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Andrew Comrie-Picard and NOS Energy take third overall in 2009 Rally America Championship

mrwatkins83 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:49:02 +0000

HOUGHTON, Michigan (ACP Racing) Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the NOS Energy rally team scored a third place overall in the 2009 Rally America Championship, edging Monster Energy’s Ken Block out of the top three despite suffering an engine failure while angling for the a podium at last weekend’s season ender.

Full release after the jump.

“We had the runner-up position in the championship in our sights, so the DNF at the final round was a disappointment,” said Comrie-Picard, “But we’ve had a strong season and the whole team and all our partners deserve a huge thanks for the effort that carried us to all the successes this year.”

Comrie-Picard and ACP Racing were consistent podium finishers throughout the 2009 Rally America season, with their results topped by an overall win at the Colorado Rally last month and a top-five finish at the high-profile X Games this summer in Los Angeles.

The factory-backed Travis Pastrana, of Subaru Rally Team USA, took the championship win for a fourth-consecutive season, while top Polish driver Andi Mancin secured second place after ACP retired from the season ender while running in second place overall.

Initial investigation suggests that the engine was damaged by water taken in at a water splash about 90 miles into the 130-mile contest.

“We’ll be back next year to contest not only the rally championship and X Games, but also the new Rally America rally cross contests scheduled for late 2010 in the Northeastern USA,” said Comrie-Picard. “Next year looks like a great one and with our renewed relationship with NOS Energy we expect great success.”

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

Source: ACP Rally

Pastrana puts stamp on championship with win at LSPR

mrwatkins83 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:18:46 +0000

Travis Pastrana and Ken Block celebrate the end of the 2009 season at LSPR (photo by Lars Gange / Subaru Rally Team USA)

(October 19, 2009) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana put an authoritative stamp on his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship with a dominating win at the 2009 Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR). Pastrana, from Davidsonville, MD, mathematically won the 2009 Rally America Championship at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in late August. With nothing to lose and no pressure, Pastrana entered LSPR stating he was intent on simply driving to dominate, taking risks and putting on a proper show for the fans. He lived up to his claims by leading from the start at the wheel of his 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car and finishing fastest on fifteen of LSPR’s seventeen stages. Pastrana, with co-driver Christian Edstrom, won by a comfortable margin of over four minutes. The win at LSPR is Pastrana’s 6th of the nine-event 2009 Rally America National Championship and caps the most successful season of his rally career. Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block, with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, finished in third position overall and won the Super Production class.

Full release after the jump.

The Lake Superior Performance Rally is headquartered in Houghton, at the northern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The rally is revered by rally drivers for its difficult conditions, which typically include high speeds on tree-lined roads with variable weather making stages a white-knuckled affair. Adding to the challenge are over seventy miles of night stages where visibility can be in short supply.

“I drove flat out, took some risks and had a lot fun,” explained Pastrana at the podium ceremony. “Christian [Edstrom] and I wanted to win as many stages as possible and really show how fast we can go, its definitely a different strategy when the points and the championship don’t matter!”

Pastrana’s goal of winning all of the event’s seventeen stages was interrupted only by former Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L’Estage who narrowly beat Pastrana on two stages on the first day of competition. Pastrana went on to win all eight competitive stages on the second and final day of LSPR cruising to a victory of over four minutes.

“It’s sometimes difficult to believe that Travis only began his rallying career a few short years ago,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “In that time, he has really developed into a devastatingly quick and well-rounded driver who can also maintain a consistent pace and provide the team with sufficient feedback to maximize car set-ups. Achieving four consecutive Rally America national titles is quite a testament to Travis and his co-drivers, the strength of Subaru’s technical partner in Vermont SportsCar, and performance from our Subaru Impreza WRX STI.”

Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block entered LSPR in a Super Production (SP) Class 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The production-based, minimally modified, Subaru stood in as a replacement for Block’s usual Open Class STI rally car which sustained heavy damage in a crash at the Ojibwe Forests Rally. Block performed well to wring out all he could from the car and achieved a podium result, a rarity for a Super Production class car amongst the more powerful Open Class specification vehicles. In the latter stages of Day 1, Block found himself having to measure his pace as his car began showing signs of engine trouble. Block backed off considerably but was still able to handily win the Super Production class overall as well as finish in third position overall.

