A perfect storm is brewing for RallyCross.  X-Games has become a highly attractive event that all the rally drivers in the world are now paying attention to.  WRC, IRC, European RallyCross and American drivers are all now vying for their spot.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that when Ken Block shows up at a WRC round he garners more fans and attention then 7x WRC champ Sebastion Loeb.  Or maybe it has something to do with the launch of the American version of European RallyCross, Global RallyCross.  Or the fact that car manufacturers are looking for a conduit to sell small cars to young people.  Whatever the case, the payoff will be great door-to-door Rally-X racing.  The purists will say, “This is not true rally” and they are right, but just like desert off-road racing, it is really difficult to get American spectators to get off the couch and go hike down a rally stage and stand in rain, snow, mud, or heat to watch rally cars blast by.  So, Rally-X is here to stay and it’s undoubtedly going to grow.

I’ll be the first one to admit the actual rally racing at X-Games has been sub par, last year’s course was a joke.  The racing was terrible; the drivers were confused about the course and the number of laps.  The checkered flag was actually waved before all laps were complete.  In fact, the only year that I remember the racing to be actually great was the first year rally was apart of X-Games and they ran stages both at the stadium as well as stages from the now defunct Rim of the World Rally.  As a fan and a facilitator it has been like watching your favorite boxer show up to a fight only to realize he is going to fight with his hands tied.  Yet, despite it all, ESPN has been learning.  This year’s course looks to be the best circuit ever, taking to the streets of Los Angeles just outside Staples Center.

X-Games is no longer going to be a contest between American rally heavies; Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust and Ken Block, it has expanded to an international battle.  The beauty is, it’s not being manipulated by any one sanctioning body, the FIA, WRC, IRC, Rally America, and European Rallycross all have drivers competing. Tanner Foust has been extra busy sharpening his skills and collecting podiums in the European Rallycross.  Don’t count out Brian Deegan; he has been busy banging doors in the Lucas Oil Off-Road short course series competing in two classes.  Young European RallyCross standout Liam Doran has been tearing it up and will likely be bringing his A-game.  I also can’t leave out former WRC champ Marcus Grönholm and French rally mad man Stephan Verdier who is coming with a “Rally Killer” Subaru specially prepared by master mind Quirt Crawford of Crawford Performance, the builder of the first two Gymkhana cars.  Needless to say, it’s going to be a heated battle with some epic RallyCross racing.

The driver entry list is heavy:

The Americans:
Ken Block
Tanner Foust
Travis Pastrana
Brian Deegan
Rhys Millen
Dave Mirra
Jimmy Keeney
Joseph Burke
Nate Conley
Michael Jernberg
Dillon Van Way
Pat Moro

The Europeans:
Marcus Grönholm
Stephan Verdier
Liam Doran
David Higgins

Australia:
Robbie Maddison

The Manufacturer list is growing as well:
Subaru
FORD
Citroen
Skoda
Hyundai

Rally Schedule:
Dirt jump practice 8-10pm Friday the 29th
Rally Practice 9am Saturday the 30th
Rally Qualifieng 11am-12pm Saturday the 30th
head to head Rally 1-3 pm Saturday the 30th
RallyCross Practice 10-2pm Sunday the 31st
RallyCross Final 2-4pm Sunday the 31st

Live TV coverage on ESPN + ESPN2

Words by Matt Martelli

Photos by Lars Gange/Matt Morning/C.Van Hanja/Shazamm/ESPN Images

[Show as slideshow]

Follow the Silver State 300 here on race-dezert.com.

We will offer you:

• Live Finish Line Streaming Video
• Corrected Time of all vehicles throughout the race
• IRC Live Tracking Map
• Cover-It Live Race Highlights
• Contingency and Qualifying Videos with Interviews

We hope you enjoy the the show, you are just one click away

Ft. Worth, Tx(March 2, 2011)Baja Racing of Texas, LLC (BRT) announces a partnership with International Racing Consultants (IRC) to offer a low cost tracking system.  Plans are to offer this to all vehicles for the 2011 Texas based BRT Off-Road Race series.

“This is a key component for our fundamental goal ‘allow the competitor and enthusiasts a chance to experience the world of off-road racing in an organized, affordable and safe environment’ “stated BRT President Chris Leitner.

