FIESTA AND MARCUS GRONHOLM WIN INAUGURAL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SUPER RALLY
IRWINDALE, Calif. – March 25, 2011 – Two-time world rally champion Marcus Gronholm may have retired from the WRC at the end of the 2007 season, but he demonstrated his skills are as sharp as ever as he dominated the opening event of the Global RallyCross Championship winning the Super Rally event in the Best Buy Ford Fiesta. Gronholm, the fastest qualifier for the SuperRally, did not lose a single heat in his march to victory.
“It wasn’t an easy start with the rain and learning the track, but things cleared up and it went pretty good for us and we won,” said Gronholm. “My Fiesta was really really good today and hopefully that will continue for the RallyCross. Tomorrow is the main event and the racing changes with multiple cars running at the same time. I said earlier that I am having some difficulty with the start of the heat and I need to improve that or else I will have four cars in front of me and that is a big problem.”
The Gronholm victory capped off a successful first day for Ford Racing and the Fiesta as 19-year-old Dillon Van Way claimed the GRC 2WD SuperRally in his Ford Focus.
The two winners were joined on the podium by ROCKSTAR Ford Fiesta driver Tanner Foust who settled for third after a mechanical issue sidelined him in the semi-final round after the Fiesta had won the first race of the best of three match. Swedish RallyCross import Pontus Tidemand finished fourth after falling to his Fiesta teammates in the semi-finals (Gronholm) and consolation race (Foust).
The Global RallyCross Championship will return to the Irwindale Speedway for the RallyCross main event on Saturday.
-source/ford global rally cross
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