MONSTER WORLD RALLY TEAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:::

BLOCK PRESSES ON AT RALLY GERMANY, THE WRC’S TOUGHEST ROUND, TO FINISH.
After three days of grueling stages, challenging roads and setbacks at
Rally Deutschland, Monster World Rally Team drivers Ken Block and Alex
Gelsomino have successfully finished what is arguably the most
difficult tarmac rally of the 2011 WRC calendar. After falling just
short of the finish line last year due to an alternator failure, while
sitting in 9th overall, the goal for the duo this year at WRC Germany
was to focus on one thing: survival.
Every stop of the WRC circuit is a war of attrition and this one was
perhaps one of the worst in recent memory for all of the teams
participating. Fellow Ford drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti
Latvala each had troubles, with Hirvonen falling victim to multiple
tire punctures and Jari-Matti suffering a puncture on day 2 which led
to a crash that knocked him out for the remainder of the day. He would
go on to finish the rally 14th overall, just three places ahead of
Block. Another Ford teammate, Mads Østberg, suffered a crash on day 2
that left his car damaged beyond repair. Even drivers like Citroen’s
Sebastian Loeb had trouble at this year’s Rally Deutschland. Loeb
suffered a puncture on day 2 that ended up handing over the first
place to his teammate Sebastian Ogier and costing him the win on
Sunday.
“This was just a really tough weekend for me,” said Block. “Last year
I came out to Germany and was putting down pretty good stage times.
This year, I just wasn’t able to put it together. It’s very
frustrating and I’m definitely not happy about it, but based on how
everyone else’s weekend went, I clearly wasn’t alone in my struggles.
It seemed like a difficult race for everybody. At the end of the day,
I need to remember that I just don’t have the same level experience as
the rest of the field when it comes to tarmac and be pleased that the
setbacks we ran into weren’t more serious.”
With Rally Germany being Block’s 4th WRC tarmac event, and just his
6th tarmac event ever, he’s still a driver who’s in the process of
getting acquainted with the specific intricacies that tarmac presents
to a rally driver.
“While the standings and numbers may not indicate it, Ken did well
this weekend,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “After being knocked
out just before the finish last year due to mechanical issues, our
goal here for Ken this time was to complete the rally, which he did.
This rally isn’t easy, even for drivers with years and years of tarmac
experience, so to survive and make it to the end when it’s only your
4th time racing tarmac at this level is a very respectable finish.”
The next stop of the 2011 WRC season takes the Monster World Rally
Team to Australia, returning the racing to gravel, a surface Block is
much more familiar with. Until then, follow the team at
monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and
facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.
For images of Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team Ford Fiesta
RS WRC in action at Rally Germany:
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/11444926/2/WRC%20Germany/PRselects?h=288d15

About Ken Block: Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and
car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of
the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has
continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy ten overall wins,
in addition to numerous podium appearances as well as X Games medals.
In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving
force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. His
keen branding and marketing acumen has allowed Block to achieve global
fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral videos,
which include his record-setting jump for the TV series Stunt Junkies,
his scenes in the DC snowboard video Mtn.Lab 1.5 and spy footage of
his Subaru TRAX STI project in action, along with his Gymkhana videos.
Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009 and his
“Gymkhana THREE; Part 2 Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome” the No. 6
Viral Video of 2010. In January 2010, he formed the Monster World
Rally Team and signed with Ford to become the first American to
campaign in the World Rally Championship, becoming only the second
American to ever score points in the WRC during his inaugural 2010
season. Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning
domestically in racing (Rally America and X Games), as well as
continuing to do gymkhana. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide
leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports
brand.
About Monster World Rally Team: Created and assembled by Ken Block,
the object of the Monster World Rally Team is to redefine the
race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also
market motorsport through innovative, creative and interactive ways.
The team is supported by Monster Energy, Ford Motor Company, DC Shoes,
Mobil 1, Pirelli Tires and the Dirt3 videogame.

Follow us at www.monsterworldrallyteam.com http://www.monsterworldrallyteam.com/

On a custom-built rally course on the streets of LA, Monster Energy Athletes Ken Block, Liam Doran and Dave Mirra battled for medals at X Games 17. European Rally Cross standout Liam Doran made the trip across the pond from his home in England to compete in his first X Games. In downtown Los Angeles, Right in front of the staples center, the course was a combination of pavement and dirt with long straight aways, hairpin turns, and a 52-foot dirt-to-dirt jump. Fans swelled as the stacked field fiercely fought for their chance for X Games gold.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Photo by Vincent Knakal

DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial. GYM4 surpasses the high-production style of Gymkhana TWO with even more spectacular effects shot in the backlots of Universal Studios, California. Filmed over the course of five days, director Ben Conrad (Zombieland and 30 Seconds or Less) and his team at Logan deliver a Hollywood caliber production complete with pyrotechnics, massive stunts and a series of unbelievable tricks. Featuring robotic sharks, deranged zombies, and a hilarious cameo by the Epic Meal Time guys, Ken Block and his Hybrid FunctionHoon Vehicle (H.F.H.V.) bring the magic of Hollywood and gymkhana together.

