Rally cars join X Games

Mar 28, 2006

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 11223 times

Street luge and canoe sky diving didn't really fit the X-Games program but with additions like Super-motard (superretard) and now Rally racing, the extreme sports festival is turning into a motorsports event. Or maybe you can call it the Travis Pastrana Nitro circus show as he can participate in Freestyle Motocross, Supermoto and Rally racing at the 2006 edition in Los Angeles. Anyway, here's the press release on the addition of the latest sport to the games.

ESPN X Games, the premier action sports event in the world, will add the sport of Rally Car racing to its sports lineup, starting with X Games 12 to be held August 3-6, 2006, it was announced today by Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Original Entertainment. X Games 12 will air live on ESPN and ABC Sports from its home in Los Angeles, Calif.

Rally Car Racing features a driver and co-driver racing street legal cars on closed sections of roads called "stages." The goal in rally is to accumulate the lowest elapsed driving time on a prescribed course. The co-driver navigates the course and communicates upcoming road conditions to the driver, so that a high rate of speed can be maintained around and over natural obstacles such as blind crests, jumps, hairpin turns, dips, etc.

"Rally Car Racing is a sport we have been watching for some time now," explained Semiao. "We feel it matches our existing X Games audience while having the ability to attract new viewers, as well. Rally Car Racing is incredibly dynamic and exciting. ESPN is committed to motor sports as evidenced by our acquisition of NASCAR and its return to ESPN in 2007. Adding Rally Car Racing to the X Games furthers our goal of always looking to progress the event and the world of action sports."

The X Games rally will encompass two days of competition, featuring six scenic rally stages on Friday, Aug. 4 and a "Super Special" timed event in a stadium setting on Saturday, Aug. 5. "Bringing some of the world's best rally competitors in front of the X Games viewing audience is a huge step for our sport," said J.B. Niday, Managing Director of Rally America, the sport organizer for the event. "We're packaging a diverse and exciting rally into two days of action-packed entertainment, and we're sure X Games fans will be able to see and feel the intensity of rally car racing."

Details on the complete format, teams, location, tickets, etc. are forthcoming later this spring.