Podium result for Comrie-Picard and Wimpey. Scion Rally xD
ATLANTA, Michigan (ACP Racing) February 2, 2012 – Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the Scion Rally xD team scored a well-earned second place in the two-wheel-drive classes of the 2012 SnoDrift Rally in Atlanta Michigan this past weekend.
The podium result was hard-won after the team lay in fifth place overall after the first night of competition: “Honestly, on Friday night, I was questioning whether we could turn the race around” said Comrie-Picard, “but between some smart setup changes on the team’s part and a bit of a reset in my driving style, we managed to turn the tables on our competition on Saturday and go from over a minute out of second place to a solid result and a kickoff to our championship. I’m as proud of this result as of any in more than ten years of rally driving.”
CHERRY HILL, N.J., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ Subaru of America, Inc. Defending 2011 Rally America National Champion David Higgins launched his 2012 title defense with Subaru Rally Team USA by achieving a decisive victory this past weekend at the Sno*Drift Rally. Higgins, driving a 5-door 2012 Subaru WRX STI rally car, dominated the rally leading from the start and winning 15 of the event's 24 competitive stages. Higgins finished nearly two minutes clear of his closest rival. The Sno*Drift Rally was not easy by any respect; David's biggest challenge was keeping his STI on the event's treacherously icy roads. Higgins proclaimed the variable and slick road conditions as the toughest rallying he has ever encountered.
(January 27, 2012) | Subaru Rally Team USA announced today that PIAA will join the team as an official equipment supplier for the 2012 season. PIAA will supply the team with powerful HID driving lights for use on defending Rally America Champion David Higgins' 2012 Subaru WRX STI rally car. The team will begin utilizing the latest HID competition driving lights from PIAA this weekend at the 2012 Sno*Drift Rally, round one of the 2012 Rally America National Championship, where over a third of the rally is run at night on icy forest roads in northern Michigan.
Team Courage Gazelles Announces Rallye Aicha des Gazelles efforts have been POSTPONED until 2013
Team Courage Gazelles regrets to announce that they will have to postpone their run for the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in Morocco until 2013. Unfortunately, team member Michele Martineau, a breast cancer previvor, must undergo surgery due to reconstruction complications. Doctor’s are insisting that she not race for all of 2012, not only putting on hold the team’s Gazelle campaign, but also Michele’s goal of racing in 4 different countries this year.
While the last special was won by Norway's Pål Anders Ullevålseter (motorcycles) and Robby Gordon (cars), France's Cyril Despres and Stéphane Peterhansel took their fourth and tenth Dakars respectively, all categories included. The champions were applauded on the podium on Lima's Plaza de Armas by a huge crowd which came to acclaim both the competitors and the arrival of the greatest rally raid in the world to Lima's capital. All in all, 97 motorcycles, 12 quads, 78 cars and 60 trucks made it to the finishing line of the 33rd Dakar, i.e., 249 of the 443 vehicles which started the rally in Mar del Plata.
The American Robby Gordon clocked the best time in the last special of the 2012 Dakar, beating Mini's Ricardo Leal dos Santos and Krzysztof Holowczyc. All the GC leaders took things carefully in this special and were happy just to reach the finish and the podium in downtown Lima. Stéphane Peterhansel will climb onto the top step, flanked by his teammate Nani Roma and South Africa's Giniel de Villiers.
Argentina's Lucio Ezequiel Álverez (Toyota) has taken fourth place at the end of today's special, 14'57" behind leader Stéphane Peterhansel.
DE VILLIERS CROSSES THE FINISHING LINE FIRST, PETERHANSEL TAKES THE SCRATCH He was probably one of those who performed best in today's special, with the toughest part at the end. The South African and his Toyota crossed the finishing line first, but Stéphane Peterhansel has taken the provisional scratch with a time of 3 h 09'57", 8'29" ahead of Giniel de Villiers. The third driver across the line is also one of those who performed best on the dunes: Leonid Novitskiy's time was 12'55" slower than the overall leader's.
CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Robby Gordon has proven once again why he is a true motorsports champion, not just by winning, but dominating Stage 12 of the Dakar™. After a long delay set him back during Stage 11 due to mechanical problems, the American driver attacked Stage 12 with a vengeance. He piloted his #303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER from a 22nd starting position to first overall – beating the second place finisher by 15 minutes, 18 seconds! To further prove a point, he accomplished that feat by crossing the perilously soft coastal dunes toward Nazca, Peru -- streaking past stuck competitors with his two-wheel drive HUMMER equipped with Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires.
STAGE 12 RECAP
Nasca, Peru (January 13, 2012) - Over the last couple of days during the 2012 Dakar Rally, Team SPEED and Robby Gordon have had to defend themselves after being accused of having an air inflation system that gives them an advantage. To prove a point, Gordon took it upon himself to show the media his entire system and how it worked last night in the bivouac in Arequipa, Peru. He even went so far as cutting the line that was in question and plugging it. He will run the rest of the rally without a vacuum system placed on his car.
• Leonid Novitskiy finishes runner-up in special stage 12
• Peterhansel and Roma still first and second in the overall standings
All the Monster Energy X-raid Team drivers had expected a difficult 13th special stage but what they had to cope with exceeded their fears – by far. Every driver got stuck and struggled with the dunes of Nasca, Peru. Following the special stage, Russian-German pairing Leonid Novitskiy / Andi Schulz were delighted with having taken their orange Monster Energy MINI ALL4 to second place behind Robby Gordon’s Hummer. Nani Roma (ESP) and Michel Périn (FRA) in the yellow MINI ALL4 Racing finished fifth. The two Frenchmen Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret with the green Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing had to settle for finishing seventh in today’s special stage but succeeded in defending their overall lead, with Roma following in second position. The two Portuguese Ricardo Leal dos Santos / Paulo Fiuza in the red Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing and Polish-Belgian pairing Krzysztof Holowczyc / Jean-Marc Fortin in the ORLEN MINI ALL4 Racing finished ninth and twelfth respectively.
Robby Gordon and Team SPEED are shocked and disappointed by the interim decision by the race organizers of the 2012 Dakar Rally, and that decision has now been appealed to the governing body. The appeal will be decided several weeks from now, so Robby Gordon and the Team will continue to participate in the 2012 Dakar Rally pending final determination of the appeal.
The issue centers on the tire inflation system used on the Hummers. That system was specifically inspected, tested, and approved by the organizers for both the 2011 Dakar Rally and the 2012 Dakar Rally. Further, it is the same system that Robby Gordon and the Team have used on the Hummers for each of the past 5 years that they have participated in the Dakar Rally.
• All the five MINIs ALL4 Racing make it to the top six, today
The countdown is running – just three more days to go to the Dakar Rally finish at Lima. In the 11th of the 14 special stages, from Arica, Chile to Arequipa, Peru, the Monster Energy X-raid Team celebrated a one-two-three. With their green Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing, the two Frenchmen Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret did not only secure the special stage win. At the same time, they also extended their lead in the overall standings. Spanish-French pairing Nani Roma / Michel Périn took the yellow Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing to second position, with their Portuguese team-mates Ricardo Leal dos Santos und Paulo Fiuza in the red sister car coming third. Meanwhile, the toughest rival of Peterhansel and Roma in the battle for the overall win, Robby Gordon in the Hummer, lost more than an hour due to technical problems.
The 10th special stage – from Antofagasta to Arica – proved to be a very successful one the Monster Energy X-raid Team. With their yellow Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing, Spaniard Nani Roma and his French co-driver Michel Périn celebrated their third special stage win in this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally. Just 21 seconds behind them, their French team-mates Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret took their green Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing to second position, thus extending their lead over Robby Gordon in the overall standings to 19:51 minutes. Meanwhile, Leonid Novitskiy (RUS) / Andi Schulz (GER) in the orange Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing and the two Portuguese Ricardo Leal dos Santos / Paulo Fiuza in the red sister car set exactly the same time to finish sixth and seventh respectively.
ARICA, Chile — American Robby Gordon's hopes of winning the Dakar Rally took a major hit on Wednesday when stewards ruled that he should be thrown out of the event because his Hummer's engine did not conform to race regulations.
A source close to the organisers revealed that the 43-year-old - who is pressing overall leader Stephane Peterhansel hard for the car title - would appeal the decision and was allowed to continue competing in the 10th stage.
The ultimate decision rests with motorsport's governing body, the FIA.
Gordon - whose best finish so far in seven Dakar participations is third in the 2009 edition - won the ninth stage on Tuesday to cut Frenchman Peterhansel's overall lead to 5min 58sec ahead of Sunday's finish in Lima.
Arica, Chile (January 11, 2012) - Stage 10 was the last stage in Chile for the competitors, and it would prove to be a harsh one to Robby Gordon in the last 30km. Gordon started off the line in first, but he lost time early to the MINIs of Nani Roma and Stephane Peterhansel. After checkpoint 1, he was only 3 minutes back and had fought his way back by checkpoint 3, when he was only 30 seconds behind Peterhansel on the road. He was in third place, only 2 minutes behind. Gordon was poised to attack with the overall leader in his sight.
Iquique, Chile (January 10, 2012) - Robby Gordon and the No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER dominated Stage 9 of the 2012 Dakar Rally, winning by 1 minute and 38 seconds over Stephane Peterhansel. Gordon, with the help of his navigator Johnny Campbell, lead the entire stage with 3 MINIs breathing down their necks.
Unfortunately, Nasser Al-Attiyah's day would end completely different. Al-Attiyah encountered the same issue today as he did yesterday when a serpentine belt popped off, not once but three times. Using all of his spares, Al-Attiyah was stranded near KM 200 of the 556 km stage. Being more than an hour down to the overall leader, Al-Attiyah made the tough decision to end his efforts for a repeat championship and dropped out of the stage.
Robby Gordon Down for over 11 minutes on today's special
Despite injuring his right foot after 35 km of this 10th special stage, Joan Barreda confirmed his status as the major revelation of 2012 by picking up his first stage victory on the Dakar, ahead of Marc Coma and Cyril Despres. However, the Frenchman, who opened the road today, hangs on to his position as general standings leader, but only by 21 seconds ahead of the Catalan. In the car category, the day witnessed a third stage victory in 2012 for Nani Roma in front of the general standings leader, Stephane Peterhansel. The Catalan also took advantage of a mistake by Gordon and the mechanical problems suffered by Holowczyc to move into 2nd place in the general standings.
CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Excitement is building in anticipation of crowning the overall winner for the 2012 Dakar™ this coming Monday. Robby Gordon is focused on capturing that glory, winning today’s Stage 9 by 1-minute 38-seconds over race-leader, Stephane Peterhansel. Gordon’s charge has reduced Peterhansel’s lead to less than six minutes with four days left of competition.
American Robby Gordon has given another victory to the Hummer team with a total time of 6:25'21” today. He beat Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel by 1'38”. In the general standings, Peterhansel still has a lead of 5'58” over Gordon.
Behind Robby Gordon and Stephane Peterhansel, Spaniard Nani Roma has taken third place on the ninth special of the Dakar 2012. Roma finished 8'37” behind the day's winner. The fourth placed driver, Krzysztof Holowczic, came in 10'39” behind the American. In the general standings, the two men are in reverse order: the Polish driver is third, 16'49” behind the leader and the Spaniard is fourth, 19'26” behind the leader.
The battle between the day's leader Ales Loprais and his closest pursuer Gerard de Rooy is really heating up at CP4: only 13 seconds separate the Tatra and the Iveco! Behind them, third-placed Hans Stacey trails the leader by 3'13” and only has a lead of 2'17” over his Italian team-mate Miki Biasion. In this category, anything is still possible.
Italian Roberto Tonetti is currently third at CP4 behind the Patronelli brothers. 30'37” separates him from the leader. As for Tomas Maffei, he is in fourth, 2'16” behind Tonetti.
Robby Gordon still leads the car special in front of Stephane Peterhansel. The gap is 2'11” between the leaders. Third-placed man Krzysztof Holowczyc trails the day's leader by 5'32” and Nani Roma in fourth position is 5'58” behind.
It was one of the longest special stages of this year’s Dakar Rally and at the end of the exhausting 477 kilometres, Nani Roma (ESP) and Michel Périn (FRA) proved to be the quickest, with their yellow Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing. Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc and his Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin took their ORLEN MINI ALL4 Racing to third position behind Robby Gordon, with the green Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing of French pairing Stéphane Peterhansel / Jean-Paul following in fourth position. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS) / Andi Schulz (GER) in the orange Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing came eighth, right ahead of the two Portuguese Portugiesen Ricardo Leal dos Santos and Paulo Fiuza in the red sister car.
CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – International fans were treated to American V8 thunder as Robby Gordon launched an all-out attack on today’s Stage 8 of the Dakar™ rally. The determined Gordon surged forward with his #303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER to finish second place in the stage, moving him to second overall in the 14-stage rally. The route traveled 477km northward from Copiapó, Chile to the town of Antofagasta on the Pacific Ocean. Gordon is now easily within striking distance of the overall lead of the Dakar.
