Blogginisracin

Traxxas TORC Series headed to TMS dirt track

Approximately 100 West Coast off-road racers will make their way to Fort Worth on May 15-16 for the Traxxas TORC (The Off-Road Championship) Series season opener at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

The Traxxas TORC Series branched off of CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing), which was a series that visited the TMS Dirt Track in 2007. The newly developed TORC series, sanctioned under the United States Auto Club, combines CORR’s off-road competition with other various racing entities across the U.S., utilizing short tracks and larger outdoor motocross-inspired courses.

Texas Motor Speedway’s .4-mile clay oval dirt track will be transformed into a whoop-and jump-filled course that is suited for flag-to-flag fender banging and high-flying freestyle action. The two-day competition features four off-road divisions – the Pro Super Buggy, Pro Light Truck, AMSOIL Pro 2-Wheel Drive Truck and Pro 4x4 Truck. In addition, a special freestyle motocross event will take place featuring Red Bull freestyle athlete Jeff Tilton.

Daily tickets for the Traxxas TORC Series event are $35 for adults, $10 for children ages 10-15 and free for children ages nine and under. In addition, family 5-packs are available for $75. Tickets can be purchased by calling 817-215-8500 or visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

Go here for more information.

-- TMS release

Dakar Rally set to return to South America

The Dakar Rally will return to Argentina and Chile in 2010.
A spokesman for the Chilean government said Tuesday that organizers confirmed the race will be held in South America for the second straight year. In 2009, the race was moved from Africa for the first time in 31 years due to terrorist threats in Mauritania.
Presidential spokesman Francisco Vidal said dates and routes of the 2010 race will be announced later. Vidal added that Chile will get more than the five stages it had this year. Nine stages were held in Argentina.
The January race through the Argentine pampas and the Chilean desert, including two crosses of the Andes mountains, was won by South African driver Giniel de Villiers.

-- The Associated Press

VW earns first Dakar win; Gordon finishes third

 

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile

Stage 14: Cordoba to Buenos Aires

The conclusion of the Dakar Rally on Saturday had little drama, but plenty of joy for the top three drivers in the car class. South African Giniel de Villiers, above, won the final stage to earn his first Dakar overall title and in so doing earned Volkswagen its first title in the famed endurance event. It also was the first time a diesel-powered car won the class. 

"It's just incredible. I never felt this way," de Villiers told dakar.com. "... I was so nervous in the last kilometers. I kept looking at how many kilometers we still had to go. But I must say this is an incredible feeling. I am so thrilled for the whole team, for Volkswagen that supported us for five years before we could get to this victory."

De Villiers' VW teammate, American Mark Miller, likewise notched his best Dakar overall finish in second. And NASCAR star Robby Gordon earned his first podium finish in his fifth Dakar Rally. The Volkswagen dominance -- wins in 10 of the 13 stages -- was a fresh twist for the event dominated by Mitsubishi in recent years.

In motorbikes, Spain's Marc Coma completed his quest to win his second Dakar title. The steady Coma earned three stage wins and finished no worse than third in nine stages. His closest rival, France's Cyril Despres, finished second overall, 1 hour, 25 minutes, 38 seconds back. Another Frenchman, David Fretigne, rounded out the podium.

Go here for more news, complete results and standings. For some great video blogs from the 2009 Dakar Rally, including one showing Gordon flipping his Hummer on Stage 4, check out the Team Dakar USA site here.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: The Associated Press

No change in standings as Dakar Rally approaches finish

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile
Stage 13: La Rioja to Cordoba

For the penultimate stage of this year's Dakar Rally, the theme was preservation and, for the winning driver in the car class, redemption.
The car class standings saw no change as the Volkswagen team banded together to run the shortened special (137 miles) as a group. All three VWs finished in the top 10, with German Dieter Depping in fourth, American Mark Miller seventh and overall leader Giniel de Villiers of South Africa in eighth. The VW strategy allowed de Villiers to maintain more than a two-minute lead over Miller in the standings. 
Spain's Nani Roma, who dropped out of the top five in the overall standings after having engine problems in his Mitsubishi in Stage 12, earned his first stage win. Roma finished 7 minutes, 18 seconds ahead of the Nissan of Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc.
NASCAR star Robby Gordon, above, remains third overall in his Hummer despite finishing 16th Friday, 22:49 back of Roma. According to dakar.com, Gordon stopped for about 20 minutes because of mechanical problems early in the special. He now trails de Villiers by 1:27:13.
In motorbikes, Spain's Marc Coma maintained his very comfortable 90-minute lead with a second-place result Friday. Coma's main rival, Cyril Despres, won the stage, but only by 1:45 over Coma. It was Despres' fifth stage win of this rally and 21st in his Dakar career.
Go here for more news, complete results and standings.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: The Associated Press