Although this tracking device is being offered as a low cost alternative, it still offers all of the features racers have come to expect from IRC:

●      monitor vehicle location and speed and send information to the IRC Control Center every 04 minutes

●      alert sent automatically if the vehicle stops, takes a big hit or experiences an inclination

●      allow the driver/passenger to contact the IRC Control via a built in microphone and speaker

●      provide Live Web Tracking

This unit does not require the standard mount from IRC but instead, is quickly and temporarily installed.  All that is required is a 12 volt power source.

About Baja Racing of Texas
The BRT was formed by Chris Leitner to continue the growth of off-road racing in Texas and to provide additional safe and fun racing venues for the entire off-road community. The BRT is paced to grow over 40 – 50 cars by the end of the 2011 season. The BRT will organize 2 races for our inaugural 2011 season both 250 miles long over a 40+ mile course at the Texana Ranch. Drivers come from TX, LA, OK, CA, AZ, KS, NM, AR, CO, MO and GA to race the BRT series.
www.bajaracingtexas.com

www.facebook.com/BajaRacingTexas

About International Racing Consultants

IRC is a specialist in advanced satellite communications in land, air and sea sports as well as well as commercial and personal logistics.

IRC offers unique and revolutionary products that allow businesses or race teams to utilize advanced satellite communications for both tracking and management far beyond what has ever been imagined. Over the course of the last few years, the availability of high tech electronic equipment has not only become prevalent, but has also appeared in all areas of the business and sporting communities

http://www.racetheworld.net/ircstore/

Tustin, California – December 27, 2010 – International Racing Consultants, is a leader in off- road racing tracking, specializing in advanced satellite communications in land, air and sea sports. IRC has partnered with Eco Soul, a 501(c)(3) organization, to promote Eco Soul’s Green Island Carbon Offset Project (GICO Project). The GICO Project is designed to create an accessible program for outdoor enthusiasts to easily offset their carbon emissions through the planting of fast growing trees for carbon capture and sequestration.
Tree planting is the most effective way to safely sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The goal of the GICO Project is to plant millions of trees, nationally and internationally, to absorb CO2 emissions. In addition to sequestering carbon, tree planting has many other benefits including increased soil development and restoration, reduction of particulate pollution, bio- remediation of degraded agricultural lands, improved water quality, create wildlife habitat, and provide a wide array of products that will decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.
Steve Myers, President of International Racing Consultants, stated, “The Green Island Carbon Offset Project is an excellent way for the off-road racing community to demonstrate its environmental leadership and to support a cleaner future for generations to come.” Steve, continued, saying that the offset program is based on the cost of $.50 per gallon, making it easy for off-road racers to calculate the appropriate financial contribution for the offset by tying it to their fuel consumption in any particular event.
Eco Soul has joined with Eco Ranchos, Inc. as its tree-planting partner. Eco Ranchos’ management team has over 100 years of combined experience in agriculture, including timber crops, annual crops, perennial crops, subtropical fruits and livestock. This experience, along with the in-depth expertise of its advisors and affiliated companies, allows Eco Ranchos to effectively design and implement sustainable and profitable agro-forestry and tree-farming systems.
Skip Staats, Director and Co-Founder of Eco Soul, pointed out that “by tying the tree planting to commercial tree farming operations, we can be assured that each tree planted will be maintained for the appropriate period of time to truly offset the carbon emissions.” Skip went on to state “that it is not enough to reduce our emissions, we must act now to sequester, as quickly as possible, excess atmospheric carbon, to protect our future.”
Tax-deductible contributions to the GICO Projects can be made to Eco Soul.

For more information on the Green Island Carbon Offset Project, see
www.greenislandproject.org/Green_Island_Offset.html.

For more information on International Racing Consultants, see www.racetheworld.net

For more information on Eco Ranchos, Inc., see www.ecoranchos.com

San Diego, CA – (Jan 3, 2010) – Best in the Desert (BITD) is proud to announce they have reached an agreement to partner with International Racing Consultants (IRC) and Race-Dezert.com for live web coverage of the 2011 Best in the Desert racing series. BITD founder, Casey Folks, said, “This is the best solution for the web coverage of the race series. Bringing together IRC, who has the best tracking technology, with Race-Dezert.com where the off-road racing community lives was just natural.”