DAKAR.COM Spain's Nani Roma has just posted the best time, finishing stage eight in 4 h 25'44". He beat Robby Gordon and his Hummer by 5" at the end of the 477-kilometre special. Krzysztof Holowczyc came in third, 2'04" back. Stéphane Peterhansel had to settle for fourth, 5'38" behind his teammate. Despite his problems at the start of the stage, Nasser Al-Attiyah produced a fine performance to finish fifth, 8'09" back. Stéphane Peterhansel defended the overall lead, 7'36" ahead of Robby Gordon, who has a slim 12" margin over Holowczyc. Fourth-placed Nani Roma is just 12'27" behind the leader. On the other hand, Nasser Al-Attiyah has lost 45'25" to Peterhansel so far.
DAKAR.COM | In the motorcycle category, the eighth special may have been the pivotal point in the duel between Coma and Despres for the overall win. Despite opening the course, the Spaniard was able to avoid a trap into which the Frenchman fell. As a result, the Catalan took his 20th stage win at the Dakar and, most importantly, seized the overall lead. He now has a 9'32" margin over Despres.
January 6, 2012 (After Stage 6) Although the day's stage had to be cancelled, the competitors of the Dakar 2012 were able to cross the Andes Mountain Range in convoy. The bikers opening the road crossed the Paso San Francisco pass in icy temperatures of -8°C.
The pilot of InstaForex Loprais Team is conducting a fierce battle for the dakar podium, claiming fourth overall after Stage 5.
Ales Loprais has made significant achievements in the course of 2011. After a splendid performance at Dakar 2011, having won two consecutive stages, his team constructed a new racing machine. The bonneted Jamal model proved to be extremely competitive from the very beginning and Ales managed to win the Silk Way Rally in Russia in July, beating all Kamaz trucks on their home ground. For Dakar 2012 n South America, his team managed to enter two trucks, renting the former T815 to a privateer, Tomas Vratny, in a crew called Bonver Dakar Team. Ales entered the race with a new navigator, Michal Ernst, an experienced co-pilot from the World Rally Championship.
Due to the bad weather continuing over the Andes Mountain Range (rain and snow), the Chilean authorities were forced to close, for the night, the border at the Paso de San Francisco pass, situated at 4700 m.
For the 7th time, the Dakar is about to cross over the Andes, and because of very unfavourable conditions, added to the fact that the course has been hit by rain and snow, in order to guarantee the security of the competitors and those following the rally, the organisers have decided to organise a convoy for all vehicles tomorrow. The itinerary has been changed after the border (follow the main road on the right which goes to Diego de Almagro).
Fiambala, Argentina (January 5, 2012) - Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER did exactly what needed to be done in the 5th stage of the Dakar Rally to gain time and position in the overall standings. The same can't be said for his teammate, Qatarian driver, Nasser Al-Attiyah, as a costly mistake could diminish his hopes for another Dakar Rally overall victory.
X-Raid MINI Team Standings After Stage 5
Overall after 5th stage:
1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 11h 58m 03s
2. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 12h 02m 21s
3. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 12h 08m 42s
…
6. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 12h 28m 54s
…
20. R.D. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 15h 06m 06s
• All the five MINI ALL4 Racing secure top-11 positions
Following the special-stage wins of Leonid Novitskiy and Krzysztof Holowczyc, French pairing Stéphane Peterhansel / Jean-Paul Cottret gave Team X-raid its third special-stage win in today’s fourth special stage, with their green Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing. Thanks to this success, the Frenchman also regained the lead in the overall rankings. Spaniard Nani Roma and his French co-driver Michel Périn took their yellow Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing to fourth position, followed by their team-mates Krysztof Holowczyc (Poland) and Jean-Marc Fortin (Belgium) in the ORLEN MINI ALL4 Racing. Russian-German pairing Leonid Novitskiy / Andi Schulz in the orange MINI ALL4 Racing and the two Portuguese Ricardo Leal dos Santos and Paulo Fiuza with the red MINI ALL4 Racing completed the fine team result by finishing ninth and eleventh respectively.
Chilecito, Argentina (January 4, 2012) - Today was not what Team SPEED had expected; both Robby Gordon and Nasser Al-Attiyah would find trouble in different sections of the long 326km special stage. Gordon finished in 14th place, 18 minutes and 10 seconds behind with Al-Attiyah shortly behind him in 16th, over 26 minutes behind.
Today's stage took the drivers from San Juan to Chilecito across dried-up rivers and the canyons of Province of Rioja. By the first waypoint, Robby Gordon in his No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER would find himself 5 minutes behind. A slight navigational error on top of a puncture as well as replacing an alternator would cost him another 8 minutes before getting back on the road. As he pushed his vehicle to gain ground he was confiedent that they still could have won the special.
At Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally on Monday, Darren Skilton experienced fuel delivery issues in his Revolution VI buggy that pushed him to the back of the pack, yet Skilton and navigator Skyler Gambrell were still able to complete the stage under their own power. That evening Skilton’s crew made aerodynamic modifications to provide additional airflow to the fuel pumps in an effort to remedy the issues. In short, this was not successful. Just 40 kilometers before the beginning of the special stage, the General Grabbers on Skilton’s car stopped turning due to the same fuel problems. The team was able to coax the car to the start line without any time penalties, but that was just the start of the special stage!
San Juan (January 3, 2012) - The third stage of the Dakar Rally opened with the No. 300 car of Nasser Al-Attiyah first off the line and the No. 303 car of Robby Gordon shortly behind him in the 3rd starting position, giving Team SPEED an opportunity to keep momentum on their side. This stage of the 2012 Dakar Rally went from San Rafael to the city of San Juan, located in a valley of mountains just southeast of the Andes. The stage featured a total of 499km that included a 208 km special stage section that ended at the bivouac in San Juan.
Stage 3 Summary: Despres, already a winner in San Juan on the Dakar's last visit in 2010, won again today, taking advantage of a major navigational error by Coma to take the lead in the general standings. Nani Roma won his 15th stage on the Dakar and his 3rd in the car category. His team-mate Holowczyc, who is starting to make a collection of second places, nonetheless took control of the general standings.
• Nani Roma celebrates his first special-stage win in the 2012 Dakar
• Krzysztof Holowczyc takes the overall lead
In the third special stage – from San Rafael to San Juan – the Monster Energy X-raid Team celebrated a one-two. Spanish-French pairing Duo Nani Roma / Michel Périn set the fastest time of the day, in their yellow Monster Energy MINI ALL4 Racing, with their team-mate Krzysztof Holowczyc (Poland) and his Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin in the ORLEN MINI ALL4 Racing coming second. Thanks to this second place, the Pole also took the lead in the overall rankings. Third position was secured by Robby Gordon. Due to two punctures, the two Frenchmen Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret had to settle for coming seventh while Russia’s Leonid Novitskiy and his German navigator Andi Schulz finished ninth.
The end of the 2012 Dakar Rally for Mark McMillin was announced early this morning after the multi-time Baja 1000 / Baja 500 Champion hopes for a successful Dakar Rally were sunk when the McMillin Racing Dakar Team suffered mechanical failure that forced them to the sidelines.
McMillin Racing Crew Chief, Cameron Parrish, sent a message to team members around the world that they had suffered race ending mechanical failure.
Nasser Al-Attiyah bounces back to win Stage; Gordon overall in 2nd place
Stage 2 Update: San Rafael (January 2, 2012) - Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally was successful for Team SPEED; Nasser Al-Attiyah came from a 38th-starting position to win the stage on corrected time while teammate Robby Gordon finished third. Gordon now sits second overall in the rankings. It is the first time that Team SPEED had two HUMMERs on the podium for a Special Stage finish, making it a historic day.
Competitors started early this morning, taking them from Santa Rosa de la Pampa to San Rafael, for the 487 km liasion and 290 km Special Stage. The terrain presented during the stage proved to be very suitable for the HUMMERs. The big, fast bends on firm gravel roads allowed Gordon and Al-Attiyah to quickly maneuver their way to the front.
• All the five MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles secure top-nine position, in special stage two
In the second stage of the 2012 Dakar Rally, from Santa Rosa de la Pampa to San Rafael, the Monster Energy X-raid Team kept on delivering, with French pairing Stéphane Peterhansel / Jean Paul Cottret in their green MINI ALL4 Racing setting the second-fastest time behind Nasser Al Attiyah to take the overall lead. Krzysztof Holowczyc in the ORLEN MINI ALL4 Racing finished fourth behind Robby Gordon and right ahead of Spanish-French pairing Nani Roma / Michel Périn who came fifth, with the yellow MINI ALL4 Racing. Novitskiy and his German co-driver Andi Schulz took their orange MINI All4 Racing to eighth position, on day two, and the two Portuguese Ricardo Leal dos Santos and Paulo Fiuza completed the fine MINI All4 Racing result by securing ninth place.
Dakar Rally has typically started with WRC-style gravel roads since moving to South America, but this year the ASO course designers headed straight for the coastal dunes at Necochea for a 57 kilometer special stage to start the 2012 rally. Darren Skilton finished just one second behind 2010 champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and 9:51 behind the lead car when the times were tallied. “To be honest the size of the dunes took me by surprise,” Skilton admitted. “Skyler (Gambrell- Skilton’s navigator) and I just aired down the General Grabbers and had no problems staying on top of the sand.” Then with the long liaison Skilton aired the Grabbers back up and made his way to Santa Rosa de la Pampa in comfort.
Stage 1 Update: January 1, 2012 | Although the likelihood of a Mini win was obvious to even the least knowledgeable of pundits, the identity of the winner is slightly surprising. The length of today's stage means that performances here are not too representative, but Leonid Novitskiy exploited his best driving skills to seize his first special stage win at the Dakar. The 2011 Rally Raid World Champion started 13th and pipped his teammates Krzysztof Holowzyc and Stéphane Peterhansel at the finishing line, besting them by 5" and 9" respectively. At the end of the day, X-Raid has three Minis at the top of the classification, ahead of Giniel de Villiers, who posted a strong performance in the Dakar debut of his Toyota Hilux.
MINI X-Raid Holds 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Standings After Stage 1 Stage 1 is now complete and the Monster Energy MINI X-raid team now hold 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the standings. With 13 more daily stages to go, the rally is in its beginning stages.
Darren Skilton has an addiction with Dakar that began over a decade ago. Since that time he has become the United States representative for the race’s sanctioning body (ASO) and returned to the rally in a myriad of capacities including navigator, support driver, mechanic, and racer. Last year Skilton and journalist Sue Mead won the Open Production class in a Ford Raptor shod with production General Grabber tires, but this year Skilton is looking to up the ante by jumping into the deep end of the pool, taking on heavy hitters such as Robby Gordon. “Volkswagen’s departure from the rally really opens up the field to privateers like myself,” Skilton commented. “I have a competitive car that has just been sitting and waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity has arrived.”
• All the team members have arrived in Mar del Plata, Argentina
• The 5 MINI All4 Racing and the 3 BMW X3 CC successfully passed the scrutineering
Tomorrow, on New-Year’s Day, the Monster Energy X-raid Team will start into the 2012 Dakar Rally, taking the competitors from Argentina across Chile to Peru. Up to 30th December, all the 96 team members had arrived at the venue of the start into this year’s edition of the legendary event: the Argentinean city of Mar del Plata, located some 500 kilometres south to the country’s capital Buenos Aires. Even in the past days, the Argentineans demonstrated their motor-racing enthusiasm, with thousands of them crowding the streets around the service park and the Dakar Village. This morning, cars and drivers passed the scrutineering and the administrative checks respectively.
• Five MINI All4 Racing and three BMWs X3 CC to go for it in the Dakar
• Competitive team wants the Dakar win
Team X-raid will field a record line-up in 2012 Dakar which will lead from Argentina through Chile to Peru. A total of eight vehicles entered by the German squad – five MINIs All4 Racing and three BMWs X3CC – will compete in the legendary event that will be started in Mar del Plata, Argentina. And with Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), Nani Roma (ESP)/Michel Perin (FRA) and Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Jean Marc Fortin (BEL), the X-raid line-up features at least three driver pairings that have got what it takes to win the Dakar, with their MINI All4 Racing.
Team X-raid’s line-up is completed by Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Andi Schulz (GER) and Ricardo Leal dos Santos (POR)/Paulo Fiuza (POR) who also will contest the event with the MINI All4 Racing. Meanwhile, the three BMWs X3 CC will be raced by the pairings Duos Boris Garafulic (CHI)/Gilles Picard (FRA), Alexander Mironenko (RUS)/Sergey Lebedev (RUS) and Stephan Schott (GER)/Holm Schmidt (GER).
CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Toyo Tires® and Robby Gordon’s Team SPEED are returning to compete in the 2012 Dakar® in force. This year, two of Robby Gordon’s specially built Hummer H3 racers will compete for the overall win. Gordon will drive his bright orange #303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires entry; while defending 2011 Dakar winner, Nasser Al-Attiyah, joins the team to pilot the #300 Qatar/Toyo Tires Hummer H3 racer. Both race vehicles rely on Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires to deliver off-road performance and durability.
