Privateer takes victory at Round One of the 2011 Rally America Championship

 

The Privateer team of Travis and Terry Hanson claim victory at Sno*Drift Rally 2011

Atlanta, Michigan. January 30, 2011.  The 2011 U.S. rally season got underway this weekend with Sno*Drift Rally, the opener of the Rally America National Championship. As the rally cars sat at the starting line for the opening stage Antoine L’Estage, David Higgins and Dave Mirra were all tipped as possible favorites for the overall victory.   

But in just a few short stages, the predictions for the overall winner were quickly thrown out the window.  As others retired around them, the father and son team of Travis and Terry Hanson would throw down some remarkable times on the opening stages of day one, thus opening a large margin that they would not concede all the way to the finish line. But no less remarkable was the drive put in by Joseph Burke, who managed to keep Team Subaru driver Dave Mirra at bay right down to the penultimate stage.  Burke showed great maturity for a young driver in salvaging a podium finish rather than throwing it off on the very icy conditions.

With the departure of Higgins, it was all down to Dave Mirra to get Team Subaru to the podium. Photo/© Josh Guzman

Going into Sno*Drift most had expected this to be a battle between the 2010 Rally America Champion Antoine L’Estage and Team Subaru driver David Higgins for the overall title.  L’Estage and his regular co-driver Nathalie Richard would indeed open big.  A string of stage victories put Antoine 20 seconds ahead of Higgins after 3 stages. But a rare misjudgment by L’Estage on SS4 would see him stranding his Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi on a snow bank. Antoine would eventually get back on the road with the help of another competitor but the damage was done.  The car overheated and forced his retirement.

David Higgins, a native of The Isle of Man, would take over the lead of the rally, but it was to be a short lived run for Subaru’s new driver.  Engine failure on SS6 would end his run.

In just his second outing on Snow, Joseph Burke managed to claim his second national podium finish. Photo/© Josh Guzman

With L’Estage and Higgins sidelined, the rally lead was taken up by Travis Hanson who had started fourth on the road.  Travis, who is a native of Michigan, definitely has some mad driving skills on snow and in icy conditions.

At the end of the final stage on day one it was Joseph Burke, Arkadiusz Gruszka, Roman Pakos and Dave Mirra jostling for position behind Hanson in his 2007 SP Class Subaru STI.  Moving into day two and running first on the road Travis Hanson and his co-driver father, Terry, would settle into the groove focused on a clean run towards the podium. 

The chase was on. For Team Subaru USA their hopes of a podium finish now lay in the hands of Dave Mirra and his new co-driver, Marshall Clarke from Enniskillen, Ireland. Arkadiusz Gruszka started the day in third overall, but would crash out on SS8, the opening stage of the day.  The battle for second and third podium positions was clearly going to be between Joseph Burke and Dave Mirra.

This was only the second time rallying on snow and ice for Burke, but the young driver proved his worth and the good judgment to know when he was driving beyond his experience on these tough conditions.

After battling throughout the day, Burke finally conceded the second step on the podium to Mirra on the penultimate stage. “Travis was really untouchable once he opened the gap on Friday, but we pushed hard to not let him get any further away. Dave and I had a great race all day Saturday and I really felt that I might have been able to hold him off on the final few stages, but Dave pushed really hard over stage seventeen. I just had to back off and not risk throwing it all away,” said Burke. “Our goal coming into Sno*Drift was to finish and try to hold our position on the road. Getting onto any position on the podium was just an excellent result for the team. We will find our way to the top eventually.”



Dillon Van Way drives a clean rally to give

Ford its first 2WD U.S. victory for the

2011 Ford Fiesta. Photo/©Nitesh Divecha



The battle for the 2WD title was a case of what could have been for Duplessis. Chris Duplessis, who is back with a 2010 Scion x-D for  2011, had opened a three minute gap over Dillon Van Way in the 2011 Ford Fiesta after just the first six stages.

But SS7, the same stage that caused problems for Burke and Mirra, would slow Duplessis’ charge.  A puncture and a loose light pod would cost him 10 minutes. Heading into day two, despite his loss of time, Duplessis was still in position for a solid third on the podium. Much like Mirra, he could have settled for third, but driving “easy” is not in these guys DNA.  Erasing 10 minutes over some 70 horrendously icy stage miles seemed like an impossible task.

As the clocks stopped at the final time control on the last stage of the 2011 Sno*Drift Rally, Duplessis had come so very close to grabbing the top spot.

Not to take away from Dillon Van Way’s overall 2WD class victory in a bone stock 2011 Ford Fiesta (with the exception of some upgraded suspension bits and a roll cage, and a Quaife LSD of course), but Duplessis had run so hard over the last stages of day two that he had closed to within just over a minute from snatching the overall podium.