Beginning with the first race in February, The BlueWater Resort Parker 425, IRC and Race-Dezert are creating a new portal where the race can be tracked live in corrected time, featuring maps, video, photos, and audience interactivity; desert racing is being brought into the 21st Century. Steve Myers, President of IRC, says, “Partnering with Race-Dezert for the Best in the Desert Series, made the most sense for growing the involvement of off-road racing fans. Now we can deliver our world class race tracking technology to the largest audience of off-road racing fans.”
Race-Dezert’s founder Klaus Rasch says, “I started Race-Dezert.com out of passion towards off-road racing. Our new race tracking is part of an ongoing effort to give our audience the best race coverage possible.” The community that makes up the Race-Dezert audience (almost 250,000 monthly unique users according to Google Analytics) has grown by over 42% in the past year, as desert racing and short course off-road racing has continued to expand. By creating this new live racing section and partnering with Best in the Desert and IRC, Race-Dezert plans on expanding the worldwide potential for desert racing,

About Best in the Desert: The premier desert racing organization in the United States; Best in the Desert is committed to running desert races of the highest quality. “Life is an Adventure Come live your adventure with Best In The Desert”

About International Racing Consultants: IRC (International Racing Consultants) is a specialist in advanced satellite communications. IRC specializes in extreme sports, commercial and personal logistics tracking and safety. www.racetheworld.com

About Race-Dezert.com: Race-Dezert.com is the worldwide leader in off-road racing. Born in 1999, Race-Dezert.com is the home of off-road culture featuring off-road racing coverage, news, a robust forum community, and the best classifieds in off-road.

Off-Road Racing is a sport that evolves with the advancement of new technologies as the need for increased safety standards emerges.

Bikes and Quads now use mandatory amber lights, helmets use more modern materials making them stronger and lighter and neck restraints are already mandatory in short course racing.

The latest step into the future is IRC’s proximity sensor the “Pass Alert”.

IRC's Pass Alert in RED "Man Down" Mode

Let’s look at the problem before we explain the solution. In desert racing, race cars are started in :30 or :60 second intervals and travel at a high rate of speed over loose gravel and sand. Every vehicle leaves a cloud of dust that the next competitor must drive through in order to overtake the racer in front. The closer one approaches the slower vehicle, the thicker the dust may get. Every vehicle is equipped with a rear facing amber colored floodlight that is somewhat visible through the dust.

The amber light solves part of the visibility issue. It lets the approaching race car see that someone is a few feet or inches ahead. If the amber light bounces or suddenly stops its a good indication the lead vehicle slowed down, went over an obstacle, or stopped. However the lead car never realizes that someone is right behind them and they are about to get passed.

Off-Road racers have developed the system of knocking on the rear bumper to let slower drivers know that they’re behind and wanting to pass. This practice called “nerfing” a competitor however often leaves one party unhappy. There are also obvious dangers associated with this practice; Safety and potential vehicle damage.

Now that we all understand the challenge, lets look at a new solution.

The IRC Pass Alert is a small device, the size and shape of a garage opener. It’s battery powered by a common 9V battery, has 2 switches, and a multi-color LED light array.

It signals the vehicle ahead via radio frequency that you are behind them, are faster, and about to pass. The vehicle in front will have its LED’s flash yellow and may take action to let you pass. The signal range is limited to approximately 100 yards, so it wont interfere with the racer 2-miles ahead; it also travels only in the forward or backwards direction intended. If you signal to a vehicle in front of you, then a racer behind you will not falsely receive your “intent to pass” signal.

In addition to the yellow “passing” signal the unit can also be turned into a “man down” status. In this mode any approaching unit will be alerted with a red LED signal.

Race promoters may also send out a “green” signal to alert of special zones. This could be used to signal upcoming restricted speed zones, pit areas, or checkpoints.

The IRC device works similar to the French Sintenel used at the A.S.O. Dakar Rally, but is a totally new design tailored to the needs of North American desert racing.

IRC field tested the device at the last Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno race between the top Trick Trucks and some selected Bikes and Quads. The device is still in a field testing phase and pending feedback from racers will soon undergo production.