Charlotte, N.C. (December 8, 2011) – Robby Gordon and the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires team announce the addition of off-road legend, Johnny Campbell to the 2012 team. Johnny Campbell will serve as Gordon’s navigator during the 2012 edition of the infamous Dakar Rally. Campbell will be responsible for directing Gordon through the 6,000-mile pan-American journey that is different than years past, which will add to the allure of the grueling race. The 14-day racing event will starting on New Year’s Day in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, cross over the Andes of Chile and then finish in country of Peru. Both the route and terrain will be different than years’ past, making Campbell one of the most important team members.
Last weekend, Valentino Rossi brought a ton of colour and a different class of racing pedigree to the Monza Rally Show. The Doctor lit the place up with some spectacular performances behind the wheel and had the tens of thousands packed into the grandstands jumping all weekend long. Outside the garage for his 3 car team, fans paid tribute to their icon and created an atmosphere unlike any other he had raced in this season.
Charlotte, N.C. (December 6, 2011) – Winner of the 2011 Dakar Rally, Nasser Al-Attiyah confirmed that he will join Robby Gordon and his off-road team in the 2012 edition of the Dakar Rally. Driving one of the highly-modified HUMMERs sponsored by his native country of Qatar, Al-Attiyah will compete for his second consecutive overall Dakar Rally victory. Should he conquer the South American desert once again, he will be only the second driver to triumph in two different manufactures; Ari Vatanen did so in 1990-1991.
VP Racing Fuels becomes the Official Fuel of the Rally America National Championship for 2012 and 2013
Williston, VT (December 6, 2011) Officials with Rally America, the premier sanctioning body for performance Rally competition in the United States, announced today a multi-year agreement with VP Racing Fuels of San Antonio, Texas wherein the world-renowned racing fuel manufacturer will serve as the Official Fuel of the Rally America National Championship with VP’s Rally Max, VP100 and MS109E racing fuels designated as “spec fuels” for Rally America’s Open Class for 2012 and 2013.
Jeepspeed is proud to announce that 5 time Baja 1000 winner and Trophy Truck driver Mark McMillin is paricipating in the 2012 Dakar Rally at the wheel of the Jeepspeed 2007 Australian Safari Rally Stock Class winning Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Darren Skilton's Baja Automotive are in the final stages of prepping the Hemi powered Jeep prior to shipment to South America together with spares and support vehicles.
October 31, 2011— The X-raid team makes him a "Top 10" driver in the Dakar Rally - then with Volkwagen in 2011 the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah fulfiled his dream and won the "Southamerica Dakar", together with his German navigator Timo Gottschalk. In 2012 he want to defend his title, but Volkswagen stopped the Dakar engagement. Now the Qatari has simply no car to continue his dream.
October 31, 2011— After the two punctures in the morning stage of the second day of the "Baja Vodafone Portalegre 500", the Portuguese Filipe Campos took off in the afternoon for a dream driving show, crowned with a fifth win at the event organized by ACP, beating Helder Oliveira by 2:41 mins and Miguel Barbosa for 2:53. With this result Campos becomes the new wins record holder in the most mythical Portuguese cross country race.
October 31, 2011— Portugal’s Baja Portalegre, the final round of the 2011 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, was a successful one for the X-raid team, with Russia’s Leonid Novitskiy and German co-driver Andreas Schulz retaining their FIA World Cup title and Portugal’s Filipe Campos and Jaime Baptista winning the event outright in their Mini All4 Racing.
October 24, 2011—Peter Kittle Motorsport heads to final round of the 2011 Australian Offroad season at Goondiwindi this weekend aiming to lock away back to back Austalian Off Road Championships. Clinching their first title in 2010, David Fellows and Mark Bergamin have placed the teams #1 Jimco at the top of the leaderboard at the business end of the 2011 season.
After taking outright wins at the ARB Pinjarra Engineering Hyden 450, Bentleys Cabin Park Flinders 450 and Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro, a final five lap blast at the Albins Goondiwindi 400 will determine the championship.
October 4, 2011— Toyota has announced that the car Toyota Land Cruiser 200 will take part in a marathon rally "Dakar", which starts on January 1. The route will pass through the South American continent through the territory of Argentina, Chile and Peru.
Car Toyota Land Cruiser 200 diesel engine with a biological host route length of 9,000 kilometers, including the rise in the mountains at the extreme altitude.
Elle Hall and Michele Martineau Take on 9 Day Moroccan Rally
August 29, 2011 | Team Courage Gazelles is hitting the road to Morocco, on our way to the 2012 Rallye Aicha des Gazelles. The explosive combination of Emme Hall of Hall Ass Racing and Michele Martineau of Team Courage will be right at home with their elite peers – only 5 other U.S. women have attempted this grueling adventure since its organization in 1990. The Rallye is the world’s only rally for women only, but don’t let the ‘women’ part fool you. It’s recognized around the globe as one of the most intense off road competitions.
LOS ANGELES (July 28, 2011) — BFGoodrich® Tires, an official sponsor of Summer X Games 17, will upgrade the experiences for both racers and fans at the upcoming event July 28-31, 2011. Not only will rally teams and drivers be challenged with a new race course leading them through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, but fans can win unique prizes — including a trip to the Skip Barber Racing School — and check out the SCORE Baja 500-winning race truck and a special tire carving at the BFGoodrich Tires booth at X Fest.
BFGoodrich Tires has established itself as a dominant force in X Games rally competition and has the opportunity to add two more rally gold medals to its X Games trophy case — one in the Rally Car Racing competition and one in the RallyCross competition. Since 2006, BFGoodrich-shod race cars have won 17 of the 20 medals awarded, including five of six gold medals: Travis Pastrana (Subaru) won gold in 2006 and 2008; Kenny Brack (Ford) won gold in 2009; and Tanner Foust (Ford) won two golds in 2010.
5th Rally America title in past six years for Subaru Rally Team USA-
CHERRY HILL, N.J., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins has won the 2011 Rally America National Championship with a 2nd Overall finish at the season finale, the New England Forest Rally, this past weekend. In a hotly contested season Higgins and his co-driver Craig Drew piloted their BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car to three victories and two 2nd Overall finishes in the six-event Rally America National Championship. The 2011 driver’s title is the third for Higgins in the USA having won the SCCA ProRally Championship in 2002 and 2003. Higgins also won the British Rally Championship in 2004.
- Stéphane Peterhansel finishes second overall
- Alexander Mironenko reaches podium in fifth
SOCHI (Russia): The Monster Energy X-raid Team completed the gruelling Silk Way Rally in first, second and fifth positions at the podium ceremony in Sochi on Saturday.
Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc and Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin claimed outright victory in their BMW X3 CC, the French pairing of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret finished second in a MINI All4 Racing and the Russian duo of Alexander Mironenko and Sergey Lebedev were fifth.
The team’s three crews had crossed the start line in Moscow’s Red Square on July 9th and reached the podium at the Olympic village in Sochi today.
(July 17, 2011) The victory of Ales Loprais was officially confirmed upon the handling of the protest raised by the Kamaz Team against the time penalty handed to Kabirov. The afternoon ceremony in Krasnaya Polyana concluded the tough event.
The one-hour penalty was given to crew No. 305, Kabirov, Mokeev, Tanin for speeding after leaving the bivouac in Stavropol. The speed is generally checked on the GPS device upon entry of the vehicle to the next bivouac. The infringement was evident enough not to be ignored. Moreover, the whole incident had peculiar circumstances in Stage 6. Ales Loprais lost some time in the stage when repairing the central inflation system. Kabirov entered the stage with a comfortable lead of 52 minutes and he could therefore afford not to hurry too much during the stage. Even being the leading truck, he stopped to help his fellow countryman, Mironenko, to free the BMW from the ravine, although the task could have been done by any of Kabirov's teammates. At the finish, he was losing 16 minutes to junior Mardeev. The same 16 minutes as was the gap to Ales Loprais after the penalty. He was not aware of the fact that the speeding incident had been recorded.
(July 12, 2011) Ales Loprais was the pacesetter of Stage 3, which he eventually could not win and the podium is still to be fought for.
Stage 3 of the Silk Way Rally did not bring as long time gaps as the previous stage but it brought all competitors to the desert of Kalmykia. The difficult final dune part kept many competitors on the track and especially car drivers were still on the way. The profile itself was not as difficult as the navigation, which played a key role in the stage - not only for the stage winner but also for Ales Loprais.
(July 11, 2011) The drama of the second grueling stage of the Silk Way Rally brings more changes and turnovers than last year's edition itself. Even after troubles, Ales Loprais moves to 3rd overall.
There hasn't been a stage like this at Silk Way Rally! A weird mixture of the remaining Russian agricultural suburban and soil paths together with the upcoming sandy surface close to the Volga river on 483 kilometers of day's special created a too difficult piece to swallow for many. Moreover, the difficulties are expected to further grow. Only the leading trio stayed consistent from the start, otherwise there are many changes in the overall general classification.
6th place for Ales Loprais and 21st place for Tomas Vratny on a muddy surface make a promising base for the coming stages of the Silk Way Rally
(July 10, 2011) Stage 1 from Moscow to Lipetsk was marked by recent rains and even today the weather was not i favor of competitors, either. The route offered what one can expect in this area: muddy soil in the Russian suburban area, lots of wet grass and a slippery surface. In addition to that, there were many changes in direction, which finally stood against Ales Loprais. After a small navigational mishap he drove 8 kilometers the wrong direction and had to return and catch up, which he eventually managed without problems, finishing 6th right behind the leading quintet of the domestic Kamaz trucks. The stage was won by the young Eduard Nikolaev ahead of his very experienced teammate Firdaus Kabirov. Nikolaev even clocked the second-fastest time of all competitors! Truly, partly also because of technical problems of the biggest favorite in the car category, Peterhansel.
(July 6, 2011) Survival of the Mountain is not only about the vehicle. It’s not only about the perfect set of tires, the correct jetting, and the right set up.
Survival of the Mountain is not only about the driver. It’s not only about the fastest driver, the most experienced, and the drivers ambition.
Survival of the Mountain is respecting the Mountain for its grace, beauty and difficulty at every turn. Respecting Mother Nature changing the weather at any point during the day, and even within the 10+ minute run up into the sky. Enjoying the scenery and the commodore that is built within the groups of racers. Survival of the Mountain is knowing how to “Gas it until you see God, and then hit the brakes,” said a racer on KRDO Radio.
(July 6, 2011) The Torchmate team members of JT Taylor, Brad Lovell and Roger Lovell took on the highly anticipated 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Sunday June 26th after a full week of practice. All competing in the Pikes Peak Open Class, Brad Lovell took 2nd in his Nissan AMSOil Truck, JT Taylor finished 4th in the Torchmate TTB Car, guest driver Sam Berri finished 6th in the Tube Shark/Torchmate car, and Roger Lovell had an unfortunate accident that he walked away from in his AMSOil Torchmate Ultra4 car.
(June 27, 2011) The course record at the Mt. Washington Hillclimb, one of Americas oldest auto races, was smashed today in convincing fashion by professional rally driver David Higgins at the wheel of a Vermont SportsCar prepared 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Higgins, from the Isle of Man, broke the course record, which stood for thirteen years, by over thirty seconds at the revived 'Climb to the Clouds', which was last held in 2001. The new time to beat to the summit of the 7.6 mile sinuous asphalt and gravel Mt. Washington Auto Rd. is 6 minutes and 11.54 seconds, nearly thirty seconds faster than the outgoing record. The Climb to the Clouds featured nearly seventy competitors driving an eclectic mix of modern rally cars, purpose built hillclimb cars and a small group of vintage racecars steeped in motorsports history.
(June 21, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA announced today that they will be teaming up again with action sports icon Travis Pastrana to contend in the Rallycross competition at X Games 17 this summer. Pastrana will pilot one of the team’s new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rallycross cars on the streets of LA as part of X Games 17 Rallycross competition. Pastrana, who drove for Subaru from the very start of his rally career had amassed four consecutive Rally America driver’s championships and over twenty victories at the wheel of a Subaru before leaving the sport at the end of 2010 to try his talents in NASCAR.
Pastrana will pilot the latest evolution of the team’s new STI Rallycross car which has been tested and developed extensively by Subaru Rally Team USA drivers David Higgins and Dave Mirra this season in the Global RallyCross Championship. Subaru team driver David Higgins recently finished 2nd Overall this past weekend at the third round of the Global RallyCross Championship held at Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs.
(June 20, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins made an impressive debut in his first RallyCross competition this past weekend with a 2nd Overall finish at 3rd round of the Global RallyCross Championship held at Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs. Higgins, a multi-time British and American rally champion had never competed in wheel-to-wheel rallycross before but his strong background in both rally and karting helped him adjust quickly at the wheel of his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
After preparing the two Nissan pickups (4th and 5th in Dakar 2009) and put in rails a Toyota project, Belgian team "Overdrive Racing" jumps to the conquest to the Argentinean Cross Country Rally Championship with Volkswagen.