Chris Greenhouse rounded out the 2WD class podium in third.



Duplessis proves the Scion will

be the car to beat in 2WD as he makes

a massive comeback on day two.

Photo/© Nitesh Divecha



Erik Zenz and co-driver Dave Parps in an open class, Mazda 323 won the Drift Regional Rally on Saturday, posting a time of 1 hour 17 minutes and 14.2 seconds. Zenz finished 22 seconds ahead of Henry and Cynthia Krolikowski in a Subaru, winners of Friday’s Sno* Regional. Grabbing third place was Matt and Andrew Bushore in the POS VW Jetta, finishing 6 minutes behind Zenz.

Looking forward to Rally of The 100 Acre Wood, round two of the Rally America Championship, we expect the battle at the front to pick up between L’Estage and Higgins.  It will be interesting to see if Hanson can keep  his pace from Sno*Drift on the fast flowing stages in Salem, Missouri, will Mirra and Burke take up where they left off.  Without a WRC event that weekend, will we see the defending champion Ken Block make an appearance to defend his title? Will Ramana Lagemann also get back in the mix?

With both Ford and Scion, now showing some backing in the 2WD class, it will be interesting to see which of their drivers can become “A Star in a reasonably priced car”.  We expect Duplessis will be back on a mission in the Team Scion Racing x-D looking to claim his first overall victory in 2011. Van Way is expected to get an upgrade by possibly adding a Turbo to the Fiesta, it will all be needed to match the pace of Duplessis. We do expect to hear some more exciting 2WD news in the very near future.

The excitement continues February 25-26, 2011. Watch for details on http://www.rally-america.com/

Subaru Rally Team USA 2011 Sno*Drift Rally Test Session and Rally Preview

Joseph Burke Moves to Open Class for 2011

Atlanta, Georgia. January, 23, 2011 - Embarking on their second season in the Rally America National Championship, Joseph Burke and co-driver Alex Kihurani look to improve on their impressive 2010 results. Although the team only contested five of the six rounds of the series, Burke still managed to capture the Rally America Rookie of the Year honors. For 2011, Burke will make the move up to the open class as he contests all six rounds of the Rally America Championship. Burke will be on the line in a Mitsubishi during the first round this week at Sno*Drift.

Team Manager Seamus Burke commented on the move, “We saw some limitations in 2010 running in the SP class.  After evaluating the options and to give Joseph the opportunity for a podium it was better to have him step to an open class car.”

Joseph had the opportunity to run an open class Kearney Motorsports Subaru in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He finished an impressive second overall at International Rally New York 2008 and captured an overall victory at Black River Stages in the same year.

Looking towards Sno*Drift, the team’s main goal is to be there at the finish. “Although we would like very much to stay within the top five at Sno*Drift, I am going into this rally with the understanding of just how tough the conditions can be,” explains Joseph.  “This will just be my second rally on snow and ice so I will depend heavily on my co-driver and team manager for direction.”

Burke’s co driver Alex Kihurani and his father and team manager Seamus Burke have competed at Sno*Drift on multiple occasions, with Seamus getting to the podium several times.

“It’s kind of hard to explain, but slow is fast at Sno*Drift,” explains the senior Burke.  “When it’s icy there is a lot of dodgy off-camber stuff in there.  We will have to gauge the conditions when we get there and decide a plan from there.”  Seamus goes on to say, “From watching some of the in car video I am really pleased with the chemistry that Joseph and Alex have developed in the car.  To be in the hunt for a podium these days you need to be 100% committed to the notes.”

Joseph also had a chance to try some European RallyCross in the fall of 2010, “I really enjoyed the tight racing, but I have to say that I am really looking forward to getting back out onto the stages.”

The team has been working hard to secure some new sponsorship for 2011 and beyond and is currently working with some exciting opportunities. “For Sno*Drift  we are again teaming up with Team MS-Racing for Research and Awareness of Multiple Sclerosis as well as our sponsors Atlanta Activewear and Rally World News,” commented Burke.

http://www.josephburkemotorsport.com/

Photos/©Neil McDaid

2011 MaxAttack!™ Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol Winery Calendar Announced

After four successful years of bringing the best of two-wheel-drive rally action to the United States, the MaxAttack! Rally Series is pleased to announce that the series will yet again provide the most intense competition and the richest prize fund in North American two-wheel-drive rallying thanks to the continued support of the Danza del Sol Winery in Temecula Valley, California.

