Off Road – Syndication Server

Lia Block to take next step in rallycross career

Lia Block will continue to follow in her father’s footsteps by contesting the second-tier Nitrocross NEXT category at this weekend’s Visions off-road festival in Oklahoma. The late rally driver’s eldest child has already competed on the Nitrocross …

Lia Block will continue to follow in her father’s footsteps by contesting the second-tier Nitrocross NEXT category at this weekend’s Visions off-road festival in Oklahoma.

The late rally driver’s eldest child has already competed on the Nitrocross bill, racing in the short-lived Sierra Cars class – taking third place on her debut – and the side-by-side category over the last two seasons, but this will be the 16-year-old’s highest-profile rallycross foray to-date.

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“I’m so excited to compete in Nitrocross this season. I’ve gotten a taste of the intense, door-to-door action that Travis and Nitro Circus have cooked up, especially racing side-by-sides last year,” she said. “Now, I look forward to the challenge of stepping things up and battling in the NEXT class against other talent from around the world. This is a true dream come true, after watching my dad race rallycross from such a young age.”

Block will drive for Olsbergs MSE, a world-leading rallycross outfit that not only built the RX Lites car she will be racing in the single-make category, but a number of her father’s early Ford race cars, including the Gymkhana 3 Fiesta.

While best-known as a rally driver at both domestic and World level, Ken Block also competed in rallycross. He was a six-time winner in the Global Rallycross series, won on his only European Rallycross outing, and scored two podiums in the World Rallycross championship.

Lia meanwhile has been making waves in the American Rally Association National series this year, driving a Subaru BRZ alongside Rhianon Gelsomino in the Open two-wheel-drive class. After taking second in class at the season-opening Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, she’s taken three consecutive class wins at the Olympus Rally, Oregon Trail Rally, and Southern Ohio Forest Rally.

Lia will also demonstrate her father’s ‘Hoonipigasus’ Porsche at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, while her mother Lucy will compete in a Sierra Echo EV.

Daly joins Dreyer & Reinbold for Nitrocross opener in Oklahoma

Conor Daly will race in this weekend’s Nitrocross season opener at the Visions off-road festival in Oklahoma for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. In what will be his first race outing since departing Ed Carpenter Racing in the NTT Data IndyCar series, Daly …

Conor Daly will race in this weekend’s Nitrocross season opener at the Visions off-road festival in Oklahoma for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

In what will be his first race outing since departing Ed Carpenter Racing in the NTT Data IndyCar series, Daly will drive for the championship-winning team alongside Fraser McConnell, whose return was announced last week.

“I’m incredibly excited to join Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC and compete in the upcoming Nitrocross race in Oklahoma,” said Daly. “The chance to test my abilities in this intense, adrenaline-fueled series is something I’ve been anticipating. I’m grateful to the team for believing in me and providing this incredible opportunity.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and showcase what we can achieve together. I also want to thank Travis Pastrana and Nitrocross for all of their help and effort in getting this program together.”

Team owner Dennis Reinbold was pleased to secure Daly’s services, saying that his varied resume will help the reigning champions to keep moving forward.

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“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Daly to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC for the first round of the 2023-24 Nitrocross season,” he said. “Conor’s proven talent and racing prowess make him an ideal addition to our team. We have no doubt that his unique skills will significantly contribute to our success in this thrilling motorsport discipline.”

Daly joins a field that also includes five-time World Rally winner Kris Meeke and Oliver Bennett (XITE Energy Racing), Kevin and Oliver Eriksson and 2012 Production World Rally champion and 2019 Race of Champions winner Benito Guerra (Olsbergs MSE), and Travis Pastrana and Conner Martell (Vermont SportsCar).

While it will be Daly’s first start in a rallycross-like event, he’s not a stranger to the discipline. Following the conclusion of the 2016 Global Rallycross season, Daly tested the Olsbergs MSE Honda Civic supercar in Los Angeles.

The test came about thanks to Daly’s relationship with Honda, whom he was then competing for in IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing, and while his race debut comes almost seven years after that first test, he did tell this writer at the time that he was a fan of the discipline and that he’d “definitely take an opportunity (to race in rallycross) should one present itself.

