The 2012 Global RallyCross Championship was the second season of this championship. The season was composed by 6 rounds, including one round in the X Games. Tanner Foust was crowned champion for the second time, beating teammate Brian Deegan.

Teams and drivers

Constructor Team Car Individual Team No. Drivers Rounds
Sweden Olsbergs MSE 2012 Ford Fiesta Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE 3 Finland Marcus Grönholm[1] 1–3
Sweden Andréas Eriksson 5
Russia Timur Timerzyanov 6
Best Buy Serve Olsbergs MSE[2] 17 United Kingdom David Binks[3] All
Rockstar Etnies Olsbergs MSE 34 United States Tanner Foust All
Rockstar Metal Mulisha Olsbergs MSE 38 United States Brian Deegan All
Bluebeam Olsbergs MSE 57 Finland Toomas Heikkinen 1–3, 5–6
United States Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 11 Norway Sverre Isachsen[4] All
Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 40 United States Dave Mirra[5] All
Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 75 United Kingdom David Higgins 3
Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 81 United States Bucky Lasek[6] All
United States Rhys Millen Racing 2012 Hyundai Veloster Motorcity Disney XD Rhys Millen Racing 12 France Stéphane Verdier All
Hyundai Rallycross Rhys Millen Racing 67 New Zealand Rhys Millen 1–3, 5–6
United Kingdom Scott-Eklund Racing 2010 Saab 9-3 Scott-Eklund Racing 26 United Kingdom Andy Scott 1–4
ENEOS Motor Oil Scott-Eklund Racing 77 Sweden Samuel Hübinette All
United Kingdom Monster Energy Citroën Rallycross Team Citroën C4 WRC Monster Energy Citroën Rallycross Team 33 United Kingdom Liam Doran 2–4, 6
Canada Team 41 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Team 41 41 Canada Richard Burton 1, 4–5
United States Monster World Rally Team 2012 Ford Fiesta Monster World Rally Team Ford Racing 43 United States Ken Block All
United States PMR Motorsports 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI PMR Motorsports 47 United States Tim Rooney 1
PMR Motorsports 59 United States Patrick Moro 1–2, 4–6
Sweden Hansen Motorsport 2012 Citroën DS3 Red Bull Citroën 72 France Sébastien Loeb[7] 3
United States Pastrana 199 Racing 2013 Dodge Dart Pastrana 199 Racing 99 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 2
United States Bryce Menzies 3, 6
Pastrana 199 Racing[8] 199 United States Travis Pastrana 1–5
United States Jimmy Keeney Subaru Impreza WRX STI MCM / Venom/ProDesigns 418 United States Jimmy Keeney 2, 6

Schedule

[9]

Round Location Other Event Date
1 United States Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 26 May
2 United States Texas Motor Speedway IZOD IndyCar Series 9 June
3 United States X Games, Los Angeles X Games XVIII 30 June – 1 July
4 United States New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 14 July
5 United States Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 29 September
6 United States Las Vegas Convention Center[10] Speciality Equipment Market Association 30 October

Season summary

GRC opened its season on a Saturday night at Charlotte with a 17-car field and two sets of heat races, and it was clear from the first practice session that the two drivers to beat were going to be Marcus Grönholm and Tanner Foust of Olsbergs MSE. After qualifying 1–2, each driver won both of their heat races to advance to the final. But a handful of big names wouldn't have such an easy time advancing. Ken Block suffered a spectacular accident in his first heat race, effectively ending his night before it got started. Fellow Olsbergs driver Brian Deegan won his first heat race, but a burnt-out clutch prevented him from finishing the second or making it to the last chance qualifier. Travis Pastrana also had an incident in his first heat, but won the second to advance to the final. From there, it was more of the same up front, with Gronholm and Foust coming home 1–2. Stephan Verdier, in his first race with Rhys Millen Racing, rounded out the podium. Meanwhile, Toomas Heikkinen's aggressive driving in the final earned him a disqualification and the ire of his competitors, including Pastrana and Dave Mirra.

Texas marked the debut of the 70-foot metal gap jump, which proved an obstacle to most drivers at first; Travis Pastrana spent most of practice in his teammate's car after breaking his in jump practice. But drivers figured out the jump in time for qualifying, where once again, Marcus Grönholm and Tanner Foust placed first and second. In a sign of things to come for much of the season, Gronholm, Foust, Brian Deegan, and Samuel Hubinette would win the four heat races. But it was the second of two last chance qualifiers that may have proved most exciting, as Bucky Lasek drove sideways off of the jump and onto a barrier, and other drivers were eliminated one by one until Stephan Verdier was the only one left and thus advanced to the final. Ford and Olsbergs MSE would dominate the final, scoring four of the top five positions as Gronholm, Foust, and Deegan came home 1-2-3 and David Binks finished fifth. Meanwhile, the top 12 drivers in points earned automatic qualifying berths for X Games, held in Los Angeles the next month.

