Photos from the 2011 SCCA TireRack Solo Nationals have been posted in the photo gallery. Photos from nearly every heat are posted and grouped by class. Some of heat 1 on Th./Fr. are missing due to the fact I was competing in the STU prepared GotCone.com BMW 135i.
Photos are $5 for a full resolution digital copy or a photo package can be purchased for $20 which includes full resolution digital of all photos of your car (co-drivers included). Orders will be filled within 24 hours, an email will be sent with your photo (or a link to download photos).
Photos from the 2011 ProSolo Finale are also available.
If you have any questions or special requests please feel free to email me photo@gotcone.com
Sebastien Loeb is nearly unbeatable on tarmac and was the obvious favorite at the 2011 ADAC Rallye Deutschland held in Germany, but it was the other Sebastien driving for Citroen that took home the victory. Loeb got off to a great start, but a puncture on stage 14 left him chasing Ogier. Despite Loeb’s Power Stage victory, Ogier had too much and took first place for a 1-2 finish for Citroen.
Ogier’s victory snaps Loeb’s amazing streak of 8 consecutive wins in Germay. “For sure I really like to win in Germany but I cannot be perfect every time and every year I say that one day it will stop and it stopped this time. I was unlucky yesterday but I tried my best,” said an less than happy Loeb. It also vaulted Ogier up to 2nd place, 25 points behind teammate Loeb, in the driver’s championship standings. “Mathematically the championship is still possible and I have to believe I have a chance. As long as there is a chance then I am going to try,” said Ogier.
Germany also marked another first… More…
The latest installment of Ken Block’s Gymkhana series was just released. In Gymkhana 4, Ken Block takes his Monster Energy Ford Fiesta (Rally/Rallycross/Gymkhana) car to the streets of Hollywood in DC SHOES: KEN BLOCK’S GYMKHANA 4; THE HOLLYWOOD MEGAMERCIAL. Featuring zombies, ninjas, sharks, a gorilla on a segway (and ladder) and more, this installment is filled with special effects, explosions and of course the the Fiesta and lots of tire smoke!
Watch the video below:
Travis Pastrana thought it would be fun to mimic Ken Block’s livery and schedule announcement video with one of his own and then show the 2 side by side. Hilarity ensues as Pastrana’s models (3 of them) age adds up to his number… 199, “because according to Block hot chicks make your car go faster.” He then officially announces himself as a Hillbiligan and announces the possibility of a Pastranakhana. The video shows off his Boost Mobile sponsored Subaru STI rally car. “It’s going to be an amazing year when I beat Ken Block at X Games… again,” says Pastrana.
Watch the video below.
A couple of weeks ago, I headed out to Colorado to help the Dirty Girls Rally Team (Brianne Corn and Christy Carlson) take on Pikes Peak at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The PPIHC is famous world wide as one of the most difficult and dangerous motorsports events. I now understand why it is considered as such.
Christy Carlson and co-driver Adam Kniepp in their #298 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX at 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Not only is there the danger of going off the road and falling many many feet, there is the difficulty of preparing a car to survive the stress and strain that only Pikes Peak could put on a car. Elevation, altitude, tarmac, and gravel are just a few of the things you have to prepare for. More…
The Rally D’Italia Sardinia weekend started off with some exciting news… Volkswagen officially announced its intent to enter the WRC with the Polo R WRC. The VW campaign will begin in 2013 with a 5 year commitment to WRC competition.
The announcement by VW comes on the same weekend as the WRC debut of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car. The MINI debut got off to a great start with MINI’s driver Kris Meeke beating reigning WRC champion Sebastien Loeb’s stage time on the opening stage. Meeke then set the 3rd fastest time on the 2nd stage, putting him in 4th overall. But on the next stage Meeke felt something braking for a 5th gear corner and ran wide into some loose gravel. He was forced to retire from the day and restart under Super Rally rules on the following day, which put him out of the running. The other MINI driver, Dani Sordo, was able to stay consistent and ended up in 6th overall, a great showing for MINI’s first event.