In the intervening years he has taken part in rallycross and off-road events on iRacing, and has also competed alongside 2021 Nitrocross champion Pastrana in NASCAR.

Built on what the series calls “a virtually blank canvas”, the track that Daly will compete on is the most dramatic the championship – formerly known as Nitro Rallycross – has constructed to date, and encompasses an overall elevation change of over 150-feet.

“This track has such amazing natural elevation,” said Pastrana. “We decided to work more with the existing terrain and make it fun and unique with elements we couldn’t build anywhere else.

“Our goal is to make multiple lines in almost every corner so different driving styles will shine through.”

The track begins with a tarmac start straight with a dramatic descent into the mostly dirt course, leading into a banked hairpin turn, the biggest of its kind ever constructed for rallycross and rallycross-like competition.

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A sequence of five snaking hairpins follows, before a brace of sweeping bends onto a tabletop jump. There, the track splits, a left-hand turn going into the joker lap – which needs to be taken once per race – and a right that leads to a run under the tabletop. The main lap and the joker rejoin at the end of the lap, just before a left sweep before the banked turn once again.

The track is the 10th to feature in Nitrocross since it began in 2018 and Pastrana said it’ll continue to evolve over the coming years.

“We’re just getting started. Every year it will evolve,” he said. “The goal is to be able to run most of the track forward and backward. We will concrete some turns and pave others.

“There will be an option to run a dirt section that we can change from year-to-year and run everything from Lemons cars to Supermoto to off-road trucks. MidAmerica in Oklahoma looks to be the best track on the Nitrocross circuit this year and it will only get better from here.”

Extreme E appoints McLaren veteran Grain as new technical director

Extreme E has appointed former McLaren sporting director Mark Grain as its new technical director. In the newly-created role, Grain will oversee the series’ upcoming hydrogen shift. The series is set to debut a prototype of its new hydrogen vehicle …

Extreme E has appointed former McLaren sporting director Mark Grain as its new technical director.

In the newly-created role, Grain will oversee the series’ upcoming hydrogen shift. The series is set to debut a prototype of its new hydrogen vehicle next month, ahead of testing and production later this year.

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“Having experienced Extreme E first hand as a competitor and loved every minute, when the chance came to join the Championship, I jumped at it,” said Grain, who was instrumental in creating McLaren’s Extreme E team, and was involved in the company’s 1995 Le Mans win as well as multiple IndyCar victories.

“Extreme E continues to evolve and break new ground in motorsport, having already established many ‘firsts’ which make its appeal so unique. The opportunity to play a part in its future is incredibly exciting, especially with the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell racing.

“We don’t want to sit back; we want to continue to push and evolve. Extreme E already has a track record of challenging common assumptions and ways of going racing, and I share the strong ambition to maintain that momentum.”

Grain was instrumental in McLaren’s entry to Extreme E. Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Images

Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag was thrilled with the new appointment, calling him “the ideal candidate for the role”.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mark to Extreme E as our new Technical Director. His relentless pursuit of excellence has earned him a stellar reputation in the industry and this, combined with his unrivalled expertise and passion for sustainable motorsport, make him the ideal candidate for this new role,” said Agag.

“We believe his expertise will be invaluable in shaping the technical future of Extreme E and driving innovation within the championship, while there will also be significant focus on preparations to launch Extreme H, a world-first hydrogen motorsport series.”

Extreme E’s chief championship officer James Taylor added that his experience in creating and running McLaren’s Extreme E team will prove to be a valuable benefit in his new championship-wide role.

“We look forward to Mark bringing his expertise and experience into this new role. The fact that Mark has run McLaren’s Extreme E team is a major benefit for us, as he appreciates both the technical and sporting demands of a team and the Championship,” said Taylor. “Extreme E has always pushed the boundaries since its inception, and Mark’s appointment as Technical Director only further reinforces that.

“Although already into our third season, there is a lot more potential to be unearthed in our series and so Mark’s arrival into the Extreme E team is an important one. Mark will work closely with our experts from Spark Racing Technology and our fuel cell partner to ensure that the Extreme H car and associated technology provides our teams with the best possible car to race.”