The Monster Energy Rally team took on X-Games and walked away with gold!

Newly added team member, European RallyCross standout Liam Doran, stormed the first day of competition dominating every elimination round including the final in Rally.  Clearly the master of the hole-shot the young Rally Cross prodigy got through the first corner in the lead on every round proving soundly that he was here to battle for gold.  Liam walked away from his first day of X-Games with a gold medal in Rally Car.  On Sunday, Liam again started off well hole-shooting the competition during his first elimination round finishing first.  In the final, Liam once again pulled into the lead only to be taken out in the first corner by contact from last year’s X-Game’s gold medalist Tanner Foust.

Ken Block was plagued all weekend long with mechanical failures, causing him to spectate more than he raced.  On Saturday, the Gymkhana star lost a turbo during practice and was unable to compete.  After thorough repairs on Sunday Ken was able to finish 2nd in his first heat driving fast and smooth.  During his next round Ken lost his turbo again, bringing an end to his X-Games effort.  Although thoroughly frustrated, Ken stood by to lend support to his Monster Energy Team mates; Liam Doran and Dave Mirra.

Dave Mirra drove consistently all weekend showing continued improvement to his rally skills.  On Saturday, Dave managed to win his first elimination round then lost his second round to Subaru teammate rally champion David Higgins, who went on to capture the bronze medal.  On Sunday, after finishing behind Marcus Grönholm and Ken Block, Mirra went straight into the Last Chance Qualifier which he won beating out Robbie Madison and Michael Jernberg.  In the final round Mirra drove smart staying out of trouble with the front pack and managed a top 5 finish.

Words by Matt Martelli

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

[Show as slideshow]

Brian Deegan overcame mechanical issues and a stacked field to grab the gold medal in RallyCross at Summer X Games 17. The Metal Mulisha general fought his way through the vastly more experienced field and reminded the world that he is serious about racing. It was an unusually hot and muggy day for Southern California, but that didn’t stop thousands of fans from showing up to witness the newly birthed American version of RallyCross, rip through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.

After sorting out the mechanical gremlins that caused him to retire during Saturdays head to head Rally Car race, Deegan went out and soundly beat newcomer Robbie Madison, American Rally competitor Dillion Van Way, and the battered veteran Travis Pastrana, (who was forced to use hand controls to brake and accelerate) in his qualifying round – which put him through to the final round of competition.

At the start of the final, European RallyCross standout Liam Doran got the hole-shot leading the pack into the first corner, but was pushed into the wall by last years gold medalist and Ford/Rockstar team member Tanner Foust. Deegan saw his way through the melee and ended out in front, gaining a huge advantage on the tight fast course. Brian never gave up the lead position even after his mandatory joker lap. With Tanner Foust and WRC Champion Marcus Grönholm still chasing him, Deegan held fast and remained steady. The former FMX champ took the checkered flag in his Rockstar Metal Mulisha Ford Fiesta, taking his first ever gold medal in X Games RallyCross.

X Games 17 RallyCross Results:
1. Gold – Brian Deegan
2. Silver – Tanner Foust
3. Bronze – Marcus Grönholm

Words by The Martelli Brothers

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

[Show as slideshow]

Los Angeles is known for many things, but the one thing everyone can agree on is the city is most infamous for its traffic. At X Games 17, traffic really came into play on Saturday as the Rally competition heated up for Monster Energy athletes Ken Block, Liam Doran and Dave Mirra.

The streets around L.A. Live have been turned into racing canyons with two corners of dirt as well as a 52-foot dirt-to-dirt jump added. The canyons of speed are unforgiving though, with the concrete walls best described by Doran as “hard.”

Doran’s run to the gold medal started with a convincing win in the opening round and was highlighted in the semifinals when he took out Tanner Foust, the fastest qualifier, to guarantee himself at lest a silver medal.

In the finals, Doran dominated the best of three competition grabbing theholeshot in both races and never looking back on his way to the checkered flag.

For Doran the seeding session was rough as he hit the wall and damaged his car. The contact bent his right rear suspension. After being one of the fastest in practice the setback in seeding put things in perspective for Doran.

