Rally
-
World Rally Championship racing is heating up even as other series appear to be struggling: MINI recently announced a new entry, and now Volkswagen is joining the party, too, as we've expected for some time, though it won't take to the countryside in anger until 2013. Its entry, the Polo R WRC, is one compact package of dirt-churning speed. Built to the new WRC spec of a direct-injection turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, the Polo R WRC is expected to turn out "near 300-horsepower" by the time it's ready to race. The engine is still being developed from the Polo's production engine...
-
Rally Cars Crashing For Ten Whole Minutes: VideoRally racing is one of the world's more interesting motorsports endeavors, not least of which because of the crashes. Sure, we know most hard-core race fans claim not to watch racing for the wrecks, but it's hard not to look away sometimes. Especially when you can find ten minutes of pre-packaged...
Tim Healey -
2011 Gumball 3000 Rally Kicks Of May 26 In LondonWe’ve always been fans of the Gumball concept here at MotorAuthority--driving fast cars across countries while hanging out with celebrities and generally having a good time. In fact, we even got in on the action at the similar Fireball Run right here in the States last year, but the Gumball...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Kubica Heads Home Before Next Stage Of RehabRobert Kubica, a rising star in F1 and an eager participant in rally, saw his career put in jeopardy early this year with a freak accident that saw a guard rail skewer his car and his entire right side along with it. He's recovering well considering the severity of his injuries, and is home for a...
Nelson Ireson -
Mopar And Magneti-Marelli Team Up For Avenger Rally Car: VideoEarlier this week Chrysler made a cryptic announcement that it would unveil a new strategic partnership, a new production car, and a new "race-inspired" project car, with both vehicles to be on display at the New York Auto Show. Today, Chrysler let the race-inspired project out of the barn, and...
Nelson Ireson -
Infiniti Builds Custom G37 Rally Safety Car For Spanish ChampionshipWhen you think of Rally, Infiniti isn't the first name that comes to mind. Even Nissan, its parent, isn't. In fact, there's so little tie-in between the two, the unveiling of a rally-prepped safety car for the Spanish Rally Championship is completely surprising. It's a pleasant surprise, too. The...
Nelson Ireson -
The new DiRT 3 rally video game launched in London today (though it's not on sale yet), and the event brought together current WRC points leader Mikko Hirvonen and Gymkhana guru Ken Block to see it off. The Ford Fiesta RS both drive in WRC competition is one of the highlight vehicles of the game, and it, too was on display. Hirvonen even hopped behind the wheel to show the car's capability to crowds at London's Battersea Power Station. Block was on hand as the technical consultant and one of the characters in the game. The game itself holds some serious promise as more than just an arcade...
-
MINI Wins On Debut At Italy’s Rally dell’AdriaticoYou already know MINI will be back in WRC this year, testing at a limited number of events ahead of a full push for the 2012 season. One of these events was this past weekend’s Rally dell’Adriatico in Italy where the John Cooper Works backed MINI S2000 rally car stormed to victory at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Official: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Development Taking New DirectionEarlier this month a shocking report came out claiming the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution may be culled after the current model, the Evo X, runs its course. Within hours, Mitsubishi released an official--albeit ambiguous--statement via its Facebook page quelling those claims but hinting that any...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: MINI's Return To World Rally In 2 MinutesYou already know MINI will be back in WRC this year, testing at a limited number of events ahead of a full push for the 2012 season. Here's the view from inside the company on what it means to throw gravel with the MINI badge. With this years adoption of the cost-saving Super 2000 rules for...
Nelson Ireson -
2012 Veloster Rally Car Live Photos: 2011 Chicago Auto ShowRhys Millen, rally racing, and Hyundai: over the last few years this partnership has yielded some seriously fast race cars, incredible video and photography, and a fair bit of success. The latest motorsports monster from Hyundai is based on the Veloster, but we expect it to deliver just as well as...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: RMR Hyundai 2012 Veloster Rally Car: 2011 Chicago Auto ShowThe Chicago Auto Show is in high gear already, with a storm of cars released overnight. This morning, we finally get to see the 2012 Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster Rally Car land after its mid-air teaser last week. Sporting a 500-horsepower, all-wheel drive powertrain, the first of the...