Lia Block to drive ‘Hoonipigasus’ at Pikes Peak

Lia Block, daughter of the late Ken Block, will drive the “Hoonipigasus” Porsche at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Ken Block was scheduled to drive the 1,400 horsepower, four-wheel-drive machine at last year’s hillclimb, which would …

Lia Block, daughter of the late Ken Block, will drive the “Hoonipigasus” Porsche at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.

Ken Block was scheduled to drive the 1,400 horsepower, four-wheel-drive machine at last year’s hillclimb, which would have been his first start in the event since 2005. Unfortunately, engine failure in the lead-up curtailed the plans, and with Block’s death in January, hopes of a competitive run for the car were all but ended.

However, Lia, who at 16 is oldest of the rally driver’s three children, will take the car up the mountain in a non-competitive ‘tribute run’ in June, and Hoonigan – the automotive lifestyle clothing and media brand started by her father – has hinted that a future entry into the famous hillclimb event could be on the cards.

“The tribute run will not be timed, as Lia admits that it will take a substantial amount of training to pilot a race car of that caliber up one of the world’s most intimidating hill climb races – something she aims to accomplish in the future,” said Hoonigan in a statement. “However, Lia’s goal for this year is to honor her father Ken Block’s vision of taking the Hoonipigasus to the top of Pikes Peak; while giving the fans the sights and sounds of the ultimate Porsche 911 racecar build.”

The Hoonipigasus – an amalgamation of Block’s Hoonigan brand, Mobil 1’s Pegasus motif, and the 1971 Porsche 917/20 “pink pig” that raced at Le Mans and provides the inspiration for the car’s livery – reportedly started life as a 1966 Porsche 912 and was built in collaboration with Porsche specialists BBi Autosport, which has been behind other Porsches that have raced at Pikes Peak in the past.

As well as the substantial ramp-up in power for the 911-derived four-liter twin-turbo flat-six – which is mid-mounted – and a drop in weight to just 1,000 kg thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber, the car also has suspension that is adjusted in real-time by GPS using data from previous Pikes Peak runs.

Ahead of the Pikes Peak appearance, the Hoonipigasus will be on display this Sunday at the Air | Water event at Luftgekuhlt 9 in Vallejo, CA, on Sunday, April 30.

Lia, meanwhile, has been carrying on her father’s legacy in motorsport with occasional appearances in Nitro Rallycross’ side-by-side class, and by contesting stage rallies in the U.S.

Last weekend she finished first in the Open 2-wheel-drive class and seventh overall at the Olympus Rally, driving a Subaru BRZ alongside Rhiannon Gelsomino. Her mother Lucy has also continued to compete in rallies, and finished fourth at Olympus in the Limited 4-wheel-drive class (10th overall) in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 alongside Alex Gelsomino, who was Ken Block’s co-driver for nearly two decades.

Loeb to make World RX return in electric Lancia

Sebastien Loeb will return to the World Rallycross championship this year driving an electric version of the Lancia Delta Integrale for Special ONE Racing. Loeb will race alongside Special ONE founder Guerlain Chicherit in a two-car lineup, and will …

Sebastien Loeb will return to the World Rallycross championship this year driving an electric version of the Lancia Delta Integrale for Special ONE Racing.

Loeb will race alongside Special ONE founder Guerlain Chicherit in a two-car lineup, and will mark a return to the category which he previously contested between 2016-18, winning two events.

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The nine-time World Rally Champion admitted that he had a “weakness” for the iconic Delta Integrale which he watched rallying in the 1990s, and revealed that a test in Special ONE’s electric version at the end of last year persuaded him to mount a World RX return with the team.

“I’m from a generation that was brought up seeing wins by Lancia Deltas in rallying, so naturally I have a weakness for this car,” Loeb said, “but when Guerlain spoke to me the first time about tackling a rallycross season with it, I thought he was mad!

“Then I tried the car last December and was immediately won over by its dynamic qualities. I have great faith in this project and I can’t wait to champion it on tracks around the world.

Since Leaving World RX at the end of 2018 following Peugeot’s departure from the category, Loeb has returned to the WRC on a part-time basis, contesting 12 rallies between 2019-22 for Hyundai and M-Sport Ford. He won last year’s Monte Carlo Rally, his eighth victory at the event.

