Canadian Rally Championship: Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard Ready for Another Win in the Rockies

L'Estage and Richard  look to leave the troubles of Oregon Trail Rally in their dust. Photo: Neil McDaid

Montréal (Québec), May 22^nd, 2012.- Quebec driver Antoine L'Estage (of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu) and his co-driver Nathalie Richard (of Halifax, Nova Scotia) are contesting this weekend’s Rocky Mountain Rally, the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship, to be held near Calgary, Alberta.  2011 Champions, winners of this event the last two years, and current series leaders after a dominating victory at the Rallye Perce-Neige this winter, the Rockstar Energy Drink duo will give their all to continue their Rocky Mountain Rally winning streak.

The Rocky Mountain Rally is a rally that I like, where I’ve often done very well.  It’s the only spring event in the Canadian championship but we’re just as likely to deal with winter snow and mud conditions, as we are with dry spring roads if it’s sunny » confides Antoine L'Estage, « we have to stay concentrated because it’s a long rally of about 800 km, 200 of which are at full speed, and we must to ensure we’re well prepared in order to perform at our peak.  We’re properly equipped with our Yokohama tires regardless of the road conditions we’ll face and our Mitsubishi Evo X is already out west, where it remained for re-preparation after the last round of the Rally America series ».

Taking place in Calgary and Kananaskis on Friday and Saturday (the 25^th and 26^th), the Rocky Mountain Rally has been a part of the Canadian Rally Championship since 1973.  Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard have each won the rally four times, claiming victory together three of the last five years. « We’ll always keep the championship title not too far back in our minds – we want to accumulate as many points here as possible in order to increase our lead in the series before heading to the Quebec summer events.  Having said that, winning this edition of the Rocky Mountain Rally is one of our top priorities and we’re confident we can do it » shares co-driver Nathalie Richard.

Rally America, Holds Round One Of 2012 U.S. RallyCross Championship At NJMP

Eric Vlasic from Honda of Canada wins 2WD Super. Photo Brent Smith

Williston, VT (May 21, 2012) -- Rally America's first of four rounds of the 2012 U.S. Rallycross Series at New Jersey Motorsports Park returned this past Saturday, May 19, 2012 after a brief hiatus with intense competition on the .6 mile rallycross course that consisted of 30% dirt and 70% tarmac surface.

After a day full of practice and qualifying heats, it was the former Belgian National Rally Champion and 2012 Oregon Trail Rally Super Production Class winner David Sterckx from Santa Ana, California who won the 4WD Class in his 2003 Mitsubishi EVO after his rival, Sebastian Kokoszka, from wake Forest, North Carolina broke a rear strut in Heat two.
Eric Vlasic from Paris, Ontario, a lead motorcycle technician working with Honda of Canada, piloted his supercharged 2008 Honda Civic to 2WD Super Class victory over local New Jersey Motorsports Park track driver and fan-favorite, Kyle Gagliardi from Millville, New Jersey driving a 2002 Ford Mustang V8. Third place honors in the 2WD Super Class went to Rafal Listopad, from nearby Lodi, New Jersey, driving a 2005 Dodge Neon SRT4.
Vlasic worked hard to earn his 2WD Super Class win after surviving a heated battle with former X Games 17 athlete and 2009 Rally America 2WD National Champion Dillon Van Way from Carencro, Louisiana driving his turbocharged 2012 Ford Fiesta.

Wimpey wins the 2WD Limited Class. Photo: Terry Hall

Van Way and Vlasic tangled as the two entered a dirt section in Heat number one causing damage to Van Way's radiator which he needed to replace before returning to competition. Van Way's crew managed to complete the repair in time for him to enter Heat number two, but he was unable to keep the car going to challenge Vlasic in the Main event.

David Sterckx wins 4WD Limited Class: Photo Brent Smith

Josh Wimpey, from Steeles Tavern, Virginia continued his winning ways in the U.S. Rallycross Series competition by fending off a slew of talented drivers in the 2WD Limited Class to take the class victory by nearly seven seconds. Collin Wooding from Southampton, New Jersey, took second place honors driving his 1996 BMW 318i while former NFL player turned racecar driver, Rich Bodmer from Westfield, New Jersey brought his Racing 2 Remember 2004 Dodge Neon home in third place in the 2WD Limited Class.