Nelson Ireson -
Booty, beats, and Block: the Monster World Rally 2011 Fiesta RS WRC makes its debut with a party. What else would you expect from the flat-brimmed icon? Crazy energy-drink inspired graphics and grandiose claims, of course. Those are present, too. Along with the new Fiesta RS WRC car, Block has unveiled his schedule, which includes Gymkhana Four and Gymkhana Grid, a stop at Goodwood, and several Rally America and WRC events. Three "top secret projects" are also teased toward the end of the video. What does Block have in store for 2011? We'll have to wait and see, but Block says it's going to...
-
Hyundai Veloster Race Car Launches Over Jump, Won't Land Until February 9The 2012 Hyundai Veloster was revealed in all its oddball three-door glory just last month at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, but this photo hints at a coming rally car prototype, and given the timing, we expect it at the Chicago Auto Show. This is the first photo of the car as it flies over a jump on...
Nelson Ireson -
MINI WRC Hits Up Rallye Monte Carlo Alongside Classic Mini Rally CarMonte Carlo is one of the classic homes of rally racing, and the original Mini was no stranger to its wiles. The new MINI WRC isn't, either, now that the two have shown off at the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique. Posed beside its forerunner, the new MINI WRC looks gargantuan, despite being based on...
Nelson Ireson -
Regular Joe Beats Pros To Win 2011 Sno*Drift RallyTravis Pastrana has moved on to NASCAR's Nationwide series, but he's been replaced at Subaru Rally Team USA with David Higgins, and Dave Mirra remains in the other factory seat. Despite that, it wasn't a pro team driver that won this year's Sno*Drift Rally, the first event of the RallyCar Rally...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford Unveils New 2011 Fiesta RS WRC LiveryFord factory WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen and much of the world rally team was on hand in Birmingham, U.K. today for the unveiling of Ford's new Fiesta RS WRC entrant, set to take the place of the current Focus for next year's championship. The use of the Fiesta as the WRC racer comes on the heels of...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Subaru Rally Team USA Names David Higgins As Second DriverWith Travis Pastrana gone from the world of rally to mire himself in the world of NASCAR's Nationwide series, there was an open seat at Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA). Until today, that is. David Higgins has been named as the second driver alongside team leader Dave Mirra. Mirra had been second to...
Nelson Ireson -
Treacherous conditions are the name of the game in the Wales Rally Great Britain, so it's no surprise perhaps that Ken Block managed to roll his race ride while practicing in muddy, snowy conditions at the M-Sport proving grounds for the rally this week. On the other hand, the fact that it's Ken Block makes it unsurprising too. We're not saying Block isn't a talented driver, but he does have a propensity for stuffing cars into heavily forested areas, getting them upside down, and generally breaking stuff. It's probably due to the same gene that lets him do his Gymkhana thing so well. Whatever...
-
Breaking: Travis Pastrana, Subaru End PartnershipExtreme sports legend and probably the nicest guy in motorsports Travis Pastrana has decided to end his five-year relationship with Subaru, the company announced today. It's not yet clear if Pastrana has another manufacturer lined up for sponsorship, but his Red Bull partnership looks to be...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Eva Longoria Rallies For Kids With CancerWhat with all the gay cars and 70s-icon hit-and-runs, we're a little behind on sharing some of the more pleasant celebs-and-cars stories. One such item: the recent Rally for Kids With Cancer in Los Angeles, headed up by one of America's favorite (though not particularly desperate) housewives, Eva...
Richard Read -
2011 Ford Fiesta R2 Rally Package For Rally America SeriesRally racing fans, we know you're out there (we're in here, too)--get ready to get excited. Ford has just released a new R2 rally kit for the ultra-affordable Fiesta that's set to turn it into a real rally racer for the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship as part of RallyCar's Rally America Series...
Nelson Ireson -
2010 Paris Auto Show: World Debut Of 2011 MINI WRC RacerMINI chose the Paris Auto Show to pull the wraps off its all-new FIA World Rally Championship car, which is based on the new 2011 MINI Countryman and signals the brand's reentry into world-stage rally racing. The WRC, which has been under development for two years, gets a 1.6-liter turbocharged...
Bengt Halvorson -
Video: Travis Pastrana's Record Run Up Mt. WashingtonIt's one thing to see a rally car and its occupants flying through a stage at breakneck speed. It's wholly another to see how they prepare for the feat, running the recce, making pace notes, figuring out their own language for each element. This video covers it all. If you missed the announcement...
Nelson Ireson