In fact, this week, Argentinean driver Orly Terranova (former X-raid BMW) and VW of his country presented the new "Race Amarok T1" to the press, which was fully constructed in Overdrive Racing´s workshops in Huy, Belgium. "We will have the best rally raid team well-structured and my goal is to win the Argentinean championship," claimed the driver.
June 10, 2011 | This Father's Day, give someone special in your life a gift they will really enjoy. Or treat yourself, you deserve it!
Enjoy $100.00 off the price of our June Weekend Warrior Class in honor of all the Weekend Warriors we know. Our Weekend Warrior classes teach the basic fundamentals of Fabrication. Each weekend class will focus on a different fundamental skill.
(June 9, 2011) Professional athlete Shaun White is branching out from the thrill of asphalt at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and taking to the mud of Old Mill Adventure Park as he continues to upgrade his driving performance with BFGoodrich® Tires in Chapter 3 of the “Upgrade to BFGoodrich” campaign. The automotive enthusiast spent time behind the wheel of a full-bore rally car at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Wash., to learn the basics of rally driving from experts in this unique motorsport. His latest adventures will debut today in an interactive experience at www.bfgoodrichtires.com/shaunwhite.
Third victory in a row extends Higgins points lead in Rally America National Championship
(June 6, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew have won the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR), round five of the 2011 Rally America National Championship, by a mere 1.3 seconds over rival Antoine L’Estage. Higgins and L’Estage battled back and forth throughout the event with Higgins staging a late rally comeback that saw him take the rally lead on the penultimate stage after overcoming a thirty-seven second deficit midway through the final day of action. The amazingly close finish came after over 120 stage miles spanning two days of competition on high-speed forest roads of north-central Pennsylvania. The win at STPR is Higgins’ third victory in a row in the series and extends his points lead in the Rally America National Championship standings heading into the sixth and final round next month, the New England Forest Rally.
Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime — MoVenture
• Mopar road rally and scavenger hunt to stretch from Detroit, Mich. to Golden, Colo.
• MoVenture to wrap up at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
• Teams earn points by completing challenges and sharing their adventure with friends, followers and subscribers on their social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• Registration is open, with voting to begin on June 6
Auburn Hills, Mich. — The Mopar® MoVenture road rally and scavenger hunt will pit 10 two-person teams against one another on a seven-day journey across 1,900 miles of diverse roads and terrain en route from Detroit to Golden, Colo. on their way to the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. MoVenturers will compete for $5,000 worth of Mopar parts and accessories throughout a variety of challenges as they document their progress via social media outlets.
May 17, 2011 | Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins, at the wheel of his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, won convincingly at the Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2011 Rally America Championship. Higgins and his co-driver Craig Drew won the event with a gap of nearly three and a half minutes ahead of his closest rival after a dominating performance on the event’s technical and rain drenched roads. The victory in Oregon is Higgins’ second win in a row in the Rally America National Championship and the points haul has vaulted him into the lead of the driver standings with just two events remaining. Higgins’ Subaru teammate Dave Mirra went off the road and rolled his Subaru on Leg Two while sitting in 3rd overall; both he and co-driver Marshall Clarke were unharmed in the incident.
Gay Smith took the victory in the Evolution class, while Bob Gordon worked hard to land in the winners circle in the Vintage class. Returning to off road motorsports at it's roots is what the NORRA Mexican 1000 is all about - 'comaraderie, hot rodding and fun!'
The Mexican 1000 Rally is a fully-supported on-road/off-road rally open to vintage and alternative fueled vehicles for those seeking adventure filled with high-performance driving, incredible scenery and world class adventure.
May 3, 2011 | Subaru Rally Team USA's David Higgins and Dave Mirra competed this weekend in their respective 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars at the Olympus Rally, round three of the 2011 Rally America National Championship. The Olympus Rally runs along the beautiful shorelines of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. David Higgins and his co-driver Craig Drew rocketed into the lead in their #75 WRX STI after impressively winning four of the first six stages. Meanwhile teammate Dave Mirra and Marshall Clarke in the #40 WRX STI kept on-pace, holding fast to a fourth-place position throughout the first day.
May 1, 2011 | On Saturday, April 30th, tragedy struck the close knit rally racing community during the Olympus Rally based in Ocean Shores, WA.
31-year-old driver Matthew Marker of Elk Rapids, MI did not survive injuries sustained in a racing accident. Marker was in his fifth year of participating in the Rally America National Championship and was a popular driver among his peers. Marker was known to have ambitions of improving his Championship standings and taking part in building the sport’s popularity.
Matthew Marker’s co-driver (the driver’s navigator), Christopher Gordon of Brooklyn Park, MN, was not seriously injured in the accident.
Spain's Joan "Nani" Roma has rejoined the Monster Energy X-raid team and will join Russian Leonid Novitskiy and Chilean driver Boris Garafulic in one of three cars entered in the Tunisia Rally, round three of the FIA World Cup, between May 1-7.
As former winner of the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle, Roma will team up with the experienced French co-driver Michel Perin in a BMW X3CC entered by the Trebur-based team.
After the "Italian Baja" Roma tested the "SAM Mercedes 35CC" and said to marathonrally.com, that he like to drive with X-raid, but can´t because his personal sponsor "Red Bull" didn´t agree to X-raid´s sponsor "Monster Energy". Now he´s wearing black...
April 1, 2011 | Debuting an all-new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra finished an impressive fourth overall in round one of the newly announced three-event Global Rallycross Championship in the debut event’s A-Main Final. The BMX icon and full time rally driver for Subaru enjoyed the first event of the new rallycross series which was held this weekend at California’s Irwindale Speedway and will be televised April 17th on ESPN2. The event featured a field of world class rally and rallycross drivers who raced wheel-to-wheel on a short action-packed course consisting of a mix of tarmac and dirt as well as a 70ft dirt gap jump. Mirra debuted a new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI specially prepared for rallycross competition.
The last year winner of the "Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge", Russian pilot Leonid Novitskiy, will be on the start of the race this year together with his German co-pilot Andreas Schulz and his team BMW X-Raid. Novitskiy will drive his diesel-engine BMW X3CC, that was partly improved after the SA-Dakar 2011 with some new settings of 2011-specification. The crew will cross the sand and dunes of Liwa desert for the main goal - to win!
"This is my favorite race. First time I was here in 2006 and finished at 4th overall place. It was a great feeling that became even more incredible when I won the race in 2010" Novitskiy told marathonrally.com. "I am fan of Desert Challenge sandy tracks and unique dunes, this race makes everybody to run the it on a limit of physical possibilities. It is one of the best race to check your sportive level and to estimate car potential. We will do our best to repeat our perfect result and to win the race again" said Novitskiy.
The dunes of Merzouga are not just any dunes. They are the largest sand mountains in Morocco. Teams had three options yesterday when choosing their route: "X" checkpoints - Most difficult, no penalty points, "X-bis" checkpoints - Intermediate, penalty points per checkpoint and "Normal" checkpoints - Easy, penalty points per checkpoint.
Team 109 hit every "X" checkpoint and was back to the bivouac before most of the media vehicles were. "The dunes are why I compete in this event," Emily Miller comments. "It pushes you to your ultimate limit and your vehicles as well."
Alexander Smith, US-Pike's Peak veteran and aspiring rally racer, was among the first American entrants for this year's Australasian Safari in Western Australia (September 23-30, 2011). Billed as the "Australian Dakar" the 26th running of the action-packed competition starts on September 23rd. The Safari is set to run seven straight days with motorcycles, ATVs and 4x4s going head-to-head until the race finishes on the 30th.
Son of the legendary Malcolm Smith, first man to win the Baja 1000, Alexander is a chip off the old block, working in the family motorcycle dealership when not racing events on any Sunday, such as the Tecate Enduro in Mexico or the Catalina Grand Prix. "It is great that someone with Alexander's proven ability and lineage has decided to come race the Safari with us," says U.S. Team Manager Justin Maley. "His enthusiasm is contagious and the whole team can benefit from his expertise, not to mention Malcolm's invaluable input!"
Teamreport US-Gazelles It was what felt like a 90 plus degree-day in Morocco this afternoon. The wind was still and the sun was strong making competitor’s minds a little slower and water consumption a necessity. The Gazelles needed to hit seven checkpoints today to remain in good rank and reach the CPs in a timely manner to navigate with enough daylight back to the bivouac.
Team 107 and 109 of the United States hit all checkpoints on the third day/leg of the rally. "The features were similar to the southwest of the US which made the terrain easier to navigate," Tricia Reina said. "We helped a lot of people this afternoon and we never felt like we were lost. It was a great day for us."
-Mirra consolidates 2nd overall position in championship-
Cherry Hill, N.J. – Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru Rally Team USA drivers David Higgins and Dave Mirra finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood this past weekend piloting 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars. His second straight podium finish, Dave Mirra retains 2nd overall position in the 2011 Rally America National Championship while inching closer to the top points position. Higgins, in his gravel rally debut for SRT USA, pushed hard for the victory but ultimately came up just 17.7 seconds short of the top podium step. The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was round two of the six-round 2011 Rally America National Championship series.
Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the 100 Acre Wood Rally is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Based in and around the town of Salem, the 100 Acre Wood Rally features very high-speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers.
(February 1, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra achieved a rally career best 2nd Overall finish at the season opening Sno*Drift Rally via a nail biting comeback late in the rally. Mirra, at the wheel of his 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car, patiently moved up the leaderboard after a tire puncture early in the rally dropped him down to 5th Overall. Driving smooth and mistake free Mirra, with co-driver Marshall Clarke, caught and overhauled 2nd overall position on the penultimate stage of the rally. The Sno*Drift Rally, held in snowy northern Michigan was round one of the six round 2011 Rally America National Championship.
The Sno*Drift Rally featured nearly 130 miles of snow and ice-covered roads in northern Michigan with nearly one third of the miles run at night. Constantly changing weather and road conditions historically make this rally one of the most difficult in the Rally America Championship. The event is made even more challenging due to Rally America rules that prohibit the use of spiked or studded ice tires, placing a premium on traction.
(January 28, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) returns to the 2011 Rally America National Championship today at the season opener Sno*Drift Rally in northern Michigan. The two-car team has undergone some changes in the off-season including the signing of multi-time British and American Rally Champion David Higgins to replace Travis Pastrana while BMX ace Dave Mirra returns to the team but with a new co-driver in Marshall Clarke, who has extensive top level international rally experience. Higgins and Mirra will each pilot 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars prepared by Vermont SportsCar at all six rounds of the 2011 Rally America National Championship. The team’s spirits were buoyed by a very successful pre-event test earlier in the week in Michigan.
From halfpipes and ramps to the streets and tracks,
BFGoodrich Tires will upgrade Shaun White’s
driving performance, chronicled on www.bfgoodrichtires.com/shaunwhite
ASPEN, Colo. (Jan. 28, 2011) – Professional Athlete Shaun White has accomplished much in his storied career in action sports – he’s a two-time Olympic Gold medal winner, the most decorated athlete in Winter X Games history with 15 medals, a four-time medal winner at Summer X Games and a nine-time ESPY award winner. Now Shaun White will work to upgrade his driving abilities with the help of his newest partner, BFGoodrich® Tires. The multi-year “Upgrade to BFGoodrich” campaign featuring Shaun White kicks off at ESPN Winter X Games 15 in Aspen, Colo.
"I'm looking forward to a great partnership with BFGoodrich Tires," said Shaun White. "I’ve always been fascinated with cars and I'm excited to work with the BFGoodrich team on my performance driving."
For decades, BFGoodrich tires have been known to automotive enthusiasts as the ultimate performance upgrade to their vehicles. The brand has the credentials to upgrade White’s driving skills with 17 Summer X Games Rally medals, a rich on-road racing history and 70 wins on the dirt in Baja under its belt. Taught by BFGoodrich specialists and a special group of professional drivers known as “TeamBFG,” White is learning how to upgrade his driving performance, with all of the action captured in a series of webisodes featured at www.bfgoodrichtires.com/shaunwhite. Highlighted throughout the webisodes will be the ease with which drivers like White can upgrade their driving performance on BFGoodrich tires – from rally racing control to road course technique – many of which can be applied on the everyday commute.
On Sunday after 13 brutal "Dakar” stages for man and machine Nasser Al-Attiyah let himself be transported triumphantly across the ramp on the roof of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 by co-driver Timo Gottschalk and celebrated by thousands of enthusiastic fans in Buenos Aires as winner of the motorsport marathon.
This closing scene of the 2011 "Dakar”, which went with emotional force around the world as powerful images, symbolises two totally different sportsmen, who achieved something exceptional: Their first Dakar Rally win.
Both were instrumental on the near 9,600 kilometre long acid test through Argentina and Chile – through the sweltering heat of the Sierras Pampeanas and Atacama Desert, among the peaks of the mighty Andes and from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back – in fulfilling their respective youthful dreams of winning the "Dakar”. At 15-years of age Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar promised his father he would win the legendary desert classic once. Now, after the long-awaited victory is reality, the 40-year old will be honoured as his nation’s top sportsman with a huge welcome celebration in XXL style.
