SCC congratulates Fabrizio Giovanardi and Vauxhall's VX Racing Team on taking the British Touring Car Championship two years in a row. These photos show what kind of a street brawl the season was. For words we'll hear from the man himself. "The BTCC remains one of the most prestigious championships to win in motor sport. I am really aware of its history. This has been the championship's 50th year. And of some of the great names on the Champion's trophy, it makes me very proud to be among them."-Giovanardi.
Rally America
Pastrana savors championship while Block dusts the field at season finale
The 2008 Rally America season concluded at the Lake Superior Performance Rally on the back roads of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. Ken Block dominated the event with his high-flying driving style. The technique landed him a few early wins and a spell of mid-season DNFs. This mathematically eliminated him from winning the championship but with two other drivers within four points, the runner-up title was wide open. Block went flat out from the very start. From there his competitors continued to fall back as they struggled to see through his dust.
Independent driver Kyle Sarasin entered the event ahead of Block in the points. The 19 year-old started out strong and was just four seconds behind Block after the opening stages, but he fell behind in the evening. According to Sarasin's service crew, the auxiliary lights zapped too much power from his electrical system, slowing him down in the dark. Keep an eye out for this hot-shoe in 2009. He lost to Pastrana at the previous event, Rally Colorado, by just four seconds. "It's good to finish on the podium," said Sarasin, "but it's a little frustrating to have three second-place finishes in a row. It's hard to catch those guys."
Having locked down his third consecutive Rally America Drivers' title at Colorado, Travis Pastrana had nothing to do but enjoy the tree-lined high-speed stages at the edge of Lake Superior. "Although we weren't fighting for the win, it's impossible to not have fun on these Michigan roads." Regarding chasing Block at night, Pastrana continued, "When it's that dusty, you just have to trust the notes."