Source: Subaru Rally Team USA

Block and Pastrana go head-to-head in driving challenge on this week’s episode of Nitro Circus

mrwatkins83 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:48:45 +0000

(October 14, 2009) Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Travis Pastrana and Ken Block will appear together on this week’s new episode of Nitro Circus on MTV (Thursday, October 15th at 10pm ET/PT). In the segment, the duo teamed up to film a fun game of H.O.R.S.E., but instead of basketball trick-shots, they performed driving moves behind the wheel of a fully-prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car.

Full release after the jump.

Shot on location at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT, the segment features Pastrana and Block competing against each other in several wild stunts and technical driving challenges.

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car the pair utilized for the segment was prepared by Vermont SportsCar and features the same specifications as the cars both drivers compete with in the Rally America National Championship driving for Subaru Rally Team USA. Between filming his popular Nitro Circus TV show this year Travis Pastrana has secured his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship, winning five of eight events run thus far in 2009. Parts of the Nitro Circus segment were filmed by Mad Media, the same production crew that has filmed Ken Block’s popular Gymkhana videos.

Source: Subaru Rally Team USA Press Release

World Touring Car Champ Muller returns to Race of Champions

mrwatkins83 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:41:09 +0000

Reigning World Touring Car Champion Yvan Muller is the latest driver to be confirmed for The Race of Champions 2009, which takes place in Beijing on November 2-4.

Muller, a 10-time winner of the Andros Trophy ice racing series, claimed his first WTCC title in 2008 and currently lies second in the WTCC points standings with two events to go. After racing in Japan on Sunday 1 November, the Frenchman will fly to China’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, where he’ll compete against stars from the world of Formula 1, Le Mans, touring cars and more.

“It is going to be a great experience to compete in China,” said Muller. “I have raced in The Race of Champions many times, and it’s always a lot of fun with the crowd so close to the action.

“The Bird’s Nest is a fantastic stadium, and I’m told the circuit is faster and longer than before, so I am looking forward to it.”

Muller will be teamed up with another, still-to-be-confirmed French driver as the pair aim to win The ROC Nations Cup title on Tuesday 3 November, before going for individual glory in The Race of Champions on Wednesday 4 November. Muller was part of the winning team when France won the ROC Nations Cup in 2000.

“Yvan is a fantastic driver and whether he’s racing touring cars or driving on ice, he proves that he has superb car control,” said Fredrik Johnsson of Event Organisers IMP. “Watching people like him showing what they can do in some spectacular cars in a great stadium like the Bird’s Nest is what The Race of Champions is all about.”

Source: Race of Champions press release.

Ken Block returns to Scotland for the 2009 Colin McRae Forest Stages

mrwatkins83 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:48:14 +0000

Ken Block (Photo courtesy Subaru Rally Team USA / Lars Gange)

(Subaru Rally Team USA) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino will participate once again in the 2009 Colin McRae Forest Stages in Scotland this weekend. Block will be at the wheel of a sister car to his usual Rally America National Championship vehicle, a 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI built to Rally America’s Open Class specifications. As the high-powered Vermont SportsCar-prepared, #43 Subaru STI does not conform to any of the car specification classes featured at the McRae Stages, the final round of the Scottish Rally Championship, Block will run as course-opening car for exhibition only.

Full release after the jump.

As well as aligning his name to the rally, the late Colin McRae for many years ran as opening car on the event. For McRae’s Scottish fans this was the only chance to see him drive on home-soil. After Colin McRae’s passing in 2007, the rally was transformed into a star-studded event in 2008 when former WRC champions and dozens of rally legends competed in the event to pay tribute to McRae. The 2008 edition of the event saw Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Block and Travis Pastrana compete in historic cars along with their mentor, American rally legend John Buffum.