She came to defend her title in the Ladies´ Trophy, but she is glad to have finished her fifth participation in the toughest rally of the world: The Swedish "rally-princess" Annie Seel. It was the hardest race for her so far.
Everything went well in the first week of the Dakar 2011, but problems arrived after the rest day and she had to adapt her initial goals. To win after being sick became hard, and many mechanical problems appeared along the special stages, making this Dakar the hardest ever lived by the Swedish rider.
KTM factory rider Marc Coma rode into Buenos Aires in triumph on Saturday as the 2011 winner of the South America Dakar Rally. It was the Spanish rider's third Dakar title and the tenth consecutive prize for KTM and a triumphant debut for the newly developed KTM 450 Rally bike ridden by all four of KTM's factory riders.
Fellow KTM factory rider Cyril Despres, the title holder going into the Dakar, fought the good fight right up until the finish, was second overall. He trailed Coma by just over 15 minutes after 9600 km of competitive riding over the most challenging terrain possible.
The 2011 vintage of the Dakar will go down in the history books for the French Team Dessoude. Throughout the 15 days the crews fought hard to obtain the team’s best results on this legendary event, which was held the third time in South America. After a high-pressure final stage, Team Dessoude stopped by the side of the road, to meet up one final time before the official ceremonies.
It was the perfect opportunity for the team’s "patriarch", André Dessoude, to congratulate his whole family and to look back over the past fortnight: "When you win, it is always difficult to find the right words to say how you feel. Curiously, it is easier when you lose. This evening, we are all relieved, despite the team’s exhaustion" he said.
Marc Coma grabbed a third title, Alejandro Patronelli succeeded his brother, Nasser Al-Attiyah picked up his first Dakar triumph and Vladimir Chagin gained a new record. These four men dominated the 94 bikes, 14 quads, 55 cars and 41 trucks that reached the final finishing line of the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile in Buenos Aires. The heroes of this 33rd edition were celebrated at a both festive and formal final podium ceremony at the La Rural exhibition centre.
Charlotte, NC (January 12, 2011) – For Team HUMMER, the 2011 Dakar Rally has come to an early end. On Monday the No. 327 SPEED Energy / Cristal CERO HUMMER was involved in a crash during Stage 8 from Antofagasta to Copiapo. This portion of the rally was particularly difficult as much of the course was in the Atacama Desert, where landmarks were few and the team had to maneuver the route along old mine tracks.
After working thru the night to repair the HUMMER, the No. 327 was able to start Stage 9 from Copiapo. A few kilometers into the stage, driver of the SPEED Energy / Cristal CERO HUMMER, Eliseo Salazar, reported losing the transmission; a setback that ended his attempt at completing the Dakar Rally.
The 2011 Dakar Rally took its toll on Team HUMMER as Salazar’s teammate, Robby Gordon, was disqualified during Stage 4 after breaking a wheel bearing during the liaison portion that leads to the special.
After technical problems in Stage 9, the crew is forced to withdraw from the Dakar rally after reaching stunning podium placements all over the race so far.
Tatra No. 504 experienced its first technical troubles of the race in Stage 9, having started behind the duo of leading Kamaz trucks. Ales Loprais maintained a solid 3rd place as usual, ready to strike when needed. However, at km 77 the truck stopped with a broken turbocharger. The breakdown was not repairable on spot as the race truck is not carrying a spare charger in the special. Consequently, the truck lost 70 per cent of its power and with that limitation it was extremely hard to cross dune filed and sand mountains, on top of which the organisers placed numerous waypoints. The situation was growing tougher as reaching the dunes was increasingly compliucated. Some dunes had to be jumped and on one of them the crew broke a shock absorber. Finally it reached the finish of the special, some 2h48min behind the winner, Kabirov. The missed waypoints, however, resulted to exclusion from the race. The Tatra crew had drawn many sympathies even by competitors who jointly asked the jury for keeping Ales Loprais in the race but the jury made no compromise. The Kamaz trio is now leading the race as it aimed originally and the only serious contender and challenger of Kamaz is our of the race.
Also Stage 7 of the Dakar rally was marked by quality performance of Tatra No. 504, which manages to clib in the overall ranking
Stage 7 took all competitors back to the dunes of the Atacama desert, the driest place on Earth. After some consideration, the organisers decided to shorten Leg 7 to macimum 252 km but surely it was a massive set of dunes and dust. Even No. 8 in the rankings the Kazakh Astana Kamaz truck, lost more than one hour to the stage winner. Ales Loprais started the special as the first truck, for the first time this year and he succeeded. From the opening sections, he managed to maintain and even extend the lead ahead of the Kamaz duo. While the overall leader, kabirov, drove consistently, chagin lost some minor time, probably at a puncture. Although the 6-time winner managed to close the gap a little, in the end Ales Loprais extended his lead also to him. Loprais then wins the second stage in a row and manages to reach No. 2 overall, keeping Chagin 12 minutes adrift.
In a shortened 273 km special stage, Chilean rider Francisco Lopez managed – with his Aprilia bike – to achieve best time for the first time this year, which brings him slightly closer to Coma and Despres. It is the third consecutive stage that escapes the two KTM riders…
In the car category, Stéphane Peterhansel had more trouble with flat tires while Orlando Terranova had to withdraw after somersaulting as Guerlain Chicherit had done the day before. Nasser Al-Attiyah gets closer to Sainz after a 10th stage victory in his Dakar career. Ales Loprais keeps shaking the Kamaz truck domination and achieves a second stage victory in a row.
ARICA, Chile, (Jan. 7, 2011) • It was a dark day at Dakar for Monster Energy/Speedbrainâ•?s BMW G450RR racers Paulo Goncalves and Ze Helio, both of who failed to finish Stage 6 of the 2011 Dakar Rally â•„ run through the northern most portions of Chile close to the Peru border.
The tough news from the Speedbrain team: The likeable Brazilian (Helio) crashed 50 kilometers into the stage, breaking his collarbone. The Dakar 2011 is over for him. Thursday winner Goncalves meanwhile suffered from mechanical gremlins. The Portuguese had to deal with electrical problems basically all day. The machine kept stopping until it completely denied service 40 kilometers from the finish line. Later this evening it was still unclear when he would be able to reach the bivouac. Monster Energy/Speedbrainâ•?s Frans Verhoeven â•„ who scored Monsterâ•?s first-ever Dakar motorcycle podium at Wednesdayâ•?s Stage Four race â•„ was the teamâ•?s top placer on Stage Six at 10th place.
Charlotte, NC (January 7, 2011) – When Team HUMMER departed on their journey to Argentina on December 27th, returning home early defeated was not part of the plan. On Wednesday during Stage 4 of the event, the No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER was disqualified from the 2011 Dakar Rally. After breaking a wheel bearing in the liaison stage that leads to the special, the No. 303 team was on the clock to repair the damage. With little time to deploy the support vehicles to his aid, the new wheel bearing could not be replaced on the HUMMER in the time allotted to the team, resulting in automatic disqualification.
“Disappointed doesn’t even begin to describe the way I’m feeling right now, not only for me but for everyone involved,” says Gordon. As a driver, Robby knows that he can’t have a successful team without a first-rate support system, sponsors and fans included. “Knowing all the hard work and dedication that was put into this program is what makes our untimely exit from the Dakar Rally a hard pill to swallow,” he continues to say.
After tackling the first dunes on the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile, Francisco Lopez thought he had won his fourth stage on the Dakar. But the time taken by Paulo Gonçalves, 4th to finish the special, was modified to take account of the assistance he gave to Olivier Pain, who crashed at the 231 km point. The Portuguese rider picks up his first victory on the Dakar as a result. In the car race, a BMW also won the day, with a 56th special stage victory for Stephane Peterhansel, who is starting to threaten the position of Carlos Sainz, still overall leader. The truck race witnessed a slight change: Chagin lost his first place in the general standings to his lieutenant in the Kamaz team, Firdaus Kabirov.
Dakar.com reporters are reporting that Robby Gordon has withdrawn from the 2011 Dakar Rally after major mechanical problems.
This is the place that Robby Gordon accomplished in 2009, but he will not be able to do so this year. Halted by a major mechanical problem after crossing the Paso de Jama pass, the Hummer was not able to start the day’s special. This is the first time since the 2006 edition that the American has been forced to withdraw.
Carlos Sainz Captures 20th Special Stage Victory, Robby Gordon Forced to Withdraw, Mark Miller Finishes Stage in 5th Place
In the duel already being fought by Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, the Catalan took a very slim advantage in the 4th stage of the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile, on a day on which the rally entered Chilean territory. Carlos Sainz today celebrated his 20th special stage victory on the event, but it is merely another episode in his confrontation with Al-Attiyah and Peterhansel.
Neither of them is particularly keen on suspense. Thus, there is nothing pre-meditated about the contest which Cyril Despres and Marc Coma have established since the grand start in Buenos Aires. This morning, after crossing the Andes, with a not inconsiderable altitude of 4,800 to climb, the Spaniard was the first at the starting line, the most delicate position on the Dakar, because by definition, the competitor opening the way has no tracks to follow. That said, Coma has already shown his expertise in navigation in addition to his skill behind the handlebars. Over 200 kilometres of the route, he started by distancing Despres (32” behind after 81 km), who then in turn made up for some of the time lost on the second part of the route. In Calama, Coma still managed to maintain an edge, with a time 16” quicker than his main rival. The provisional outcome shows the extent to which the two masters of the discipline can manage to neutralise each other. After 1,220 km of timed sections so far, Coma only holds first place by a slim gap of 2 seconds, whilst both men have 2 stage victories each.
Marc Coma of Spain took line honors in Stage Four of the Dakar Rally on Thursday to even up the reckoning with arch rival and fellow KTM factory rider, French-born Cyril Despres. Coma also takes control of the overall standings by a mere two seconds in what is shaping up to be a battle royal between the two giants of the sport.
Coma said it had been "a very important day" for him, even if a relatively short special. "It was difficult to open the way. I'm happy and I felt great. I hope it stays like that right until the end. The general standings don't matter for the moment. The most important thing will be the last day. It's essential to have a good pace and avoid making mistakes. Now we'll have to deal with two very difficult stages".
Coma registered the best provisional time of the day by just 16 seconds over Despres, who had stuck closely to his rival throughout the day's special.
San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina (January 4, 2011) – Persevering to overcome a poor finish in Stage 2 due to mechanical issues, the No. 303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER was back on unfamiliar terrain. In the 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally, Stage 3 took the competitors from La Rioja to Fiambala, however, this year the route has moved further east as they make their way to Chile. Beginning the day in San Miguel de Tucuman, this special stage has been split into two parts, totaling 226km or 165 miles.
Robby Gordon and navigator, Kellon Walch, made up valuable time in Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally. Starting the day in 21st position overall, Gordon finished the stage in 15th, putting the No. 303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires team 17th overall, 1 hour 32 minutes and:42 seconds behind leader, Carlos Sainz. Even as Gordon improved his position in the rally, he was not pleased with the performance of the HUMMER. “We keep putting ourselves behind the eight ball. We passed a bunch of cars early in the special, but then realized we had lost a transmission pump”, Gordon commented. The HUMMER ran hot all day which prevented Gordon from racing the special at the vehicle’s full potential. Frustrated with the performance, Gordon says, “Today’s special would have been good for the HUMMER had we not had a mechanical issue. The route had some very technical, rough stuff in the beginning, and it would have been good for us.”
Four of the Monster Energy/X-raid BMW X3CCs are now in the top seven overall points â•„ Peterhansel still leads team in 2nd place
SAN MIGUEL de TUCUMAN, Argentina, (Jan. 3, 2010) â•„ The Monster Energy/X-raid BMW team made a big move on the overall Dakar Rallyâ•?s top ten standings, running clean and fast through the 764km Cordoba to San Miguel de Tucuman stage â•„ standings which now features no less than four Monster/X-raid BMWs in the top seven spots!
Leading the way for the second-straight day for Monster Energy/X-raid was Stephane Peterhansel. The multi-time Dakar car and bike champion placed 3rd on Stage Two of the Dakar and still remains in 2nd place overall in the standings. The big jump came for Monster Energy/X-raidâ•?s Orlando Terranova and Kryzsatof Holowczyc who moved up to 5th and 6th place overall in the standings, respectively, with their effort in the wet and humid conditions.
And yet another big plus for the Monster Energy/X-raid team was the effort of Guerlain Chicherit in the MINI ALL4, guiding the first-year entry from MINI to 7th place on the day and moving way up in the standings after breaking (rear brake rotor) on the opening stage. Chicherit and the Monster Energy/X-raid MINI ALL4 are now near the top 20 overall.
San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina (January 3, 2011) – Last year’s edition of the Dakar Rally sent the teams to La Rioja from Cordoba, but today’s stage was new territory for the competitors of the Dakar Rally as the course headed to San Miguel de Tucuman instead.
Robby Gordon knew that the team would not have a strong showing in today’s stage due to the altitude changes and the varying terrain, but he didn’t think that today would end like it did. The No. 303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER had a mechanical issue during today’s stage that required it to be stopped for repairs. As a result, Gordon finished 46th and is now 21st overall, 1 hour, 6 minutes and 55 seconds minutes behind the leaders in the overall standings.