Steve Meyers told us that the expected price point should be less then $200 per unit, but that depends on what the final device design will be like.

This technology is not the silver bullet to make racing 100% safe but its one of many options that will get us closer.

We hope to see this device become mandatory with every race organization.

Visit IRC to learn more

After much speculation and five days of review, I do not think words can explain the absolute astonishment I felt upon hearing the official results of the 2009 Baja 500.  Finally Sal Fish, President of SCORE International, has followed through on his promise of “putting teeth back into the sport.” The official results of last week’s Baja 500 were announced this morning and there were some major changes in the finishing order and results.

It looks like the proverbial silt has hit the fan at SCORE International!  After the well-publicized review of the IRC Tracker data, sixteen of nineteen finishers in the Trophy Truck Class have been penalized for course deviations or exceeding the mandated highway speed limit of 60 MPH.   Course deviation penalties, according to the SCORE website, were located at “one or more of-San Vicente (full or half), Uruapan Cemetery, Mile 375.”

With fingers pointing at the leaders, Robby Gordon and BJ Baldwin, it is now apparent that others were in violation of the rules as well.  In all fairness, some may have been following a competitor into the “cheater” lines and were unaware of their wavering from the course.  Speeding violators really have no alibi…the IRC data does not lie.

Sal Fish president of SCORE International talking to reporters

In today’s announcement, Robby Gordon was handed down a 90 minute penalty for the video-documented “illegal pit” on the highway section near Llano Colorado and a 10 minute penalty for exceeding the 60mph highway speed limit.  After factoring in the penalties, Robby Gordon’s No. 77 Monster-sponsored ride swapped finishing positions with the No. 71 General Tire truck of Rick D. Johnson.  Officially, Rick D. Johnson is now the winner of the Baja 500 Trophy Truck class while RG now claims the seventh position.

“I think it is going to bring integrity back to the sport and it is something that needed to happen.  It is a bittersweet victory.  This isn’t exactly how I would have liked to have claimed first place but I feel confident that we will all be on a level playing field from this point forward.” remarked Rick D. Johnson (RDJ) and he further added, “I still cannot believe it.  When one of the guys told me this morning that we had won the Trophy Truck class of the Baja 500, I thought they were kidding!”

Of the nineteen finishers in the Unlimited Truck Class, six gained position, seven lost position and six remained unchanged.  Kudos to the Trophy Truck drivers of the No. 84 truck of Nick Vanderway / Curt LeDuc, the No. 24 of Adam Householder, and the No. 11 of Greg Nunley for running the entire course with no apparent violations!

Nick Vanderwey, owner of the easily identifiable No. 84 “Got Milk” Trophy Truck, traded off driving duties with brother, Larry Vanderwey and long-time desert and short course racer, Curt LeDuc.  Earning a second place podium finish, the lack of apparent rules violations is impressive considering the driving duties were shared by three separate racers.  “We are all very excited with the 2nd place finish!  Prior to the race it seemed as though SCORE was putting an emphasis on rule violations and we would all be closely watched.  Larry, Curt and I made sure to keep our truck within the limits.  I believe today’s announcement will be good for the sport and the 60mph highway speed limit is necessary for the safety of the racers and local traffic,” commented Vanderwey.

Despite a sixty minute penalty for course deviation, the driving team of Roger Norman and Larry Roeseler maintained their respectable third place finish.  Looking back at this year’s San Felipe 250, Norman was the most prominent and vocal protester of Robby Gordon’s alleged course cutting and Roger’s penalty for the same violation was quite a surprise.  A review of the IRC tracking data would be interesting to determine if it was Norman or Roeseler who deviated most from the course resulting in the penalty.

An official statement by Roger Norman reads:

Roger Norman shows his IRC Tracker Course deviation

“Wow, I’m in shock. My hats off to SCORE, Sal Fish and all those involved. I did not think for a second that they would go to this level of enforcing the current rules. At San Felipe I was one of many who came forward regarding something that has been a big issue for many decades – major course cutting that can change the results of an event in a big way.

