“Mind the Gap” Global RallyCross, the New Path to XGAMES 17 + World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm Confirmed for Round 1



"Mind the gap" all rounds of the 2011 GRC will feature an XGAMES style 70ft gap jump. Photo Neil McDaid /RallyWorldNews.



Irwindale CA. European style RallyCross is back in the United States and organizers are already promising to bring us to new heights in this highly charged form of Motorsport in 2011. After a very successful series of RallyCross events run by RallyCar in the fall of 2010, at New Jersey Motorsports Park [NJMP] we are now only weeks away from the opening event of the 2011 U.S. RallyCross season.

The new season also brings a new championship series to the mix. The first three RallyCross events this year will be run under the Global RallyCross Championship [GRC] banner. Under this new organization, drivers will now be competing door to door for their place at the XGAMES 17 in Los Angeles whereas in prior years, drivers would qualify for the XGAMES through the Rally America stage rally championship. Three additional rounds will be run by RallyCar for the U.S. RallyCross Championship after the XGAMES.  These rounds will be run in conjunction the Torc Off Road Racing Series where the organizers have already disclosed a very attractive cash purse.

It’s important to note that drivers who compete in the GRC events will also be eligible to score points towards the 2011 U.S. RallyCross Championship.



Tanner Foust is back for 2011 in his RockStar Energy Ford Fiesta; Foust is expected to be the one to beat. Photo Neil McDaid / RallyWorldNews.com











 Round number one of the GRC, “The Revolution,” will be held at Irwindale Speedway in California in less than two weeks time. Because of the late confirmation of the series, many teams are left scrambling to get ready. We may not see a full field in Irwindale, but it may be a case of quality over quantity. 

The course layout at Irwindale will feature 60 percent tarmac and 40 percent dirt.  All GRC events will feature an XGAMES style 70-foot gap jump.

Round two, “Twin Peaks,” heads northwest to Seattle, Washington. The location has all the components for a Ken Block Gymkhana video, set in a rural industrial complex with a course layout of 50 percent dirt and 50 percent tarmac. Drivers will drive through structures and various tarmac sections before taking on the 70-foot gap jump.  

Round 3, “Last Chance,” is just that, a last chance to get into the XGames.  Teams will head to Pike’s Peak International Raceway in Colorado. The course layout is expected to be similar to Irwindale. This GRC RallyCross event will also serve as an opening event in a week of speed leading up to the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

While the AWD cars will be racing for a place at the XGAMES, GRC organizers will offer cash prizes for drivers competing in the 2WD Class. The top scoring 2WD driver after the first three rounds will also get an invite to compete at XGAMES 17, but they will have to do so in an AWD if they chose to attend.

There is no question that the USA is primed and ready to embrace RallyCross.  2011 will be a building year for the series and hopefully we will see more drivers jumping in as the rounds progress.  The sport really needs to build on its grassroots drivers and not solely depend on star drivers to make this work. The confirmation that all rounds of the GRC will be televised by ESPN is a great boost to the growth of the sport and will aid drivers in their search for sponsors.



Joesph Burke and Arkadiusz Gruszka having
a big moment at round one of the
U.S. Rallycross Championship 2010.
Photo Neil McDaid /rallyworldnews.com

Round 1

Entries are slowly trickling in for round one of the GRC.  After an impressive showing at NJMP in 2010 Tanner Foust will be back in his RockStar Energy backed Ford Fiesta. Tanner is definitely a hot favorite for the overall victory.

Also for round one, it looks like we will see WRC Champion Marcus Gronholm make an appearance.  Marcus will pilot one of the OlsbergsMSE 2011 Fiestas. It will be interesting to see if the fans in the stands at Irwindale appreciate the greatness of Gronholm.  He seemed to wonder among the crowd at Pikes Peak Hill Climb sometimes unnoticed when he competed there two years ago.

Rhys Millen, an experienced rally driver who has been successfully competing in the Formula Drift series in recent years, is now making his transition over to RallyCross. Millen jumped in for the final two rounds at NJMP in 2010 to get a feel for the discipline.  He arrived in style in a WRC Hyundai Accent. Over the winter the team at Rhys Millen Racing [RCR] has been hard at work developing two all new 2012 Hyundai Veloster for RallyCross.  The car was recently unveiled to the public at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. 

Rhys will be joined in Irwindale by his new teammate Macus Dodd in the second Veloster.  Dodd, who is a five-time British National Rally Champion, brings a wealth of knowledge to the RCR/Hyundai team.