“The key to getting through these eliminations is to keep the car together,” said Doran. “I learned in seeding that if you push too hard, you can damage the car and end your day.

During seeding it was Mirra leading the way for the Monster athletes. And in his first elimination run, his dominance showed beating his competitor by 10 seconds. In the quarter finals Mirra was part of some of the best racing all day as he was side-by-side through the joker section but he was unable to make a pass and was eliminated.

Downtown L.A. wasn’t friendly to Block on Saturday as his engine blew up in qualifying and he was unable to start in the elimination round.  Block isn’t deterred though as he know he has another chance at X Games gold on Sunday in Rally Cross.

In front of thousands of cheering spectators and millions of TV viewers, European RallyCross standout Liam Doran dominated the Head-to-Head rally race to walk away with a gold medal. The field was stacked and the competition was intense, but the young RallyCross start brought his A-game and wielded his Monster Energy C4 Citroën like a seasoned veteran.

Set partially on the streets of LA just in front of the Staples Center, the rally course was a combination of tarmac, dirt and gravel, making tire selection and suspension set up critical. The racing was a head to head competition pitting two cars against each other in single elimination rounds.

Liam advanced his way up the bracket beating both new comers as well as last year’s X Games Gold medalist Tanner Foust. In the final round Liam was faced up against WRC champion Grönholm for a best of 3 competition. Liam bested the rally legend beating him two rounds one after the other in dominating fashion.

“It feels amazing to win my first event at my first ever X Games! I am just super excited to be here competing. I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow, RallyCross is my event!” stated Liam.

Liam’s Monster Energy teammate and hooning king Ken Block ran into mechanical issues in practice but still managing to qualify. His mechanical issues worsened however during seeding and ultimately was forced to withdraw with a blown engine. Ken will be back with a newly prepped car to compete alongside Liam in RallyCross tomorrow at 2pm pacific.

X Games 17 Rally Car Results:

1. Gold Medal – Liam Doran
2. Silver Medal – Marcus Gronholm
3. Bronze Medal – David Higgins

Words by Matt Martelli

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

[Show as slideshow]

European Rallycross star Liam Doran makes his X Games Debut in rally this weekend. The young brit brings his flamboyant driving style to the streets of Los Angeles to battle the top names in Rally, including his teammate and king hoonigan, Ken Block. Watch Liam slide his car sideways and rip around the track while testing his Monster Energy Citroën C4 Rallycross car at Irwindale speedway, in preparing for X Games.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

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]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:::

KEN BLOCK ROCKS VIENNA WITH THE FIRST STOP OF HIS GYMKHANA WORLD TOUR.

JULY 11, 2011, Vienna, Austria – With over 25,000 people in attendance, the first stop of Ken Block’s Gymkhana World Tour in Vienna, Austria was a massive success. The three-stop tour brings the Gymkhana driving, made famous by Block’s hugely popular Internet videos, up close and personal to a live audience.

“Ever since we filmed the first Gymkhana video, I have wanted to be able to bring this type of action to a place where people can watch it live, and Gymkhana World Tour does exactly that,” said Block. “I’m super stoked on the staggering turnout we had in Austria. It was just amazing to have such an enormous crowd be able to witness the hooning so close, and to see everyone enjoy it so much.”

In addition to Block’s smoke-filled, dangerously close, gymkhana antics, the Hoonigan was joined by the Masters of Dirt freestyle motocross crew, including Blake “Bilko” Williams and Adam Jones. The FMX riders not only put on a show of their own, but joined in with Block for a little synchronized insanity.

“It was awesome being able to work with Bilko, Adam and the Masters of Dirt team at the event,” said Block. “Those guys were going huge during their sets and the crowd was bugging when we were running the course at the same time. The crowd also went wild for the surprise Segway donuts, which we did completely unrehearsed at the end of the show.”

While the main event took place Sunday night, the actual event spread over the entire weekend, offering media and VIPs rides with Block in his Gymkhana Ford Fiesta.

“I am always happy to be able to give people the experience of actually getting in the car with me, since, while it may be fun to watch, nothing beats actually getting in the car,” said Block. “The only bummer is that we can’t give everyone a ride.”

The Vienna stop of the Gymkhana World tour was presented by Monster Energy, Ford, DC and SPY Optic. The next stop will be in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, July 23rd, followed by the final stop in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, August 27th.