At X Games, two spectacular crashes in practice for Olsbergs MSE teammates Toomas Heikkinen and Marcus Grönholm caused both drivers would miss the race due to injury. Meanwhile, GRC officials nixed the joker lap that ran between the gap in favor of a tabletop jump and no joker lap for Sunday's race. After being challenged by Travis Pastrana, legendary rally driver Sébastien Loeb took a European-honed Citroen to the States to try and conquer his first X Games. It didn't take long for him to establish himself as the man to beat when he won his heat race. Unfortunately, Pastrana's rough season would continue after he suffered terminal damage in the first corner of his heat after an accident with Andy Scott, and was not allowed to replace teammate Bryce Menzies in the other car. For the second race in a row, the ten drivers in the main event would require three attempts to get it right. Loeb would cruise to an easy victory in the valid final, with Ken Block putting in a heroic drive for second on a punctured tire and Brian Deegan winning a medal for the second year in a row by coming in third. Rhys Millen would finish fourth, while Liam Doran, who had taken a surprise gold medal in 2011's head-to-head competition, rounded out the top five.

The absences of Marcus Grönholm, Toomas Heikkinen, and Rhys Millen meant that the series would see a short field of 14 cars and only three heat races at New Hampshire. That entry list might have shrunk even further when Ken Block rolled off of the elevated hairpin in qualifying, necessitating a long night of repairs for his team. Drivers would face the figure eight track on Saturday, adjusting to a longer joker lap and the addition for dirt for the first time on a paved oval. Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan both won their heat races, as expected, but after three straight races of futility, it was Travis Pastrana's time to run up front as well. He and Samuel Hubinette battled fearlessly for the lead in their heat race, with Pastrana eventually earning the advantage. In the final, Foust looked to win his first race of the season and establish himself as the new championship favorite, but after stalling on the elevated hairpin, both Pastrana and Hubinette muscled by, and Deegan would eventually get by as well to take the third step on the podium. Even so, Foust would take a 12-point lead over Hubinette into the final two races of the season.

Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan had both pride and $25,000 on the line in Las Vegas, as both fought for the Discount Tire/America's Tire Cup awarded to the top driver at this race, Texas, and New Hampshire. Foust asserted himself as the man to beat in qualifying, beating Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, and a fully recovered Toomas Heikkinen. Deegan would qualify seventh, while Olsbergs MSE team owner Andreas Eriksson, substituting for Marcus Grönholm, would qualify eighth. The first heat would see a scary accident, as Richard Burton slid sideways off of the jump and into the landing pad, totaling his car and injuring his back in the process. In the second heat, Eriksson would toss away a victory by spinning in the final corner, doing donuts to entertain the fans as Block and Rhys Millen took the two transfer spots. Pastrana also goofed in the third heat by taking the shortcut twice, but both he and Eriksson would advance in the last chance qualifier. Block and Eriksson made contact in the first corner of the final, as Foust, Deegan, and Heikkinen attempted to give Olsbergs its second podium sweep of the year. Subaru's Sverre Isachsen would sneak by Heikkinen for third, earning them their first podium of the season, while Foust would hold off Deegan for the race win and $25,000 prize. They would enter the season finale as the only drivers eligible for the title, as Samuel Hubinette missed the main event.

Facing a six-point deficit to Olsbergs MSE teammate Tanner Foust in the championship standings, Brian Deegan would need a lot of luck at SEMA to steal the GRC title. The track, constructed in a parking lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center, featured significantly more dirt than most others, and opened up the cars to put on the best show of the season. Foust and Deegan would each win their heat race on the first day, but while Foust backed it up with another win on Tuesday, Deegan would fall to the last chance qualifier after suffering a puncture in his second heat race. Despite his crew racing against the clock, Deegan would make it to the grid in time for the last chance qualifier and advance to the main event. Ken Block had been the man to beat all week, pacing the field through qualifying and his heat races and looking to win his first race of the season in the finale. He might have done so if not for an exhaust fire two laps into the main event that limited his driving, enabled Foust to pass him, and eventually put him out of the race with two laps to go, forcing a restart. It couldn't have been more fortunate for Deegan, who had been a non-factor in the first attempt and seized his second chance. He jumped from the back of the grid to the front by braking late in the first corner and began to work on chasing down Foust. But the race win and championship slipped out of reach as the laps wound down; Foust would take his second race win and championship in a row over Deegan and Rhys Millen, who earned his first career GRC podium and tied Hubinette for third in points.