We also expect to see Subaru Rally Team driver Dave Mirra in the lineup.  At this time we have no indication of a second car from Subaru, but it is early yet.  Another Pro-drifter in transition to RallyCross, Stephan Verdier who got an invitation drive at XGAMES 16, will take to line at round one in his Subaru.

2010 Rally America Rookie of the Year Joseph Burke will be looking to jump his way into the XGAMES 17. Burke will most likely compete in a Mitsubishi Evo 8. Burke did compete in RallyCross in 2010, and was an instant fan favorite.  Other drivers who we fully expect to see at round one are Andrew Comrie-Picard, Pat Morro and Arkadiusz Gruszka.

Due to schedule conflicts for round number one it’s highly unlikely that we will see any of the European RallyCross drivers that we had at NJMP in the fall of 2010, but we expect to see some trickle in for rounds 2 and 3. Organizers have also made mention of several new manufactures showing more than a passing interest in the Global RallyCross Championship.

2WD charge to the cash, all 2WD drivers will be racing for a cash price at all rounds of the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship. Photo Neil McDaid /RallyWorldNews.com

With the exception of the XGAMES we have yet to see Ken Block get into the RallyCross mix.  With his 2011 WRC schedule it’s going to be difficult for him to make any of the opening rounds. Ken has expressed interest in RallyCross but still has a strong desire to compete in at least one round of the Rally America Championship in 2011. As a past medal winner Ken is already confirmed to compete at XGAMES 17.

It’s no secret that many European RallyCross and rally drivers harbor a great desire to compete at the XGAMES, so we fully expect some world class drivers to enter a round or two of the 2011 GRC.

Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available. For ticket info and more info visit www.rally-america.com and www.global-rallycross.com

Words and images by Neil McDaid /RallyWorldNews.com

“I am a lucky Bastard” Ken Block on Gymkhana, Rally, and the highly anticipated release of DIRT3

Block loves to Jump, Pictured here at XGAMES 16: Photo Neil McDaid/MWRT

Ken Block has never claimed to have invented Gymkhana, but there is no question that he cranked the dial to a 10 and introduced it to millions around the world via his series of Gymkhana YouTube videos. Working with CodeMasters, Block is now hoping that the introduction of Gymkhana into Dirt3 will bring the same enjoyment to gamers as he gets from doing the real thing.  

“The gymkhana stuff got started for me as a simple way to get extra seat time to practice for rally,” explained Ken Block, DiRT 3 Technical Consultant. “For me gymkhana is an amazing feeling because it’s very similar to the things I love in rally, like sliding the car at speed. Having a gymkhana element in a game like DiRT 3 just adds a whole new aspect of fun ways to do things with the car.

"Going through a course and trying to do it for a time or for style points is always fun but on top of that feeling you [can] use those courses to go out and learn the techniques of driving those cars, and to be able to just kinda hoon around,” added Ken Block.

Coming Q2 2011, DiRT 3 will boast more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series. With more than double the track content of 2009’s hit, players will enjoy a career as an elite professional driver, competing in off-road racing events featuring jaw-dropping damage and race-changing weather. DiRT 3 will feature the most amount of Rally content to feature in the series to date, accounting for 60% of its extensive career mode. With rally stages set across three continents, including the addition of all-new locations Finland, Kenya, Norway and Michigan, players will learn to master the conditions on tarmac, gravel and snow in dry and wet conditions for the most authentic rally experience.

Set to raise the bar for authentic and accessible off-road racing again, DiRT 3 is now in development at Codemasters Studios for a 2011 release for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows® LIVE. Fans can keep up to date with the latest news, screens and videos straight from the studio at facebook.com/dirt3game and  twitter.com/dirt3game.