He made two starts in DTM too, driving a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo at the start of 2022, finished second in the Dakar Rally twice, and was runner up in last year’s World Rally Raid championship. He also took the Extreme E title alongside Cristina Gutierrez last year driving for Lewis Hamilton’s X44 outfit.

Loeb has already sampled the electric Delta Evo-e at Circuit Calafat in Spain. Special ONE Racing

“I’m very motivated for the challenge, and I think rallycross is the ideal discipline for electrification because we have a lot of power and the races are short. These cars are exciting to drive, and World RX is the perfect platform to promote their evolution. The show on-track is just amazing, with great fights and even more spectacular action than before, and now we have the opportunity to attract a whole new generation of fans.”

Special ONE – which has committed to running cars in World RX for at least three seasons – is effectively a rebrand of Chicherit’s GCK operation, which has run in World RX in various forms since 2018. It aligns with Chicherit’s Special ONE business which retrofits and sells classic cars with all-electric drivetrains, including the Integrale-based Delta Evo-e which it is running in World RX.

“It’s a dream of mine to be able to align two cars from my own brand with World RX, one of which is entrusted to a sporting legend,” said Chicherit. “The scene is set to see Special ONE Racing become a top-notch team.

“From this season, we’ll have the opportunity to make history, becoming the first to have a retrofitted car win a World Championship event.”

The 2023 World RX season, the second of its all-electric formula, kicks-off on June 3-4 in Montalegre, Portugal

Vermont SportsCar eyes Nitro RX expansion after strong Group E debut

Leading U.S. rally and rallycross outfit Vermont SportsCar is aiming to expand its presence in Nitro Rallycross’ headline all-electric Group E category after acquiring two more FC1-X race cars, doubling its total number of entries in the series. VSC …

VSC has been a mainstay in U.S.-based rallycross since the discipline had its first professional season in 2010. The company earned the Nitro RX Team Championship in 2021 running the Subaru factory team with Travis Pastrana and Scott Speed and in 2022 – independent of Subaru – VSC transitioned to Group E, a new single-make category using the 1000 horsepower, all-wheel-drive FC1-X.

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Since VSC’s move to EV racing as a two-car team with Pastrana and Conner Martell, Pastrana became the first driver to win multiple races in the 2022-23 season, and won a joint high of three rounds in the 10-round season, while Martell has been a regular frontrunner and secured second in a historic one-two finish for the team in Phoenix in November.

After a strong first electric season, VSC has acquired an additional two cars, with eyes on either expanding its own footprint in the series, or running the cars for a new partner team should one be interested in joining forces.

“We have the cars and the equipment and we’re ready,” Vermont SportsCar founder and president Lance Smith told RACER. “The interest level we are seeing for Nitro RX Group E is really high right now and we are exploring all options to expand and grow with the series.

A four-car assault on Nitro Rallycross’ Group E category is planned for the 2023-24 season. Vermont SportsCar

“What Nitro RX has put together has been exceptional: between the quality of the racing, the track design, the TV package, and the cars themselves, it’s a compelling formula that we believe in.”

VSC’s planned expansion in the Group E field comes as rallycross in the United States goes from strength to strength. Having previously attracted teams like Andretti Autosport, Chip Ganassi Racing, Bryan Herta Autosport, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and manufacturers like Ford, Volkswagen, Dodge, Honda, and Subaru, the discipline went through a slump in the late 2010s as management issues with previous series threatened its very existence Stateside.

But with grids currently at their biggest for several years, several manufacturers are said to be keen to join in and capitalize on the increased interest. Multiple manufacturers were involved in initial discussions during the development of the FC1-X, which can be customized to resemble a number of road-going EVs – with more than 20 already being considered during the machine’s design phase.

“With Nitro Rallycross’ first global season set to culminate with a championship weekend, we are having exciting discussions with several manufacturers regarding their involvement in Nitro Rallycross,” said Brett Clarke, president of Nitro Rallycross. “From the beginning, we have worked with First Corner to design the FC1-X to incorporate the bodywork of numerous SUV and CUV models from manufacturers around the globe.

“That adaptability, along with the FC1-X’s boundary-breaking performance, makes it a compelling marketing platform for OEMs as EV momentum continues to accelerate.”