"We were actually pretty good through the first few check points. One corner snuck up on me; I didn't see it and just drove the SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER off the road, hitting a large rock. This is very unfortunate for our team. Now that we are an hour behind heading into Chile versus only a few minutes, we definitely got our work cut out for us. I think we will be ok though; there is still plenty of racing left,” commented a very disappointed Robby Gordon. “The HUMMER sustained some damage on today’s stage as when we smashed the front of the race vehicle into the rock, and the transmission doesn't have reverse because it broke when I tried to reverse out of my mistake. I would say that we were broke down for maybe an hour today…a very costly hour."
The two title holders, Cyril Despres and Carlos Sainz, both won their second consecutive stage on the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile 2011. In the bike category, the Frenchman boasts a lead of 2’35” over Marc Coma. As regards the Volkswagen, Sainz has a lead of 3’05” over the X3 BMW driven by Stephane Peterhansel.
Already delighted with the performance of Ruben Faria during the afternoon, Cyril Despres learned yesterday evening that in fact he had picked up victory on stage 1, after a one minute penalty was handed out to his team-mate for breaking the speed limit. As a result, the title holder tackled the second day of the race as leader, with the responsibility of opening the road. Even the day’s task was not the most demanding in terms of navigation, Despres succeeded in achieving the hardest trick in rally-raid racing: staying out in front from start to finish, as well as opening up the gap a little on his closest rivals. On completion of the 300-km special, the Frenchman boasted the best time, winning the 25th stage in his career on the Dakar. It is only the third time that he has triumphed when opening the road.
The second leg and the second stage victory: Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz managed to more than double their advantage in the VW Race Touareg on the second day of the Dakar Rally. The Spanish duo won the 764 kilometers stage from Córdoba to San Miguel in Argentina in front of their team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk.
X-raid BMW driver Stéphane Peterhansel, who was running in second place for a long time, finished the stage in third. Sainz is now leading the overall standings with 3:05 in front of his closest rival, the Frenchman Peterhansel. Nasser Al-Attiyah follows with just 14 seconds.
The New Year's Day gave warm welcomes to all participants of the Dakar rally. Ales Loprais opened it on the same position as last year: 2nd.
The initial special was 222 kilometers long. Even before the start of the car special it was hit by heavy rains, which made the surface slippery. The organisers made a good balance between fast and technical sections. and the best pilots praised it well. Especially in the final part, the track was particularly slidy for trucks, which even placed greated demands on focus and concentration of the pilots. Even a slight mistake could cause leaving the track and even wreck all hopes in the rally. Ales Loprais started the special 5th with the starting number 504. At WP1, it was Gerard de Rooy to clock the fastest time, only 14 seconds ahead of Chagin, Ales was 3rd, only 3 seconds behind the Russian. At km 72, de Rooy stopped and Ales took over his position, staying second for the remaining part of the special and maintaining a tiny one-minute lead over Kabirov, anothe elite Kamaz pilot.
Mechanics and engineers set to work to prepare cars for start
Chicherit and Périn complete short shakedown in Mini All4 Racing
BUENOS AIRES (Argentina): All members of the Monster Energy X-raid rally team have safely arrived in Buenos Aires to begin final preparations for the official start of the 33rd Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile on New Year’s Day.
Six BMW X3CCs, the brand new Mini All4 Racing and the team’s fleet of race trucks, service trucks and support vehicles have been removed from the dock area in Buenos Aires and are being prepared by Sven Quandt’s army of mechanics and engineers.
Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Michel Périn managed to carry out a short pre-event shakedown test in the Mini All4 Racing about 50km from Buenos Aires at a nearby motorcross circuit on Wednesday afternoon. Chicherit’s Mini has been developed in record time and the Frenchman will be hoping to improve on the fifth position he obtained with a BMW X3CC last year.
BUDAPEST, (Dec. 26, 2010) – Monster Energy returns in full force this year to the annual South American Dakar Rally endurance race, teaming with BMW-backed teams in both four and two-wheel competition which travels through Argentina and Chile, Jan. 1st through the 16th.
Running under the moniker “A challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind,” the Dakar Rally has been a platform for Monster Energy’s global brand advancement for a number of years – with 2011 being the first joint effort between Monster and BMW.
“Dakar embodies an unsurpassed spirit of adventure that - like other great motorsport endurance competitions - deserves the world’s attention,” said Monster Energy President Mark Hall. “In our quest to establish a global footprint with the Monster Energy brand, we look to events like the Dakar, teamed with our marquee partner in the effort to fulfill our goal of delivering the iconic Monster Energy image to the world.”
The Speed Energy/Toyo Tires Hummer team is ready for Dakar! The count down begins with only nine days to go. All year long we have been preparing for this race and now with only a few days to go, the excitement level is at an all time high. The hummers are more refined and looking great for the 2011 Dakar Rally. This year team Speed Energy/Toyo Tires will arrive to the starting line with two of the worlds best looking Hummers, both fully equipped with Toyo Open Country MT/R tires.
SANTA MONICA, CA (December 17, 2010) - Levi LaVallee was injured while practicing for his planned world record snowmobile distance jump at this year's Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. event. Due to Levi LaVallee Injury, the event has been cancelled.
Following his injury, LaVallee was immediately transported to a local hospital where he is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. As a result of this incident, however, it has been decided that Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. will be cancelled this year.
The safety of Red Bull’s world-class athletes is paramount, and all precautions were taken during LaVallee’s testing sessions to ensure he could perform in the safest-possible setting.
Leading up to the event, LaVallee, 28, from Longville, MN, worked with athlete performance experts, aerodynamics experts and engineers, in addition to his core team, in an effort to get the most out of his body and snowmobile. During testing, LaVallee jumped an astounding 361 feet, eclipsing the existing record by 60 feet. This jump will be submitted for world record certification.
LaVallee has had a very successful career in several snowmobile disciplines. A snocross racer for more than 15 years, he took up freestyle in 2007, and at Winter X Games 12 in 2008, he won the gold medal in the Freestyle and Speed & Style events and was named Athlete of the Games. In 2009, he won the Pro Stock Snocross championship and came thisclose to landing the first-ever snowmobile double backflip at Winter X 13, garnering global media attention. Earlier this year, at Winter X 14, he took gold in the newly-created Snowmobile Knock Out event, his seventh Winter X Games medal.
LaVallee was to be the fourth athlete to star in Red Bull’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration on ESPN, which highlights extraordinary athletes pushing their physical, mental and technical limits to break boundaries and records. Robbie Maddison jumped his motorcycle 322 feet over a football field in Las Vegas in 2007 and followed it up in 2008 by jumping onto – and off – of the 96-foot-tall Arc De Triomphe at Paris Las Vegas. Also in 2008, Rhys Millen backflipped an off-road truck. Last year, Travis Pastrana jumped his rally car 269 feet over water, landing on a barge in Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor.
TREBUR (Germany): The Monster Energy X-raid Team has completed a successful two-day test session with the new MINI All4 Racing at Le Creusot in France. Driver Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Michel Périn carried out the successful test on Monday, December 13th and Tuesday, December 14th, near Le Creusot, in the Saône-et-Loire department of the Burgundy region of France, south west of Dijon. Guerlain Chicherit at the test track in France this week www.x-raid.de
"After the short roll-out last Friday in Trebur, I was very excited to drive the car on the test track for the first time and was really content with everything,” enthused Chicherit, who finished fifth in the Dakar with the Xraid team in 2010. “The handling is excellent, the engine is very responsive and it is well balanced at jumps because of the improved centre of gravity. The view out of the car is much better than we were led to believe when the car was being built. Visibility is good and there is no disadvantage compared to the BMW X3CC.” X-raid team director Sven Quandt was also pleased with the results of the first test session. “Altogether everything was optimistic and I am very happy that the car is finished and ready for the Dakar in such a short time. We carried out around 300km on the test track. The whole team is now looking forward to the world debut of the MINI All4 Racing in the Dakar Rally in January.”
In a few weeks, the US-American automotive journalist Sue Mead will be the first American female Driver in the Dakar Rally. Mead will join professional off-road racer Darren Skilton - and will start with a Ford SVT Raptor. The car was prepared by the Fab School, a private occupational/vocational trade school in California.
The Fab School Raptor is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which generates 411 horsepower, 434 pound-feet of torque and with six-speed automatics. The car itself was sponsored by Ford USA.
"My first choice of a vehicle to drive was the Ford Raptor" said Sue Mead. "I’m so amazed at the high-quality work of the Fab School team. And with Darren having completed in the Dakar a number of times, I have the utmost confidence in him and our goal to finish. The combination is a dream come true."
The Silk Way Rally is over with a surprising winner and a solid placement for Ales Loprais. A short but intensive hell for competitors came with the final special
Monster Energy set to support three X-raid BMW X3CCs
Argentina’s Orlando Terranova confirmed in X-raid line-up
BMW X-raid crews attend fitness camp at Tignes in France
Leonid Novitskiy and Andreas Schulz claim 2010 FIA World Cup
TREBUR (Germany): Monster Energy and the BMW X-raid Team have joined forces to create the Monster Energy X-raid Team, which will tackle January’s 33rd Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile (2011 Dakar Rally) in South America. The Trebur-based operation will field seven cars in the world’s most famous off-road rally, with Monster Energy supporting three of the teams.
Peterhansel is the most successful driver in the history of the Dakar Rally. He won the race six times on a motorcycle, before switching to racing on four-wheels in 1999. Partnered by Cottret, Peterhansel claimed three victories in the Dakar on four wheels and finished fourth overall with the X-raid Team on the 2010 Dakar in South America – his first with the German team. The Frenchman has also achieved numerous wins in rounds of the FIA World Cup, is a two-time World Enduro champion and took part in the Race of Champions in 2005 and 2006. He joined the X-raid team for Baja Spain 2009 and won the recent Rally of Morocco. Cottret switched to co-driving in 1992 and finished second with Peterhansel on the Dakar in 2000. He has won the gruelling event with Peterhansel on three occasions (2004, 2005 and 2007) and has also been successful in numerous smaller Bajas and FIA World Cup rallies. Dos Santos and co-driver Fiùza drive a second Monster Energy-backed BMW X3CC. Dos Santos switched from riding a quad on the Dakar to racing in a car and will take part in his first marathon challenge with Xraid. He finished 14th overall and first privateer in the 2010 Dakar and completed the recent Rally of Morocco with the X-raid team in seventh place.
After winning the 24 hrs. race end of August and the last round of the championship
last weekend in Schwerin, Team Stensky with the Lennson CC did capture the overall win of the German Championshop T1 class using 4GRIP powered FOX shocks and Eibach coilsprings. Frank and Stephan Stensky are very proud that after a year of development together with constructor of the Lennson CC, Andreas Lennartz and Peter Visser of 4GRIP, the Lennson CC is the “vehicle to beat” in the German Championship.
Team Walcher (Porsche Cayenne) did win the German Championship T2 after a
battle with the other vehicles competing in this class which took it down to the wire. The Porsche Cayenne was damaged and repaired from the prologue and managed to have enough point to secure the championship.
MILLVILLE, NJ (October 4th, 2010) -- Tanner Foust wins the second round of the 2010 RallyCar U.S. Rallycross Championship after a dramatic A Main final event at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, NJ. Foust drove his Rockstar Ford Fiesta in rainy conditions to place a time of 5 minutes and 47.6 seconds in the A Main, 6.37 seconds over Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra and 16.2 seconds over the UK’s Liam Doran.
The All-wheel Drive class A Main had to be re-started after Liam Doran crashed his Citroen C4 into a tirewall near Turn 1 on the second lap due to a tire puncture. Liam’s crash caused track officials to red-flag the course and re-grid the group, placing Doran in the very back. Mirra, who showed remarkable pace during practice, qualifying and Heat runs, was leading the A Main before the course was red-flagged. Mirra eventually secured second overall in AWD, his highest rally car racing career finish ever. Mirra’s teammate, Travis Pastrana, did not finish A Main before the restart due to a blown engine caused by mud caked his radiator and overheated. Despite being fast in his Heat races, Pastrana had suffered the same problem with overheating earlier in the day.
MILLVILLE, New Jersey (ACP Racing) October 1, 2010 –Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard and his NOS Energy Team ACP Racing will debut a new engine in the intense competition this weekend at RallyCar’s second Rallycross event in North America. The 2009 North American Rally Champion placed fifth overall at the previous event in the series in August, but did so with a blown headgasket on their Mitsubishi Evolution IX throughout the event.
The new engine, built at AMS Motorsport in Chicago and installed at race shop Rallispec near Philadelphia, uses Brian Crower internals and custom JE Pistons to the same specs ACP Racing used to take the bronze medal in this year’s X Games Rally Car event.
