Ryan Millen Debuts New Rally RAV4 at Idaho Rally

Massive thanks to our friend Matt Kalish for providing this in-depth interview with one of rally’s most legendary racing family members.   Ryan Millen: “It kind of feels like a perfect fit.“   When a driver named Millen decides to enter a rally in the United States big things are expected to follow. Ryan Millen, son of rally champion Rod and brother of Pike’s Peak legend Rhys has made a name in desert racing, most notably winning the 2014 running of the Baja 1000 in a Toyota Tundra. This weekend, he…

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Red Bull GRC at DirtFish Rally School – The Definition of What Rallycross Should Be

I can sum up in just a few words what Red Bull GRC Seattle at DirtFish Rally School was like.  DirtFish DEFINED rallycross.  Simple as that. Why?  Well, as you have heard me say time and time again, it is all about the track.  The grounds at DirtFish were a perfect venue for the sport.  The cars started on tarmac, switched to gravel around the long turn 1, then back to tarmac as they went into the covered planar building, then back to gravel into turn 10, then to a…

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Red Bull GRC – Power Rankings for LA

Last week I spoke with Chris Leone of the Red Bull GRC and we summarized the season so far as it heads to the west coast.  As the clock ticks down to this weekend’s double-header in LA, I came up with my opinion of where I think the drivers rank.  Note that this doesn’t exactly reflect the championship standings as this isn’t just where they finish, but about their consistent speed and potential.  I’ve jotted down a few comments about each driver, let me know if you agree or disagree with their…

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Red Bull GRC – Daytona is Best Track Yet

As we mentioned on the podcast earlier this week, Red Bull GRC’s stop in Daytona has the biggest and most dynamic track to date.  The 0.924 mile circuit features the joker in turn one to split the field and preventing the infamous pile ups that caused red flags in past events.  Additionally this course has long enough straights that the cars are reaching 120MPH!   Qualifying, Heat 1, and Heat 2 are already complete.  What I could best discern from their tweeted commentary, this course is allowing for very close…

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PR – Red Bull GRC in NYC Recap

Red Bull Global Rallycross Race Recap: Volkswagen Rallycross NY IN BRIEF: Tanner Foust’s miserable luck from the onset of the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross season appears to be firmly behind him, as his constant speed finally delivered him a victory in Volkswagen Rallycross NY on Sunday. After a penalty to Scott Speed erased a Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross 1-2 finish, Nelson Piquet Jr. stepped up into second place and the points lead, and Ken Block earned his first podium of the year. HEAT RECAPS: Five drivers earned heat victories in six total heats on Saturday,…

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Red Bull GRC Needs a Win in DC as Much as the Drivers

Today the newly re-branded Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship kicks off it’s first “normal” USA event in Washington D.C., and it is going to be LIVE on NBC.  Not NBC Sports mind you, but the main NBC network (tune in at 2PM Eastern/ 11AM Pacific).  They have promised   So why does Red Bull GRC need a win?  After a successful event in Barbados the series next stop was X-Games Austin that was quite honestly utter crap.  A combination of poor track design, multiple delays from hot headed drivers causing…

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Rally – Red Bull GRC Barbados, What Did We Learn?

By now most everyone already knows the results from last weekend’s GRC season opener in Barbados, and I won’t be getting into the results too much.  What I really wanted to focus on are the changes with the newly re-branded Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship as well as some of the more significant moments.  Here’s a run-down of what I observed (at least virtually since I wasn’t physically there and they didn’t have any live video streaming).   1.  Improved Track Design As many of you know, I’ve been very…

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Rally – Red Bull GRC Kicks off in Barbados

Although not televised until next weekend on NBC, you can follow all the happenings of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship season opener at the Top Gear Festival in Barbados via social networking and their live timing web site.  Sure it isn’t quite the same as the live programming coming later this season, but unless you want to ignore your Twitter and Facebook for a week you might as well delve in.   Red Bull GRC’s Christopher Leone who was nice enough to take the time to be on our…

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Rally – Red Bull Global Rallycross Media Day

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWow, what an incredible day.  I got the amazing opportunity to represent OpenPaddock.net at the launch of the newly re-branded Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship at their Media Day in Los Angeles, California.  The location for this media event was at the Port of LA, where after passing by mile after mile of shipping containers my route diverted me to a more scenic drive lined with palm trees and even passing by the historic USS Iowa battleship.  Finally at the end of the road…

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