Sunday 8 June 2014

X Games Austin Rallycross - Quarter finals report


Quarter Final 1A

Row 1 - Rhys Millen, Liam Doran, Austin Dyne

Row 2 - Joni Wiman, Brian Deegan

Liam Doran made a great start in the first quarter final, launching ahead and surviving contact with Rhys Millen to take an early lead. His lead wasn’t to last however as behind the leaders, Joni Wiman tagged the wall, breaking his suspension and bringing out the red flags.

When the heat restarted, Millen once again tagged Doran, sending the Brit into a spin. Millen took a penalty for the contact whilst Austin Dyne went on to take his first career heat win ahead of Doran and Brian Deegan

Quarter Final 1B

Row 1 - Nelson Piquet Jr., Ken Block, Sverre Isachsen

Row 2 - Ricky Johnson

In the second quarter final Nelson Piquet Jr. and Sverre Isachsen launched ahead of fellow front row starter Ken Block who dropped back early on. However, like the first quarter final, the race was soon red flagged as contact between Piquet Jr. and Isachsen left the Norwegian’s Subaru damaged and stopped on the track.

On the restart, Block made a better getaway to take the lead. Piquet Jr. came close to making a move on the leader in the first turn but appeared to think better of it after his early contact.
A lap later as Ricky Johnson took the joker, he made contact with Piquet Jr. and was taken out of the race. Piquet. Jr. kept going and despite briefly slowing, he took second place behind Block who won convincingly.

Quarter Final 1C

Row 1 - Steve Arpin, Travis Pastrana, Scott Speed

Row 2 - Pat Moro, Anton Marklund

We finally got a clean start in the third quarter final as Scott Speed, Steve Arpin and Travis Pastrana went into the first turn three abreast. Speed emerged as the leader and began to extend a gap. Anton Marklund briefly took the final podium place from Pastrana when he took the joker lap but Pastrana re-took the position a lap later when he took the short cut himself, much to the crowd’s delight. 

Speed took the win ahead of Arpin, Pastrana, Marklund and Pat Moro.

Quarter Final 1D

Row 1 - Toomas Heikkenen, Patrik Sandell, Tanner Foust

Row 2 - Bucky lasek, Emma Gilmour

The fourth Quarter final saw the drama of the first two return. Two time series champion Tanner Foust took a brief lead at the start but coming out of the first turn, the Andretti Volkswagen driver rolled his Polo, knocking him out of the event and bringing out yet another red flag.

Patrik Sandell took an early lead on the restart ahead of Heikkenen with Bucky Lasek and Emma Gilmour further back. On the fourth lap of the six lap race reigning Red Bull GRC champion Heikkenen spun, allowing Emma Gilmour to catch up and pass him. Heikkenen got his car going again but pulled off the track straight away as driveshaft failure and a fire brought an early end to his day. 

Another red flag followed. Sandell, lasek, Gilmour were all that remained and the trio took to the track for a three lap shootout with one joker lap each to decide seeding for the semi-finals.




Images: Garth Milan, Alison Padron, Red Bull Content Pool, Red Bully Global Rallycross


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