Block thoroughly enjoyed his time at event last year and jumped at the chance to attend again in 2009. “Colin was a friend and mentor and is sadly missed by so many, so competing at the Colin McRae Forest Stages is a small tribute to Colin and his fans. It was an honor to be invited to compete last year with so many rally legends, the atmosphere was amazing,” explained Block. “This year I’ll be in my usual Subaru, it’s an extremely powerful car, and I’ll make sure to put on a good McRae-style show for all the fans!”

Source: Subaru Rally Team USA

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block impresses in SP Class at Rally Colorado

mrwatkins83 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:24:57 +0000

Subaru Rally Team USA's Ken Block at Rally Colorado (Photo courtesy SRTUSA)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO (Subaru Rally Team USA) Piloting a lesser specification Subaru Impreza WRX STI at this past weekend’s Rally Colorado, Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) driver Ken Block hovered near the top of the time sheets throughout the event. Block was without his usual high-powered Open Class 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI and instead drove the Super Production (SP) class Subaru Impreza WRX STI of fellow SRT USA teammate Dave Mirra, who did not attend Rally Colorado due to a schedule conflict with a BMX event. Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino put in an impressive drive in the lower specification SP class car, running a majority of the rally in 3rd overall and winning three stages outright. Unfortunately for Block, the impressive drive was annulled on the penultimate stage after his Subaru developed an engine problem, forcing Block to withdraw.

“I had to change my driving style to adjust for the power difference between the SP and my usual Open Class car, staying much smoother and less sideways,” explained Block. “I thought it would take a few stages to get used to it and get up to speed but we won the first stage of the rally which was really surprising, that gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the event. It was satisfying that we were able to challenge for a podium position with the top Open Class competitors.”

Full release after the jump.

The Super Production (SP) class, a new category in the 2009 Rally America series, features minimally modified, production-based cars. The budget-minded SP class features much more restrictive regulations on modifications than the Open Class, where Block has been driving for the past three seasons. The SP Subaru Impreza WRX STI features a stock engine, stock gearbox and very limited body shell modifications. Block crashed his Open Class Subaru heavily at the previous event, The Ojibwe Forests Rally, he and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino walked away unharmed but their Subaru rally car was terminally damaged. With insufficient time to prepare a spare rally car, SRT USA opted to provide Block with the team’s Super Production class Subaru in Mirra’s absence at Rally Colorado.

“Ken drove well in Colorado and further displayed the performance potential of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI in SP trim,” mentioned James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “By creating the competitive Super Production class, Rally America has established an attractive and more economical alternative to fielding an Open class-specification car for the privateer entrant.”

The SP class is always highly competitive with closely fought battles amongst privateers fighting for nearly $13,000 in prize money per event offered by Subaru of America, Inc. Block, however, was fighting his battle amongst the faster Open class cars at Rally Colorado. The first half of the rally saw Block amass a lead of well over two minutes to the closest SP challenger.

Block’s Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Travis Pastrana was comfortably leading Day 1 of Rally Colorado when a minor driving infraction incurred the driver of the #199 SRT USA STI a 7-minute penalty.

“A disappointing scenario, essentially a matter of Travis hitting three traffic cones in a chicane placed by event officials on-stage, amounted to a time penalty which would have been very challenging even in optimal circumstances to overcome on the 2nd day,” said Han. “Given the lack of spare cars within the team’s inventory, a decision to save the #199 STI for the final round of the Rally America National Championship was a prudent one.” Travis Pastrana mathematically secured his 4th consecutive Rally America National Championship with a win at last month’s Ojibwe Forests Rally.

Source: Subaru Rally Team USA

Driver ACP and the NOS Energy Mitsubishi win Rally Colorado

mrwatkins83 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:31:57 +0000

ACP at Rally Colorado (Photo by Caleb Tkach / Kevin Hahn Photography / Rally America)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO (ACP Racing) Driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and his NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX took a decisive win this weekend at Rally Colorado, the 8th round of the national Rally America series.

“I love it when it’s a battle,” said Comrie-Picard. “We were fighting tooth-and-nail with Travis (Pastrana) early in the rally and that’s really satisfying.”

The challenging Colorado rally through the high-desert roads around the Yampa Valley is fast and often features widely variable weather. This year was no exception. Dry, dusty conditions on Day 1 were replaced by driving rain that turned the roads slick with mud on Day 2. The rally ended under a rainbow.

