Look out NASCAR, your world is about to go upside down!

November 11, 2010 by 2 Comments

Over the years I haven’t commented on anything NASCAR too much as it hasn’t really been on my radar. Now that I spend so much time chasing the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series teams with a camera, I have more of a feel for the roundy round scene. Today’s news in the world of NASCAR is rather large, so I’m going to have a go at some commentary.

Rally fans found out yesterday that Travis Pastrana had cut his ties with Subaru. For you good old boys who don’t follow anything outside of the circle, Pastrana is a top competitor in motocross, freestyle riding and rallying. He has won multiple championships in all of them and for the past 5 years has been competing in the Rally America championship at the wheel of a Subaru.
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Ken Block stuffs Focus hard while testing for Rally GB

November 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

One of the rather expensive realities of rallying is that sooner or later, you are going to crash. This is not an exaggeration. Every single person who has driven a rally car has left the road at some point in their competition career. It has nothing to do with talent (well, ok…to some extent it does) and everything to do with the nature of the sport.
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2010 Rally of the Tall Pines is next week!

November 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

With a history dating back to 1971, the Rally of the Tall Pines is one of the most historic events on the North American rally scene. The list of past winners includes names like John Buffum, Rod Millen, Taisto Heinonen and Frank Sprongl. The entry list for 2010 reads like a who’s who of modern rally stars: Pat Richard, Antoine L’Estage, Peter Thomson, Bruno Carre and Crazy Leo Urlichich are all guaranteed to excite the fans.
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Ken Block gets serious in Turkey

October 21, 2010 by 1 Comment

When it was announced that Ken Block was switching from Subaru to Ford and would be competing in select WRC rounds in 2010, there were many critics who said he would fail. Of course most were far more verbose, but you get the idea. Ford has made a very substantial investment in Mr. Block and it would appear that he has taken the challenge very seriously and is learning rather quickly.

The Monster World Rally Team released this in car footage yesterday, shot in the Turkey round of the WRC. Special Stage 23 is notable for its high speeds and several very large crests. Large crests means large air. It also means more opportunity for large crashes.
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Craigslist find of the day: Ken Block’s wheels!

September 15, 2010 by 3 Comments

Ever wanted a true piece of motorsport memorabilia? How about a set of mildly used wheels from Ken Block’s WRC spec Fiesta? They would make a perfect…ummm…something. Lopsided coffee table perhaps?

Here is the seller’s description:

FOR SALE: Two slightly used 18-inch Volk Racing TE37 rims painted Monster Energy green with distinct DC Shoes logo on contrast painted spoke. Never been curbed! These are RARE and very special wheels! Only driven for 5 miles!!!!!!! May need new tires, about 3% tread left on Pirelli P-Zero. Will fit 2011 Ford Fiesta.

Buyer must pay shipping from France. Moving! MUST sell before 9/14.

Shoot me an offer, also down to barter.

Something tells me this is a joke, but if true, some gearhead skater boy might actually snap these up.

Not sure how they got so scruffy looking? You’d better visit here.

Ed note: It would seem that this scoop is no scoop at all and that perhaps your humble editor should spend more time reading and less time taking photos. The good folks at Jalopnik noticed this ad last week and began work on deciphering the code hidden within the ad. Then, the folks at team DC GYM3 verified that they were indeed behind the prank.

Oh yeah – one more thing. I won’t be spending less time at the track!

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Targa Newfoundland Day 2: Frustrations on The Rock & back in Ontario

September 14, 2010 by 2 Comments

Day 2 of the 2010 running of Targa Newfoundland is in the books, having been a frustration day for The Garage both here at home and more importantly, on The Rock. In the years that we’ve followed our friends Gary Faules and Coop as they competed in La Carrera Panamericana, we’ve had little trouble getting daily reports out of rural Mexico. Getting information from rural Canada is proving to be more difficult.