Gordon third as overall leader Sainz drops out

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile

Stage 12: Fiambala to La Rioja

The 2009 Dakar Rally has not been kind to the favorites in the car class, and Thursday it was overall leader Carlos Sainz, above, who was forced to withdraw. The Volkswagen driver had a 27-minute edge on teammate Mark Miller after Stage 10 and the canceled Stage 11, but made a mistake early in Stage 12 and wound up in a ravine. The accident left his co-driver, Michel Perin, with an arm injury and left Sainz wondering what might have been after dominating this race with six stage wins. 

It was a bittersweet day for the Volkswagen team, however. South Africa's Giniel de Villiers took advantage of some driving errors by his American teammate Miller to win the stage and leapfrog into the overall lead. Miller was second on the stage and remains second overall, but only 2 minutes, 35 seconds behind. Things should get interesting as the two VW drivers battle for the title in the rally's final two stages.

NASCAR star Robby Gordon also gained ground at Sainz's expense with a third-place result, despite getting stuck on a bed of rocks and burning out the clutch in his Hummer. Gordon said he could use only first gear for the final 50 miles of the special. Gordon did, however, climb to third overall in the standings after Thursday's effort and put himself in great position to earn an overall podium finish despite being 1:18:52 out of the lead. His next closest rival, Ivar Erik Tollefsen of Norway, is almost six hours back in fourth. Former fourth-place driver Nani Roma, the last real hope for Mitsubishi in this rally, had mechanical problems.

"We are right where we want to be going into the last days of the Rally, so I would not count out Team Dakar USA just yet," Gordon said on his website. "Until Carlos Sainz rolled his race vehicle in a ravine today, he had run a flawless race and everyone would have thought that he had it locked up. It is the Dakar Rally and anything can happen."

In motorbikes, Frenchman Cyril Despres earned another stage win, but gained minimal ground on overall leader Marc Coma, who finished second only 1:23 back. Despres' victory moved him into second overall, but he still must make up almost 90 minutes to beat Spain's Coma in the rally's last two stages.

Go here for more news, full results and standings.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: The Associated Press

Gordon just loses out in duel with Sainz

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile
Stage 10: 275-mile loop around Copiapo, Chile

Day Two in the Atacama Desert was shortened by 125 miles because of difficult terrain, but that didn't stifle the leaders in the car class. NASCAR star Robby Gordon, right, recorded his best result of the event, finishing second in his Hummer, a mere 21 seconds behind stage winner Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen).
Gordon was actually the provisional leader through two check points, but finally gave way to Sainz in the final segment of the special. American Mark Miller finished third in his Volkswagen, 7:39 behind his teammate.
"We had a good day," Gordon told dakar.com. "We managed to have a problem-free stage that will have no consequence. We caught up with Miller around CP2. I remained pretty careful on the bumps on the way back. We are just loosing about 20 seconds, so it’s meaningless. As soon as we are on faster trails, they (the Volkswagen) shake us off. They have so much more power than we do!"
It was Sainz's fourth consecutive stage win and sixth in the 2009 Dakar Rally. The victory allowed Sainz to extend his overall lead over second-place Miller to 27:31. South Africa's Giniel de Villiers rounds out an all-VW top three in the overall standings, with Mitsubishi's Nani Roma in fourth and Gordon still in fifth, but 1 hour, 34 minutes, 38 seconds back.
The top five will remain such after Wednesday, as Dakar Rally officials announced late Tuesday that Stage 11 is canceled because of heavy fog forecast on the route over the San Francisco Pass at 15,400 feet through the Andes. The competitors will travel to Fiambala, Argentina, as a group. Read more here.
In motorbikes on Tuesday, overall leader Marc Coma of Spain and France's Cyril Despres each made navigational errors, but recovered to finish in the top 10. Coma was was seventh and now holds a lead of 1:24:50 over France's David Fretigne, who finished 15th Tuesday. Despres finished sixth, but remains third overall, more than 90 minutes behind Coma. Jordi Viladons of Spain won the stage, followed by France's Alain Duclos and Pals Ullevalseter.
Spanish rider Cristobal Guerrero was involved in an accident Tuesday and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Copiapo, Chile. The Associated Press reported that hospital director Dr. Anita Quiroga said surgeons drained fluid from Guerrero's brain. The rider was stabilized, but Quiroga called the next 24 hours “crucial to determine his prospects.”
Go here for more news, complete results and standings.