The U.S. Rallycross Series will return to New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey for the second of four U.S. Rallycross Series events on Saturday, July 21, 2012.
For more information regarding how to get involved as a competitor or where to purchase spectator tickets for this exciting event, please be sure to visit www.rally-america.com for all the details.

Source: Rally America Media

Chinese Rally Driver Tingwu Song Claims First USA Podium

In the shadow of Oregon’s majestic snow capped Mount Hood a grouping of

North Americas fastest and most fearless rally competitors gathered to

tackle 3 days and over 300 miles of fast flowing foothills and winding ridges

in the surrounding farmlands of the city of Portland.

The reigning series champion David Higgins led the field into the battle closely flanked by le patron of Canadian rallying Antoine L'Estage, and right in their wheel tracks

came Chinese driver Tingwu Song.

Known for his time in the China Rally Championship with the prestigious GuiZhou BaiLing Rally Team this is Tingwu’s first season in the Rally America Championship and he is using a proven car of ex champion L’Estage from the Libra Racing team of another

multiple champion John Buffum.

Tingwu has based himself in the USA for the season in an effort to focus on his primary goal of attaining success and speed in the Rally America 2012 series.

Added to the guidance and knowhow of the Libra Racing Team he then recruited Irishman Martin Brady to assist him from the passenger seat of the Mitsubishi Evo 10.

Martin has had much mileage attained in the North American rally scene with many drivers and his accolades include second overall in the Canadian Rally Championship in 2011, the first Irishman to do so.

The goal of this pairing for 2012 was to do similar in the Rally America series and set personal bests for both Chinese and Irish competitors as they tour the United States on the geographically diverse 6 round championship.

In Oregon it all started reasonably well on the first day’s stages which were

based along the track complex and access roads of the Portland

International Raceway.  After 4 stages at PIR Tingwu had overcome

intercom failure which left the notes coming from Martin to be less

vocalized than normal and an unfamiliarity with tarmac driving on gravel

tyres to hold 2nd in the regional portion of the rally missing first place by

only 0.4 of a second.

This gave the Song/Brady partnership a solid start to begin leg 2 of the

event which moved to The Dalles and the mountainous stages of Fir Mountain

and Ketchum lowlands.

Stages that demand respect and Tingwu drove them

with that attitude. Yet it was the repeat visit on ss7 to the arduous

mountain stage that sadly saw Tingwu and Martin pass their stricken Libra

racing team mates L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard who were forced

to retire with mechanical issues.  Shortly thereafter Tingwu would make contact with a

large boulder, resulting  in suspension and steering damage, the yellow

Evo would limp back to service. Libra Racing Mechanics did an

express renovation to the front corner of the car and sent Tingwu back on

the stages in fighting form.

Over the afternoon loop of 3 stages including the blast over the Starveout Ranch farmland ridge pass it was to be a fightback for Song and Brady to second place in the regional event 1 minute behind XGAMES athlete Carl Decker

The final leg of the rally took the crews to the ultra fast roads close to the

picturesque town of Dufur Oregon. Fast blasts over wide crests and jumps

and not so gentle declines down from the rolling often cambered hills with

breath taking valley and mountain views should you be going slowly enough to

take them all in.

Now as idyllic as that sounds it was not the plan for Tingwu

Song and Martin Brady, they left the start line of the opening stage of the

day very much with the head down and faced into battle.

Tingwu and Brady would  first go head to head with a very committed Mark Fox in his Subaru, swapping times and only half a second ahead of Fox when he succumbed to misfortune and retired from the event on the 3rd stage of the day. Decker was still pushing hard and Song could not

relax as he had only an 18 second cushion over Decker with two stages to go.

The hot temperatures were beginning to bring strain on the engine and it was

a nervous push that took them to the finish which despite the unfounded

worries that the engine could succumb to the stresses of the battle.

In the end it was with a  44 second lead that Song took the rally to claim his first regional win on

USA soil and attain the honor of the first Chinese driver to stand on the top

step of a Rally America podium.

