Hanson and Hanson Head West for Round Three of the Rally America Championship

Hanson focused on Super Production title in Washington

Littleton, NH, 26th April 2011 - Travis Hanson will begin next weekend's Olympus Rally holding the lead in

both the overall standings, and the Super Production class standings, yet his feet remain firmly on the ground
as his aim is the Super Production championship.

As usual, Travis will be co-driven by his father Terry. The pair are looking to deliver a good result, after last

 years disappointment on the Washington based Olympus Rally.

To-date in 2011, the Hansons have enjoyed an unprecedented level of success, which began in the first round

of the championship when they steered their Super Production specification 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

to outright victory at the Sno*Drift rally.

In claiming the overall win they became the first ever Super Production class competitors to win a

Rally America National event outright, and in-turn assumed their deserved place in the Rally America history.

Following up the victory at Sno*Drift, the T. Hanson Motorsports' pairing delivered another good

performance at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri, as they claimed fourth overall, and first

in their class.

The long break between the second and third rounds of the Championship left Travis longing to get back

behind the wheel. "I am excited to get back in the car after a long break in the schedule. Some of the roads

at Olympus are my favorites because of the beautiful scenery and because of their fast flowing nature,"

said Travis.

Speaking of the challenge they face in keeping ahead of the manufacturer backed entries,

Travis said "It will be hard to stay in front of the charging open class cars of SRT USA and L’Estage,

 if we have another strong finish, it is still possible for us to continue to lead the overall championship."

Even though Travis is more than happy to sit at the top of the outright championship standings, he has

made it clear that his focus is on the Super Production title. "This however is not our main goal” he says.

The next three rounds of the championship comprise the Olympus Rally (April 30 - May 1), Oregon

Trail Rally (May 13 - 15) and Susquehannock Trail Rally (June 3 - 4), and with all in fairly close succession,

Travis believes consistency is the key.

"The next events are all within 5 weeks time, and stretch cross-country 3000 miles one way. I believe the

drivers that are the most consistent at these events will have the upper hand in the championship,” said Travis,

adding "It is our goal to be a consistent team and one that is always there fighting for a spot on the podium".

Concluding, Travis spoke of the close nature of the Super Production class, and it's ever increasing speed.

"The competition of this class is really good with ex-factory Subaru and Mitsubishi drivers pushing the class

 faster. We’ve had a great start to the season and we are excited for the next event.”

The T. Hanson Motorsports setup is propelled by a small group of highly motivated and dedicated people,

whose commitment to the cause is second to none.

The vital contributions of each and every team member,

along with the support from Team O’Neil Rally School, Olson’s Auto Body, OSLV, Exedy Clutches,

Big Boulder Park and Broken Motorsports is the reason behind the great success the team has enjoyed

to-date in 2011.

Photo/ Neil McDaid

Battle of the Brands, Ford Continues to hold off the Competition at Round Two of The Global RallyCross Championship

Report and Images By Neil McDaid

Snoqualmie, WA. Round two of the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship, Andreas Eriksson who was filling in for Marcus Gronholm in the Best Buy/Ford Fiesta took top honors in the Super Rally on day one, while his Ford teammate Tanner Foust in the Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta made it a 1-2 for Ford Racing as he claimed victory on day-two in RallyCross. The winning weekend for Ford has moved them to the top of the manufactures points in the GRC Championship.

For round number two of the Global RallyCross Championship, [GRC] teams headed northwest to Snoqualmie Washington. The second event on the GRC calendar would be held on the grounds of the historic Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co., which is now the home of DirtFish Rally School.

Converting the open grounds of the old mill to a RallyCross park for the weekend posed some challenges for the organizers in how they would accommodate an unknown number of fans.

GRC organizers setup several large spectator grand stands at one side of the course, but it soon became apparent they didn’t come close to accommodating the large numbers of fans that showed up for this rapidly growing form of motorsport.

It’s critical to the success of this sport to have great vantage points and facilities for the fans, so they can get up close to the action. The large multilevel grand stands were located near the jump giving those lucky enough to get there early a great viewing location. For others left viewing from the ground level the k-rail that lined out the course blocked some of the action as the cars raced around the flat track layout. There is no question that spectator seating can be improved should the GRC return to DirtFish in 2012.