“I’m really happy we’ve finished the rally with some points,” said Sordo. “It’s difficult to fight when the gaps to the driver in front and behind are big but it’s nice to take the experience with a new car and with a new team. We will take the data from the car and look at everything to try and do better on the next rally. I’m really enjoying developing the car. The people in Prodrive are really professional and people know really well the car and the direction we need to work. I have confidence we will do better in the next rally.” More…
The 2011 WRC Rally season continued with a very exciting battle at Rally Jordan, resulting in the closest finish of all-time. Sebastien Ogier took a risk on Friday that ended up paying off, as he took the victory by just .2 seconds total over Jari-Matti Latvala in Ford Fiesta WRC. With all the other top 3 (Jari-Matti Latvala, Sebastien Loeb, and Petter Solberg) backing off and playing tactics as to not have to go out first and sweep on the final day of competition, Ogier pushed even harder and built a 30 second advantage. Ogier had to push hard on the final day and even lost the lead to Latvala on the second to last stage, but Ogier was the fastest in the penultimate power stage and claimed the win by the narrowest of margins. “Incredible,” said Ogier. “An incredible day. I had to push like hell today. It’s an amazing feeling. Jari-Matti was so fast today and I had to drive flat out. I’m so happy to end like this.” The victory in Jordan puts Ogier back in the drivers championship hunt where he sits in 3rd, just 5 points behind teammate Loeb.
Latavala was a bit disappointed losing on the final stage, but was still pleased with his finish. “Somebody wins the rally, someone has to lose,” Latvala said. “It’s the same situation as last year in New Zealand when I won and Sebastien [Ogier] lost it by fractions of a second. I can’t deny that I’m disappointed. It was so close, we were 0.5 seconds ahead going into the final stage. We were absolutely on the limit – we all were, you can tell because the four of us were 0.7 seconds apart on the Power Stage. It’s difficult to say where I would improve – there were a couple of places where I was a little bit wide but I think it’s like that for everybody. At that speed, sometimes when you try so hard you do little mistakes. You need to do a perfect performance and today was not my perfect performance.” Latvala is still in the mix of things with a shot at the championship just, sitting in 4th, 8 points out of 1st. More…
WRC Rally Portugal got off to a dramatic start, even before it had begun. Monster Energy World Rally driver Ken Block, dramatically rolled his WRC Ford Fiesta during the 3rd shakedown stage on Wed. after hitting a rock. Block was ok after the crash, but the car was not and he was forced to withdraw from his entry.
The 3rd WRC Rally of the year went much better for the Citroen Team with Sebastien Ogier taking his 1st victory of the year and their 2nd consecutive victory on the gravel stages in Portugal. “I’m very happy, we had the perfect weekend, the car was perfect and Julien was perfect. I would like to dedicate this victory to all the team who prepared a perfect car. They showed trust in me since the start of the season and following my mistake in Mexico. It is the best way to come back. It is a long way to go in the championship but I’m in a better position,” said Ogier. More…
Ken Block is out of Rally Portugal after clipping a rock and rolling his WRC Ford Fiesta multiple times during a shakedown stage today at Rally Portugal. Block and his co-driver, Alex Gelsomino were taken to a hospital for precautionary check ups after the accident, but both seem to be doing ok. The spectacular crash was caught on video, which you can see below. Unfortunately the car had to be sent to the auto repair shop.
The crash left the car too badly damaged for Block to continue in the rally and has been forced to withdraw. A spokesperson for the Monster Energy World Rally Team said, “Ken and Alex are 100 per cent fine. They went to hospital but it was a precaution because it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately when the car came back to service the scrutineer declared that it was too badly damaged and was a no-go. Ken is obviously disappointed and bummed out that he’s been unable to start the rally. It was his first big crash in a World Rally Car and Ken is obviously relieved that he and Alex are both okay. They’re heading back home now to prepare for their next stop on their world tour, Argentina WRC.”
WRC Rally Portugal begins competition today. Check www.wrc.com for more information
Rumor has it that Volkswagen will be announcing a WRC campaign sometime this month. Odds are that the announcement will come at Rally Portugal.
The VW WRC car will most likely be based on the Polo
The car will most likely be based on the Polo, as it is lighter then the Scirocco. Development has rumoredly already begun, as VW has been considering the possibility since the WRC rules changes were announced. More…
