Saturday was the second day and final day of X Games rally competition. Practice was over and there was no more warm ups. On this day every run counted. The pressure was definitely on each driver to get everything right so they could continue to advance. If the pressure of competition wasn’t enough there was another factor that added to the tension. The officials changed the layout of the track before competition began. The story we heard from various sources was that the original layout was too disconcerting to the drivers. As such, the officials changed the layout. However once the course was changed the drivers had little to no time to practice the new configuration. Then came news that if any driver deviated from the set course they would be red flagged and automatically DQ’d!
There was definitely a lot of drama throughout the rally racing and especially in the Super Rally Final. There will be more posts on all of that later. In the meantime check out some pictures from day 2 below and even more pictures in our GALLERY.
I caught up with Travis Pastrana after his first Rally Run at X Games 16. The first thing I ask is what was the issue with his car that contributed to his loss to Brian Deegan. Secondly I ask what he feels his biggest challenge will be going into the Super Rally 4 car competition later in the day.
The interwebs are ablaze right now with the recent development which was first broke by Wrecked Magazine that Rob Dyrdek and Falken drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. will attempt to 50-50 grind a 2010 Ford Mustang along a giant rail. This stunt is supposed to go down on the season premere of Fantasy Factory on MTV. Stay tuned to Wrecked’s twitter for further updates.
The beast is alive! Alliiivveeeeee!!! Check out the video below to watch Mr. Ken Block flogging his new Fiesta through the ice and snow. Turn the speakers up!
Ken Block and Subaru has been the hot campus couple for a while now but news came out that they broke up and Ken is already dating other OEM! You’ll never guess who it is either…Ford!! I know right?! Like OMG! Ok jokes aside this is all true. Ken Block wants to go to WRC and Ford along with Monster Energy Drink are willing to send him there. Hence the creation of his new Monster World Rally Team (or MWRT). He is looking to run a limited WRC schedule for 2010 in a Ford Focus RS but he will also still compete in Rally America and the X-Games in a rally spec Ford Fiesta similar to what Tanner Foust drove in the X-Games in ‘09. Is Subaru stung by this? Maybe a little bit but they did get a decent amount of mileage from Mr. Block and his Gymkhana antics. Speaking of, the DC Shoes camp is telling us to stay tuned to another video. Will it be just as exciting with a Ford Fiesta? If anyone can find a way to make it so, its KB.
Press Release:
January 6, 2010-(VISTA, CA)- DC is proud to announce its 2010 sponsorship of the newly formed Monster World Rally Team (MWRT) headed by DC Co-Founder and Rally Car athlete, Ken Block. DC has sponsored Ken and its team of rally athletes for 4 years and is committed to expanding its global programs through the DC family of elite athletes. As part of the partnership, DC will produce apparel, footwear and accessories for the newly formed rally team and consumers worldwide.
“DC is proud to support Ken’s new venture into the World Rally Championship (WRC) series with his new rally team,” said DC President Anton Nistl. “Whether serving as DC’s Chief Brand Officer, creating viral videos, such as the Gymkhana series, or racing rally, Ken continues to exceed expectations and we’re sure that this new endeavor with the MWRT will be no different.”
DC will continue to create its exclusive rally products for Ken, team and crew throughout the 2010 season. Fans can look forward to an extended line of MWRT products that will be available globally through DC’s retail partners.
“I’m excited that DC is joining me on this new part of my career,” said Ken Block. “DC has supported my rally racing career from the beginning and they have developed a great rally program that will continue to grow with their support of the new Monster World Rally Team.”
Ken will compete in select races during the 2010 WRC series as well as the entire Rally America season and the Summer X Games 16. Ken will be the first American driver to campaign the WRC as part of a multi-year program. As part of his new team, Ken will drive for new auto partner, Ford Motor Company and will continue to race in the Rally America Series while competing in the WRC series.