With the exception of the gap jump the course layout was a drastic contrast from what driver’s tackled at round one in Irwindale Speedway.

The course was a 60/40 split, give or take, between tar [60] and gravel.

Drivers would launch from a standing start from one of the tarred sections followed by a short straight into a tight right hander and then onto the first gravel section.

After they completed the first gravel section, they would then charge down through a large warehouse, a very unique feature of this facility. After exiting the warehouse on the other side, drivers would have another short tarred section before facing the mandatory gravel jump. AWD cars had to take the jump at least once, and only once per heat. We figured by taking the Joker / jump section drivers had about a thirteen second advantage over the twisty maze of concrete K-rail that lined out the rest of the track.

The 2WD cars were not required to take the jump, their joker lap ran alongside the jump which was also on gravel. Their joker advantage was about the same as taking the jump, about 13 seconds.

The joker section on most RallyCross tracks is normally the longer way around, but in this particular layout it was definitely the expressway. .

Day One:

For some unknown reason the jump set up dimensions/angle were not the same as Irwindale, and it took several passes and a hard landing from the “jump tester” Tanner Foust to get it all dialed in. As we have seen several times in the past, all cars do not fly over gap the same, over the two days of racing the jump would claim yet another car and a few parts from others.

Organizers would eventfully get things underway with the Super Rally event. Now, in my humble opinion GRC should just ditch the Super Rally portion and concentrate on running two days of RallyCross. These events are so similar that I feel fans really don’t see any difference, with the exceptions of the finals.

For Subaru Team driver Dave Mirra, his weekend was set to get off to an awful start, Dave would clip the edge of the gap ramp and roll his Subaru. The car did a full roll and landed back on all fours, Dave was able to get it fired up again and limped back to the pits where the factory team made some record fast repairs, the first of many on this weekend.

The carnage did not stop with Mirra; Joseph Burke who lost his speedometer due to an electronic dash malfunction had to take a “best guess” at his approach speed to the jump. The correct approach speed is absolutely critical, too slow and its head first into the landing ramp, too fast and it’s a long flight with an unpredictable landing, the approach speed also seems to vary greatly depending on the car.

Carrying just a little too much speed, Burke launched like a scene from Smokey and the Bandit, clearing the front edge of the landing ramp by a good 30 feet, then landing nose down into the gravel, Burke had the nerve to stay on the power and somehow avoided total disaster, nonetheless the car sustained heavy front end damage and his day was done.

We would also see the departure of one of the two Team Hyundai Veloster cars entered, Marcus Dodd contacted the wall while battling door to door on the gravel and damaged the steering, Surprisingly Marcus would not return to competition on day two.

Working through the qualifying rounds in AWD we would see Tanner Foust edge out a victory over Steven Verdier to move Foust to the Super Rally final.

One of the best battles in the AWD on day one would come to us courtesy of two of Europe’s top RallyCross drivers. Andreas Eriksson, who we mentioned earlier, was filling in for Marcus Gronholm in the Best Buy Fiesta, would go head to head with Mikael Jernberg in the Skoda Fabia.

These guys left nothing on the track, Eriksson throw down his classic sideways blocking move into the first transition onto the gravel and took the early lead, Jernberg hung tough swapping the lead back and forth, before Andreas finally opened a slight gap and took the victory.

The AWD Super Rally final was now set to be an all Ford affair with teammates Foust and Eriksson on the line.

But it was to be a short lived final, fighting for position into the first turn, Foust would make contact with a course barrier, jolting the steering wheel in such a way that he dislocated his shoulder; the race was over as quickly as it started. With Foust unable to continue, Andreas Eriksson would take the overall victory, the injured Foust would have to settle for second with Steven Verdier taking the final spot podium.

Day One – 2WD

After missing round one in Irwindale due to issues with the importation of his car Mikael Eriksson’s mighty Porsche 911 was finally here and set free to run riot over 2WD.

This Porsche is a far cry from anything we have seen competing in 2WD in the GRC to-date, putting out somewhere in the region 360-400hp [??] it easily had 150-200hp on its nearest rival.

We were somewhat surprised to see several of the returning podium finisher from round one getting eliminated in the 2WD Super Rally Quarter finals.