Block’s next competitive event will be Summer X Games 17, taking place in Los Angeles, California, July 30th and 31st. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

For images of Ken Block at the Vienna stop of his Gymkhana World Tour: https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/11444926/1/WorldTourAUT?h=ab1bc3

About Ken Block: Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy ten overall wins, in addition to numerous podium appearances as well as X Games medals. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. His keen branding and marketing acumen has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral videos, which include his record-setting jump for the TV series Stunt Junkies, his scenes in the DC snowboard video Mtn.Lab 1.5 and spy footage of his Subaru TRAX STI project in action, along with his Gymkhana videos. Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009 and his “Gymkhana THREE; Part 2 Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome” the No. 6 Viral Video of 2010. In January 2010, he formed the Monster World Rally Team and signed with Ford to become the first American to campaign in the World Rally Championship, becoming only the second American to ever score points in the WRC during his inaugural 2010 season. Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning domestically in racing (Rally America and X Games), as well as continuing to do gymkhana. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand.

About Monster World Rally Team: Created and assembled by Ken Block, the object of the Monster World Rally Team is to redefine the race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also market motorsport through innovative, creative and interactive ways. The team is supported by Monster Energy, Ford Motor Company, DC Shoes, Mobil 1, Pirelli Tires and the Dirt3 videogame.

For more information contact: Matt Tuccillo matt@monsterworldrallyteam.com mailto:matt@monsterworldrallyteam.com +1.917.626.6031

For hi-res images or to be added to the MWRT mailing list contact: pr@monsterworldrallyteam.com mailto:pr@monsterworldrallyteam.com

Follow us at www.monsterworldrallyteam.com http://www.monsterworldrallyteam.com/

How do you reveal Travis Pastrana’s new 2011 X Games rally car livery?  You tap the kings of viral video production, to spoof his boss Ken Block! Mad Media is the crew behind many of Blocks most viewed videos, including the Gymkhana series, and the wildly successful reveal of his 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC rally car. With that reveal clip in mind, Mad Media shot Travis and his new ride on location at Red Gum Creative Campus, and crafted the ultimate spoof video. The shoot called for casting three lovely “senior” ladies to poke fun at Ken’s “Monster Girls”. Block threw down the gauntlet last year when he teased Travis about racing NASCAR. In response Travis has now vowed to beat Ken at this years X Games. STAY TUNED! X Games rally is about to get HEATED!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Argentina, like many people, I always thought it was a country just a bit south of Mexico and fairly close to the U.S., but that is anything but the case.  The country lies in the southern part of South America, 7000 miles away from Phoenix by Air.  It takes just as long to fly to the capital city of Buenos Aires as it does to fly to central Europe.

450 miles northeast of Buenos Aires lies the town of Villa Carlos Paz, the home for round six of the World Rally Championship, Rally Argentina.  The 19 special stages were split over four days and covered 235 miles of the Argentine countryside.  Carlos Paz lies in the foothills of northwest Argentina and the stages took full advantage of the elevation changes and stunning scenery of the region.

PWRC driver Gianluca Linari (ITA) and co driver Nicola Arena (ITA) drift a corner during special stage 6 - giulio cesare

Baja veterans will be surprised at the similarity of the terrain and fauna found in the Carlos Paz area.  The rolling hills, the cacti, the plants and even the color of the dirt.  And just like baja the fans are incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about off road motorsports (Argentina also hosts the infamous Dakar rally).  The stages are lined with thousands of screaming fans, many of whom enjoy beer and Fernet and Cola, a local favorite.  Some drive into the stage early in the morning but many more camp out the night before and make it a multi day party.  If trophy trucks were running instead of rally cars you could easily think you were at Borrego, Zoo Road or Ojos Negros.

A new rule set and new cars for the WRC in 2011 saw the addition of more manufacturers as well.  Mini joined the series for 2011 and VW will have a factory team in 2012.  The new WRC cars are based on smaller vehicles than previous years and are similar to the S2000 classification.  Citroen uses the DS3, Ford the Fiesta and Mini uses a mini.  Previously Citroen used the c4 and Ford the Focus with 2.0 liter turbo charged engines.  All the new cars feature a turbo 1.6 liter with four wheel drive.  So far this season the new cars are proving to be even faster with many old records falling.

WRC Peter Van Merksteijn (NLD) and co driver Eddy Chevaillier (BEL) exit a corner on special stage 4 El Condor

Most rallies feature rather smooth graded dirt roads which promote very high speeds for the cars.  Rally Argentina was quite the opposite featuring very rough dirt roads full of large sharp rocks waiting to puncture tires, huge boulders waiting to rip an A arm from a car, high cliffs with drops of hundreds of feet and large holes waiting to punish suspensions.  In short, it is the rally version of the Mint course.

