United States Rally Championship Announces 2011 Regs with New Competitor Incentives and The 2011 Rally New York USA

The United States Rally Championship announces the presentation of their 2011 Championship Regulations. The regulations for this season include new incentives for competitors to make the Championship more accessible, inclusive, and affordable. This is the seventh season for the USRC and it continues to innovate and bring new ideas to rally competition.

The USRC has always appreciated the time and investment required for teams to compete for a national championship. Sadly, many championship point formulas favor teams that can invest a huge amount of both time and capital. That is why the USRC has designed a structure and events that allow more teams the opportunity to compete at a national level. This season, competitors are allowed to count one out of Division event towards their championship points total. This way a team that misses an event in their local Division due to a schedule conflict or suffers from a poor finish can attempt to better their position by attending events outside their home Division.

In a bold move to encourage more head-to-head competition while holding down the costs to teams, the USRC is providing some added incentives. This season, teams competing outside their home division will be given a free entry to any out of Division event they enter. These incentives also include the final round of the Championship that is being held in the Atlantic Division at the International Rally New York in October.

The 2011 United States Rally Championship is comprised of five events with three rallies in the Pacific Division and two in the Atlantic Division. Rally New York USA, on March 25 and 26, offers competitors their first chance to score valuable USRC championship points. This all-tarmac event will challenge competitors on 100 stage miles of paved surfaces.  The event is headquartered in Walton and Monticello, New York.

The Championship then heads out West for Rally Idaho, June 18-19 followed by the Gorman Ridge Rally on August 26-27 in California. The last event for the Pacific Division is the Prescott Rally in Arizona on September 30–October 1 before moving back east for the final round at International Rally New York on October 22-23.

Additional event information is available at www.USRallyChampionship.com

Contact:         Donna Hocker, Series Administrator, United States Rally Championship

Office 760-375-3289, Direct Cell 909-908-2429, Donna@RallyUSA.com

FIA WRC Academy: Class of 2011 completes Induction Programme



Ireland's Craig Breen will be part of the WRC Academy class for 2011. Photo: Craigbreen.com



The FIA WRC Academy, rallying’s premier training programme for young drivers, completed a three-day Induction Programme for its competitors atM-Sport in Cumbria. Thirty-four drivers and co-drivers from 14 countries participated in the event, ahead of round one, Vodafone Rally de Portugal which takes place from 24-28 March 2011.

The sessions offered the drivers a chance to familiarise themselves with the Ford Fiesta R2 rally car and Pirelli tyres with which they’ll contest six rounds of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship, as well as offering classroom tutorials on topics including professionalism, goal setting, media, nutrition and fitness. 

Explaining the importance of both on and off-stage preparation to a rally driver’s career, WRC Academy Principal Marc de Jong said, “The WRC Academy is a world class competition, mixed with education and training for drivers up to 24 years of age. In rallying, experience is very important and these guys are at a really early stage of their career.

Many are graduating from national championships and these are their first steps at WRC level. We want to help them prepare for the WRC Academy season and give them a good foundation to build their talent. That’s why this Induction Programme isn’t just about driving, but included many other aspects as well.”

Robert Reid, 2001 World Rally Champion co-driver and director of ESP, delivered a talk on the importance of planning and goal setting: “Some of the WRC Academy drivers might have felt a bit like they were back at school for the day, but the smartest drivers who take all the advice on board and work with it will soon see the benefits.”

By the end of the day session, the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation among the excited WRC Academy ‘Class of 2011’. At only 17 years old, Miko-Ove Niinemae can’t believe he’s already found himself on the first rung of the WRC ladder, even proclaiming the Fiesta, “The best R2 car I’ve driven. I think my favourite thing is the handling. It’s steady on the road, not nervous.” Other drivers focused on the benefit of the theory sessions with Dutchman Timo van der Marel chipping in: “I learned how important it was to identify weaknesses and make a plan to turn them into strengths.”

But perhaps the clearest message came through when fellow Aussies and Pirelli Star Drivers Brendan Reeves and Molly Taylor were asked to say the first thing that came into their heads when they heard the phrase ‘WRC Academy’ and chimed in uncanny unison “great opportunity”. The first round of the WRC Academy gets underway at Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Thursday 24 March 2011.

Michael Jernberg brings the Wicked Skoda Fabia to USA for the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship

Irwindale CA, Top Swedish RallyCross driver Michael Jernberg has just been added to the entry list for the opening round of the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship. Michael will drive his 2000 cc Trollspeed design, four cylinder, 16 valves, 550 bhp, Skoda Fabia in U.S. Competition.

Michael will not compete in Europe in 2011 and will only focus on the GRC rounds and ultimately compete at XGAMES 17. Jernberg decided after the 2010 season that after many years competed in Europe he is tired of EM and SM. Michael looks forward to “Fun with a new country, new drivers and it is also a fun challenge for me”.
Skoda is not sold in the U.S, so the brand will not sponsor Jernberg in the GRC rounds in the USA, but will continue to work with the driver in Markets where Skoda is sold.

Driver Bio:
Michael Jernberg is one of Sweden and Europe's
top-winning Rallycross drivers.
2009 – Second place in European Championship
2009 – Best driver in RallyCross Norden.
Four times Swedish champion
(2008, 2001, 1998, 1995)
Winner of Shell Helix Cup (1997),
Twice 3rd place in European Championship
(2008 &1992)
Three times – 2nd place in EM (2009, 2005, 2004).

Photo: Tim Wittington / http://www.britishrallycross.com/



“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.