The prize fund and format for the MaxAttack! Rally Series presented by Danza del Sol will remain the same in 2011, with the winner of each event taking home a cool $1,500. As in 2009 and 2010, competitors will run either a western or eastern qualifying event, with teams then contesting a central “Shootout.” The highest point total from one of the qualifying events and the Shootout will determine the winner of the coveted Jake Himes Cup. The $15,000 prize fund will again be available to all registered two-wheel-drive entrants at each series event, regardless of how many of the MaxAttack! rallies a team may contest.

The events that comprise the 2011 MaxAttack! Series feature one change from the 2010 schedule. The ever-popular New England Forest Rally remains on the calendar, as does the classic Lake Superior rally. New for this season is a different west coast event, the Olympus Rally, based in Ocean Shores, Washington in late April.

The Rallysports Group of America is also pleased to announce continued video coverage of the series; in 2011, video from all three events will be available on YouTube, the MaxAttack! web site, as well as other internet motorsport video hosts. "We are pleased that Grant Hughes and the NoCoast Productions video crew have agreed to return and cover the series in 2011," states Eric Burmeister of the Rallysports Group of America. "They did a tremendous job of providing well-edited same-week coverage last year, and we are excited to see what they can produce in the new season."

The three events that will constitute the 2011 MaxAttack! Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol are:
• Olympus Rally, April 30-May 1, Ocean Shores, WA, www.olympusrally.com
• New England Forest Rally, July 15-16, Bethel, ME, www.newenglandforestrally.com
• Lake Superior Performance Rally, October 14-16, Houghton, MI, www.lsprorally.com
The Olympus Rally 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.

The MaxAttack! Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol consists of three events across the country, and each event will feature a $15,000 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 www.max-attack.com.

Photo/Neil McDaid -Maine 2010

Turning to the next Chapter in U.S. Rallying

The question is, can the Rally America stage rally series retain the fans that Block and Pastrana brought to the sport?.  Photo: Neil McDaid  

As we charge head first into a new season of rallying here in the USA, it’s hard not to reflex on the departure of Travis Pastrana and Ken Block from the Rally America National Championship. The energy and excitement brought by Block and Pastrana attracted some much needed exposure to rallying in the USA, but despite their best efforts in drawing many new fans to the sport, rallying still struggles to find its place in the crowded U.S. mainstream motorsports market. It will be interesting to see, as we move through the 2011 season, if their departure means a drop in spectators on the special stages.

But all is not lost. There has been some talk about Travis possibly running a few events in 2011 in a Rally Car. XGAMES for one is a must for Pastrana, but I feel beyond that it will be a challenge for him to find time with his new gig at NASCAR.



Subaru’s new front man,

David Higgins from the Isle of Man

is back rallying in the USA for 2011.

Higgins last stint here was for Team Mitsubishi.

 Photo: Neil McDaid



Ken Block, who is now on a full WRC program for 2011, is also planning to be at XGAMES and he has made it known of his desire to compete in at least one U.S. rally. That would most likely be “Rally of the 100 Acre Woods,” an event that Block has won five times.

But for Ken to defend his title at 100AW the question comes to mind as to what car he would use; a modified WRC Focus from M-Sport or, better still, an S2000 Fiesta? The latter would be nice but both are unlikely. I doubt that Ken would try and defend his 100AW title in the same Fiesta that that gave him so much heartache in 2010. Leaving the overall victory aside, there is always his MK11 Escort. Trust me, no one would complain if he arrived at the start control in that.

As Ken and Travis move onto their respective new challenges, we wish them the very best and treasure the good times they gave us as fans of U.S. rallying. And, yes, we will hold onto any hope of their return.

Moving onto the 2011 Championship, we breathe a sigh of relief that Subaru has decided to continue for at least another year with the U.S. based factory team and in their support of grassroots rallying with their contingency program.

Despite having a very challenging year in 2010, Subaru has elected to stick with Dave Mirra for at least another year. Dave will also get yet another change of navigator in 2011, as Irishman Marshall Clarke slides into the co-driver’s seat.

After much speculation on who might replace Travis, Subaru called on the services of David Higgins to fill the spot. I have to say that I was among many who initially grumbled at Subaru’s choice.

One could not blame Subaru for calling on the very talented services of Mr. Higgins to get them back to the top step of the podium. But it seemed that Subaru passed over many good North American drivers that could have secured them a podium finish just as well. 2010 Rally America National Champion Antoine L’Estage was though by many to be a natural replacement for Pastrana, to name but one. But in giving Subaru the benefit of the doubt, maybe they did the right thing for rallying by not taking Antoine out of the competitive mix.

So for 2011 Antoine L’Estage will stick with his Mitsubishi. He has, at this time, commitment to a full season in Canada, but has made no official announcement regarding a full Rally America season.