Some heavy digging today produced a few more photos from Sunday’s prologue event and some from the official event shooter from yesterday. No news of today until the time sheets were posted early in the evening. A quick glance shows our man Crash Corrigan as a DNF today, but without any official explanation and no press release. After blasting messages all over Facebook and Twitter, with no responses, I decided to break down and call Crash on his cell. Surprisingly, he had signal and actually answered the call.

Fortunately, the pumpkin is still straight and Crash and his co-driver Paul Abbott are in one piece too. It seems they’ve had a bit of an exasperating day. First, an oil line fitting sprung a leak. The resulting spray coated the underside of the Escort nicely enough until it caught fire on the exhaust. They got the fire out and began a 100 km transit towards Gander to make some minor repairs, when suddenly the gearbox lost 2nd gear. As of a couple of hours ago, Crash and his Co-Piloto were in a parking lot somewhere on the side of the road attempting to get the car to St. Johns, a mere 300 km away. Repairing the gearbox may be no small feat, as this is no ordinary Ford Escort RS. This one is hiding a Honda S2000 drivetrain under the bonnet, mainly for the sake of reliability. So much for best laid plans. The chances of finding a 2nd gear shaft bearing for an S2000 transmission in Newfoundland are likely quite slim. If it can be done, our man Crash will make it happen.
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2010 Targa Newfoundland is under way

September 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The 2010 Targa Newfoundland got underway at 9:30 this morning. Stuck here in Ontario, it has taken me until 9 pm Eastern time to get results and images to go along with this story. It would seem that details are going to come slowly this week! I got info out of Mexico faster!

That pumpkin up above belongs to close friend of The Garage, Crash Corrigan. I was supposed to be on The Rock acting as his crew chief, but sadly that just wasn’t in the cards. On the positive side, the Pumpkin is still shiny side up, unlike some of our other friends.

I awoke this morning to a somewhat disgruntled message from Crash, explaining how a class of 3 Targa rookies had been crashed by a class winner and a multiple overall winner, after registration had closed. It would seem that organizers were not happy with the open class being populated by only 3 cars. Fortunately, at the end of the day, our man Crash has not lived up to his name and is still on the road, in 4th place in class.
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Super Production rally teams receive support from Subaru

August 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Contingency programs are always welcomed by motorsport competitors, even more so when the package is a real winner. Subaru may not be supporting the WRC these days, but they are certainly bringing the goods to North American rally competitors.
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How crop circles are formed…

August 6, 2010 by 2 Comments

via Jalopnik

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Frankly, scarlet MINI a contender at Targa Newfoundland 2010

August 4, 2010 by 1 Comment

Kenzie and Bourbonniere MINI lapping Mosport

Long time friend of The Garage, Doug Mepham, just sent the following press release regarding the upcoming Targa Newfoundland. Doug has been at this a lot longer than I have, so rather than re-write it…

ST. JOHN’S (August 3, 2010) – One of the most successful and popular cars and teams to compete in Targa Newfoundland, from one of the event’s most dedicated supporters, will return for 2010 with some unfinished business at the top of the agenda.

The brilliant red MINI John Cooper Works Challenge car that debuted in the 2009 event, helmed by driver Jim Kenzie and co-driver Brian Bourbonniere, will return for Targa 2010, the team announced.

The MINI Challenge car is a purpose-built competition car, created by the company as the basis of a one-marque road race series in places like the U.K., Australia and continental Europe. Race suspension, improved brakes, an on-board air-jack system and dazzling aerodynamic kit including front splitter, rear diffuser, and high-downforce adjustable rear wing make the little red rocket a serious contender.

Kenzie, Bourbonniere and the MINI Challenge car nicknamed Frankly Scarlet spent much of the 2009 event coming to terms with adapting a car built for road racing to the rigors of rally competition, finally finishing second in the competitive Open Division. But with a year of experience with the new car, the team has recalibrated its expectations.

“The car looks fantastic and goes like stink,” said Kenzie. “Last year was the MINI Challenge’s first attempt anywhere at rallying, and we learned a few things about the car.”
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