BLOCK HITS ARGENTINA FOR THE FIRST TIME, FINISHES AND PULLS OFF HIS BEST STAGE PLACEMENT TO DATE.

May 30, 2011, Cordoba, Argentina – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino headed to South America for their first visit to WRC Argentina and came away with their best-ever WRC stage finish this past weekend. Over the course of the rally, Block and Gelsomino attacked the notoriously difficult stage roads of the Argentinean country side at a promising pace, showing consistent top 10 stage finishes, until a broken driveshaft stunted their effort. Still the two pressed on, and upped the pace, eventually laying down speed on WRC Argentina’s SS17 that placed them 5th fastest, the team’s best-ever stage finish in a WRC rally.

“I’ve loved being down here for WRC Argentina. If it wasn’t for suffering yet another mechanical issue on Saturday, I would have been on pace to score my first points of the season. So, missing out on that sucks. It wasn’t all bad though, on Sunday I took 5th on-stage for SS17, which is a personal best for me in the WRC. I’m definitely stoked about that. Plus the fans are absolutely wild and the stages have been incredible.”

Following a win in the heads up format of Thursday’s opening SuperSpecial SS1, Block and Gelsomino headed out on Friday in good shape and with the intention to run a conservative, steady pace. Block’s overall goal for the rally was simply to keep it clean, have fun and cross the finish line. By the end of Leg 1 on Friday, that goal was being realized as Block found himself sitting in 9th place overnight. Saturday however, would be less kind. After Friday’s reserved pace, Block decided to step things up as he gained back his in-car confidence following an eight-week hiatus from racing. Unfortunately, on the second stage of the day, SS9, Block suffered a broken driveshaft, which eventually forced a retirement on SS11.

However, Sunday morning brought a fresh chance to restart for Block under SuperRally rules. Unfortunately, on the first stage of the day, a slight off, which caused a tire puncture, cost the two 16 minutes. Despite this though, Block went on to lay down his best WRC stage finish to date on the next stage, placing 5th, while being about 3 seconds off of stage winner, and fellow Ford teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala.

“To have Ken driving at this level after being out of the car for eight weeks and pull off a personal best for a stage finish on these roads is massive,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “He showed great poise on some very difficult stages and demonstrated great future potential for next year here in Argentina.”

The next WRC stop for MWRT will be ADAC Rally Deutschland, August 18-21. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

STPR ORGANIZERS PROMISE MORE ACTION FOR RALLY FANS IN 2011



Dave Mirra, will be looking to get back on track after his wreck at Olympus. Photo Neil McDaid

 The 35th annual running of the Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally® (STPR®), presented by Citizens and Northern Bank returns to Wellsboro, PA with a refreshed event format and plenty of spectator opportunities.

As the oldest, continuously-running motorsports event in Pennsylvania, the 2011 STPR event, which is round five of the Rally America Championship Series, will take place June 3 and 4, 2011. The rally, promoted by the Finger Lakes STPR Motorsports LLC committee, is pleased to announce that the racing stages at the Tioga County Fairgrounds is now being combined with both a Friday and Saturday appearance of the cars on “the Green” in the center of Wellsboro, PA.

STPR® Chair Meridith Croucher says, “This has become a very popular family event, especially with the Fairground stages, where kids can get up close to the rally cars, meet the drivers, enjoy some refreshments, and then watch the cars battle on a closed course for competitive times and a chance to win the event.” Croucher said, “but some local residents and merchants have missed the second appearance of the cars on the Green on Saturday.”
“We have brought that back by instituting a Parc Expose – an open exhibition of the cars – on the Green at noon on Friday for the traditional viewing and ceremonial send-off into the Waste Management territory for the timed racing stages, plus a revival of the Saturday morning send-off from the Green as well,” said Croucher.

The Fairgrounds stages cost five dollars for admission each day, with event tickets on sale in advance at the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce (info at 570-724-1926).
One of the other changes made several years ago – the transition of STPR to an alcohol-free event – has helped enhance the family enjoyment of the rally for everyone, and made the administration of the event, both in town and in the woods, easier.
More than 40 race cars, the infusion of thousands of dollars to local area businesses rivaling a national convention, and Rally America championship points chase all highlight the arrival of STPR to the state forests near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, again announcing the coming of spring in Tioga County.

With Waste Management, plus Citizens and Northern Bank and the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce sponsorship of the event helping to defray overhead expenses, the STPR Committee is able to offer the rally to the area at little or no cost to the community. Besides the 400 volunteers who work the rally – many of whom come in from out of town and use local services - another estimated 10,000 people come to the Wellsboro area either as spectators or workers for the various teams and their sponsors.
After last year’s sold-out STPR VIP Super Pass, the Committee is continuing its expanded spectator option to include separate Friday and Saturday programs for those who might not be able to do both days.
Starting Friday afternoon with the Waste Management stages, where you will be escorted to a private viewing area, to Saturday afternoon, when a bus will take you to a secluded, private area to watch the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon stages, you can get a view of the action previous reserved only for the working media. Food and drinks will be served, and VIP Super Pass holders will receive special rally mementos. Bring your camera for even better photos than before.