Going into the Baja 500 there were some changes to the rules regarding speed on the highway but I do not think anybody knew that the rules were going to be so well enforced for this event. Before the start of the Baja 500, Andy Grider (Gordon’s co-driver) and I spoke to Sal about major short cuts and their locations to make sure there would be a DQ for anyone who used them.  Sal confirmed that anyone who used them would be disqualified.  I never thought to ask about lines that do not make a difference on time. At the vineyards in San Vincente I was behind BJ and I saw him on the lower road. I followed him on the second half of it because it paralleled the course. Again, even though I was penalized 60 minutes for it, I am happy to see it. Sal just needed to take us all out to the woodshed… it’s all good. One thing is for sure, I will not make that mistake ever again.

This was a tough issue that needed to be dealt with and SCORE put a lot of time into it. I’m sure there will be changes coming for the rulebook regarding grey areas, contradictory rules, media helos versus non media helos and Mexico standards versus US standards. I’m sure we will all pay closer attention to Sal at the driver’s meetings and attention to the rules will give everyone an equal shot at winning.”

Included in Norman’s official statement was a Google Earth image of the alleged course cutting with Roger’s comment, “The photo I attached is of the area where I deviated from the marked course.”

Rising to an official fourth place finish was the No. 2 Trophy Truck of “Pistol” Pete Sohren.  When asked about his thoughts on the results Pete remarked, “From tenth to fourth place really means nothing to me but the fact that SCORE is enforcing the rules to even the playing field for the different size budgets is a step in the right direction.  I don’t like to wait almost a week for the results but if that is what it takes to analyze the data and keep people from cheating then I am all for it.  When I win, I won’t have to worry about the wait!”

In discussions with RDJ yesterday (prior to the official results announcement) he mentioned he had not intentionally or knowingly cut course but there was one section of the highway where he may have gone over the posted speed limit.  “When you are in race mode it is hard to keep it under 60mph on the asphalt but for the most part I think we ran a clean and honest race.  It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.”

The official results grid reflected a minor 5 minute penalty handed down to Johnson for exceeding the highway speed limit.  The two major offenders of the highway speed limit were the No. 74 Trophy Truck of Rob Bruce with a 140 minute penalty while the No. 28 Trophy Truck piloted by Alan Pflueger was handed down a 71 minute violation for the same infraction.  Johnson’s minor penalty pales in comparison to the above named offenders.  I would almost guess RDJ’s violation truly was a mere oversight (as he claimed) while Bruce’s and Pflueger’s were apparently intentional.

Winning some and losing some seems to be the theme for General Tire as SCORE International “Unleashed the Fury” with the unexpected penalties for rules violations.  General’s newly sponsored driver, BJ Baldwin, has fallen from an unofficial second place podium to an official eighth place finish.  Tony Talbert, Light Truck Product Manager of General Tire, declined to comment on either sponsored driver or the official results, “Until the dust settles.”

BJ Baldwin's 2nd place finish was adjusted to 8th place after review of GPS tracking device

After the race and prior to the official results announcement, BJ Baldwin stated, “I took the exact same lines as I did in last year’s 500.”  In a follow-up conversation, BJ was very candid with his thoughts on the SCORE ruling.  “I am not ashamed of my performance.  I am not a cheater and nothing has changed in the way I drive and the course that I have taken in the past five years of racing the Baja 500.  I think this decision to penalize 85% of the Unlimited Classes makes us all look like fools in the sport and makes SCORE International look bad.  I have a professional team and we are professional racers and I believe SCORE has handled this issue in an unprofessional manner.  The lines I took that were off the beaten path were not necessarily shorter or provided me an advantage.  I was following Robby Gordon’s dust most of the day and took the necessary lines to try and pass him.  How does an established trail with no wrong way markings become a deviation from the course?  I also do not think that Robby Gordon should be penalized for his pitting violation.  There were numerous pitting infractions by many of the other teams and unless you are going to penalize everyone equally then it is an unfair ruling.  Regardless of the actions by SCORE, I would like to extend my congratulations to both Harley Letner for earning the overall and Rick D. Johnson for the trophy truck win!”

Robbie Pierce, driver of record for the No. 35 Trophy Truck, was handed down the largest penalty of 150 minutes for course deviation.  In sharp contrast to BJ Baldwin’s sentiments, Pierce stated, “I spoke with Sal Fish yesterday and he seemed distraught with the controversy.  I told him I whole-heartedly believed that credibility needed to be restored to the sport and if I was to be penalized for any violations, then so be it.  I support SCORE’s ruling 100% and will race how they want – whether that is checkpoint-to-checkpoint or by IRC data.”