Beaming at the finish Tingwu commented this has been a great rally for our team, we came to compete and gain experience and as the weekend unfolded we became faster and finished the rally as the fourth fastest car in a very prestigious field behind drivers I

hugely respect such as David Higgins.

Martin commented “Tingwu built up his pace and experience all weekend and

this shows with the winning of the regional rally today but also in how fast

we are in overall terms of the entire 3 legs of the event, I am proud to have

sat with him this weekend and see firsthand such an improvement and solid

result thanks to him and our team and it gives us a lot to look forward to for

the rest of the season”

Words: By Martin Brady

Photos/ Neil McDaid / Rally World News

SCOTT-EKLUND RACING SET FOR GRC CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY DEBUT

Dumfries, Scotland (UK) – Friday, May 18, 2012: Scott Eklund Racing is preparing for the biggest challenge in the team’s short four-month history with its Global Rallycross Championship debut in the opening 2012 round at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 26, as part of the Coca-Cola 600 event.

Armed with the Scott-Eklund Racing 600bhp, two-litre 16 valve Saab 9-3, Team Principal and driver Andy Scott, from Dumfries (Scotland) will lead the private team into its first GRC event, staged on a custom-built three-quarter mile Rallycross course constructed along the frontstretch and pit road of the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Scott-Eklund Racing was founded by Scott and Swedish rally and rallycross legend Per Eklund in January 2012 and since then a small crew of 15 team members hailing from the United Kingdom, Sweden and America have worked around the clock to create and establish Scott-Eklund Racing as a serious GRC title contender.

What the fledgling outfit has achieved in that short time is no mean feat. Not only has Eklund’s experienced crew built two GRC-spec Saab 9-3s from the ground-up, but the entire team operation has shipped and set-up camp in the US.

By the time Scott-Eklund Racing arrives in North Carolina, the cars will have already travelled a staggering 8,845 miles. From Eklund Motorsport’s Swedish operation in Arvika, the first port of call was the first wheels-down test in Dreux, France, at the end of March before heading across the English Channel and up to the team’s Scottish base.

Sailing out of Southampton (England) across the Atlantic to New Brunswick early April, the cars and 17-metre long trailer packed with Saab spares, body parts and tools, journeyed onto the team’s new US base at Champion Racing’s Headquarters at Pompano Beach, Florida.

The Scott Trawlers-backed team then made for Starke, Florida, to complete its second successful pre-season test before heading to the opening GRC rounds in Charlotte, where the full, multi-national Scott-Eklund Racing team will meet for the first time.

In the hands of Scott, one of Britain’s finest rallycross exports, the Scott-Eklund Racing Saab 9-3 is primed for battle against a fiercely competitive field of the world’s top rallycross teams in its debut season.

Combining the energy of motorsport with the attitude of action sport, Global Rallycross will offer a unique style of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans will have a close-up view of the action as drivers steer through hairpin turns, crossover jumps and through a series of chicanes and water features designed to test every driver’s focus and control through multi-car heats and an eight-car final.

The GRC action starts with official testing at 18.00 on Tuesday, May 22, followed by practice and seeding sessions from 18.00 on Friday, May 25. The opening round kicks off following the HISTORY 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on Saturday, May 26, with heats starting from 19.00 and the main race taking place at 20.50 EDT. (All timings are provisional and subject to change.)

In addition to the on-track action, Scott will join the GRC drivers’ autograph signing session, and visit fans in the grandstands prior to the start of Saturday’s Global Rallycross feature event. The Scott-Eklund Racing Saab 9-3 will also be on view alongside the entire field of 600-horsepower turbo-charged machines throughout the Coca-Cola 600 race weekend in Rally Park, a special pit area set up outside of Turns 1 and 2.

Tickets for the HISTORY 300 and Global Rallycross double-header start at $25. Children 13 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway Ticket Office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
To coincide with the opening round of the 2012 Global Rallycross Championship, the new Scott-Eklund Racing website is about to go live, where you can see all the latest information about the new team, key personnel, and the Saab 9-3, plus download high-res copyright free images in the media gallery at www.scott-eklundracing.com

Andy Scott, Scott-Eklund Racing Team Principal & Driver:

“We’ve been waiting to get to this point for what seems like a very long time, when in fact we’ve created the team from scratch in little more than four months. It’s been a monumental effort to deliver a year’s work in a fraction of the time and we’ve coped with obstacles every step of the way and only come out stronger.