Plus, there will be VIP seating for the stages both Friday and Saturday nights at the Tioga County Fairgrounds. Bus transportation will be provided to and from the Fairgrounds to all points. All this for only $50.00 per person per day – kids are not free, as the number of VIP Super Passes are limited. Pick them up today at the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce and Tioga Publishing Company, or call 570-724-1926 for additional information.

The Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally®, presented by Citizens & Northern Bank, is a National Rally, approximately 300 miles long with approximately 128 miles of competitive stages. The Sherwood Forest Rally is a Regional Rally (for competitors who are not running for national Rally America Championship points), coefficient 2 that includes Stages One through Six and is approximately 48 miles. The Finger Lakes Rally is a Regional Rally, coefficient 3 that includes Stages Seven through Ten and is approximately 80 miles – both Regional rallies are run in conjunction with the full national event.
On Friday, June 3, the 22th annual Relay for Life street rally will take place in conjunction with the STPR event. This year’s event will benefit the Tioga Country chapter of the American Cancer Society, and is opened to the general public.
A time-speed-distance rally designed for any legal vehicle, within the legal speed limit, on high quality paved and unpaved roads in Tioga County. This event will not use the forest roads of the Performance Rally. The instructions will have a mileage to each turn, and are intended to be easy to follow. There are no tricks or traps involved in following the course. Awards in four classes: Novice (less than six (6) rallies by anyone in the car); Stock (stock odometer & single memory calculator); Limited (any equipment which cannot accumulate time and distance simultaneously, including non-programmable calculator, relocated odometer, - SCCA class "L" equipment; and Equipped (anything goes). Door Prizes, too. No limit to the number of people in each car. Limited to the first 50 paid entries.
Registration for the charity rally is from 11:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m., with a class for newcomers to time-speed-distance road rallying at 12:30 p.m. – all at the Tioga County Fairgrounds. There is a mandatory drivers meeting at 1:00 p.m., and the three-hour event starts at 1:31 p.m. the fee for paid, pre-registered competitors is $35/car before May 25, and $40/car after that. More information can be found at http://www.stpr.org/.

Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins Wins 2011 Oregon Trail Rally

Portland, OR (May 15th, 2011)  -- Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew took a commanding win at the Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2011 Rally America Championship. Higgins finished 3 minutes 26.9 seconds ahead of rival Antoine L'Estage and won ten of the fifteen stages. It was a tight battle with David Higgins but the Mitsubishi Rockstar crew of Antione L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard suffered three tire punctures in a row on day two, which cost them the chance to keep pace with Higgins. Oregon marks Higgins' second consecutive victory of the season having just won the Olympus Rally two weeks ago in Washington State. Higgins now assumes the overall Championship from Travis Hanson, who has lead the points race since the opening round at Sno*Drift Rally.

The Oregon Trail Rally began Friday with spectator stages held at the Portland International Raceway before moving to the scenic farmlands in and around The Dalles and Dufur for days two and three. Oregon Trail began as a dry and dusty rally, but was consumed by heavy rains and thunderstorms during the middle of day two. The inclement weather forced event organizers to cancel the last two stages of day two and shorten some of day three's stages.

In addition to the changing weather and road conditions, attrition quickly set in for several teams including Subaru Canada's Pat Richard and co-driver Leanne Junnila. Richard was forced to retire on Stage 8 due to persisting fuel pump problems. Another notable retirement was Subaru Rally Team USA's Dave Mirra and co-driver Marshall Clarke, who were in third overall before Saturday's stages before crashing out on Stage 6.

Super Production (SP) driver Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis completed the overall National podium by finishing a distant third despite having engine issues on day one. Lagemann also took the SP class win over Travis and Terry Hanson by a mere 3.6 seconds, but the results remain provisional pending a protest about Lagemann filed by Hanson. The Hansons put in a solid run and lead Super Production up until the morning of day three when they began battling closely with Lagemann for the class win. Travis Hanson is still in contention for the overall Championship and is now closer to securing the 2011 Super Production title. Local driver Paul Eklund and co-driver Jeff Price took third in SP and ninth overall.

In Two-Wheel-Drive, Scion xD driver Andrew 'ACP' Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey took the class win and placed seventh overall. ACP, who won the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally in Open class, finished 26 seconds ahead of Mazda Speed 3 driver Wyatt Knox. Knox and co-driver Ole Holter spent the entire weekend entrenched in a close battle with the Scion team, but finished second in class and eighth overall. Ford Racing Fiesta driver Dillon Van Way and co-driver Jake Blattner finished third in class and 12^th overall, but fell minutes behind ACP and Knox early in the rally after having suspension issues. Brian Gottlieb and co-driver Pat Darrow finished behind Van Way, taking fourth in class and 13^th overall.