I’m not the biggest fan of the Ford Mustang but even I can appreciate the fact that Ford is taking the sport of Drifting seriously by allowing Vaughn Gittin Jr. design not one but two different special edition Mustangs which will actually be sold through dealerships. The most extreme of the two designs is the RTR-C. RTR stands for “Ready To Rock”. Any guess as to what the “C” stands for? Should be pretty easy after you check out the pics. By the way, if you’re interested in picking up your very own RTR-C be prepared to fork over about $135,000 for the privilege.
After the X-Games I didn’t think a Ford Focus would ever make it back to MotorworldHype but here I stand corrected. I didn’t know that Ford was going to bring out an honest to goodness Ford Focus RS to the SEMA show. It almost doesn’t seem right to call this thing a Focus but it is, and yet it is every bit as bad ass as an Evo or STi. Is this a sign that the Focus RS may come to the U.S.A.? Perhaps we’ll get an answer at the LA Auto Show in December.
I just saw the report on Autofiends that Ford has allocated three Ford Fiestas to Sweedish rally team Olsbergs Motorsport Evolution to run in the rally stage at X Games 15. Tanner Foust and former Indy Car Champ Kenny Brack will each run the new 2010 Ford Fiesta and Brian Degan will run a 2008 Fiesta. Both Foust and Degan will fly Rockstar Energy Drink colors while Brack’s will run Olsbergs’ team colors. Check out the press release below.
Press Release:
FORD FIESTA TAKES ON ESPN’S X GAMES WITH ALL-STAR DRIVER LINEUP
• Ford Fiesta, which will makes its U.S. motorsport debut with the Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution race team at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in mid-July, has added a second North American event heading to ESPN’s X Games 15 on Aug. 2.
• All-star Fiesta driver lineup includes Kenny Brack, Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan.
• Ford makes its X Games debut in the new Ford Fiesta; production version set to hit showrooms in 2010.
DEARBORN, Mich., June 30, 2009 - The new Fiesta Rallycross cars have already created plenty of buzz in the enthusiast community with word of their North American motorsport debut in July’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.
Now, the anticipation will be even greater as the Swedish Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution (MSE) team has announced it will compete in ESPN’s X Games 15 in Los Angeles, Calif., July 30 - August 2. Olsbergs MSE is entering the race with the famous Swedish driver Kenny Brack. The team will also field two Ford Fiestas for ROCKSTAR Energy Drink with drivers Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan. All three Fiestas will comply with Rally America Open Class specifications.
Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution will utilize BFGoodrich Tires at both the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and at ESPN’s X Games 15.
“The new Fiesta is already creating headlines around the world,” said Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsport. “The announcement that it would compete at Pikes Peak was greeted so positively by enthusiasts everywhere. Now, to back it up with competition at the X Games will just create even more buzz for the car.”
The X Games, considered the premier action sports event in the world, features athletes from across the globe competing in a variety of sports, ranging from skateboarding, motocross, BMX and rally car racing. X Games 15 will be covered live on ESPN’s family of networks, including ABC, as well as across ESPN’s many digital media assets, including Xgames.com (or you can use ESPN.com/action or simply ESPN.com) and ESPN360.com.
The three Fiestas will be driven by an all-star lineup, which includes an Indy 500 winner, a former X Games rally champion and a 10-time X Games medalist.
The 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Brack, who will drive the 2009 Fiesta 3-door hatchback, is making his X Games debut. Brack was the 1998 IndyCar Series champion and was a factory driver for Ford Racing’s Champ Car entry Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR). Brack sustained significant injures in a major accident at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003 while driving for RLR, but he returned to the car at the Indy 500 in 2005, subbing for the injured Buddy Rice and posting the fastest qualifying speed (227.598 mph) of the field. Brack has been retired since 2006, pursuing his music career, but still drives competitively in special events. Olsbergs and Kenny Brack have had a long-term partnership and at present Kenny and Olsbergs are acting as mentors for a new promising Swedish racing star, 17-year old Markus Eriksson.
ROCKSTAR Energy Rally driver Tanner Foust will drive a race-prepared 2009 Fiesta 5-door hatchback. He is a winning competitor in rally, drift, ice racing and time attack with a proven track record of multiple podium placements and national championships. Foust has seen success in Drift and Rally in the last few seasons. In addition to winning the both the 2007 and 2008 Formula Drift Pro Drift Championship, he also took the Silver medal as runner-up in the 2008 Summer X Games Pro Rally race.
