VIDEO: Latest '10 Unleashed winner gets his rally on
We don't think of the Ford Mustang as a rally car. In fact, a Mustang doing anything but drag racing doesn't represent its customer base very well, but that doesn't mean we don't like to see it compete in all kinds of motorsports. So who would turn a brand new 2010 Ford Mustang into a rally car? J.B. Niday would. He's the managing director of Rally America, and he unleashed his inner Mustang by pitting his two rally driving friends together for a head-to-head competition.
Using a fairly stock 2010 Ford Mustang GT – only a roll cage, race seats, rally computer, off-road tires, and an HID light bar were added – Mike Hurst and Mark Utecht raced back-to-back over four stages of the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Minnesota, with the winner taking all. And by all, we mean the Mustang. Watch the video after the jump to see who wins.
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
The last thing you'd expect to see zooming through Bemidji, Minn. at the Ojibwe Forests Rally is a 2010 Ford Mustang, or any Mustang for that matter. J.B. Niday, managing director of Rally America, had not yet experienced a 2010 Mustang at any of his Rally America competitions, but that was about to change.
Niday unselfishly chose to unleash his inner Mustang with Ford's "'10 Unleashed" campaign through his two good friends Mike Hurst, technical director for Rally America, and Mark Utecht, one of Rally America's top two wheel drive competitors.
There are no ovals, pace cars or rain delays in Rally racing. The sport features real cars racing against the clock on closed-off sections of real roads that are usually unpaved and unforgiving. Gravel logging roads, mountain passes, well groomed forest roads are what make up the tracks for rally drivers. Events can last several days and cover hundreds of miles through rain, snow and day or night. A rally car is the ultimate real world sports car: one that is capable of high speed and incredible handling on any road surface and in every weather condition.
Niday organized a head-to-head rally in a 2010 Ford Mustang on four stages of the Ojibwe Forests Rally course – winner takes all. Shortly after Niday announced the "'10 Unleashed" challenge, he asked Utecht what he thought about the competition. He was quick to answer, "I think I'm going to beat him [Hurst's] flat out."
Hurst and Utecht are friends off the track and deadly on it. Their "friendly" conversation of recent years has been about who is behind the wheel of the '86 Mustang that Hurst reluctantly sold to Utecht several years ago and this challenge would settle their Mustang rally feud once and for all.
Hurst last drove his cherished '86 Mustang in a rally in February of 2004, Utecht has proved he knows how to drive a Mustang in the woods by winning the Rally America Group 5 class in his region ever since he bought the '86 Mustang from Hurst.
"Big rooster tails, throwing the Mustang through the corners -- that's old school rally and that's what we saw during the '10 Unleashed Mustang Rally," said Niday. "That's what the winner will keep doing with his new Mustang and that's what I want people to look forward to when watching a Rally America event."
No major performance modifications were necessary for the Mustang compete in the rally. The major modifications were made to the interior of the vehicle adding a roll cage racing seats and rally computer. The only two modifications made to the exterior were the off-road racing tires and rally car signature HID Light Bar.
"What better place to settle the Mustang rally feud than through the '10 Unleashed campaign," said Steve Ling, car group marketing manager for Ford Motor Company. "Not only was it great to see Mike and Mark settle their score in the rally-prepped 2010 Mustang, but it was also exciting to see the Mustang take on a world where it typically doesn't belong."
To find out who earned lifetime bragging rights and also took home use of the 2010 Mustang for a year, check out the video chronicling Mustang Rally at www.the2010mustang.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
yosh 8:05PM (11/02/2009)
I'm a little surprised the suspension among things weren't changed. Does this mean that the stock mustang is pretty decent for rally?
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yosh 8:05PM (11/02/2009)
among other*
groundZ 8:21PM (11/02/2009)
While I'm sure it's not horrendously bad, I'd still like to see how it'd compare to more common cars you see at rallies like WRXs and such.
Blacksabre 8:46PM (11/02/2009)
Messy person, I'd quit racing before I'm buy your cheap Chinese knockoff gear.
Please take your idiot advertising elsewhere.
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ZombieR 8:43PM (11/02/2009)
I may be grayed out for this, but the mustang is in no way a capable rally car. The drivers certainly knew what they were doing and that sure looks like a hell of a time - its a nice PR stunt. That said, the car was heavy-tailed, clumsy and (relatively) slow. Theres a reason that mustangs are not a name associated with this motorsport.
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Hamud 8:53PM (11/02/2009)
Mustang not a name associated with motorsport? Dude, I hate to say that but you are drastically misinformed. I would recommend some reading...
The video is not a proof of off road capability or incapability, most of the scenes are slowed down and the car is not prepared to race. Would need a head-to-head test with a real rally car to see what happens.
Stuka 8:56PM (11/02/2009)
Yeah, because nobody has EVER used a RWD car in a rally race before.... AWD cars with computer controlled torque bias have been around since the dawn of time!
Catapult 8:58PM (11/02/2009)
Hamud, I read it as "this motorsport" as in rally.
chris 9:09PM (11/02/2009)
Actually Mark Utech has been rallying mustangs long before the mustang unleashed program, he used to drive a fox body mustang gt until he rolled it and was almost always at the top of the 2wd class in the Max Attack 2wd series
o07eleven 9:57AM (11/03/2009)
Mark had a big discussion about the car and how he could have improved the platform. Ford delivered him the same mustang that was used in the drag race unleashed video that was from the losing teacher. The car was heavy since it had full interior and no weight reduction. He could have easily taken a few hundred pounds off of it, thrown a proper rally suspension on it, and upgraded a few parts elsewhere and it would have been back to business compared to his fox body.
Terry Woodman 5:29PM (11/03/2009)
Actually it was quite capable. I was at the rally and talked to the drivers. Keep in mind, Mustangs are regular attendees at Rally America events, along with the occasional RWD Porsche. They always seem to hold their own against FWD cars.
RoamingGnome 8:44PM (11/02/2009)
Cheap Nike Shoes??
NO EFFING WAY!
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Ryan 10:09PM (11/02/2009)
This rally was so awesome to watch. Hearing that mustang screaming through the woods was pure awesomeness.
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MaxB 9:19PM (11/02/2009)
I'm a little confused, the official results on the Rally America site differ from what they state in the video:
http://rally-america.com/events/2009/OFPR/stages/stage/1/
Maybe AutoBlog could look into this a little more? This is either a really poorly executed PR stunt or there's some details missing. Regardless, it looks like Pastrana in his scooby was besting these Mustangs by an average of almost two minutes a stage. How are these rally cars, again?
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rgwright 10:15PM (11/02/2009)
Mark Utech wrecked his Fox body Mustang rally car back in June. That car was previously build and run by Mike Hurst.
Mark ran the 2010 Mustang in the Ojibwe Forest Rally. On Sunday, after the rally was over, Mike and Mark did the four stage Mustang challenge.
Newkz5 2:15PM (11/06/2009)
they're two completely different classes you can't compare awd with 2wd if you want to compare the mustang to anything you have to compare it the golfs or anything else in 2wd
cruiseoveride 9:26PM (11/02/2009)
The new Mustang looks like they're 10ft off the ground.
Its totally lost the sleekness of the older cars.
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mtbiker124 9:39PM (11/02/2009)
mustang rally... well i'm impressed! it looks like it did pretty damn good!
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Yaroukh 9:40PM (11/02/2009)
This just seems wrong. And I doubt it presents a decent competition for the other more rally-like cars. Am I wrong?
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Mattdoommaster 10:11PM (11/02/2009)
What part of "2WD class" is hard to understand? Its not fighting the WRX - it isn't in the same class as the WRX!
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