Autoblog

Video: Mikko Hirvonen tests WRC Ford Focus, enters low orbit

Zach Bowman — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Racing

Mikko Hirvonen and his 2010 Ford Focus RS WRC - Click above to watch video after the jump

Our collective blogging heart goes out to Mikko Hirvonen. It's a shame to see a driver with galaxies worth of talent constantly banished to the lower rungs of the podium by the likes of Sebastien Loeb. Perpetually optimistic, the Finnish hoon seems to be a rarity among the racing driver species. Even in the face of repeated defeat, the guy typically keeps his cool and hopes for the best. That doesn't necessarily mean he's content to sit back and watch Citroën continue to dominate the WRC and Hirvonen has been beating the life out of his Focus RS racer in preparation for the upcoming Finland Rally.

Fortunately for us, a video of the testing action has made its way to the YouTubes, complete with plenty of shots of the mean Blue Oval in defiance of the laws of gravity. At some point, if we're very lucky, we just might figure out how the guy manages to get that hatch to pivot mid-air. Click past the jump to waste a little time in the best way possible.

[Source: YouTube via WebRidesTV]

Continue reading Video: Mikko Hirvonen tests WRC Ford Focus, enters low orbit

Video: Mikko Hirvonen tests WRC Ford Focus, enters low orbit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2009 Race of Champions heads to Beijing

Noah Joseph — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, China, Celebrities

2008 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium - Click above for high-res image gallery

Most of this year's major motorsport series are winding to a close. Champions are being crowned. Teams are preparing for next year. You know what that means: it's time for the Race of Champions.

The international event has been held for the past twenty years, and it always offers a real spectacle as some of the world's best drivers compete for top honors. And this year figures to be no different. Held for the first time outside of Europe at the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing, the 2009 Race of Champions is set to take place next week, packed with an all-star roster.

Among those taking part this year will be newly-crowned Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, recently retired F1 stalwart David Coulthard and rising star Sebastian Vettel. Although six-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb - who won the RoC last year and twice before that - has apparently opted to sit this one out, perennial runner-up Mikko Hirvonen will be competing, along with Audi's multiple Le Mans winners Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro; touring car champions Andy Priaulx, Mattias Ekstrom, Jamie Whincup and Yvan Muller; Dakar winner Giniel deVilliers, Monegasque single-seat racer Clivio Piccione and Australian bike racer Mick Doohan. And finally, these United States will be represented by two of our very finest showmen, Travis Pastrana and Tanner Foust.

This year, the champions will be competing for bragging rights behind the wheels of such varied machinery as the Ford Focus WRC, Volkswagen Scirocco, KTM X-Bow, Solution F Prototype Opel touring car and three different specially-equipped sprint cars. Tune in on Tuesday, November 3 - just two days after the 2009 Formula One World Championship wraps up in Abu Dhabi - for the results.

Gallery: 2008 Race of Champions

[Source: Race of Champions | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]

2009 Race of Champions heads to Beijing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPOILER ALERT: 2009 World Rally Championship decided at Rally Great Britain

Noah Joseph — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, UK

2009 Rally Great Britain - Click above for high-res image gallery

Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes an exciting season in motorsport. For some, it's witnessing the dominant driver shatter records while sailing to one victory after another. For others, it's the down-to-the-wire action that leaves championships undecided until the very last minute.

For decades, Formula One was dominated by the same few teams - Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Benetton/Renault - winning the title every year until Jenson Button and Brawn GP broke the cycle this season. On the other end of the spectrum, French rally ace Sebastien Loeb has been dominating the World Rally Championship with Citroen for the past five years. But as this year's championship drifted 'round the corner to its final round in Great Britain this weekend, the title remained up for grabs. Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.

Gallery: 2009 Rally Great Britain

Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: 2009 World Rally Championship decided at Rally Great Britain

SPOILER ALERT: 2009 World Rally Championship decided at Rally Great Britain originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford bringing Gurney, GT40 to Goodwood

Alex Nunez — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 08:52:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Performance, Etc., Hatchback, Supercars, Ford

With less than a week to go before the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the announcements from participating marques continue to roll in. Ford will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans and its 4-year win streak at Circuit de la Sarthe by sending one of its original GT40 racing cars prepared for Goodwood in the 1966 winning livery.

Le Mans winners Dan Gurney (1967) and Jackie Oliver (1969) will drive the black #2 GT40 up the hill next weekend. To reiterate, attendees at Goodwood will get to see Dan Gurney, American motorsports icon of the first order, drive a GT40 up the Goodwood hill. Really, the only way it could be better is if he was driving a Mk IV from 1967, but that's probably being greedy.

While the GT40 is the star attraction from the Blue Oval, they're also sending a modern Ford GT for the hillclimb and a 2006 BP Ford Focus RS WRC (currently second in the WRC manufacturer standings). The Focus will be driven on both the hillclimb and the forest rally stage at Goodwood by its regular pilots, Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen.

A number of privately-owned Fords and Ford-powered cars are also entered in the festival.

(Press releases, photos after the jump)

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford bringing Gurney, GT40 to Goodwood

Ford bringing Gurney, GT40 to Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jul 2006 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments