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Race Preview: X Games Munich (Sunday)

June 30, 2013
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IN BRIEF: After a wildly entertaining Saturday event, Global Rallycross stages its third and final international race of the 2013 season as part of X Games Munich on Sunday.

TUNE IN INFORMATION: (all times Eastern) Sunday 11:00 AM on ESPN3 & ESPN

ENTRY LIST: Click here for the full entry list.

LAST RACE: Liam Doran became the first driver to win two X Games gold medals as a part of Global Rallycross, dominating the first leg of the Munich doubleheader despite running with only three good tires for much of the final. Ken Block made a valiant effort to finish second, while Toomas Heikkinen became the only driver to win medals in both race events so far this season and took the points lead.

DRIVER CHANGES: Sunday’s field will remain the same as Saturday’s, featuring three drivers who made their Global Rallycross season debuts in Munich. Of those three, two drivers, Mattias Ekstrom (fifth place) and Timur Timerzyanov (10th) made it to the final, while Townsend Bell finished in 12th overall. Ekstrom advanced by finishing second to Block in his heat, while Timerzyanov beat X Games Brazil gold medalist Scott Speed in the last chance qualifier.

THE TRACK: The Munich layout is 807.3 meters long and features a nearly 60:40 ratio of gravel to tarmac. The eight turn course is constructed behind the Fröttmaning bus station near the Allianz Arena, earning it the nickname “FröttmaRing.” The combination of hairpin turns and long straightaways promises tough racing, high speeds and lots of passing.

MINI CAR, BIG WIN: Liam Doran’s victory on Saturday represented the first win for his Prodrive-built MINI Countryman in its first-ever rallycross start. The car, adapted from Prodrive’s World Rally-spec vehicle, features a smaller engine than the rest of the field, enabling it to run with slightly less weight. The combination enabled Doran to post the fastest qualifying time, win his heat race, and lead for the majority of the final.

“Lap times were key here,” Doran said after the event. “I qualified first, went one for one in my heat and one for one in the final, and got in the lead both runs as well. I couldn’t be happier.”

PEDAL FOR THE MEDAL: By scoring his fifth X Games rally medal, Ken Block broke a tie with Travis Pastrana for second place on the all-time list. Only Tanner Foust, with six, has more medals in X Games rally events than Block.

Block now has three silver medals (2007 Los Angeles, 2012 Los Angeles, 2013 Munich) and two bronze (2006 Los Angeles, 2008 Los Angeles). Of Foust’s six medals, three are gold, but he has not added to the tally since taking silver in the second Los Angeles race in 2011.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM RACE 1 AT X GAMES MUNICH:
Global Rallycross at X Games Munich: Saturday Recap

Photo credit: QBA/QNIGAN.com

Categories: Features