The unprecedented action by SCORE International creates a barrage of unanswered questions and controversy.  Was Robby Gordon’s 90 minute “illegal pit” penalty for fueling on the highway and while on course?  Was the ruling a combination of one or two violations and what was the exact formula for these time penalties?

According to an excerpt of Rule GP3 of the SCORE rule book:

“The following schedule of penalties is a guideline used by SCORE in levying penalties to competitors.  These guidelines are a minimum only….”

(9) Intentional Short coursing.
***Disqualification.

(10) Illegal stationary pit or illegal support crew violation.
***One (1) position.

(11) Pitting in restricted area.
*** Disqualification.

Following the letter of the law of the SCORE rule book, RG’s pitting violation is grounds for disqualification.   Intentional short coursing is also grounds for disqualification according to schedule item No. 9 of GP3.  One could only imagine the repercussions of DQing 11 of the 19 competitors in the premier Trophy Truck class!  However the penalties were arrived at, one thing is for certain – SCORE International did not play favorites.

Highway speed infractions are specifically outlined on the SCORE International website.  The details of the penalty grid can be seen at:SCORE International Highway Speed Limit for Baja 500 One point, which can be argued by race competitors, is GPS units are not accurate gauges of actual ground speed.  While I do not recall the exact disclaimer on the popular Lowrance GPS unit used in many of the race vehicles, I do know the gist of the disclaimer states the information provided is “for reference only.”  Will race vehicles be forced to install accurate speedometers to gauge actual race speeds in order to abide by the rules?

What constitutes “short coursing” is not as clearly outlined in the SCORE rule book and this grey area provides room for additional controversy.  Is there an allowable deviation for obstacles blocking the official race course?  The No. 11 Unlimited Truck piloted by Greg Nunley created an early bottle-neck at race mile 17 and forced competitors to deviate from the course in order to navigate their way around the course block.  The chosen line around Nunley’s broken truck could easily be argued that it was not a “cheater line” but instead a necessary detour.

The age old question as to which is the faster of two four-wheeled Unlimited classes still remains unanswered.  Harley Letner claimed the overall win in his No. 114 Class One with a 2 minute and 34 second lead over Rick D. Johnson’s No. 71 Trophy Truck.  Letner completed the Baja 500 with an elapsed time of 9 hours, 5 minutes and 47 seconds while Johnson earned a first place finish in the Trophy Truck class and second overall finish with an elapsed time of 9 hours, 8 minutes and 21 seconds.  Eliminating the five minute speed penalty, Johnson would have also taken the overall.  In any case, Letner’s hard-fought finish and his overall title are well-deserved considering he ran an apparently clean race and successfully navigated his way through the ranks of the Trophy Trucks and early race obstacles.

As the remainder of the IRC tracking data is reviewed and the official results are posted, it will be interesting to see how the next few days play out.  Posting only the official four-wheel Unlimited Class results, the SCORE International website indicates, “More Classes Soon as Review Continues.”  Will the Honda bike teams experience the same results shake-up the Trophy Trucks and Class Ones experienced?  Anyone who has seen Dana Brown’s acclaimed documentary, “Dust to Glory” can attest to the Honda team’s creative course selection.

Further commenting on the results and the course deviation issue, BJ Baldwin remarked, “It scares me to think about tomorrow and the penalties the lower classes and motorcycles will be awarded.  The celebration at the finish line by the racers and the crew has been replaced with going back to the hotel room, showering and waiting five days for results.  How do we have awards ceremonies?  Does Robby Gordon need to ship back his trophy?  Why would enthusiasts (who cannot make it to the races) sit at home and track the dot on the screen when the results can change overnight?”

Whether you agree with the penalties or not, for many teams it is a “careful what you wish for lesson.”  It is now obvious Baja racing will never be the same.  The technology to track the alleged course cutting and speed violations is now available and apparently will be an integral part of future SCORE desert races.  One thing is certain, many teams and racers are anxiously awaiting the remaining official results….until then, I am sure the forums will be alive with speculation!