X GAMES 14 RALLY NOTEBOOK

Photos: Lars Gange/www.rally.subaru.com

EXCITEMENT GENERATED BY THE THIRD YEAR OF X GAMES RALLY WAS MORE INTENSE THAN DURING EITHER OF THE TWO PRIOR EVENTS. THE TARMAC COURSES AROUND THE HOME DEPOT CENTER WERE REVISED, AND THE RALLY’S DEPTH OF FIELD SEEMED STRONGER THAN EVER.

HERE’S THE DRIVE PERFORMANCE NOTEBOOK FOR THE EVENT.

THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Entering The Home Depot Center’s grounds and looking around, everything seems more tightly confined than last year. That includes provisions for BMX and skateboarding as well as rally. The fan zone, superpark, and half-pipe areas are closer together than in previous years, and the rally course is more compact. Access is easier for the fans, though. As in previous years, tons of dirt cover the stadium floor, configured with jumps and ramps for moto X competition.

The two rally course tracks on The Home Depot Center’s parking lots are side by side as much as possible. This has excellent potential for viewing two competitors at once during the bracket racing on Sunday.

The width of the two tracks seems narrower, too. A slight jump built into the pavement of one track doesn’t seem to fit the angularity of the courses. A little steeper on one end than the other, the jump appears inconsequential.

Close accommodations in the service area necessitated locating the Subaru of America, Inc. factory team — with its four cars — across a street from the other teams. The Subaru paddock is located in a corner next to the superpark and rally turnaround pylons.

PRACTICE

Thursday and Friday, practice is on pavement only — one lane at a time. The stadium floor won’t be set up until Sunday morning, so no dirt for a while.

Most of the 12 teams invited to this competition are on the track for the two-hour stint. They alternate between lanes, since the lanes aren’t connected.

Even today, practice is fierce. Although the track looks tight and confined, drivers are already pushing for higher speeds. Encounters with barriers are constant. The air is full of dust; sand; bits of rubber; and the smell of tires, brakes, and exhaust.

That “little” jump in the straight of the outside course gets the cars airborne far more than one would think. Block/Gelsomino are among those who stand cars on their noses.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2008

Two more hours of practice, but not everyone participates.

Competitors drift the turns with all drive wheels spinning. Rubber soon delineates the cornering lines — normal for paved tracks. And every once in a while, there’s a crunch of metal and plastic punching the barrier walls.

Through the chaos, one car appears unscathed — the #45 of McShea/Clarke. Just as impressive as the other cars on the Subaru factory team, #45 looks to be someone to beat.

The cars seem quicker today. The intensity among the teams grows. During most rally weekends, pressure builds stage after stage when trying to retain or make up time; this weekend, it builds during practice. There is only one “stage” in the bracket-type setup for race day. Once a car is eliminated, it’s gone.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008

NEW TRACK AND PRACTICE

Last night and this morning, crews converted the stadium floor for rally racing. The floor has a layer of dirt and a huge jump in the middle — configured very much like last year. One difference, however, is the addition of small jumps on either side after the cars re-enter the stadium.

The 12 teams set up their service areas early, and Ken Block tests the jump, following a motorcycle. Then a practice session allows a test jump by each car and runs up and onto the tarmac courses outside the stadium. As dramatic as the center jump is, cars flying off the side ramps onto the pavement hold more excitement — especially when facing them straight on.

ELIMINATIONS

Only eight cars start the quarterfinals for the cameras later in the day. So the cars ranked 5th through 12th are paired for elimination runs.

Nothing can be taken for granted. For instance, even though Travis Hanson/Terry Hanson have a difficult run, McShea/Clarke damage #45”s steering and lose their qualifier.

QUARTERFINALS

Photo: Eric Lars Bakke/Shazamm/ESPN Images

The next set of pairings is even wilder. Mirra/Kihurani bang up the front suspension so much that the #40 snowplows with the front wheels. Mirra has to reverse the car at each corner in order to line up for the turn. Still, they win because Andrew Comrie-Picard/Jen Horsey land awkwardly on the big jump in the stadium and spectacularly flip over #20 nose to tail.

SEMIFINALS

Wilder still!

While Tanner Foust/Christine Beavis are breaking 180 seconds in #34, Mirra/Kihurani meet head-on with a wall immediately after the big stadium jump.

In the second pairing, SRT USA drivers Pastrana and Block face each other. At the highly anticipated start, the car of Block/Gelsomino doesn’t move. They have to shut down #43 due to mechanical problems suffered during the previous round, leaving Pastrana/Bosley on the course alone.

FINAL

That leaves the fight for gold between Pastrana/Bosley and Foust/Beavis — two previous X Games Rally gold-medal winners. Pastrana/Bosley come within 0.019 second of their previous fast time, which was the fastest of the day. They win gold by 3.357 seconds.

Pastrana ends the day behind the wheel with a series of celebratory doughnuts in the dirt of the stadium floor.

Watch for more X Games Rally surprises in 2009, and see more images from X Games 14 at www.driveperformance.subaru.com!