Now about a third of the way through its second full season in the United States, Global RallyCross - or GRC as it is known to followers - is quickly attracting both spectators and deep-pocketed support from sponsors and automakers. Citroen, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai and Subaru all field factory-backed teams, while competitive vehicles by private teams range the gamut from older Subaru WRXs to Saab 9-3s.
When we asked Subaru about how closely related their three 2012 Impreza WRX engines are to those we might find in a dealership, the response was akin to a Tour de France rider deflecting doping allegations. But in this case, that's perfectly legal, since GRC doesn't have many rules.
In fact, it's GRC's relative lack of rules that makes the races so exciting. We were on hand at Texas Motor Speedway for Hoon Kaboom Texas, GRC's second of six planned races this season. In the Lone Star State, GRC piggybacked an IndyCar race later in the day, but other races are mostly adjacent to NASCAR events, which should help draw larger crowds.
The short course held in the straightaway section of Texas Motor Speedway included a hefty jump that organizers made slightly less aggressive in response to driver complaints during practice earlier in the week. Despite the tamed jump, Ford driver Tanner Foust - of Top Gear USA fame - landed hard on his way to a second-place finish, which had him looking a little dazed and confused at the end of the race.
Rubbin' is racing
Several qualifying heats pitted four cars against each other on the short track for a few quick laps before the contenders were whittled down to 10 vehicles.
While 10 cars might not seem like much of a crowd for most races, the GRC track is short enough that the cars are constantly - and we mean constantly bumping into each other. And if the contenders can't get close enough to one another, they're allowed to "cheat" by cutting the course in half on one of their laps via a shortcut. All this zipping around more than a little bewildering to the uninitiated, but it makes for some of the most consistently adrenaline-pumping action you'll find on a race track. At times, the cars' antics - especially when they were flying across the jump in a single-file line - were deliriously giggle-inducing. (The video below comes from the first race of the season in Charlotte, but it was too good not to share.)
The festively-festooned cars hooned their way around the short course. Squealing rubber was the most prevalent noise, but we could detect some occasional turbo whistle as the cars' engines wound their way to redline. The racing is so tough on engines and their massive turbochargers that cooling is essential. Under the hot Texas sun, one of the Ford Fiestas spewed coolant out of an overflow pipe that exited through its hood and all of the cars were smoking more than Grandma in Vegas by the end of the day.
We watched pro skateboarder/rallycrosser Bucky Lasek's Subaru slide off of the ramp at one point, and although the car remained upright, the landing was hard enough to bend the driver's side wheels. Other than that one incident, most of the bumps and grinds were highly entertaining. Seeing rally cars worth tens of thousands behave as though they were orchestrated by a six year old with a pile of Hot Wheels cars is nothing short of freaking awesome. Our inner six year old had to be contained on the drive home, since the authorities would probably forwn upon introducing GRC to the open road.
The series moves on to the X Games in Los Angeles at the end of this month, but additional events accompany NASCAR races in New Hampshire, Atlanta and Las Vegas between now and September. Sharing little in common with any other racing series you're likely to find in North America, GRC is a racing series for the rest of us.
