRT-4 that seems well-suited to the Michigan roads. But to make matters interesting, Lauchlin O’Sullivan also has an SRT-4 at his disposal, and he and co-driver Scott Putnam will be duking it out with Shepherd. Eric Burmeister also has a great deal of Upper Peninsula rally experience. The Michigan Tech alumnus will once again be behind the wheel of his potent Mazdaspeed3 at this event, with co-driver Dave Shindle.

Making his first visit to Michigan will be Oregon speedster Cody Crane in a Honda CRX. While down on power to some of the turbocharged cars, the lighter and nimbler Honda may have some advantages under braking and turning. He and co-driver Billy Irvin almost won the Oregon Trail round of MaxAttack!, but late-rally mechanical problems slowed them down. Also entering from Oregon is the duo of Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow. They finished fifth in Oregon in a Toyota FX-16, but that car burned to the ground this summer. They have replaced it with the Honda Civic in which Andrew Havas claimed the 2007 and 2008 Oregon Trail MaxAttack! wins. In another CRX, Chris and Lori O’Driscoll are making the drive from Colorado to try and improve on their Oregon Trail MaxAttack! finish. And in another Civic are Silas and Matt Himes, brothers of Jake Himes, one of the founders of MaxAttack! and in whose honor the championship trophy is named.

There are a number of other entrants that could place well at this event. Canadian brothers Jan and Jody Zedril are bringing their Mitsubishi Lancer south from Winnipeg, and they are no strangers to rallies in Minnesota and Michigan. The brothers have already clinched the Group 2 class championship in the Canadian national rally series. Chris Greenhouse always goes well at Lake Superior, he is teamed with Brian Johnson in a Plymouth Neon. Co-Driver Ben Slocum, who won the Oregon round of MaxAttack! with Dillon Van Way in a Ford Focus, has teamed with Mike Merbach in a Volkswagen Jetta for the Lake Superior rally.

Older and rear-wheel-drive cars are always popular with spectators, and no exception is the 1970 VW Beetle of brothers Mark and John Huebbe from Missouri. Jim Scray and Colin Vickman are competing in a 1972 Datsun 510, and Lake Superior veterans Colin McCleery and Jimmy Brandt have teamed up in a 1985 Ford Sierra (Merkur XR4ti in the United States). Rotary is represented by the Mazda RX-7 of locals Mychal Summers and RyanDesLaurier, who run their Mazda RX-7 out of L’Anse, Michigan, where the first service stops will take place. The sole truck entered in the event is the Chevrolet S10 of Jim Cox and Dan Drury, from Minnesota.

The 2010 MaxAttack! series champion and prestigious Jake Himes Cup winner will be decided in a spectacular “Shootout” fashion at this event. The series points structure is such that the Lake Superior Round is weighted heavier than the qualifying events, so it is virtually impossible to win the championship without attending this rally. Lauchlin O’Sullivan, having won the New England Forest qualifying event in July, would have to be considered the favorite to repeat as series champion. Cody Crane, by virtue of his second-place finish in Oregon, is also among the favorites. This will be his first event outside the Pacific Northwest, so the learning curve may be steep, but he has demonstrated speed on a variety of roads. Eric Burmeister finished third in New England, and will definitely have his Mazdaspeed3 in with a chance of taking his second MaxAttack! crown. Other entrants with a mathematical chance of winning the Jake Himes Cup are Brian Gottlieb and Chris O’Driscoll, both of whom entered the Oregon Trail rally in May.

The 2010 MaxAttack! Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol consists of three events, which are:

• Oregon Trail, May 14-16, Portland, The Dalles, and Dufur, OR, http://www.oregontrailrally.com/
• New England Forest Rally, July 16-17, Bethel, ME, http://www.newenglandforestrally.com/
• Lake Superior Performance Rally, October 16-17, Houghton, MI, http://www.lsprorally.com/
Oregon Trail and the New England Forest Rally will be the qualifying events for the Jake Himes Cup, and the Lake Superior Performance Rally will be the central Shootout event.

Each event will feature a $5,000 prize fund to be distributed among the top two-wheel-drive teams, as well as a season championship. For more information about the MaxAttack! Series and the Rallysports Group of America, please visit http://www.max-attack.com/.