The Oregon Trail Rally ran one Northwest Regional event on each day of the event. Carl Decker and Adam Craig won the 'Wagons Ho!' Regional hosted at Portland International Raceway with 27.4 seconds over Brian Svedin and co-driver Teresa Buren. Mark Tabor and co-driver Ben Bradley placed third.

Brian Svedin and Teresa Buren won the 'Shunpikur Stages' Regional held on day two, finishing 16.6 ahead of Decker and Craig. Byron Garth and co-driver Greg Allen placed third.

Decker and Craig came back on day three to win the 'Trails End' Regional by 36.5 seconds over Svedin and Buren. Dave and Richard Hintz finished in third place.

The next round of the Rally America National Championship is the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA, this June 3-4.

AMERICAN TANNER FOUST TAKES FIRST EUROPEAN WIN IN PORTUGAL

Tanner Foust on course for victory in Portugal at the European Rallycross Championship. Photo by Jakub QBA Nitka (ERC24.com)



MONTALEGRE, Portugal (May 16, 2011) - It was a dominant weekend for Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust, who became the first American ever to win an FIA European Rallycross Championship round in Portugal.

"Simply incredible!" said Foust, who earned his victory in front of a sell-out crowd at the race. "The team showed its potential this weekend, finishing one-two."

Foust was the driver to beat at the Pista Automóvel de Montalegre, setting a pair of fastest practice session times in his Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta on Saturday before scoring two out of three heat wins heading into Sunday's final round.

"This place is amazing," said Foust. "The fans are so into it that you can tell what's happening just by listening to the crowd; they scream when somebody passes and for a good lap. It's a really fun place to race."

Foust and teammate Andreas Eriksson lined up side-by-side to start the final race of the weekend and crossed the finish in first and second place, respectively.

The racing was not without its challenges for newcomer Foust, who finished his first heat of the weekend in sixth place after an error that led him into the Joker lap at an inopportune time and forced him to make an emergency change of direction mid-race.

"I had to reverse and do a 180 onto the regular lap to avoid getting a penalty," said Foust. "The crowd loved it, but I was kicking myself. It was a good reminder that I've still got a lot to learn about this sport."

Foust made his series debut at the Portugal round of the European Rallycross Championship last year, finishing in eighth-place overall. The driver ran select events in 2010 and is now undertaking his first full European championship season.

After two rounds in the championship, Foust sits in second place overall, just one point behind defending champion Sverre Isachsen. At Round 1 in the UK last month, Foust set strong practice times but suffered some bad luck that knocked him out of podium contention.

Foust is also contesting the Global RallyCross Championship in 2011, persevering through pain after dislocating his shoulder to take the win at the most recent round, Twin Peaks, held outside Seattle a month ago.

Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. As many as six 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.

In addition to rallycross competition in Europe and the United States, Foust's 2011 competition schedule also includes a return to X Games Rally Car Racing events this July. He will be back in Europe this coming weekend for the third round of the championship at Circuit des Ducs in Essay, France, May 21-22.

Global RallyCross Championship Twin Peaks airs Saturday at 4:30 on ESPN

West Hollywood, CA (May 13, 2011 | GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP) -Tune in to ESPN on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern as the excitement of the Global RallyCross Championship returns to television with the DiRT 3 Global RallyCross Championship: Twin Peaks, presented by Best Buy.

The Saturday broadcast features drivers from the top ranks of action sports and rallycross in the United States and Europe as they take on a second-round battle for the inaugural Global RallyCross Championship title - and a chance to earn an invitation to X Games 17 Rally competitions held in downtown Los Angeles this summer.

Top drivers including Tanner Foust, BMX and rally pro Dave Mirra, and Formula DRIFT drivers Rhys Millen and Stephan Verdier tear it up on the inventive industrial course near Seattle. Action includes a huge gap jump where cars fly 70-feet through the air - a feature seen only at X Games and Global RallyCross competition - and racing through an industrial warehouse, with the sound of high-power engines ricocheting off the walls.

The show will be rebroadcast Saturday evening at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

Rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. The series benefits from a multi-year programming relationship with ESPN. 

Competitors will next travel to Colorado at the Pikes Peak International Raceway for Round 3: Last Chance (June 17-18). Ticketing and other information will be available soon at http://www.global-rallycross.com/. Invitations for X Games 17 Rally events will be announced soon after the conclusion of the third round of the 2011 series.

Fans can also find the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GlobalRallyCross) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GlobalRallyX) to sign up for a chance to win tickets and other prizes.

The RallyCar organization sanctions the Global RallyCross Championship events.