Pastrana and Mirra Thrill Fans In U.S. Rallycross #1 Video
Some background on the clip: European-style wheel-to-wheel rallycross made its U.S. debut in thrilling style on August 28-29, 2010 with the help of a determined performance by Subaru driver Travis Pastrana in his Vermont SportsCar prepared 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Starting from the rear of a six car grid after a restart of the Final, Pastrana worked his way through the field to finish 2nd overall. Pastrana's Subaru Rally Team USA teammate, Dave Mirra, finished close behind in 3rd overall, while Tanner Foust took the win. The Rallycross, organized by RallyCar (formerly Rally America), was held at the Lightning Bolt course of New Jersey Motorsports Park, a 1.9-mile track which was modified to include three dirt sections with a total distance of 1.3 miles. Pastrana's performance wowed the thousands of fans in attendance and helped create a memorable debut for the sport in America.
Golden Valley, MN (September 21, 2010) -- Officials with RallyCar, the premier sanctioning body for performance rally in North America, celebrated the closing of the 2010 Rally America National Championship with a lavish awards ceremony at the first U.S. Rallycross Championship event held at the Officer’s Club at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The “Who’s Who” from the nation’s top rally drivers gathered from around the United States and Canada, dressed up in their best suits and dresses, with teammates, crew, friends and family along with officials from New Jersey Motorsports Park to honor the season’s year-end award winners and recount the highlights of a very busy season at the Rally America National Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
Monday's Marathon Leg, the first of two in this year's Australasian Safari, saw the top of the field in the motos, cars and quads secure their positions in a day of cat and mouse where caution was key to stay in the race. Limited servicing rules meant it was crucial to keep the vehicles in one piece over some incredibly difficult terrain.
The cars have faced another tough day and the Denhams in their special built Mitsubishi Triton remain at the top of the field, five minutes in front of the Australian local V8-Series "Star" Craig Lowndes and Kees Weel in their Holden Colorado (Australian GM-version of Isuzu D-Max).
Craig was happy with the way the car drove and stuck to the game plan of looking after it to get it to the end of the two Marathon days. "The car went really well. I got told last night that we just had to get through these stages pretty much unscathed, so we're not too concerned about time. Our main priority, given Kees and I have to work on it ourselves, is to make sure we don't have to do too much to it.
The Silk Way Rally is over with a surprising winner and a solid placement for Ales Loprais. A short but intensive hell for competitors came with the final special
The ultimate eigth stage included only a 16-kilometre special whose purpose at the Dakar rally is mostly symbolic, giving farewell to the fans. At the Silk Way Rally, though, it was far from easy. The organisers had warned everyone before it would be tricky and very technical, and certainly he was right. Nothing could be gained on such a short distance but surely, everything could be lost almost at the gates of Sochi. Ales finsihed the special 4th, just like the entire race, only a second adrift of Chagin.
Too much happened in Stage 6 of the Silk Way Rally, in which Ales Loprais scored a very solid 3rd place. Unusal problems caused the bronze did not pay much in the overall standings.
The organizers have unveiled their plans a bit. The disastrous surface of all stages and the enormous difficulties in navigation where even the legends of the race get lost, is to create an impression of a race with the hardes stages, tougher than the Dakar. The navigation traps caught both elite drivers of the truck category, to struggle for over an hour as well. The stage let the third behind, the young Eduard Nikolaev, win and lead the overall standings. Behind him, it was Franz Echter, unfortunately for Ales Loprais, who finished thir but lost almost 30 minutes to Echter. Unfortunately, Ales was notable to capitalize on unusual circumstances of the stage when two of the biggest favorites got lost and another close rival, Mardeev, was forced to retire due to back injuy of his teammates. The durability of the current trucks is so high that even after bad jumps they keem going, unlike their crew members. Even Carlos Sainz, leader of the car category and former worls champion, said the fifth stage had been one of the worst and hardest he had ever driven in his life. That already means something.
A desert stage at the delta of the Volga river brought a pure deser stage and after initial problems, Ales Loprais managed to claim one position higher
As many as 446 kilometres of a special, into which trucks started quite early in the morning were the longest special of the rally and the toughest one as well. A gruelling special of truly Dakar-type parameters was a perfect check of man and machine with a variety of surfaces, including deep sand and dunes. For Ales Loprais it was a chance to return into the fight for the podium but at the beginning it happened not to be. "In the opening fifth of the stage, we suffered navigational problems, losing some 15 minutes. In the meantime, a lot of cars and trucks were passing us and we had to overtake them again, which cost us a lot of time. We spent some 40 minutes behind one of MAN trucks in the dust clouds. Passing our friend Pep Vila was possibly only because of a particularly risky maneuver and finally we caught up Franz Echter and jumped ahead of him on the 5th," Ales Loprais said.
The stage to Beyneu with the longest special of the rally mixed the overall ranking and stretched the time gaps. After problems with fuel pipes, Ales Loprais finished it fifth and remains on the same position overall. He remains lucky enough not only to stay in the race but also to keep a solid position for further rise in the overall ranking.
The stage was won by the flying winner of the latest Dakar, Kabirov. He clocked speed averages around 100 kph and stage times that would rank him fifth in the overall classification with cars! Only the quartet of works Volkswagens were faster. However, at both checkpoints the situation was very tight nd gaps close. Kabirov set the pace from the very beginning but both Chagin and de Rooy followed closely. Before CP1 it was Mardeev to slip past Loprais but Ales managed to overpass him until CP2 and even gain some advantage. At CP2, Ales was fourth, only some 3m40s behind the overall leader Chagin.
The final passage widened the gaps significantly. As Kabirov was storming to the victory and gained eventually a solid time against Chagin and de Rooy, Ales Loprais lost nearly 45 minutes and remained fifth in the stage and overall, with only an 8-minute lag behind Mardeev. Even Jan de Rooy and Macik lost some time in the final stage of the special although both of them were close behind the leaders at CP2.
After a promising debut in 2009, the Silk Way Rally is running into its second edition from St. Petersburg to Sochi. Ales Loprais will be its only Czech driver in the truck category.
Loprais Tatra Team headed into a hard work upon its arrival from Dakar 2010 and it worked on two substantial projects. The first one is the new evolution of the current Tatra 815 racing special. Its results are embodied into the special ready for the Silk Way Rally. The latter one is a completion of a brand-new race special with a hood and a concept the will push the technical development of the Tatra specials a way forward
Former double British Rally Champion Jonny Milner and co-driver Ian Windress took maximum championship points on the Sixty & Worcestershire National Rally today to take their third victory of the season and in doing so wrapped up the 2010 MSA Gravel Rally Championship with one round remaining.
Needing a victory in the National A element of the penultimate round of the ANCRO-organised series, Milner, the 2002 and 2003 British Rally Champion, was only sixth fastest through the opening stage of the Ludlow-based event and by contrast, championship rivals Roger Duckworth (Silverstone) and Nick Broomfield (Towcester) were some five seconds faster in their Subaru Impreza WRC.
North American Rally Champion Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard and his NOS Energy Team ACP Racing placed a strong fifth overall in the first European-style rallycross event in US history, held this past weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Despite competing throughout the heats and "A" final event with a blown headgasket and the interior heater on full blast in the over-90 degree temperatures, and while racing with a smaller 40mm intake restrictor than the 45mm-restricted winning European-spec Ford Fiesta, Comrie-Picard drove his Mitsubishi Evo rally car to the limit to be in the A final and score the result.
Foust, Pastrana and Mirra Sweep All-Wheel Drive Podium
MILLVILLE, N.J. (Aug. 30, 2010) – Nerves and anticipation ran high this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) as BFGoodrich® Tires made an impressive splash at the first ever U.S. RallyCar RallyCross event. BFGoodrich Tires dominated the marquee All-Wheel Drive (AWD) class as drivers took advantage of the grip, acceleration and toughness of their BFGoodrich tires sweeping all three podium spots, with X Games champion Tanner Foust (Ford) coming in first, closely followed by Travis Pastrana (Subaru) and Dave Mirra (Subaru).
“First off, congratulations to the RallyCar organization, all of the teams and sponsors who helped make the U.S. RallyCar RallyCross debut a huge success,” said Roberts Kukainis, motorsports manager, BFGoodrich Tires. “We’re excited with the drivers’ performance supported by BFGoodrich tires’ exceptional grip on the tarmac. This is the same grip that BFGoodrich has brought to motorsports for more than 40 years and we are proud to bring this grip to this inaugural event.”
Millville, NJ (August 30, 2010) -- RallyCar’s inaugural U.S. Rallycross held at the New Jersey Motorsports Park was a successful event where the competition was fierce and thousands of fans cheered the intense action. Rallycross racing has finally arrived and made a lasting impression!
The highlight of the Rallycross event was the dramatic A Main Final, where Rockstar Energy Drink’s Tanner Foust driving a 2010 Ford Fiesta won the inaugural event in the 4WD Class. Josh Wimpey hailing from Steeles Tavern, VA won the 2WD Class in a 1987 Volkswagen GTi rally car.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Aug. 25, 2010) – The heart pounding, high-flying, side-by-side action known as Rallycross is ready for its inaugural debut this coming weekend and BFGoodrich® Tires is once again ready to dominate. After rocking the Rally Car Racing and SuperRally Car competitions at X Games 16, BFGoodrich Tires is looking to make championship traction again at America’s newest motorsport, the RallyCar U.S. Rallycross Championship. Taking place at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) on Aug. 28-29, the blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition will give fans high-impact action and excitement, as well as give BFGoodrich Tires another opportunity to truly show its stuff. NJMP’s jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel will allow BFGoodrich Tires to showcase the grip, acceleration and toughness that has led to 17 of 20 X Games Rally Car Racing and SuperRally medals.
GOLDEN VALLEY, MN (August 11, 2010) – In a game-changer for American motorsport, RallyCar is set to bring the excitement of door-to-door rallycross racing to the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) on August 28-29th, 2010.
BUDAPEST, (July 23, 2010) – Monster Energy’s newly-signed flatland BMX specialist, Hungarian Adam Kun, was just crowd the world’s top athlete in his sport – winning this past weekend’s BMX Masters in Cologne.
Los Angeles, California (ACP Racing) August 1, 2010 – North American Rally Champion Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard took third place overall and the Bronze Medal in Rally Car Racing at X Games 16 this weekend in a hard-fought battle that saw twelve of the best drivers and teams in the country and from around the world fighting in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
LOS ANGELES – Aug. 2, 2010 – Extreme grip, acceleration and toughness once again reigned supreme as BFGoodrich® Tires shattered records at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this past weekend at X Games 16. Competitors running BFGoodrich tires swept the podiums of both rally disciplines, Rally Car and SuperRally, winning six of seven medals, including both gold medals. Since Rally Car started as an X Games contest five years ago, competitors running BFGoodrich tires have won 17 of 20 podium spots.
Los Angeles - X Games 16 newest event Rally Car Super Rally excited the drivers, judges and fans as twelve competitors had the chance to race head to head in, out and around The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time. Rally Car Racing medalists Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan again rode away tonight with gold and silver, this time in the Super Rally Final. This brings Foust's X Games medals to five and Deegan now has 12.
Carlsbad, California –SPY joins the Block party! Consummating a relationship that has over 10 years of history, SPY has joined an elite stable of brands to support and promote Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team.
CHERRY HILL, N.J., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru Rally Team USA unveiled its new 2011 Impreza WRX STI rally cars to journalists in dramatic fashion at the Pala Raceway in Pala, California. The team provided full speed ride-alongs to journalists during practice for the ESPN Summer X Games 16. Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and new teammate, European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen, demonstrated that they were ready for the SuperRally X Game competitions, being held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, July 31st.
LOS ANGELES – July 28, 2010 – Thrills, chills and spills are expected by excited audiences at the 16th annual X Games in downtown Los Angeles this coming weekend, and BFGoodrich Tires’ racers and fans cannot wait to be a part of the intense action with the Rally Car competition, as well as the newest X Games event, SuperRally.
ESPN Radio’s The Scott Van Pelt Show, Mason and Ireland, L.A. Sports Live and Action Sports with Brando will broadcast live from the L.A. LIVE X Games stage in Nokia Plaza July 29-Aug. 1.
I'm from a small mountain town in New Mexico. Because my town is close to Pikes Peak, I've followed the hill climb since I was little. I didn't grow up around that sort of thing — my family wasn't into racing. I can't really think of one particular event in my life that go me into cars, but it was always a commanding force — it just seemed like what I was supposed to do. - Story by Doug Siddens
Golden Valley, MN (July 23rd, 2010) -- PMR Motorsports’ duo, Patrick Moro and Ole Holter, won the 2010 Rally America Super Production (SP) Class Championship after overcoming a slow start to the season and acquiring the points needed at the recently held New England Forest Rally in Newry, Maine to secure the Super Production Class Title!
Golden Valley, MN (July 22, 2010) -- Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Team’s Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both from Quebec, Canada, became the newest Rally America National Champions after a spectacular drive at the drama filled New England Forest Rally! CLICK LINK FOR VIDEO!
July 20, 2010 (Lake Forest, CA) – etnies is proud to unveil its first two rally drivers today, three-time X Games Rally medalist Tanner Foust and freestyle moto-x legend and 10-time X Games medalist Brian Deegan. Both Foust and Deegan will be piloting Ford Fiesta rally cars in the Rally and SuperRally racing events at X Games 16, July 29 – August 1.