Will Antoine L’Estage and Natalie Richard have what it takes to stay in touch with Team Subaru in 2011, now that Higgins in on board? One would have to think that L’Estage will have the edge on the ice and snow heading into the Sno*Drift. Photo Neil McDaid

Crews and fans alike will be packing their thermal underwear as we head to Sno*Drift, the 2011 Rally America season opener in Atlanta, Michigan on Jan 28th-29th. Sub zero temperatures along with snow and ice covered stages are a staple of this classic winter challenge. Most of the stages at Sno*Drift are run at least twice, not if you took a Zamboni could you polish the ice on the stages any better than the first pass of the cars. Unlike Europe where studded rally tires are the norm Sno*Drive does not allow studs so rally teams have to pull out every trick in the book to get traction.

The starting order for the top three cars will be determined via a draw on January 27. It will be between David Higgins, Antoine L’Estage and Dave Mirra. Much to our disappointment, we have just learned of the withdrawal of Ramana Lagemann from the rally for undisclosed reasons. Ramana had made a very successful return to Rally in 2010 after several years’ in hiatus. Ramana would have surely been in the hunt for the overall victory at Sno*Drift. Hopefully we will see the return of Lagemann for round #2.

Travis Hanson will start fourth in his SP Class Subaru Impreza. He will be followed on the road by the 2010 Rally America Rookie of the Year Joseph Burke starting 5th. Burke steps up his game from the SP Class where he competed in 2010 to an open Mitsubishi in 2011.
The overall victory at Sno*Drift is hard to call. Without question, Higgins will push the hardest to prove his worth. Antoine will most likely slot in behind him and drive a no-risk event as he has the first round of the Canadian Championship the following week.
Mirra will be under pressure from the onset from the privateers. Expect Hanson and Burke to push to better their starting positions. Laughlin O Sullivan is also back in an AWD SP class car for Sno*Drift. I expect Laughlin to work his way up through the top 10 by the end of day on Friday.



The shape of things to come, Ford is hoping that their 2011 Ford Fiesta paired with their R2 Rally package will find its place in U.S. Rallying. In conjunction with building several of the R2 Fiesta’s Team O’Neill is also in the process of converting a drifter to a rally driver.  Verena Mei,  a drifter originally from Hawaii has moved to Littleton NH to totally entrench herself in rallying. Verena will co-drive for Team-mate Wyatt Knox at Sno*Drift to get her up to speed with the notes. Photo: Team O’Neill  /http://www.stargirlracing.com/

The 2011 season is already shaping up to be a great year for the 2WD classes. Ford Racing, who made a return to U.S. stage rally in 2010 with Ken Block, have turned their efforts in 2011 to the development of a competition 2WD rally ready package for the all new Fiesta.

Ford Fiestas built to the R2 spec will be eligible, but not limited, to compete in the 2011 Fiesta Sport Trophy which will begin in June. Tim O’ Neill, who is the exclusive seller of the R2 package in the USA, is already well underway with the building of several R2 based Fiestas.

Although we don’t expect to see any of the R2 Fiestas taking to the stages at Sno*Drift, word is that Dillon Van Way will move from his regular Ford Focus to either to a G2 or Open Class Fiesta starting at the event.

Van Way’s Fiesta is expected to based on a more powerful 2.0 liter engine as he contests the overall 2WD RA title. It is unclear at this time regarding Ford’s actual involvement with Van Way and the 600 Team, if at all?.

Christopher Duplessis, the 2010 RA 2WD Champion, will back at it in his 2010 Scion XD. Duplessis is sporting a sharp new livery for 2011 that is reminiscent of the old Toyota/Castrol colors of days gone by. Duplessis is a master on the ice and snow, often setting faster times than the more powerful AWD drive cars.

Yet another fast 2WD man, Wyatt Knox, is expected to be behind the wheel of one of the Team O’Neill R2 Ford Fiestas later in the year. But, he will contest Sno*Drift in the TON Mazda 3SPEED. Knox, an instructor at Team O’Neill Rally School is also a dab hand on ice.

With the added incentive of the Sno*Attack cash, we expect to see an epic battle between these and the other fast 2WD competitors.

Sneaking silently onto the entry list is one Frank Withon in a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt SS. I am surprised it has taken this long for the Chevy Cobalt to show up in U.S. rally. Although a little on the heavy side, the Cobalt is a very quick car.

This might be Frank’s first rally, but he’s is no stranger to motorsport. Whiton is well known in the Grand-Am paddock through his involvement with the GM Performance Division Cobalt SS racing program.

Check back for a full report and images after the rally. Or Check in with http://www.rally-america.com/ for live updates.

By Neil McDaid