The rally began on Thursday with the shakedown stage.  Each driver is allowed four runs on the stage and many return to the service park (main pit to us) for setup and tuning changes between runs to dial in the car.  Times on the shakedown stage do not count towards the final results.

WRC driver Ken Block (USA) and co driver Alex Gelsomino (USA) drift a corner during super special 1 Carlos Paz

The first special stage of the rally was Thursday afternoon, a 3km super special stage in the heart of Carlos Paz.  The stage had two lanes and pitted racers against each other head to head in front of thousands of spectators in grandstands, on hillsides, or being pampered in the VIP tents.  Sebastien Loeb took the top spot on the stage by .9 of a second over Petter Solberg with Sebastien Ogier another .1 second back in third given Citroen a sweep of the podium.

The rally continued on Friday with six more stages to the west of Carlos Paz on top of the mountains at 7000 feet.  Three special stages would be run twice each for a daily total of 100 miles.  Jari-Matti Latvala  won the first four stages in his Ford and giving him a lead of 12.1 seconds over Solberg.  Solberg then won stage 6 – Giulio Cesare, by 1.6 seconds over Ogier with Latvala in third.

WRC driver Matthew Wilson (GBR) and co driver Scott Martin (GBR) drift a corner during special stage 6 - giulio cesare

The final stage of the day, El Condor, saw Loeb race to the stage win by 2 seconds over Latvala and 8.1 seconds over Solberg.  When the times were totaled for day 1 Latvala held a healthy lead of 18.2 seconds over Solberg and 28.8 over Ogier.  Seven time consecutive world champion Loeb was fifth, 90 seconds behind Latvala.

Day two was comprised of four stages each run twice for a total of 100 miles.  Day two opened with special stage eight, Las Jarillas.  Previously in the WRC all stages of a rally were either pavement or dirt but for the first time in the history of the sport the rules were opened to allow both surfaces in one rally.

Las Jarillas will go down in rally history as the first WRC stage to combine both surfaces.  The 13.4 mile stage began with 4.9 miles of dirt and followed with 8.5 miles of pavement on a twisting mountain road full of hairpins and high speed sweepers.  The service park was awash in rumors after the drivers did their recce (prerun) on the stage.  Loeb had told his team that if he drove at 100% on the pavement his tires would be slicks with three miles of pavement left in the stage.  Keep in mind that the rally was mostly dirt so the cars were using soft compound off road tires for maximum grip on most of the stages.  Further complicating matters was that each team was allocated just 35 tires for the entire rally, which added another element of strategy to the mix.

WRC driver Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) and co driver Miikka Anttila (FIN) drift a corner during special stage 12 - las jarillas II

Most of the corners also had patches of dirt on the inside of the pavement.  Latvala was first on the stage and he took advantage of his position to cut to the inside of all the corners throwing dirt and rocks all over the pavement to reduce grip levels and slow down his competition.  In the end it was Ogier that won the stage with Latvala 6.6 seconds back and Mikko Hirvonen another 4.2 seconds back in the third.

Loeb staged a comeback winning stages 9, 10, 11, 14 and 15.  Ogier won stage 13 and took the lead from Latvala by 11.2 seconds and on stage 14 Latvala threw it away after hitting an object and breaking a front shock which dropped him back to eighth.  At the end of 14 stages Solberg was 21 seconds off of Ogier in the lead and was looking good to overtake him on the final day and get his first win since the Factory Subaru team pulled out of the WRC.  However the infamous Mr. Murphy had other plans.  Solberg, now a privateer racing a Citroen DS3 rented from the factory lost his power steering on the final stage of the day which cost him a minute and put him out of contention.

WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) and co driver Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) drive off and then break the podium ramp

At the end of day two Ogier now had the lead with 43 seconds over Hirvonen and 47 seconds on his teammate Loeb.  With only 36 miles left on day three and 29 miles of it on a single stage Ogier was in the catbird seat and only had to drive a conservative pace on the final day to claim victory.

The first stage of day three, special stage 16 – Ascochinga, was one of the longest of the year at 29 miles.  The stage is notoriously difficult as described by Solberg’s co driver Chris Patterson.  “What a monster stage and what a monster of a day really. It’s two stages from the past which are joined together by a new section about three kilometres long with one tight hairpin left junction on it, which we expect to be full of spectators. The two stages were always traditionally incredibly difficult.  We have to be very careful about tyre wear because we’ve got one set of tyres for the whole day. Okay they’re not long stages but we still have to have a set of new tyres for the Power Stage. You have to be clever and think about the tyres”

Ogier was looking good on Stage 16 but near the end of the stage he cut too tight on the inside of a corner and rolled his car causing significant damage to the front end and cutting his lead down to just 21 seconds over new second place driver Loeb.  Ogier lost power steering as a result of the roll which would give him a major fight in the final stages with all the tight turns and Loeb breathing down his neck.