Foust won the 2007 X Games Gold Medal in the Pro Rally for the ROCKSTAR Energy Rally team. He was selected to represent Team USA in the annual Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in London, UK this past December. He teamed with Ford Racing NASCAR star Carl Edwards to do battle with the world’s fastest drivers and riders from Formula One, World Rally Championship, Superbike and Touring Car racing.
Joining Foust will be Moto X star Brian Deegan, a 10-time medalist at the X Games, including three gold medals for Moto X Best Trick (2002, 2003, 2005). Earlier this year, Deegan launched a Pro-Lite class off road truck team in Championship Off-Road Racing (COOR) under a newly formed ROCKSTAR/Metal Mulisha/Caffaro Motorsports banner. Named one of the Top 100 Action Sports Stars by ESPN in 2004, Deegan has competed at every X Games rally event and will drive a 2008 Fiesta 3-door hatchback.
This will be the first time a Ford race car has been part of the X Games’ Rally competition.
“We are very excited to see the Fiesta competing not only at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, but also at the X Games in LA,” said Jost Capito, director of Ford Global Motorsport Business Development. “The competition will be extremely strong in both events, but we’ve put together a strong team with the ROCKSTAR/BF Goodrich Tires Fiestas and our all star drivers. The Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution race team is doing an outstanding job in preparing the cars for both of these world famous events.”
Hes retired then hes not retired he sells one company and starts another. You just can’t predict good ol’ Steve Saleen. He just can’t walk away from his love of building badass domestics. His latest is an anniversary edition of sorts called the SMS 460. Its meant to celebrate the 45th birthday of the Mustang and his 25th year in this business. The SMS 460 is what you’d typically expect from a Saleen: aggressive body work, a supercharged V8 making 450+ horsepower, and a slick interior (this one has alcantara all over it).
More info in the press release below.
Press Release:
Steve Saleen ponies up, celebrates 25 years in the business and 45 years of
Mustangs with 2010 SMS 460 Mustang
Orange County, California. (April 17, 2009) Steve Saleen, his name being synonymous
with fast Mustangs, would not be Steve if he kept his hands off Ford’s newest pony. On the
occasion of the 45th anniversary of the launch of the original Mustang in 1964, and in
reflection on his 25 year association with America’s iconic sports car, Steve celebrates with
Mustang aficionados from around the world in launching first sketches of the 2010 SMS 460
and SMS 460X Mustangs at the 45th Anniversary Celebrations in Birmingham, Alabama.
Instantly recognizable as Steve Saleen’s work, the
new SMS 460 Mustangs
feature a host of visual and
technical highlights that set
them apart from the crowd.
“I previewed many of the
features of my newest
Mustang with the 25th
anniversary car I showed
last year,” says SMS
Supercars CEO and
President Steve Saleen.
The front fascia treatment,the SMS Red Butterfly Air Induction HoodTM, the front and side splitters, the rear fascia and diffuser with the high downforcerear wing showed the way Steve Saleen is looking at Mustangs today. “You have to gowith the times. While the Mustang remains an icon, Ford has done a very good job with the
2010 model. I wanted to interpret it using my signature to create the latest Steve Saleen
version of this American favorite.”
The SMS 460 Mustang offers a 4.6 liter V8 engine featuring a minimum 470 hp and 427 ft-lb
of torque, while the even more powerful SMS 460X Mustang engine with all new internal and
headwork delivers 655 hp and 600 ft-lb out of the enlarged 5.0 liter V8. Both use the new
(patent pending) SMS 296 Supercharger presented last week at the New York International
Auto Show. Transmission options are a 5-speed automatic or 5-speed manual on the 460 or
a 6-speed SMST manual on the top of the line 460X.
Performance for both cars is expectedly striking. The 460 Mustang accelerates from 0 to 60
in the low 4 seconds, while the 460X manages the same in the lower 4’s. In addition to
engine output, handling, roadholding and braking play an equally important role. The 2010
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