By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

We found this thread on VW Vortex. Maybe Ken Block has not sufficiently wowed his new Ford partners enough as of yet. Perhaps the economic downturn has slowed the sale of DC Shoes and flat-brimmed hats. Maybe his upcoming gymkhana event series couldn’t find funding (uh, what we mean is, what gymkhana event series?).

Maybe this Craig’s List post is a joke. Maybe it was all just a dream. And maybe, just maybe, this seller is serious. Maybe he – yes, he, because there is no way a woman would do this to her car – is on drugs. Perhaps he’s on some medical grade nitrous, or meth, or maybe even something that we don’t know about. Maybe something that would require an ice cube up the butt. But then, Coyle is only one who would know anything about that.

All we have to say is that to be truly ironic this seller should have applied KB’s Subaru livery to a Ford Escort wagon. Get it? On second thought, it doesn’t get much more hi-lar-ious than the green underglow and hidden trailer hitch. That is, unless you were to release a remix of the original Gymkhana video, with machine guns and Sid and Marty Kroft explosive effects. Yes, that would rock us like a hurricane.

Continue reading "Ken Block Falls on Hard Times. Forced to Sell Infamous Gymkhana STI" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

You’d think that everyone running in the World Rally Championship would have factory support, giant trailers and dozens of mechanics. But while that’s the general rule, Bill Caswell managed to be competitive in a beater BMW that he got off Craig’s List for a whopping $500. Now, managing to finish would be quite the achievement, but he actually managed to come in third in class. How cool is that? Jalopnik has the whole story, and StreetFire has video of the Bimmer rounding a corner and crossing the finish line.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

When I make a minor mistake at work, it generally involves losing a power cord, putting a spelling error on the hompage or missing a StreetFire clip that shows boobs. But when Ken Block makes a little mistake, it results in a rally car on its side. Yup, being a race driver is pretty awesome. Fortunately, he’s fine and seemed pretty relaxed about his recent wreck during the WRC in Mexico.

Ken Block crashes in Mexico 2010

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

It was big news when Ken Block decided to switch from Subaru to Ford, and lots of people—even Hitler—had strong feelings about the move. Personally,  I love the 2010 Fiesta, and think the Blue Oval’s little hot hatch looks pretty sharp wearing the Monster livery. For the record, I also think “Vibrant Thing” is proof positive that Q-Tip should have never quit Tribe, but that’s a whole different thing. Anyway, we’ll have to wait until March to see this baby race in WRC,  but it’ll make its competitive debut this Friday at the start of the 2010 Rally America Championship. Two more photos after the jump.

Continue reading "Ken Block’s New Monster Energy Fiesta" »

By Ryan Douthit

Drivingsports.com

Driving Sports breaks the news (Tuesday night, Jan 5) that Ken Block will driving for Ford in 2010 in both the Rally America Series and the World Rally Championship! Plus, we talk with Pastrana before he makes his big New Year’s jump and check out the MINI Beachcomber, a modern version of the classic Mini Moke.

Extra!+Block+to+Ford%2c+Pastrana+Jumps%2c+Mini+Beachco

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

When he crested a hill during a stage of WRC Rally in Finland, Evgeny Novikov’s lead foot nearly caused his Citroen C4 to pull a burly back flip. Yikes! The in-car footage actually reminds me of the view from the cockpit of my Dad’s old Piper during takeoff. First, the nose comes up, and then it’s  nothing but sky. As the announcer—in my opinion, hysterically—points out, this near-miss “indicates why not every jump should be taken flat-out.” That’s some classic British understatement for you.

By Ryan Douthit

Drivingsports.com

We’ve been able to source more details on Subaru’s departure from the WRC over at DrivingSports.com. Essentially, it was a sneak attack on all parties outside of the Fuji Heavy Industries circle. Prodrive found out via phone call, just days after discussing 2009 budgets. At least Petter and Chris, the top drivers for the Subaru World Rally Team, were told in person according to WRC.com. Click here for the interview we “acquired” with Subaru’s parent company in Japan. It’s a must-read for Subaru fans.

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Subaru‘s been the one brand most closely associated with the World Ralley Championship for the last ten years, but that run is at an end due to the challenging economy, according to both Prodrive and the WRC website. From my seat, I’d rather see Subaru turn inwards for a few years to strengthen their operations and return strong than fritter away money they don’t have. It’s going to be a huge loss to the circuit, though.

What a weekend it was for the WRC teams in Japan, in the second-to-last rally of the season! Rally Japan is based in Sapporo—with its tight forest stages and open fast-flowing gravel stages, it’s been likened Rally Finland, but with over 27 individual stages, it’s got the most of any of the rallies on the circuit. The event takes place over three days, covers well over 250 kms, and is concludes each day with a stage run in the amazing Sapporo Stadium. This indoor/outdoor stage consists of an impressive 1.7 km "super-special" course so fans can enjoy wild, up-close rally action without having to hike out into the forest. More…

Continue reading "WRC Update: Rally Japan!" »

The roads of France’s Tour de Corse appeared to be very unforgiving. Pinch flats and punctures plagued many teams throughout this weekend’s race. Without that handy self-inflating mousse in their tires this time, teams hemorrhaged time and positions after incurring flats. More…

Continue reading "WRC France: Pavement With a Bite" »