WRC driver Ken Block (USA) signs autographs for fans in the service park at the end of day 2 of Rally Argentina.

Stage 17 Cabalango I was a high speed stage just under 2.5 miles long that featured some large jumps, a water crossing and thousands of spectators who camped out to watch the morning’s action.  With a repaired car Latvala took the win by 0.8 seconds over Loeb and Ogier was 9.5 seconds off the leader battling his damaged car.

Stage 18 took the drivers back to the center of Carlos Paz for another run on the super special stage.  Solberg let it all hang out and took the win by 0.6 seconds over Loeb.  Ogier still held the lead over Loeb after the stage but it was now down to just 3.3 seconds with one stage to go as the drivers would take another run on Cabalango.

Solberg scored another stage win on Cabalango II, a half second in front of Hirvonen and Loeb.  Ogier lost 11.1 seconds to Solberg which put Loeb over to the top giving him the overall victory on the final stage.  Hirvonen’s time boosted him into second overall 2.4 seconds back and Ogier was able to hold on to third overall 7.3 behind Loeb.  Loeb commented on the tough weekend after securing the win.  ”  after our penalty when we saw the rhythm of all the drivers because we were all fighting the same at the stages I believed that it would not be possible to try to get a victory. So my target was to try to catch the ones in front; it was Mikko at this time and I tried to push as hard as possible from Friday midday to now and I’m really happy to have done this because we won by only two seconds so all the effort we have done yesterday, pushing on the limit all the time, has been paid today. It’s a great victory.”

Cabalango II was also the Power Stage of the rally, a new element for the 2011 season where the top three drivers are awarded world championship points (3-2-1) towards the year end standings.  Solberg’s win gave him a welcome boost in the points standings.

WRC driver Sebastien Loeb (FRA) and co driver Dani Elena (MCO) drive through a water crossing on special stage 17 cablango I during Rally Argentina. Loeb won the rally by 2.4 seconds over Horvonen.WRC driver Sebastien Loeb (FRA) and co driver Dani Elena (MCO) drive through a water crossing on special stage 17 cablango I during Rally Argentina. Loeb won the rally by 2.4 seconds over Horvonen.

Cabalango I was also a significant stage for American rally fans as Ken Block had his best stage finish ever, taking fifth overall just 3.5 seconds off of Latvala.  Block spoke about the rally at the finish
“I’ve loved being down here for WRC Argentina. If it wasn’t for suffering yet another mechanical issue on Saturday, I would have been on pace to score my first points of the season. So, missing out on that sucks. It wasn’t all bad though, on Sunday I took 5th on-stage for SS17, which is a personal best for me in the WRC. I’m definitely stoked about that. Plus the fans are absolutely wild and the stages have been incredible.”  This was Block’s first rally since crashing out in spectacular fashion on the shakedown stage in Portugal in March.  Block suffered a gearbox failure on Saturday and was not able to drive the afternoon stages.  While the mechanical failure took him out of the top ten and a chance to score driver points by completing the rally he did score constructor points for the Monster World Rally Team for the third time this season.  Block will return to the WRC at Rally  Deutschland, an all pavement event August 18th.

This year’s running of Rally Argentina was Block’s first time and despite a mixed bag of results in the WRC he had a huge fan base on site before the rally started.  Everywhere Block went he was mobbed by fans and he clearly appreciated the support.  The way Block handles his adversity is also impressive.  At the end of Saturday’s racing, Solberg sat in his car shielded by members of his crew after a bad stage.  Block, who had a far worse day (he DNFed three stages) instead set up an impromptu fan session in the service park signing and giving away hundreds of posters to the eager crowd.

WRC driver Ken Block (USA) and co driver Alex Gelsomino (USA) drive through a water crossing on special stage 17 cablango I

At the conclusion of Rally Argentina Loeb holds the points lead with 126, Hirvonen is second with 113 and Ogier is third with 96.  Citroen holds the lead in the constructor standings with 207 with the factory Abu Dhabi Ford effort in second with 174.  The Monster team is now ninth out of eleven with 8 points.

The Argentine people are extremely passionate about motorsports and are big fans of the American drivers.  When speaking with locals over the past week, every time it comes up that I am from the U.S. invariably the people mention Block, Gordon and Miller with huge smiles on their faces.  It was a pleasure to cover this event and meet so many great people from South America.

The World Rally Championship continues on June 16th with the Acropolis  Rally of Greece.

