One word sums up the X Games 16 rally events, disaster! The rally car portion ended with only 3 match ups actually coming to a conclusion. The rest of the match ups ended either in an off-course being called or one car breaking before the finish. There was so much confusion with where the course was supposed to go that not only the drivers, but the spectators, the announcers and even the camera men seemed befuddled as to what was occurring. Even if there hadn’t been so much confusion, the courses were horribly designed. They were very tight with a few too many handbrake turn sections, giving a huge advantage to the smaller and lighter Ford Fiesta rally cars. There were 2 near-miss head on collisions as the crossover point was a blind intersection with one car emerging from under the jump into the high-speed straight section of the other car.
Tanner Foust took the gold in both the rally car and Super Rally competitions at X Games 16
After teammate Mikko Hirvonen surrendered his lead to Petter Solberg early on in the rally after crashing out, Jari-Matti Latvala pushed hard to grab the lead back for the Ford Team and after taking the lead after stage 7 held on to win in his home rally, Neste Oil Rally Finland. It is often said that the Finnish drivers have a home-field advantage in Finland and that seemed to ring true again this year. In winning, Latvala became the youngest driver to capture a victory in Finland. “It’s a dream and I can’t even imagine it yet! It’s something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a small boy!”, exclaimed Latvala after the event.
Jari-Matti Latvala drove his way to victory in his home rally in Finland
Don’t forget to set your DVRs for tomorrow for the X Games 16 Rally and Super Rally events. I’m guessing the Super Rally is going to bring some excitement and may be something worth watching a few times over. Just about anything can and will happen with 4 cars sliding and jumping together on the same course. Both events will feature some big names from Rally America and other motorsports.
Travis Pastrana tests out his 2011 Subaru STI Rally Car in preparation for X Games 16
A quick Rally Finland update. Day 2 is under way and Jari-Matti Latvala has just claimed slim lead over Petter Solberg, just 9 seconds behind. Citreon teammates Sebastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb are currently sitting in 3rd and 4th, respectively, followed by Dani Sordo in 5th driving for the Citroen Junior Team. Mikko Hirvonen was looking to repeat his success at last year’s Rally Finland and to get back on track and score some points in the driver’s standings, but suffered a huge crash, rolling several times. Mikko was leading his home rally by just under 5 seconds, before rolling his car 5 times. Neither Mikko or his co-driver were injured in the crash, but Hirvonen’s Ford Focus RS suffered substantial damage and will not be able to continue.
Video (onboard and outside) of Mikko Hirvonen as he crashes out of Rally Finland in his Ford Focus RS.
With SCCA Rallycross Nationals in Colorado Springs, CO coming up in just a couple weeks, I am reminded of the differences between Solo and Rallycross driving, and have begun preparing myself mentally for the switch. For SCCA Solo I have used a STU-prepped 2006 STI. Plenty of power, grippy nissan tires, and stiff suspension the idea in the drivers mind is to be precise, and attack each element individually, yet constantly scanning and looking ahead, trusting the car to complete the element. However, SCCA Rallycross is a whole different beast.
With Rallycross, I am switching to a FWD, low-power 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R, on the original tires. First, every corner is just a ‘fraction’ of an element, and Rallycross requires you to string them together. Looking ahead is just as essential, if not more, although the elements tend to be less intense and most-often naturally flow into each-other. Weight transfer into corners is key, as the grip will not be present and the car’s motion will propagate from one turn into the next. I’m hoping that I can effectively make the switch between the styles, as ProSolo and Solo Nationals are two weeks following, and the goal is to do my best in all of them.
Wish me luck as I attempt to trophy in all three!
Rallycross, Sentra, Solo, STI
With Nationals approaching Labor Day week its time to start the prep work. This will be my first time, but by thinking ahead I should be ready both mentally and with the car.
First step to take is annalyzing the driver and the car. Is the car setup right or still in need of adjustment. Nationals is only a month and a half away so ordering parts like a custom hydraulic hose and tires now is important. Do the tires have enough tread or broken in properly. There is still a Divisional and ProSolo on the National’s site if needed to break in a new set. It also helps to keep your car in a carpark or a garage with a secure garage door installation to protect your vehicle from elements that can cause damage before the race.
The Driver is just as important as the car. Mentally preparing by taking the Dail In or Test-N-Tune course to learn how to setup the car and drive will greatly improve times and the feel of the car.
Next, need to make sure to sign up and take advantage of every contingency qualified for http://scca.com/event.aspx?hub=3&event=15171. If I place in a top position and find that I left a new set of tires or cash sitting on the table becuase I didn’t register would not be good. Contact the towingless.com for road assistance.
Last, making sure I have all the right tools and gear for the event. Bringing plenty of water, sun block and rain gear will ensure that the event goes well and help maintain focus for when driving on course. The most important thing to take away from the event is to have a good time, make some new friends and improve driving skills.
A couple months back the amazing Ferrari 599XX broke the Nurburgring track record, well Pagani couldn’t let that go unchallenged. So Pagani brought out it’s answer the Pagani Zonda R and broke the 599XX’s record time, setting a new record of 6:47. Now you can argue that neither of these cars are actually road legal or would you drive either one of these on a daily commute, but the times and laps are amazing to say the least. Watch the Pagani Zonda R’s super fast lap of the Nurburgring below.
Video of the Pagani Zonda R setting the Nurburgring track record.
BMW announced that MINI will be returning to competition in the World Rally Championship starting at select events in 2011 and will compete in the entire 2012 season and ‘for many years’ to come after that. The MINI rally car will be based on the Clubman and will be developed in partnership with ProDrive, which was behind the Subaru Rally Team from 1989 – 2008. The Clubman will be fitted with a 1.6 Liter turbo charged 4 cylinder BMW Motorsport engine.
The 2011 MINI Countryman will serve as the base to the WRC rally car
The Project BMW 135i STU made a trip down to Kansas City to the SCCA Midwest Divisional event last weekend. The event was held at the MCC Performance Driving School in Independence, MO. The courses were set up on a section of the mini road course at the site. The GotCone.com Project BMW 135i STU car finished 6th in the STU class.
Project BMW 135i STU at 2010 Kansas City SCCA Midwest Divisional
The Rally America National Series ended with a bang. Antoine L’Estage entered the event 13 points ahead of Bill Bacon in the driver’s points standings, meaning a finish of 5th or higher would give him his first ever overall Rally America Championship. Not only did L’Estage make a finishing of 5th or higher, but the Rockstar Energy EVO ended on top with a win at the New England Forest Rally.
Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard drive their Mitsubishi EVO X to the 2010 Rally America Championship