Results

Events

No. Event Seeding Round Heat A Heat B Winner Team Manufacturer
1 Charlotte Finland M. Grönholm Finland M. Gronholm
United States T. Foust
United States B. Deegan
Finland T. Heikkinen
Finland M. Gronholm
United States T. Foust
United States T. Pastrana
Sweden S. Hübinette
Finland Marcus Grönholm Sweden Olsbergs MSE Ford
2 Texas Finland M. Grönholm Finland M. Gronholm
Sweden S. Hübinette
United States B. Deegan
United States T. Foust
Finland Marcus Grönholm Sweden Olsbergs MSE Ford
3 Los Angeles United States K. Block Sweden S. Hübinette
France S. Loeb
Norway S. Isachsen
United Kingdom D. Binks
France Sébastien Loeb Sweden Hansen Motorsport Citroën
4 Loudon United States T. Foust United States T. Foust
United States B. Deegan
United States T. Pastrana
United States Travis Pastrana United States Pastrana 199 Racing Dodge
5 Las Vegas United States T. Foust United States T. Foust
United States K. Block
United States B. Deegan
United States Tanner Foust Sweden Olsbergs MSE Ford
6 Las Vegas CC United States K. Block United States T. Foust
United States K. Block
Russia T. Timerzyanov
United States B. Deegan
United States T. Foust
United States K. Block
United States Tanner Foust Sweden Olsbergs MSE Ford

Drivers standings

  • Bold indicates the fastest in the seeding round.
  • * indicates a heat win.
Pos. Drivers Team CHA
United States
TEX
United States
LA
United States
NH
United States
LVS
United States
LVC
United States
 Pts 
1 United States Tanner Foust Rockstar Etnies Olsbergs MSE 2 2 6 4 1 1 94
2 United States Brian Deegan Rockstar Metal Mulisha Olsbergs MSE 16 3 3 3 2 2 84
3 Sweden Samuel Hübinette ENEOS Motor Oil Scott-Eklund Racing 5 7 9 2 12 4 63
4 New Zealand Rhys Millen Hyundai Rallycross Rhys Millen Racing 6 4 4 6 3 63
5 United States Ken Block Monster World Rally Team 15 8 2 5 7 10 58
6 France Stéphane Verdier Motorcity Disney XD Rhys Millen Racing 3 6 12 9 5 11 52
7 Finland Marcus Grönholm Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE 1 1 Inj Inj Inj Inj 43
8 United Kingdom David Binks Best Buy Serve Olsbergs MSE 7 5 8 8 14 DNS 42
9 Norway Sverre Isachsen Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 12 10 10 13 3 12 40
10 United States Travis Pastrana Red Bull Boost Mobile Pastrana 199 Racing 8 15 16 1 10 39
11 United Kingdom Andy Scott Scott-Eklund Racing 4 9 11 6 38
12 United States Dave Mirra Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 9 11 15 10 13 6 35
13 United States Bucky Lasek Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 11 14 13 11 8 7 35
14 Finland Toomas Heikkinen Bluebeam Olsbergs MSE 10 18 Inj Inj 4 5 33
15 United Kingdom Liam Doran Monster Energy Citroën Rallycross Team 12 5 7 14 30
16 United States Patrick Moro PMR Motorsports 14 13 12 11 13 22
17 France Sébastien Loeb Hansen Motorsport 1 21
18 United States Bryce Menzies Pastrana 199 Racing 14 8 12
19 United Kingdom David Higgins Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA 7 9
20 Russia Timur Timerzyanov Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE 9 9
21 Sweden Andréas Eriksson Best Buy Mobile Olsbergs MSE 9 8
22 Canada Richard Burton Team 41 17 14 15 5
23 United States Tim Rooney PMR Motorsports 13 4
24 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque Pastrana 199 Racing 16 1
25 United States Jimmy Keeney MCM / Venom/ProDesigns 17 DNS 0
Pos. Drivers Team CHA
United States
TEX
United States
LA
United States
NH
United States
LVS
United States
LVC
United States
 Pts 
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

References

  1. "Best Buy returns to the Global RallyCross Championship". Rallybuzz.com.
  2. "David Binks' 2012 car". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012.
  3. "Best Buy returns to the Global RallyCross Championship". Rallybuzz.com.
  4. "Puma becomes RallyCross team sponsor, releases obligatory Gymkhana vid". Autoblog.com.
  5. "Puma becomes RallyCross team sponsor, releases obligatory Gymkhana vid". Autoblog.com.
  6. "Puma becomes RallyCross team sponsor, releases obligatory Gymkhana vid". Autoblog.com.
  7. Evans, David (June 15, 2012). "Sebastien Loeb to contest X Games in Los Angeles". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  8. "Travis Pastrana's 2012 Car". Global-rallycross.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-02. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  9. "2012 GRC Schedule". Global-Rallycross.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  10. "2012 Round 6". Global-Rallycross.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
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