Complete final results at http://www.wrc.com/results/2011/championship-standings/manufacturers/

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May 30, 2011, Cordoba, Argentina – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino headed to South America for their first visit to WRC Argentina and came away with their best-ever WRC stage finish this past weekend. Over the course of the rally, Block and Gelsomino attacked the notoriously difficult stage roads of the Argentinean country side at a promising pace, showing consistent top 10 stage finishes, until a broken driveshaft stunted their effort. Still the two pressed on, and upped the pace, eventually laying down speed on WRC Argentina’s SS17 that placed them 5th fastest, the team’s best-ever stage finish in a WRC rally.

“I’ve loved being down here for WRC Argentina. If it wasn’t for suffering yet another mechanical issue on Saturday, I would have been on pace to score my first points of the season. So, missing out on that sucks. It wasn’t all bad though, on Sunday I took 5th on-stage for SS17, which is a personal best for me in the WRC. I’m definitely stoked about that. Plus the fans are absolutely wild and the stages have been incredible.”

Following a win in the heads up format of Thursday’s opening SuperSpecial SS1, Block and Gelsomino headed out on Friday in good shape and with the intention to run a conservative, steady pace. Block’s overall goal for the rally was simply to keep it clean, have fun and cross the finish line. By the end of Leg 1 on Friday, that goal was being realized as Block found himself sitting in 9th place overnight. Saturday however, would be less kind. After Friday’s reserved pace, Block decided to step things up as he gained back his in-car confidence following an eight-week hiatus from racing. Unfortunately, on the second stage of the day, SS9, Block suffered a broken driveshaft, which eventually forced a retirement on SS11.

However, Sunday morning brought a fresh chance to restart for Block under SuperRally rules. Unfortunately, on the first stage of the day, a slight off, which caused a tire puncture, cost the two 16 minutes. Despite this though, Block went on to lay down his best WRC stage finish to date on the next stage, placing 5th, while being about 3 seconds off of stage winner, and fellow Ford teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala.

“To have Ken driving at this level after being out of the car for eight weeks and pull off a personal best for a stage finish on these roads is massive,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “He showed great poise on some very difficult stages and demonstrated great future potential for next year here in Argentina.”

The next WRC stop for MWRT will be ADAC Rally Deutschland, August 18-21. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

For images of Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC in action at Rally Argentina: https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/11444926/1/PRselects?h=465b93

About Ken Block: Ken Blockʼs rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy ten overall wins, in addition to numerous podium appearances as well as X Games medals. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. His keen branding and marketing acumen has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a rally driver through his wildly successful viral videos, which include his record-setting jump for the TV series Stunt Junkies, his scenes in the DC snowboard video Mtn.Lab 1.5 and spy footage of his Subaru TRAX STI project in action, along with his Gymkhana videos. Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009 and his “Gymkhana THREE; Part 2 Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome” the No. 6 Viral Video of 2010. In January 2010, he formed the Monster World Rally Team and signed with Ford to become the first American to campaign in the World Rally Championship, becoming only the second American to ever score points in the WRC during his inaugural 2010 season. Additionally, his signing with Ford included campaigning domestically in racing (Rally America and X Games), as well as continuing to do gymkhana. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand.

About Monster World Rally Team: Created and assembled by Ken Block, the object of the Monster World Rally Team is to redefine the race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also market motorsport through innovative, creative and interactive ways. The team is supported by Monster Energy, Ford Motor Company, DC Shoes, Mobil 1, Pirelli Tires and the Dirt3 videogame.

For more information contact: Matt Tuccillo matt@monsterworldrallyteam.com mailto:matt@monsterworldrallyteam.com +1.917.626.6031

For hi-res images or to be added to the MWRT mailing list contact: pr@monsterworldrallyteam.com mailto:pr@monsterworldrallyteam.com

Follow us at www.monsterworldrallyteam.com http://www.monsterworldrallyteam.com/

We love POV cameras, especially GoPro’s! You can put these little suckers in the sketchiest spots imaginable. We gathered up all of our best off-road and drift GoPro shots from the past year and slapped them together in this one-minute barrage of video insanity. Special thanks to the boys at GoPro for helping us capture pure carnage. Visit www.gopro.com to find out more about these marvels of media madness.

Music:

‘Here We Go’ – the opening track to Bassnectar’s ‘Timestretch” release is a full throttle throw-back to the crowd-crushing hype of U.K. drum & bass – but with a twist. The beat hits at half-time like a tidal wave of blistering lazer synths doing the forbidden dance inside your ears. (Includes exclusive vocals by Ranking Joe!)