We're excited to announce that the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship Awards banquet presented by BFGoodrich Tires will take place on Friday evening August 27, 2010, from 6pm to 10pm at the Officers Club Restaurant located on the grounds of the beautiful New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey.
X Games 16 takes over Downtown LA July 29 through August 1.The LA Coliseum goes off with Rally Car Racing, Skateboard and BMX Big Air and Moto X Freestyle for the first time ever. STAPLES Center hosts Best Trick, Step Up and Speed & Style. For all info visit xgames.com. Tickets at ticketmaster.com. See Link for Video!
(July 19, 2010) Subaru driver Travis Pastrana dominated the majority of the New England Forest Rally this past weekend at the wheel of his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI before a problem with his engine stopped him on the penultimate competition stage, forcing him to retire. Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom were able to pull away convincingly from the competition early and built a lead of over three minutes on the event’s technical gravel roads that snake through the forests along the Maine-New Hampshire border. Then unexpectedly, with under fifteen competitive stage miles remaining, Pastrana experienced an engine problem which forced him to stop on stage, ending his run to victory.
Newry, ME (July 18, 2010) -- The 2010 New England Forest Rally (NEFR), the sixth and final round of the 2010 Rally America National Championship, ended with spectacular drama that kept fans and competitors riveted. Once the champagne popped, it was Rockstar Energy Drink’s Canadian duo, driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, celebrating a New England Forest Rally victory and their claim to the 2010 Rally America Championship title.
For almost two weeks, the reconnaissance teams have driven the routes of the 9 stages of the Silk
Way Rally to bring in some last minute changes and validate the route contenders will discover from
September 11 to 18 this year.
June 16, 2010 – Along with the growth of Expedition Portal and Overland Journal, the community of vehicle-supported adventure travelers in North America has expanded considerably. As the regional chapters of Expedition Portal have become more active and other forums have added expedition sections, there has been a growing need for more local rallies and training workshops.
EV buggy to tackle famous “Race to the Clouds” on ADVAN® ENV-R2™ slicks, the world’s only eco-friendly race tire which cuts petroleum use by 20 percent
FULLERTON, CA (June 16, 2010) – Yokohama Tire Corporation’s ADVAN® ENV-R2™ orange oil-infused race tires have another mountain to conquer…literally. Already the official spec tire in the IMSA Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and the new ALMS GT3 Challenge (GTC) Class, the ENV-R2 is now poised to take on Pikes Peak in the new Electric Vehicle Class, June 27.
Huge in this part of the world, semi truck racing is quite the spectacle – and Monster’s now aligned with the best program
BUDAPEST, (May 26, 2010) – Monster Energy has teamed with Oxxo Racing and its impressive 5500 kg, 160 km MAN TGA semi race truck that competes in the Sport 1 class in the European Truck Racing Championships.
Oxxo Racing driver Balazs Szobi is considered by many to be one of the top drivers on the European truck racing circuit, which also makes him one of the best drivers of this sport in the world. Fitting right in with the rapidly growing legions of Monster Army members in Eastern European, Szobi’s also an avid pilot, jet skier, snowboarder and motocross enthusiast. And from racing the National Rally Championships to Dakar Rally, Szobi has gained valuable experience prior to getting behind the wheel of these monstrous racing big rigs.
The Pannonia Fesztival kicks off on Thursday, May 20th, with four days of Metal, Underground, House and Dance music
BUDAPEST, (May 19, 2010) – Monster Energy’s foray into central European concert and music festival sponsorship gets underway tomorrow with the annual running of the Pannonia Fesztival here in Hungary.
The four-day festival located Odataláljak features some 123 bands (at last count on the Pannonia Fesztival website) on a number of stages dialed for Metal, Underground, House and Dance music. And in addition to the music the Monster-backed festival will also host a Bwin Poker tent, vizifoci (platform soccer on a wet, padded surface), a beach, crossword-racking, badminton, foosball, karaoke and Guitar Hero, stand-up comedy and, if that’s not enough, a whole lot more according to the event organizers.
The Dalles, OR (May 18, 2010) -- The NOS Energy Mitsubishi team of Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey took a decisive win on the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally, round 4 of the Rally America National Championship. Comrie-Picard held a comfortable lead over the Mitsubishi crew of Bill Bacon and Peter Watt at the start of the final day and managed to increase his advantage by the final stage. Bacon focused more on maintaining his position by staying ahead of the overall Rally America Championship points leader Antoine L’Estage than trying to catch Comrie-Picard.
L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richoard drove their Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi EVO X to third place after dropping to seventeenth early on day two of the rally due to mechanical issues. L’Estage claimed every stage win on the third and final day of competition and now leads Bacon in the National Championship standings by 8 points.
Opel/Dakar Team’s Balázs Szalay and navigator László Bunkoczi take over the points lead in Hungarian Championship
BUDAPEST, (May 14, 2010) – Monster Energy’s Hungarian off-road Opel/Dakar Team of Balázs Szalay and his navigating partner László Bunkoczi have taken over the Hungarian Championships’ point lead with a win this past week at the Rábaköz Cup race.
The grueling and technical event, that would eventually claim nearly half of the 20 entries in the category T class, actually had Szalay and Bunkoczi in last place after the Prologue. Rains fell at such a torrential pace that the entire course was either under water or soaked to the point where it caused the competitors to slide off the track or, in some cases, roll completely over.
- Teammate Pastrana Foregoes Event Due to Schedule Conflict -
(May 12, 2010) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra will be the lone team entry in this weekend's 2010 Oregon Trail Rally based in and around Portland, Oregon. A previously scheduled engagement with the Nitro Circus Live tour in Australia precludes Subaru driver Travis Pastrana, the 4-time defending Rally America National Champion, from competing at the Oregon Trail Rally. Mirra currently holds 4th Overall in the 2010 Rally America National Championship standings while teammate Pastrana sits in 2nd having won the last round of the series, the Olympus Rally, late last month.
May 5, 2010 – Volkswagen will contest the "South-America-Dakar" Rally again in January 2011. After the outstanding one-two-three win in January this year, the Volkswagen management board decided to continue the successful commitment. This means that the Wolfsburg based automobile manufacturer is grabbing the opportunity to clinch a hat-trick at the rally.
Parsons transitions from Monster Energy HQ in southern California to help put the pieces in place for Monster’s assault on Eastern Europe
BUDAPEST (April 12, 2010) – Longtime Monster Energy sports marketing department specialist Joe Parsons has been tabbed as the new Sports Marketing Director – Eastern Europe, effective immediately.
Parsons, who has relocated to Hungary following working out of the Monster Energy headquarters in Corona, Calif., since 2001, will be based out of Budapest and in charge of marketing efforts for Monster, including those in both the action sports and music categories.
“I’ve had my feet on the ground in Hungary for several months now and can’t believe the energy here,” said Parsons. “We’ve already managed to pull together a number of great promotions in the BMX, off-road and music industries and feel like we’re just warming up. I look forward to considering the seemingly endless number opportunities that are brought to our attention and moving forward with the new partnerships that arise, such as the Pro Wanted Tour, powered by Monster Energy.”
CORONA, Calif., (April 12, 2010) – Monster Energy’s Hungarian off-road racers Balázs Szalay and his navigating partner, László Bunkoczi, came up a bit short of defending their overall championship at the Derecske Cup’s Bihar Ralis this past weekend, but managed to make the podium with a 3rd place effort despite a broken axle to start final day of the three-day event.
Poised to win the event, the Monster-backed Team Opel/Dakar lost 19 minutes due to the incident and fell back to 5th place with 21 kilometers left in the contest.
“It seemed impossible for us to climb up further in the standings, making up 40 seconds in the last 21 kilometers just to get to 4th place,” said Szalay. “But we were able to accomplish the repair in just 52 seconds, then took advantage of the third place vehicle getting stuck on the course. So we moved up two places and made the podium.”
Ocean Shores, WA (April 5, 2010) -- One of the most scenic events on the Rally America calendar promises to be one of its most competitive when round three of the Rally America National Championship takes place in Washington State’s picturesque Olympic Peninsula on April 24-25.
The Olympus Rally includes mountain backdrops, temperate rain forests, and ocean views all of which will complement top national rally teams slipping, sliding and jumping along the peninsula’s gravel roads at formidable speeds.
This year, however, two new teams have quietly joined the championship with the skills to win and that will stir up the competition at Olympus.
Golden Valley, MN (March 30, 2010) -- Two drivers capable of winning have quietly entered the Olympus Rally, round three of the Rally America National Championship.
Olympus is set among the wooded mountainsides along the Washington Coast April 24-25th. Many teams are looking to pad their point leads or rewrite their fates on the tricky and gravelly Washington stages.
That will be difficult, however, because of Patrick Richard and Ramana Lagemann the two championship contenders who could become spoilers at Olympus.
CHERRY HILL, N.J., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ Subaru of America, Inc. Defending 2011 Rally America National Champion David Higgins launched his 2012 title defense with Subaru Rally Team USA by achieving a decisive victory this past weekend at the Sno*Drift Rally. Higgins, driving a 5-door 2012 Subaru WRX STI rally car, dominated the rally leading from the start and winning 15 of the event's 24 competitive stages. Higgins finished nearly two minutes clear of his closest rival. The Sno*Drift Rally was not easy by any respect; David's biggest challenge was keeping his STI on the event's treacherously icy roads. Higgins proclaimed the variable and slick road conditions as the toughest rallying he has ever encountered. 
October 31, 2011— The X-raid team makes him a "Top 10" driver in the Dakar Rally - then with Volkwagen in 2011 the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah fulfiled his dream and won the "Southamerica Dakar", together with his German navigator Timo Gottschalk. In 2012 he want to defend his title, but Volkswagen stopped the Dakar engagement. Now the Qatari has simply no car to continue his dream. 
October 31, 2011— After the two punctures in the morning stage of the second day of the "Baja Vodafone Portalegre 500", the Portuguese Filipe Campos took off in the afternoon for a dream driving show, crowned with a fifth win at the event organized by ACP, beating Helder Oliveira by 2:41 mins and Miguel Barbosa for 2:53. With this result Campos becomes the new wins record holder in the most mythical Portuguese cross country race. 
October 24, 2011—Peter Kittle Motorsport heads to final round of the 2011 Australian Offroad season at Goondiwindi this weekend aiming to lock away back to back Austalian Off Road Championships. Clinching their first title in 2010, David Fellows and Mark Bergamin have placed the teams #1 Jimco at the top of the leaderboard at the business end of the 2011 season. 
October 4, 2011— Toyota has announced that the car Toyota Land Cruiser 200 will take part in a marathon rally "Dakar", which starts on January 1. The route will pass through the South American continent through the territory of Argentina, Chile and Peru. 
(June 21, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA announced today that they will be teaming up again with action sports icon Travis Pastrana to contend in the Rallycross competition at X Games 17 this summer. Pastrana will pilot one of the team’s new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rallycross cars on the streets of LA as part of X Games 17 Rallycross competition. Pastrana, who drove for Subaru from the very start of his rally career had amassed four consecutive Rally America driver’s championships and over twenty victories at the wheel of a Subaru before leaving the sport at the end of 2010 to try his talents in NASCAR.
(June 20, 2011) Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins made an impressive debut in his first RallyCross competition this past weekend with a 2nd Overall finish at 3rd round of the Global RallyCross Championship held at Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs. Higgins, a multi-time British and American rally champion had never competed in wheel-to-wheel rallycross before but his strong background in both rally and karting helped him adjust quickly at the wheel of his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. 
After preparing the two Nissan pickups (4th and 5th in Dakar 2009) and put in rails a Toyota project, Belgian team "Overdrive Racing" jumps to the conquest to the Argentinean Cross Country Rally Championship with Volkswagen. 
(June 9, 2011) Professional athlete Shaun White is branching out from the thrill of asphalt at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and taking to the mud of Old Mill Adventure Park as he continues to upgrade his driving performance with BFGoodrich® Tires in Chapter 3 of the “Upgrade to BFGoodrich” campaign. The automotive enthusiast spent time behind the wheel of a full-bore rally car at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Wash., to learn the basics of rally driving from experts in this unique motorsport. His latest adventures will debut today in an interactive experience at 
May 1, 2011 | On Saturday, April 30th, tragedy struck the close knit rally racing community during the Olympus Rally based in Ocean Shores, WA. 
Spain's Joan "Nani" Roma has rejoined the Monster Energy X-raid team and will join Russian Leonid Novitskiy and Chilean driver Boris Garafulic in one of three cars entered in the Tunisia Rally, round three of the FIA World Cup, between May 1-7. 
Dakar.com reporters are reporting that Robby Gordon has withdrawn from the 2011 Dakar Rally after major mechanical problems.
Carlos Sainz Captures 20th Special Stage Victory, Robby Gordon Forced to Withdraw, Mark Miller Finishes Stage in 5th Place
Four of the Monster Energy/X-raid BMW X3CCs are now in the top seven overall points â•„ Peterhansel still leads team in 2nd place