Veteran motorsport production company TV2GO to produce Global RallyCross Championship television coverage

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA (March 7, 2011) — Global RallyCross Management is pleased to announce that veteran sports production company TV2GO will produce television coverage for the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship, airing on ESPN.
“It was important to us that we work with a company that understands the rallycross discipline,” said Global RallyCross Management co-founder Chip Pankow. “We’re excited to work with TV2GO for our inaugural championship season because we know they’ll be able to capture the energy and excitement of this incredible sport for the fans at home.”
The TV2GO production team has a 30-year history in motorsport television, with over 100 rally programs to their credit including Rally America coverage for ESPN, Targa Newfoundland and 16 seasons of the Canadian Rally Championship.
In addition to their expertise in rally competition, the company has produced a diverse range of motorsport programming including Formula One, LeMans, ALMS, Trans-Am, Can-Am, Atlantic, Endurance Racing, F3000, NHRA and IndyCar.
“To entertain racing fans properly, you have to be a fan yourself and we love this stuff.  Global Rally Cross is going to be huge and I’m delighted to be part of it,” said TV2GO principal Lawrence Partington, who is himself a former rally driver.
The sport of rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense, crowd-pleasing action in a variety of diverse fan-friendly environments. The exciting door-to-door action makes rallycross ideal for television broadcast, and TV2Go promises to create an exciting television programming package that brings fans at home close to the action. The production team brings a strong technical background combined with a deep real appreciation for rally car competition.
The three events in the initial championship calendar will be broadcast on ESPN on a tape delay, following NASCAR Nationwide and NHRA programming windows.

• 2011 Global RallyCross Championship Schedule (all times Eastern):
• Round 1 at Irwindale Speedway airs April 17 on ESPN2 at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Round 2 at Old Mill Rally Park airs May 14 on ESPN at 4:30 to 6:00 PM

Round 3 at Pikes Peak International Speedway airs June 25 on ESPN at 9:00 to 10:00 PMThe Global RallyCross Championship season opener takes place March 25-26, at Irwindale, CA. The RallyCar organization will sanction the events.

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Mobil 1 Teams up with Ken Block

ExxonMobil is teaming up with Gymkhana star and World Rally Championship driver Ken Block, making Mobil 1 Extended Performance the official oil of Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team. The new partnership continues the long tradition of Mobil 1 support in this arena and expands ExxonMobil's ongoing commitment to motorsports around the world

"Ken is a winner throughout all of his ventures, and Mobil 1 is a winner's brand," said Jan Crowe, Americas marketing manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties. "We are excited to be a part of Ken's endeavors both on and off the track and to equip him with the ultimate Mobil 1 product, Mobil 1 Extended Performance. Mobil 1 is associated with world-class race teams across the world, and this partnership is another addition to that proud heritage."

Ken Block has been competing in the sport of rally since 2005 and brings a legacy of prior achievements to the circuit. Block co-founded DC Shoes and is the star and creator of the ?Gymkhana? video series. ExxonMobil's support of Block adds to the roster of successful teams and drivers that Mobil 1 has supported for more than 30 years.

?I'm excited that Mobil 1 has joined the Monster World Rally Team's roster of sponsors,? said Block. ?My team and I put a priority on only working with premium products, and Mobil 1 has a real pedigree in racing. I am thrilled to partner with them and to be using Mobil 1 Extended Performance for the 2011 race season.?

To complement rally racing's highly competitive and demanding nature, ExxonMobil will be providing lubricant technology and engineering support to the Monster World Rally Team. The team will utilize Mobil 1 Extended Performance motor oils and Mobil 1 gear oils and greases, and Mobil 1 branding will appear on Block's competition vehicles, including his 490hp Ford Fiesta. To keep up with Block's latest announcements, find Mobil 1 on Facebook at facebook.com/mobil1.

A Long History of Performance: Mobil 1 in Motorsports

Mobil 1 has long been the lubricant of choice for race teams competing in the most demanding and popular motorsports series across the globe.

Mobil 1's history in motorsports officially began in 1978 with a sponsorship of the Williams Formula 1? team. From that time, Mobil 1's presence on race tracks and circuits has grown by global proportions. Today, Mobil 1 synthetic oil is relied on for its ability to deliver exceptional engine performance and protection even under the most extreme conditions by automotive technicians, race car drivers, team owners and the world's leading automotive manufacturers.

Along with the Stewart-Haas Racing's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, Mobil 1 enjoys a long association with many of world's most popular and successful race teams, including Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1? team, Corvette Racing's American LeMans Series team, the official AMG-Mercedes factory teams in the European-based DTM championship, Toyota Racing Development in NASCAR, Honda Performance Development in IndyCar, as well as Porsche Motorsport, where it is embraced as an ?Official Partner? in global cooperation of all works-supported activities, all international Carrera Cups and the title partnership of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup – the world's fastest one-make series. Mobil 1 is also the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR.

Mobil and Mobil 1 are registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) or one of its subsidiaries.