-- Michele Vincze
Photo: The Associated Press

Miller's mishap hands Sainz another Dakar stage win

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile

Stage 9: La Serena to Copiapo

One of the longest specials of this year's Dakar Rally gave competitors a healthy dose of dunes as they tackled the challenging Atacama Desert. American Mark Miller led most of the race in his Volkswagen, but encountered trouble late when he collided with a boulder and damaged his steering. That handed the stage win to Miller's teammate Carlos Sainz, who crossed the line 1 minute 47 seconds ahead of Miller. NASCAR star Robby Gordon piloted his Hummer to another third-place result, only 2:16 behind Sainz. 

"This special was very hard, very, very hard," Sainz told dakar.com. "There were a lot of stones and difficult navigation. It was really complicated. Just finishing is already a triumph. Just finishing without problems is a triumph."

The car class has quickly become a show for the Volkswagen team as Sainz continues to maintain the overall lead, followed by Miller in second (19:52 back) and South African Giniel de Villiers now in third (22:58 back). The only two other drivers within reasonable striking distance of the VW squad are Mitsubishi driver Nani Roma of Spain in fourth (58:12 back) and Gordon, who is fifth but more than 1 hour, 30 minutes behind. 

In motorbikes, American Jonah Street was forced to withdraw Monday after injuring his wrist. Street, who won the event's fifth stage, had climbed as high as second overall before falling to fourth after Sunday's Stage 8. 

Dutchman Frans Verhoeven collected his second 2009 stage win despite starting from the 33rd position on Monday. Spain's Marc Coma, who finished fourth, still has a comfortable lead (1 hour, 4 minutes, 38 seconds) over Frenchman David Fretigne, who finished second Monday, only 3:09 back. With his fifth-place result, France's Cyril Despres didn't gain any ground on Coma.

Go here for more Dakar Rally news, results and standings.

-- Michele Vincze 

Sainz grabs another stage win; Gordon loses some ground

2009 Dakar Rally, Argentina-Chile

Stage 8: Valparaiso to La Serena

After a day of much-needed rest, the Dakar Rally competitors tackled their first full stage in Chile and Spaniard Carlos Sainz was again the fastest in the car class. The Volkswagen driver used his skills as a former World Rally Championship driver to negotiate the winding and sometimes slippery mountain roads to finish the special 4 minutes, 2 seconds ahead of his VW teammate Dieter Depping of Germany. American Mark Miller rounded out the VW podium sweep with a third-place result, 4:12 behind Sainz.

"There were a lot of chances to lose the rally today and no chances of making up any time, so it's not the kind of stage built for me," Miller said in a release at dakar.com. "It was perfect for Carlos (Sainz) and the guys that like the rally stuff. At every turn there was a chance to ruin your race. It was difficult for me, but I did better than I expected so it was a success for me."

NASCAR driver Robby Gordon lost another 23 minutes to Sainz in the overall car standing after finishing eighth in his Hummer. Gordon remains fifth in the overall standings, 1 hour, 32 minutes 1 second behind the leader. Giniel De Villiers, who finished fifth Sunday in his Volkwagen, remains second in the overall standings, followed by Miller in third, only 18:05 behind. 

In motorbikes, defending Dakar champion Cyril Despres of France won his second stage of the event and gained a little ground on overall leader Marc Coma of Spain, who finished second, but only 1:49 behind. Despres, who had tire problems early in this event, almost met with more disaster late in Sunday's stage.

"Around fifteen kilometers from the finishing line, a donkey suddenly shot out from behind a bunch of cacti," Despres told dakar.com. "I think it was a lucky escape, for him and me."

Despres moved from fifth to third in the bike standings, leap-frogging American Jonah Street, who finds himself fourth overall after a 29th-place result Sunday. Coma's closest rival right now is Frenchman David Fretigne, who is 1 hour, 6 minutes, 28 seconds behind.

Go here or news, complete results and standings.

-- Michele Vincze