Matthew Johnson in the Mazda RX-8 would fall to Dillon Van Way in the Ford Focus.

Kris Dahl in a Honda Civic would take out Randy Zimmer in the Miata.

Onto the semi finals, local 2WD legend Cody Crane in his little green Honda CRX, would go head to head with Dillon Van Way in the Focus.

Cody is without question one of the fastest and most exciting 2WD drivers currently competing in U.S. rally, unfortunately due to lack of budget he rarely competes outside of his local northwest events.

The semi final battle between Van Way and Crane was neck and neck until Crane made an unbelievable pass on Van Way on the closing lap and snatched the victory.

Crane was now paired up against Mikael Eriksson’s Porsche in the 2WD Super Rally final. Watching the Porsche rip up the track throughout the day may have left many thinking that this was a no win situation for Crane in the CRX, but apparently no one told Cody.

Although, Eriksson’s Porsche never gave up the lead to Crane, he seemed to have a lot of trouble shaking the little green Honda especially throughout the technical gravel section. Down through the warehouse the Porsche would power ahead, but Crane just kept the Honda matted, never lifting trying to keep in touch. In the end Eriksson would claim victory, but just barely as the little CRX was stuck to his rear bumper. Cody may have lost this battle but to the fans in the stands he was the hero as they cheered loudly as he took his place on the 2WD podium.

Day two

Day two would see even more fans  showing up to check out the RallyCross action at the Dirt Fish facility, and we would witness yet another spectacular wreck on the gap jump.

Polish driver Andi Mancin, who has competed in the Rally America Championship in recent years, would lose a turbo pipe as he approached the jump. Andi barely made it across the gap; the car would land on the edge of the landing ramp and was then flung into the air with front end parts flying everywhere. After pile driving the nose into the landing ramp, the car would come to rest with a hard landing on it’s roof.

Rescue crews were quickly on scene and Andi was extracted from the wreckage. Andi was sore from the belts but otherwise fine.

After the qualifying rounds we would move directly to the heats. In 2WD it was total domination by the by Mikael Eriksson in the Porsche setting the fastest times throughout.

Most fans were unaware that both Super AWD and Limited AWD cars were mixed together during the heats, as they have no distinctive markings to identify the classes.

As the series grows, organizers will most likely break out these classes into their own heats and finals. In the AWD unlimited class Andreas Eriksson would set the pace in his Ford Fiesta, and just seemed untouchable throughout the heats. In the AWD limited class, despite having another run in with the jump Joseph Burke in his Mitsubishi would manage to win his heat and take max points in class.

With the heats completed it was onto the 2WD finals, as with AWD both the Super and Limited classes of 2WD cars were mixed together. To no-one’s surprise, it was Mikael Eriksson’s Porsche that tore off the line and had the lead into the first turn, Eriksson never looked back.

Matthew Johnson slotted into second, Johnson who had just acquired his Mazda RX-8 before the last round in Irwindale spend most of the weekend tweaking the car to extract every last bit of power from the high revving rotary mill. In the final, Johnson definitely found some extra grunt in the Mazda as he seemed to hold off Dillon Van Way in the Focus with ease. Positions would stay unchanged throughout the race, in the end it was Eriksson, claiming the victory over Johnson, and Van Way taking third.

With the 2WD final in the bag, it was onto the grand finale, the AWD A-Main.

On the line, Ford team mates, Tanner Foust and Andreas Eriksson, were joined by Michael Jernberg in the Skoda, Hyundai team driver Rhys Millen, and Privateer Stephen Verdier in his Subaru STI. Lining up behind the main field was Subaru team driver Dave Mirra. Despite showing some great speed, Mirra had a challenging weekend, with his roll on day one, and then followed by a hard lick off the concrete k-rail on day two; Mirra was brought into the final as an organizers option.

As they launched from the line it was Andreas Eriksson with the edge, and off in to the first corner making his Best Buy Fiesta as wide as possible flicking the rear out while blocking the inside line with the nose. Foust and Jernberg were door to door jockeying for position, with Verdier and Millen in tow. As Eriksson began to open a slight gap on Foust and Jernberg it seemed that he was set to sweep the weekend, but a puncture on the penultimate lap would see Foust move to first. Andreas would also concede second to the Skoda of Michael Jernberg, Andreas barely held off Stephen Verdier who was also slowed by a puncture for third.

