Gymkhana 5 will arrive on the 9th of July, which means that we’re going to be treated to three more days of teaser videos.
However, with the way these teasers are being made, we certainly aren’t complaining. Following in the wake of the first and second teasers, teaser 3 gives us yet another sneak peek of Gymkhana 5, complete with plenty of jumping and high-flying action. Just what the doctor ordered.
We also already know that Travis Pastrana will be co-starring in Gymkhana 5, which means that we’re expecting nothing less than an epic showing of hooning madness.
Count the days, kids. Gymkhana 5 is three days away from dropping into our screens. Like we said, we don’t mind waiting for it, but it certainly doesn’t mean that we’re not biting our nails in anticipation. Here’s to hoping we have enough of our fingers remaining by the time the suspense ends this Monday.
With the development of the Volkswagen Polo R WRC car well under the way, an awesome video was released showcasing the car’s ability in a secluded Finnish forest, with racer Sebastien Ogier behind the wheel of this intense little rally car.
The Volkswagen Polo R WRC will enter the world-renowned rally series for the 2013 season, and the following video shows that VW has created what appears to be a true competitor for the World Rally championship. The launch of the car late last year has helped mark what could be a new generation of WRC racing.
Just a few years ago, major manufacturers, such as Subaru, were continually pulling out of the championship, but with VW prepping their new entry for the series, Skoda set to graduate into the WRC with its Super 2000 Fabia, and Hyundai suspected to reenter the series soon, the World Rally Championship’s future has never been so exciting.
As you may recall, the Polo R WRC features a 1.6-liter TSI engine delivering an impressive 300HP and an advanced four-wheel drive system. Tipping the scales at just 2,645 pounds, the Polo R is a true performance car and we wish Volkswagen all the best for its future WRC endeavors.
July 9th is getting closer and so is the official launch of the Ken Block’s Gymkhana 5. After the first trailer was unveiled at the end of June, today a second trailer has offered us a few more details on the next Gymkhana 5.
As promised, Gymkhana 5 is packed with amazing tricks and this second trailer stars Travis Pastrana and his bike. The video is called "Block vs Pastrana" so we can only imagine all the fun it will bring. Here’s what DC Shoes says: "Now featured on the cover of the September Racer X magazine (on shelves mid-July), the showdown between these long-time friends and DC teammates is nothing less than awesome!"
For those who do not know, the new Gymkhana 5 will feature Block’s trusty Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. rally racer as it cruises through the streets of San Francisco.
We can hardly wait for July 9th to come!
Recruiting a racer often regarded as one of the greatest drivers ever - in this case Sebastien Loeb - was an ambitious plan for the organizers of the recent 2012 X Games in Los Angeles and Travis Pastrana himself, but after the WRC-driver blitzed the field in the final of the Rallycross event, all the millions they inevitably spent getting him to the event, certainly paid off.
In a tight circuit, Loeb started at the front of the grid for the short race which lasted only 6 laps. However, in that time, Loeb managed to scamper away from the field like he was from another planet and ended up beating second place Ken Block to the finish line by no less than 12 seconds!
Yep, that’s 2 seconds quicker per lap than all of his rivals, some of whom are considered the best drivers the U.S. has to offer for the rallying world, namely Tanner Foust and Ken Block.
However, for all the Block fans out there, he did manage to come home second despite picking up a puncture in the first half of the race, meaning his was running around on the right-rear rim for upwards of 3 laps. An achievement which is definitely worth commending.
On the day however, no man could even come close to Loeb in his modified Citroen DS3 which has been de-restricted to produce upwards of 600HP, making a 0-60 mph sprint of less than 3.0 seconds achievable.
At the conclusion of the race, Loeb stated, “The X Games was a good experience, the track was good and I was excited to race at the X Games and win this competition,” he said. “The most difficult point was that first corner because you lose everything if someone hits you.”
We’ve already documented the friendly “feud” between Red Bull teammates Travis Pastrana and Sebastien Loeb. We knew from Loeb’s acceptance video to Pastrana’s challenge that his team was working on a new version of the Citroën DS3 tuned specifically for his X-Games and RallyCross debut.
An important part of making a completely different version of a racecar is the fact that the driver has to thoroughly test it. That’s to be expected, but in true Red Bull style, they made a rather dramatic review of the car and put it on the Interwebz for us all to enjoy. While the actual car footage is scarce in the video, its awesomeness makes up for lack of volume. The absolute symphony of noise that this car makes is enough to raise the hair on the backs of our necks. It’s like the automotive version of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
In the video, Loeb lets us know that the X-Games version of the DS3 is far more powerful than the one he runs in the WRC. Citroën racing engineer, Cyrille Jourdan, chimes in to give us an idea of just how fast this car is, telling us that it hits 60 mph in less than 3 seconds – talk about a ”hot hatch,” sheesh.
The laidback Loeb proceeds to let us know the obvious, that it’s “fun to drive” this finely tuned automotive gem. Seeing the stacks of worn out tires just mere seconds after he says that it’s fun shows us that he has definitely had his fair share of fun with it. We say it’s time he gives us a crack at it!