Full release after the jump.

A ferocious early battle shifted gears on Day 2. Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey found themselves holding position at the front of the pack for the second half of the rally after Subaru Rally Team USA rival Pastrana barreled through a chicane taking huge penalties.

“We would have preferred to have raced hard in a close fight right to the end,” said Comrie-Picard. “But to finish a minute and 46 seconds in the lead is an accomplishment to be proud of after 100 miles of racing.”

The duo took the most stage wins of any team, winning eight of the 16 stages.

The first-place finish moves Comrie-Picard into the top-three in the overall Rally America series — ahead of Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block — and extends his lead in the North American Championship. With one round remaining in US competition, the driver is assured to at least tie Block for third place in the 2009 season.

“If Rally Colorado was anything to go by, the final round next month is going to be intense,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re making every round count this season.”

The Colorado event saw the team return to US competition for the first time since their top-five result at X Games 15 this summer in Los Angeles. The team took a two-round hiatus from regular season competition both to prepare for the prestigious contest, and also to return their competition vehicle to gravel rally specification afterward. Rally America allows two event drops in the season, counting seven of nine rallies toward the championship.

Second-place went to Polish driver Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski, while Nathan Conley and co-driver Todd Moberly finished in third-place overall.

It’s the first time that Mitsubishi cars have scored a one-two finish in Rally America history.

“It was great to see two Mitsubishis atop the podium,” said Comrie-Picard.

Source: ACP Rally

Subaru driver Ken Block enters SP class for Rally Colorado

mrwatkins83 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:38:56 +0000

Ken Block will be behind the wheel of a SP Subie this weekend in Colorado (photo courtesy Subaru Rally Team USA / Lars Gange)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS (Subaru Rally Team USA) – Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block will not be behind the wheel of his usual Open Class 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI at this weekend’s Rally Colorado and instead will pilot the Super Production class Subaru Impreza WRX STI of fellow Subaru teammate Dave Mirra. Mirra will not be competing at Rally Colorado due to a schedule conflict with this weekend’s Dew Tour BMX event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Block crashed his Open Class Subaru heavily at the previous event, The Ojibwe Forests Rally. Although Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino walked away unharmed their Subaru rally car was terminally damaged. With insufficient time to prepare a spare rally car, SRT USA has opted to provide Block with the team’s Super Production class Subaru in Mirra’s absence at Rally Colorado.

Full release after the jump.

The Super Production (SP) class, a new category in the 2009 Rally America series, features minimally modified, production-based cars. The SP class features much more restrictive regulations on modifications than the Open Class, where Block has been driving for the past three seasons. The SP Subaru features a stock engine, stock gearbox and very limited body shell modifications.

“It will be a big challenge to just get in and drive that car, the handling and power will be different and I won’t be able to be as aggressive with it,” explained Block. “But with Travis [Pastrana] having locked-up the Rally America Championship already, I have no pressure to win. We can treat this outing as an extended testing and development session for the SP car, but of course I’ll be trying my best to keep up with my usual Open class competitors!”

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana mathematically secured his 4th consecutive Rally America National Championship with a win at last month’s Ojibwe Forests Rally. Pastrana and his co-driver Christian Edstrom will enter Rally Colorado with no pressure and have vowed to drive flat-out to put on a show for their fans this weekend. Rally Colorado is based in the picturesque resort town of Steamboat Springs, just 150 miles into the mountains west of Denver. The rally includes over 100 miles of fast, high-altitude gravel roads that are dusty when dry and notoriously slick when wet. The action starts Saturday morning and runs through Sunday afternoon. Fans can follow the rally live at www.rally-america.com and view daily SRT USA photo and news updates at rally.subaru.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Press release courtesy Subaru Rally Team USA.

ACP Rally Team heads to Colorado

mrwatkins83 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:11:34 +0000

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO (ACP Rally) – Rally Driver Andrew Comrie-Picard and his NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX will make a return to U.S. rally competition this coming weekend, following a tough event in Canada.

Full press release after the jump.

Comrie-Picard is in a tight battle for the top three in the 2009 Rally America championship as the series winds up. He is currently in fourth place, just two points behind Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, but he is confident he can move up.

“There’s going to be some great racing in the final two rounds,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re playing catch-up to the other guys, but we’re going to make every round count this season and claw up the rankings.”

Rally America allows two event drops in the season, counting seven of nine rallies toward the championship. While some teams, like the factory-backed Subaru Rally Team USA, run all nine events, the ACP Rally Team is able to contest seven rounds in 2009 — so every rally counts for the team’s points standings.

Comrie-Picard will be accompanied by guest co-driver Jeremy Wimpey in Colorado.

The team was competing this past weekend at Canada’s Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe in their developing Evolution X when they were forced to abandon the contest at the mid-point after a rock punctured the oil cooler and resulted in damage to the engine.

The driver, with co-driver Robbie Durant, was running a strong third overall in the rally when a rock thrown up in the right wheel well damaged the oil cooler. The team stopped between stages, re-routed the lines to delete the oil cooler, and drained the oil from a spectator vehicle into empty NOS Energy bottles and transferred the oil into the rally car.

It was a triumph of roadside engineering but, when they were finished, they found they were narrowly over the 30-minute maximum lateness permitted by the rules and were not allowed to continue. The engine sustained internal damage thanks to the low oil. Rival driver Patrick Richard, of Subaru Rally Team Canada, retired on the same leg with gearbox damage.

“Obviously this is very frustrating, as we would likely have finished at least second overall and could have used the championship points,” said Comrie-Picard. “But you have to have the endurance to push on, and there are two events left in the Canadian championship to allow us to pull back up in the standings.”

Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe was the team’s first appearance since their top-five result at X Games 15 this summer in Los Angeles.

Source: ACP Rally

Triumph at the Rallye Défi

mrwatkins83 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:55:03 +0000

Photo courtesy Coyote Rallye/Maxime Poirier

Ripon (Quebec), September 14, 2009. – This past weekend, reigning North American Rally Champions Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Qc), won the Rallye Défi, the fourth of six rounds in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. This was a particularly important win for the Quebec team and their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X because it enabled them to regain command of the championship as well as to equal North American rally legend John Buffum’s record of four victories at the Rallye Défi.

Full report after the jump.

“Everything played out like a dream,” exclaimed Antoine as he descended from the podium.

“Our Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X was perfect and it allowed us to push at the start of the rally. After that, it was just a matter of managing our lead and making it to the end of the rally. If we could’ve written our ideal scenario for the weekend, this would’ve been it. It’s fantastic and everything played out in our favor. We’ve had our share of bad luck this year so it’s great to finally have some good luck on our side,” he added.

The battle for first place was very intense on Friday night and early Saturday morning, confided Antoine: “We were exchanging fastest stage times with our primary adversary, it was really a battle of mere seconds.”

Benefiting from a very reliable Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, Antoine L’Estage took the lead of the rally after the ninth stage and never looked back. This victory at the Rallye Défi is the team’s second out of four outings thus far in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. “The quality of the car preparation is top notch and I have to applaud our entire team, as well as Yokohama for the quality of their tires in such a challenging event. Everything went according to plan and it allowed Nathalie and I to concentrate on the rally without worrying about anything else. Défi is a difficult rally and for many teams, just finishing is an accomplishment but for us, we were here to come away with the win,” added L’Estage.

This success gives Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard the absolute lead of the championship with eleven points over second place and only two remaining rounds. It’s the duo’s fourth victory at the Rallye Défi, equaling the 1987 record held by John Buffum and codriver Tom Grimshaw. “Tying such a prestigious record is really sentimental for Antoine, especially since he now shares it with his mentor and good friend. The weekend’s result was also imperative in our fight for this year’s championship title. We’re now back in the lead and we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way until the end of the season,” commented co-driver Nathalie Richard.

The next stop in the Canadian Rally Championship is in three weeks in British Columbia. On October 2nd and 3rd, Merritt will host the Pacific Forest Rally, to which Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard are the defending champions.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website.

Source: Coyote Rallye media services