With Tanner on the podium it capped off a great weekend for Ford, privateers Michael Jernberg and Stephen Verdier proved it is possible to hang with the factory teams. Hyundai drivers Rhys Millen and Marcus Dodd despite not yet making it to the podium showed great promise for the Veloster.

Foust’s win in Seattle moves him to the top of the point’s standings after two rounds. A single point separated Michael Jernberg and Stephen Verdier for second and third.

Jimmy Kenney leads Joseph Burke in AWD limited class, with the current standings Keeney has unofficially qualified for XGAMES, while Burke just needs to secure a few points in round three to clinch the remaining spot for AWD limited drivers. In 2WD it’s neck and neck between Matthew Johnson and Dillon Van Way, Johnson holds a mere four point advantage on DVW.

We take a break from RallyCross for a few months, and turn our focus back to stage rally. Round #3 of the Rally America Championship, Olympus Rally gets underway on April 29th in Ocean Shores Washington. Check back for updates and also check in with http://www.rally-america.com/ for more info and the official spectator guide.

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2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb Competitor Entry List Revealed

(April 15, 2011) Officials at Vermont SportsCar revealed the invited driver list today for the return of the legendary Mt. Washington “Climb to the Clouds” Automobile Hillclimb, to be held June 22-26, 2011. The Mt. Washington Hillclimb, known as the Climb to the Clouds, was first run in 1904 and is considered to be one of America’s oldest motorsports events. The 2011 Climb to the Clouds, which makes a comeback after a ten year hiatus, will be a 5-day festival of motorsports with a 75-car competition field filled with some of the best drivers and cars from around the world competing for “King of the Hill” honors. The entry list includes three of the past five course record holders, former and current rally champions, several high-powered open-wheel cars, a vintage class filled with cars steeped in motorsports history and a first for the event; a purpose-built race-truck!

Gunning for overall victory and a new overall course record will be a trio of past record holders.  They include multi-time rally champion Tim O'Neil from Whitefield, NH, seven-time SCCA ProRally Champion Paul Choiniere from Shelburne, VT; and current Climb to the Clouds official-record holder and six-time Canadian Rally Champion Frank Sprongl from Ontario, Canada. These drivers all hold records within a minute of each other and will be racing in the Open Class at the Climb to the Clouds.

Other notable drivers going for the overall record include Jimmy Keeney of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Todd Cook from Tempe, Arizona – both of whom will be driving purpose built open-wheel hillclimb cars with upwards of 900 horsepower, but only two-wheel drive. Keeney was the 2nd fastest qualifier at the 2010 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb and Cook is a multi-time class winner at Pikes Peak. Two other open-wheeled cars are the 1968 McKee MK8, a Formula 5000-based car raced by Robert D'Amore from Arlington, MA, and “The Patriot”, a bespoke hillclimb car built and raced by Jerry Driscoll. Driscoll, who makes his home in East Randolph, Vermont, set the current Speed Record of 113mph on the Mt. Washington Auto Rd. course in 1998 driving the very same car he’ll be racing this June.

The Vintage Class features a lineup of prestigious racing cars from the 1930's and 1950's. Although all the entered vehicles are steeped in motorsports history none maybe as much so as an extremely rare 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 that won Le Mans with legendary Grand Prix driver Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel. The 8C was shipped across the Atlantic, and in 1937 it raced and won the Mt. Washington Hillclimb – it returns this June, restored as it was raced, to compete 74 years later.  Also competing will be a 1934 Reuter Special known as "The Old Grey Mare," a 1953 lightweight special known as "The Cheetah" and a 1951 Jaguar XK120 known as "The Beast." The Vintage Class roster will also feature a 1931 Studebaker factory Indy car – one of only three that were built – that won the pole at Indianapolis in 1931, as well as raced and won Pikes Peak the same year. All of these historic cars have raced at Mt. Washington before and will return this June!

The Mt. Washington Auto Road will see a truck race up its narrow serpentine course for the first time in its history as daredevil Mike Ryan of Santa Clara, California takes his purpose-built Freightliner 14.7 liter turbo-diesel-powered race-truck up Mt. Washington in the Hillclimb Special Class. Ryan, a Hollywood stunt-driver by trade, holds the current record at Pikes Peak in the Super Truck Class and will forgo the Colorado event this year in favor of the unfamiliar Mt. Washington Hillclimb.

