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It's been almost a month & a half since Team Pastrana Racing & the Dodge Dart's were on the track back on August 10th in Atlanta but now after extensive testing & preparation, the Dodge Dart's are back ready to take on a new course as Global Rally Cross heads to the famed dirt track in Charlotte, North Carolina!
With this also comes a new competitor for the Dodge Dart's to face as General Motors enters the Chevrolet Sonic with driver Patrick Moro in Global Rally Cross for the 1st time. It will be really interestiing to see how well the Dodge teams fair against this new opponent among the Ford Armada that has totally dominated the season this year. This race could be the indicator of what Team Pastrana Racing & Team Dodge will need to do for next season to improve their results.
Charlotte Re-Visited
GLOBAL RALLYCROSS EXPERIENCES INCREDIBLE GROWTH SINCE LAST CHARLOTTE VISIT
by Chris Leone - Global Rally Cross
In May 2012, Global Rallycross made its inaugural visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Marcus Gronholm kicked off the season right by scoring a victory over OlsbergsMSE teammate Tanner Foust and Stephan Verdier.
Just over a year later, the sport returns to North Carolina, having built successfully upon the foundations laid in that initial event.
Sure, most of the big names remain—Foust, Ken Block, Brian Deegan, and Travis Pastrana among them. But leading them all in the championship is Toomas Heikkinen, whose Charlotte race last year ended in disqualification after an incident with Dave Mirra. An afterthought for much of last season after missing two races due to injury, Heikkinen has won the past five GRC events and hopes to lock up the championship this weekend.
Manufacturers Ford, Subaru, and Dodge have been joined on the big stage by MINI, with a Prodrive-prepared Countryman campaigned by two-time X Games gold medalist Liam Doran. Doran earned his second gold medal in Munich earlier this season in the MINI’s race debut, and followed it up with silver the very next day.
This weekend’s race will also see the long-awaited debut of Chevrolet in GRC, with a Sonic prepared by Pat Moro ready to take the fight to the competition.
Many series newcomers have seen opportunities to shine this season. Scott Speed won his inaugural rallycross event at X Games Brazil in the season opener, while 2006 Junior World Rally champion Patrik Sandell has earned two podium finishes on the way to a top five spot in points. GRC has also added the Supercar Lites class for young drivers, with Joni Wiman having won the inaugural event in New Hampshire in July and each race since.
Even the track itself in Charlotte has changed. Rather than the frontstretch of the 1.5-mile oval, Global Rallycross will utilize the adjacent Dirt Track at Charlotte facility, giving fans a chance to see what these 600 horsepower beasts can do on a loose surface.
Sure, there have been plenty of changes between the past two GRC events at Charlotte. But the most important characteristic still remains: an exciting show.
Driver Entry List will be out by later this week, plus Allpar will have exclusive coverage of the race & behind the scenes look of the preparation leading up to this race.
With this also comes a new competitor for the Dodge Dart's to face as General Motors enters the Chevrolet Sonic with driver Patrick Moro in Global Rally Cross for the 1st time. It will be really interestiing to see how well the Dodge teams fair against this new opponent among the Ford Armada that has totally dominated the season this year. This race could be the indicator of what Team Pastrana Racing & Team Dodge will need to do for next season to improve their results.
Charlotte Re-Visited
GLOBAL RALLYCROSS EXPERIENCES INCREDIBLE GROWTH SINCE LAST CHARLOTTE VISIT
by Chris Leone - Global Rally Cross
In May 2012, Global Rallycross made its inaugural visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Marcus Gronholm kicked off the season right by scoring a victory over OlsbergsMSE teammate Tanner Foust and Stephan Verdier.
Just over a year later, the sport returns to North Carolina, having built successfully upon the foundations laid in that initial event.
Sure, most of the big names remain—Foust, Ken Block, Brian Deegan, and Travis Pastrana among them. But leading them all in the championship is Toomas Heikkinen, whose Charlotte race last year ended in disqualification after an incident with Dave Mirra. An afterthought for much of last season after missing two races due to injury, Heikkinen has won the past five GRC events and hopes to lock up the championship this weekend.
Manufacturers Ford, Subaru, and Dodge have been joined on the big stage by MINI, with a Prodrive-prepared Countryman campaigned by two-time X Games gold medalist Liam Doran. Doran earned his second gold medal in Munich earlier this season in the MINI’s race debut, and followed it up with silver the very next day.
This weekend’s race will also see the long-awaited debut of Chevrolet in GRC, with a Sonic prepared by Pat Moro ready to take the fight to the competition.
Many series newcomers have seen opportunities to shine this season. Scott Speed won his inaugural rallycross event at X Games Brazil in the season opener, while 2006 Junior World Rally champion Patrik Sandell has earned two podium finishes on the way to a top five spot in points. GRC has also added the Supercar Lites class for young drivers, with Joni Wiman having won the inaugural event in New Hampshire in July and each race since.
Even the track itself in Charlotte has changed. Rather than the frontstretch of the 1.5-mile oval, Global Rallycross will utilize the adjacent Dirt Track at Charlotte facility, giving fans a chance to see what these 600 horsepower beasts can do on a loose surface.
Sure, there have been plenty of changes between the past two GRC events at Charlotte. But the most important characteristic still remains: an exciting show.
Driver Entry List will be out by later this week, plus Allpar will have exclusive coverage of the race & behind the scenes look of the preparation leading up to this race.