X Games Event Spotlights: Rally Car Racing & SuperRally

Rally Car Racing is one of the only growing events at the X Games with this year’s addition of SuperRally to the lineup. While other sports like surfing and wakeboarding have trickled out in recent years, Rally hopes to gain the attention of an American audience who seem to finally be tuning in to the action-packed events.

It also helps that the masters of other action sports have also made the switch to Rally, including Brian Deegan, Dave Mirra and Travis Pastrana.

Click more to learn about the Rally Car Racing and SuperRally competitions, and find out which drivers you need to know and when you can watch them.

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RALLY CAR RACING

A driver tears through a turn at XG15

Event Description:

The fastest event at the X Games returns for a fifth straight year at the Coliseum. Rally Car Racing features drivers racing street-legal cars on closed sections of roads called “stages.” The goal in Rally is to accumulate the lowest elapsed driving time on a prescribed course.

Past Winners:

Kenny Brack (’09)

Athletes You Need To Know:*

Ken Block : In 2010, Ken Block switched from Subaru to Ford for a high-profile effort on the World Rally Championship under the Monster World Rally Team moniker. He is showing the potential for speed but has had predictably mixed results, with plenty of crashes. The three-time Rally Car Racing medalist at X Games, he earned global fame due to his incredible promotional efforts, including Gymkhana Practice (2008) and Gymkhana II: the Infomercial (2009) (he has just finished filming Gymkhana III and it’s set for release soon), a heart-thumping driving spot for the 2009 opening episode of UK’s Top Gear TV show; a snowy demo with other DC snow athletes for his Mtn. Lab DVD series (2007); and a 171-foot jump for an episode of Stunt Junkies (2006). A flat-out fast rally driver, he takes plenty of risks and has paid for it in his results.

See my EXCLUSIVE interview with Ken HERE.

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Tanner Foust : A stunt driver and TV host by profession (currently filming Top Gear USA and Battle of the SuperCars), Tanner is focused on drifting (Formula Drift) and rallycross (European Rallycross Championship) in 2010 and has not been active in the Rally America series. He is a strong all-around competitor who has medaled in 3 of 4 XG RCR events, owning one of every color (gold: 2007; silver 2008; bronze 2009). A two-time Formula Drift champ (2007 and 2008) who has twice competed for Team USA at the International Race of Champions. One of four drivers to compete at all five XG RCR events.

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Other Athletes:

William Bacon, Kenny Brack, Andrew Comrie-Picard, Brian Deegan, Chris Duplessis, Travis Hanson, Antoine L’Estage, Dave Mirra, Patrick Moro, Travis Pastrana

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RALLY CAR SUPERRALLY

Event Description:

The new SuperRally event takes on the ever popular Euro-centric sport of Rallycross in a sprint style form of auto racing that features heats of four drivers racing wheel-to-wheel on a dirt track. The field will consist of 12 drivers who will complete a time trial session to determine the starting grid in the three, four-lap, Elimination heat races. The winner of the Elimination heats and the highest seeded driver who has not yet advanced will compete in a four-lap last chance qualifier (LCQ). The winner of the LCQ will join the winners of the Elimination heat races in the five-lap final race.

Past Winners:

None

Athletes You Need To Know:

Travis Pastrana: The action sports legend has an ambitious XG 2010 schedule: He’s slated to compete in 5 disciplines, which would be the most at one XG in history. He returns to Freestyle for the first time since scoring gold in ’06; he’ll again attempt the 720 in Best Trick; he’s giving Speed & Style another shot after twice crashing out; and he’s in both RCR events. The most decorated athlete in the history of XG MTX has 11 MTX medals and 4 more RCR medals, including gold in ’06 and ’08.

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Brian Deegan: One of the most influential riders in freestyle history, Deegan has 8 XG medals, two WX gold medals and was the first to land a 360. He started racing off-road trucks in 2008 and took on his first rally competition just a month before XG 2009. Finished a solid 4th in his first XG Rally Car event. He suffered major injuries at both WX ’04 — a broken femur and breaks to both wrists — and in May ’05, when he crashed on a flip, lacerated a spleen and had a kidney removed, among other issues. The founder of the Metal Mulisha is one of the most recognizable names in action sports.

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Dave Mirra: Dave has earned at least one medal in every XG he’s attended and is the most decorated athlete in XG history, with 24 medals overall. He added a second sport to his XG resume in ’08 and medaled in both, earning silver in BMX Big Air and co-bronze (with Ken Block) in Rally Car Racing. He was then named 2008 Rookie of the Year by Rally America. A fierce competitor whether he’s gripping the wheel of his Subaru or the handlebars on his bike, Mirra returns in 2010 for his 15th X Games appearance, and he’s scheduled for three events: RCR Racing and SuperRally and BMX Park.

Other Athletes:

Ken Block, Kenny Brack, Andrew Comrie-Picard, Tanner Foust, Samuel Hubinette, Sverre Isachsen, Antoine L’Estage, Tim Rooney, Stephan Verdier

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• Catch all the Rally Car action at the Coliseum on Saturday starting at 4pm
• Get your tickets to X Games here