The two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive Rally classes will be headlined by defending Rally America, North American and Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L'Estage in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and Former Subaru factory rally driver Ramana Lagemann from Somerville, Massachusetts in a 2010 Subaru WRX STI. The all-wheel drive class will be a showdown between the makes as five Subaru and five Mitsubishi rally cars are entered.

Four additional classes host  race cars which normally compete in the New England and Pennsylvania Hillclimb Championships that include cars from the 1970's: BMW 2002, Datsun 510, Opel Ascona, Chevrolet Camaro, and even a Triumph Spitfire; the 1980's: VW GTI, Mazda RX-7, Peugeot 505, Saab 900, and Porsches; the 1990's Nissan Sentra, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dodge Neon, BMW M3, and the thrilling 240RS Maxi, and the 2000's including modern Volkswagen, Subaru WRX STI, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution entries.

The Climb to the Clouds will also host a vintage car show during the event weekend displaying cars and machinery with impressive ties to Mt. Washington. Highlights include the 1904 Orient Buckboard that raced in the first-ever Mt. Washington Hillclimb in July of 1904, a 1907 Bailey Electric from Amesbury, MA identical to that of a Bailey Electric that completed a 1,000 mile loop from New York City with Mt. Washington on its route, and the 1961 Volkswagen with Porsche Carrera power that Bill Rutan from Moodus, CT drove to the overall record in 1961 – 50 years ago this June.

About the Mt. Washington “Climb to the Clouds”  Hillclimb:

First opened in 1861 as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road, the Mt. Washington Auto Road, located in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire is the country’s oldest man-made attraction. The 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile. The serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak. Considered to be one of the oldest motorsports events in the United States, the Climb to the Clouds was first run in 1904, seven years before the first 500-mile race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in Colorado. The last time the Climb to the Clouds was run was in 2001.

Organized by Vermont SportsCar and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire,  the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb  will serve as one of several sporting events held at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in 2011 to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Mt. Washington Auto Road as the nation’s oldest man-made attraction.

Grandstand seating will be available for spectators at the start area while several on-course spectating areas will be available.  Tickets will be available for sale this spring at http://www.climbtotheclouds.com/.

Evening entertainment will include musical performances Friday and Saturday including Boston-based TAB The Band who recently toured the US and UK with the Stone Temple Pilots. TAB The Band's lead guitarist, Tony Perry from Duxbury, Massachusetts, will also be competing in the Climb to the Clouds in a Mitsubishi Evolution X.

About Vermont SportsCar

Vermont SportsCar is best known for preparing the rally cars for, and the management of, Subaru Rally Team USA – the factory-supported rally team for Subaru of America. The Team, based in Colchester, Vermont, has won over 30 rallies since 2006 as well as helped team driver and action sports icon Travis Pastrana earn the Rally America National Championship four years in a row (2006-2009). Vermont SportsCar is the creation and vision of veteran rally car builder and former co-driver Lance Smith. Smith, a Vermont native, competed in the Mt. Washington Hillclimb several times throughout the 1990’s and also fielded top running cars for other drivers.  Vermont SportsCar stepped forward to revive and organize the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb to help celebrate the Mt. Washington Auto Road’s 150^th Anniversary.  For more information visit: www.vtcar.com

About the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire (SCCNH)

The 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire. Established in 1955 by a group of longtime sports car enthusiasts from throughout New Hampshire, the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire (SCCNH) is a non-profit organization open to anyone interested in automobiles or automobile-related activities – whether they are a New Hampshire resident or not. Today the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire is comprised of a broad spectrum of members from across New England with a variety of vehicles and varied interests in motorsports. For more information visit: www.sccnh.org

NOTE: To view the actual list of 2011 Climb to the Clouds Drivers, please click on this link:  http://www.climbtotheclouds.com/competitors/entry-list/

REMINDER ::ESPN2 to Broadcast Round #1 of Global RallyCross Championship- TONIGHT @10 pm Eastern

Tune in to ESPN2 at 10 PM Eastern to see all the RallyCross action from Irwindale Speedway. Picture: Neil McDaid