“I am so proud of what my team has achieved. I know we have the best group of professionals married with fantastic facilities at our US base, and it’s a great feeling to be heading into the first event as a multi-national team joining together for the first time.

“The Saab 9-3 is on solid form. We made positive gains throughout two pre-season tests and the latest development parts from Trollspeed have already run extremely well on dyno testing.

“Of course, the sessions on Tuesday and Friday will give us vital track time. Everything is new to us, from the jumps to the all-tarmac surface. Even the race formats, but we’ll be taking it all in our stride. Overall it’s going to be an amazing experience, not just to compete in our first GRC round but to soak-up the atmosphere at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I can’t wait.”

Per Eklund, Scott-Eklund Racing Technical Director:

“I am very happy with the level of preparation on the car. We’ve conducted two extensive tests and completed very positive testing on the dyno. We know that the Saab 9-3 and Andy are both strong and we are 99% ready.

“The only thing we cannot prepare for is the two jumps at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but everyone should be in the same situation. With two jumps every lap, that’s 16 jumps per race, they are going to be a big factor.

“The first Global Rallycross round will be a great spectacle for the crowds. For the drivers, the most important thing will be getting a clear run through Turn 1 to keep any damage to a minimum.
“Andy is 100% ready for this. He’s a strong driver who can hold his own against a super field. No-one’s going to settle for second and we’re aiming for the top.”

TRAVIS PASTRANA SET TO UNLEASH ALL-NEW DODGE DART IN GLOBAL RALLYCROSS SERIES AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

CONCORD, N.C. (Friday, May 18, 2012) – The all-new Dodge Dart is ready to fly. Literally. And with four-time Rally America champion and action sports legend Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of the custom-built 600-horsepower, turbocharged Dodge entry in the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC), anything is possible.

Pastrana, 28, leads a contingent of “who’s who” action sports icons in the ultimate clash of big air meets high-speed at the inaugural 2012 Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Saturday night, May 26.

Dodge and Pastrana have teamed with sponsors Red Bull and Discount Tire to compete in the newly formed GRC Series. The series schedule includes seven events, five of which will be held at Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (SMI) tracks.

The X Game gold medalist and four-time Rally America champion brings his fearless attitude and high-performance racing background into a new genre of motorsports.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the all-new Dodge Dart and put it through its paces,” said Travis Pastrana, Dodge Dart Global Rally Cross driver. “The Global Rallycross Championship is the perfect racing series for the Dart. Action sports fans are passionate about performance and gravitate toward cool things. Once they get their eyes on our Red Bull/Discount Tire Dodge Dart and see how well it performs, they’ll be stoked. I can’t wait to put on a show for them.”

Dodge’s entry into the GRC parallels the debut of its all-new 2013 production Dodge Dart, which started production at the company’s Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly plant earlier this month.

Passion for performance.

The all-new Dodge Dart offers three state-of-the-art powertrains that produce up to 184 horsepower and 171 lb.-ft. of torque and provide a sporty, fun-to-drive experience.

“The Global Rallycross Championship is the perfect venue to show off the performance and passion that our customers expect in our Dodge brand,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “At Dodge, racing is an integral part of our heritage and embodies our competitive spirit, and Travis is a great competitor, making him a great partner for Dodge in this series.”

Powered by a purpose-built 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbo-charged 600-horsepower engine mated to a Sedav 4-wheel drive gear box that puts out more than 550 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dart rally car is ready to go.

“Motorsports is a continuous learning curve on the demands and effects that high-powered racing has on mechanical parts,” said Dave Bailey, Sr. Engineer – SRT Motorsports Engineering. “Having a world-class Rallycross driver like Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of our GRC Dodge Dart is the perfect real-life test environment that will engage our engineering group to design and build high-performance parts that Street and Racing Technology customers expect in our vehicles.”

Drivers will participate in an autograph session at 5:45 p.m. followed by heat races at 7:30 p.m.  ESPN will provide coverage on a tape-delay basis.