Tag: Ken Block

Rally – And Now its Official – Rally America on NBC Sports

Mike Shaw

So we finally have the much anticipated official announcement and press release!   2014 RALLY AMERICA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO AIR ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK Williston, VT (February 3, 2014) — NBC SportsNetwork and Rally America, Inc. have reached an agreement to bring eight episodes of the 2014 Rally America National Championship to NBC viewers.Each one-hour show will be jointly produced by Rally America and Rage Productions and will showcase each of the National Championship events. In addition to top quality action sports coverage, episodes will feature personal stories of national…

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Rally America – Serious Problems Ahead

Mike Shaw

Remember last season where every major class came down to the final event to decide the championship?  Two of those titles came down to the final day, and one wasn’t sealed until the final stage.  It was simply epic.  There were some great battles between Ken Block and David Higgins all season long.  David Sterckx overcame his mechanical issues from the previous year to take the championship in Super Production and Mason Moyle had his best season yet finishing second in the class.  In 2wd Brendan Reeves showed us American’s…

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Rally – WRC’s Manufacturing Winner is M-Sport

Mike Shaw

Wait, does that title infer what I think it does?  Didn’t Volkswagen win the FIA WRC manufacturers title in a dominant fashion last season?  Yes, Volkswagen did win the manufacturer’s title as far as the FIA is concerned, but please note that I said “manufacturing” not “manufacturer” title. First let me be clear, I’m not a Ford fanboy or a Malcolm Wilson fanboy or anything like that.  Regardless I think I can make a good case as to why M-Sport is the current rally manufacturing winner even if they don’t…

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Rally America Adds Mt. Washington Hill Climb as 2014 Round

Mike Shaw

The mythical “To Be Determined” 8th round of the Rally America National Championship has now been confirmed.  The below press release from Rally America announces that the Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be counted as an official round of the 2014 Rally America schedule.  The iconic Mt. Washington “Climb to the Clouds” is located in Pinkham Notch, NH and slated to run June 26-29th.  Although not run as regularly as the famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, the Mt. Washington event is technically the oldest racing event in American history…

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BREAKING NEWS – Brendan Reeves Takes 2wd Rally America Championship!

Mike Shaw

After what has to have been one of the best championship battles in Rally America history, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Gelsomino pulled off the win and with it the 2013 2wd Rally America National Championship crown!     At the end of Day 1, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Gelsomino piloted their Team O’Neil Ford Fiesta R2 into 13.4 second lead over Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpy’s Scion XD.  Both drivers pushed as hard as possible in Saturday’s drier conditions.  Reeves’ lead didn’t last though as ACP clawed back to a…

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BREAKING NEWS – David Higgins 2013 Rally America Champion

Mike Shaw

BREAKING NEWS – Confirmed reports are saying that Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino rolled their HFHV Fiesta on Special Stage 12 about a mile from the finish.  That means Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew are the 2013 Rally America champions.   It was a great battle while it lasted with Ken Block clawing back about 5 seconds from a 13 second deficit.  I think the visiting former British Rally Champion – Guy Wilks – said it best “…Better to go going hard than…

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LSPR Day 1 – Rally America Championship Still Too Close To Call

Mike Shaw

If you don’t follow rally racing, then this would be a good time to start.  These are the events that rally fans dream about.  A final championship battle that wages between great competitors who are willing to go flat out and not conserve anything to be crowned champion.  Mother nature threw a bit of a curve ball preventing top speeds, but the battle continues with leaders barely ahead of their rivals.   Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block and Craig Drew started first on the road in wet slippery, or as he put…

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Rally America Season Finale – Champions To Be Crowned

Mike Shaw

It all comes down to this weekend.  The final race of the 7 round Rally America Championship season.  There is nothing left to conserve.  It will be win it or bin it at the Lake Superior Forest Rally on the forest roads outside Houghton, Michigan.     Thanks to the Federal Government shutdown taking so long to be resolved, the originally scheduled stages for Friday that were on federal forest lands are no longer available.  Instead Saturday’s scheduled stages on private lands are going to be repeated on Friday as well.…

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Global Rallycross Returns to the USA – Quick Recap Before X-Games LA

Mike Shaw

The Global Rallycross Championship has returned to the USA and they wasted no time in stacking the events.  3 weeks ago they went to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and a week later were racing on the high banks at Bristol.  After a short break, the 500+ HP “angry bees” (as Tanner Foust has been quoted) are back at it again with X-Games LA this weekend.   The Courses so far: The organizers are quickly figuring things out.  For GRC to be viable, they needed proper rallycross tracks.  They got…

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Review – 2013 New England Forest Rally

Mike Shaw

The long summer break for rally in America is over. It had been two months since STPR and teams were more than ready to get back into the action at the New England Forest Rally, the 5th round of the Rally America Championship.     As a quick recap, back at STPR Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino finally got the win they had been waiting for all season. Their win came rather easy as his closest rivals weren’t a factor. Antoine L’Estage didn’t have a car to compete in…

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