You can see the video above and make sure to crank up your speakers to catch every last decibel that this wonderful machine puts out. It’s simply awesome.
We told you before exactly how awesome RallyCross really is. It’s full of carnage, contact, and even bicycle ramps. Well, on the flip-side of that coin is extreme danger, especially where the jumping part is concerned. At the X-Games RallyCross running this year, there was a jump with a 50-foot gap and clearing that is typically not a problem.
Well, RallyCross rookie, Toomas Heikkinen, found out just what can happen if you take the jump a little too slowly. As Toomas exits his jump, you can tell something just isn’t quite right. Your feeling would be accurate too, as he slams headfirst into the landing ramp, absolutely destroying his car and landing upside down.
Toomas managed to get out of his flipped Ford Fiesta, as it spewed fluids and fortunately got out prior to it catching fire. Also fortunate is the fact that Toomas escaped with his life, though he does have a broken ankle and some abdominal pain, according to X-Games representatives, to deal with. This means that he will likely not compete in the remainder of the X-Games, but you never know about these RallyCross guys.
Our best wishes go out to Heikkinen for a speedy recovery and a successful return from his injury. Since he is doing well, we feel some good video of the crash is in order. There are two different angles of the crash, with the first being the best, and you can just imagine how much that wreck hurt.
The best video is above and the alternate angle is after the jump.
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Ken Block promised a return to roots for Gymkhana 5 and judging by the first trailer of the highly-anticipated video, the man wasn’t lying.
Not that it needs any more teasing, but Ken Block and his peeps still decided to go that route with Gymkhana 5, providing us with a 37-second appetizer of what we’re all in store for.
Block is already on record saying that Gymkhana 5 will leave the theatrics of Gymkhana 4 behind in order to concentrate on bringing it back to the kind of action-packed, tire-screeching, rubber-burning stunts we’ve become accustomed to.
This time, Block brought his trusty Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. rally racer to the streets of San Francisco, where it laid waste to a whole load of things, including a barge.
Confused? Check out the video and find out!
Don’t forget, the video debuts on July 9, at which point, we’ll be glued to our monitors waiting in earnest for it to drop.
The Toyota PPI Trophy Trucks are often referred to as one of the most significant trucks in off-road history, and rightfully so. The partnership between Toyota and Precision Preparation Inc. (PPI) resulted in 27 wins and seven championships in the now-defunct Mickey Thompson Off-Road Stadium Series, and who can forget the fact that the best of the best in off-roading, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, was a part of this team.
The example we have today, the 1994 Toyota PPI Trophy Truck 015, was the final truck built under the Toyota/PPI partnership. To make this truck even more desirable, Ivan Stewart himself piloted it at the Baja 2000.
This fine truck has just come off of a restoration and RK Motors Charlotte is giving you the opportunity to own this piece of off-road history. We are certain this freshly revamped off-roading legend is going to require a premium price.
To find out more about this truck and its asking price, click past the jump.
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The agreement between Land Rover and Bowler is poised to become a collaboration made in rallying heaven and they’re putting their collective feet out to show their first project together, the Bowler EXR Rally Car.
The prototype rally car will sport a ‘Powered by Land Rover’ branding and has been co-designed by Land Rover and Bowler to be the kind of rally car that will put all others to shame. Or so they say.
The EXR uses a modified chassis of the Range Rover Sport and has been fitted with a 5.0-liter V8 engine that you can also find in a number of Range Rover models. The only caveat is that the EXR’s power train is FIA-restricted for racing purposes, which means that output is only limited to 300 horsepower and 428 lb/ft of torque. The EXR is also fitted with a six-speed manual transmission - and option of a Sadev 6-speed sequential transmission is also available - while also carrying Ricardo front, center, and rear differentials.
The EXR rally car will be in attendance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the end of June were it will be showcased for the first time in full rallying gear.
A lot of people know Ken Block from his rallying forays with the Monster World Rally Team. But for all of his accomplishments in rally racing, a certain segment of his fan base love him more because of another reason.
Gymkhana.
The fifth installment of the Gymkhana series will debut on July 9, 2012, and the good news is that the video is going back to its roots. The latest version - Gymkhana 4 - veered away from the raw, playground feel and steered towards a more Hollywood-centric approach.
For Gymkhana 5, Block is going old-school. “My idea for Gymkhana FIVE was simple,” Block said. “I wanted to build on the ultimate playground concept from Gymkhana THREE, and bring the franchise back to that raw and fast feel that the earlier videos had."
For Gymkhana 5, Block and his crew trooped to San Francisco to shoot the video.
"I’ve always wanted to film a Gymkhana video in a city and there are few places as unique and iconic with such amazing topography as San Francisco," he said.
Check out the teaser video of Gymkhana 5 and be one with the rest of us in waiting with baited breath for the video to arrive. July 9th can’t arrive soon enough.