Visit http://Music.Bassnectar.net to purchase ‘Timestretch’ – a five-track roller coaster ride through the amusement park of amorphous bass music.

Subscribe to the Bassnectar Labs channel to be the 1st to receive notice of new exclusive music and video content from Bassnectar and Amorphous Music.

http://youtube.com/bassnectarlabs

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Mad Media Wednesdays are back with a vengeance! It’s one thing to be able to drive a car on two wheels, but it’s completely another level when you can put a 6000lb trophy truck on two wheels at will and drive it around! Check out this clip we shot a couple years ago in Germany at Powerdays of off-road bad ass “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin driving his trophy truck on two wheels! Enjoy!

Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 was shot just south of Paris, France in Linas at l’Autodrome de Linas —Montlhéry, where Ken Block successfully attempted various tricks for the first time ever. The unique geography of the area enhanced Ken’s ability to be creative, and pull-off some of the most amazing feats in a car! This clip takes one of those amazing tricks and explores it from an extended, all angles shot view.

Produced by Mad Media – Directed by The Martelli Brothers

Set your DVR’s “The Baja 300:Powerdays” begins airing on FUEL TV February 23 at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Produced By Mad Media

Directed by The Martelli Brothers

Additional Air Dates:

Finishing up Ken Block’s three-part video series teasing his 2011 WRC season start is a clip of Block in action with his new machine. Caught during testing in the woods and frozen lakes of a wintry Sweden, watch Block relentlessly flog his 2011 Monster Energy Ford Fiesta RS WRC as he preps for the season kickoff in Karlstad, Sweden.

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Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team are upping the ante for 2011 with a bigger and broader schedule of races and events. In addition to taking on more WRC rounds this year in the all-new Monster Energy Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Block will also be competing in Summer X Games, Gymkhana GRID, and select RallyCar rallies and RallyCross events in the United States.

“2011 is going to be really big for me and the Monster World Rally Team,” says Block “We’re doing more WRC races this year, kicking off the Gymkhana World Tour, racing in Summer X Games, filming Gymkhana 4, plus hitting up a lot of other rally-related events worldwide. We even have a few top-secret projects in the works. I’m a lucky bastard to be doing all this, it’s going to be an amazing year!”

Teasing the season, MWRT is releasing a three-part video series. The first of the clips reveals the all-new 2011 Monster Energy Ford Fiesta RS WRC with its freshly updated livery. The Fortum Ski Tunnel in Torsby, Sweden set the background for this clip while the Monster Girls provided some additional eye candy.

In the second clip, being released February 9th, Block candidly answers questions posed by fans on Facebook, ranging from his favorite moments of the 2010 season, to what he’s looking forward to in 2011 and what his personal expectations are of himself during his second year of WRC development, as well as what it’s like to be going into a brand-new chassis.

The last clip focuses solely on what the fans are pining for: snow-slinging, sideways action of Block in the Fiesta WRC for the first time ever during his pre-Rally Sweden test. This final clip will be released on February 10th.

Produced by Mad Media

Directed by The Martelli Brothers

In addition, Block and the Monster World Rally Team are also pleased to announce three new sponsors for the 2011 season. Joining Monster Energy, Ford, DC Shoes, Pirelli, Dirt3, Spy Optics, Hoonigan, Ryno Organics and Alpinestars will be Mobil 1 Extended Performance, Traxxas and GoPro.

2010 turned out to be the biggest and most exciting year for Ken Block’s rally career. Becoming the first American to enter the World Rally Championship, Block took the motorsport world by storm by adding a full Rally America season, filming Gymkhana THREE, the Gymkhana GRID series, and more to his plate.

It wasn’t easy road, with a year full of mechanical issues and other setbacks. But Block filled it with enough win to make his name known – dropping into the history books of rally racing, and having one hell of a good time doing it.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers

Produced by Mad Media

This groundbreaking event took place in Germany and brought the worlds of off-road and rally racing together. “Powerdays” is the brainchild of rally savant Armin Schwartz and features four classes of off-road vehicles racing on the same course, at the same time. The half-hour program showcases rally drivers Ken Block, Petter Solberg, and Gigi Galli, along with off-road racers Jesse James, “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Gustavo Viladolsiva, and Danny Sullivan. Powerdays, which was sanctioned by SCORE International and viewed live by more than 50,000 German race fans, includes some of the most intense off-road racing action ever captured on film. Highlights of the show include BJ Baldwin jumping over Ken Block, while a freestyle motocross team executes tricks over BJ, in the midst of a massive fireworks show! “Powerdays” begins airing on Wednesday February 23 at 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT on FUEL TV.

Produced by Mad Media

Directed by The Martelli Brothers