The “House of Drift” Irwindale Event Center, which has hosted disciplines ranging from NASCAR to drag racing to Formula DRIFT, will close after 25 years with a final Farewell Extravaganza on 21 December.
After being arguably the biggest story of the 2023 Baja 1000 when he completed his SCORE début solo with zip ties and tacos, Wouter-jan Van Dijk is back for another go in November.
Barbora Holická’s 1979 Citroën 2CV, nicknamed “Duckar” for the large rubber duck on the side and programme to support duck raising programmes, will return to the Dakar Classic next January with Lucie Engová.
In a sea of 450cc rally bikes, Greg Gilson will be on the oldest motorcycle by a wide margin at this weekend’s Qatar Baja when he races a 45-year-old Honda XLS 125cc.
Host country Spain dominated the medal count at the FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia, and the nation hopes to continue its reign when the inaugural FIM Continental Games heads to Jerez in November.
To prevent early gamesmanship, the FIA has updated the start order for the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship. The first cars out for Stage 1 will be those with Prologue times within 110% of the winner, while repositioned Ultimate drivers with Silver priority will have new spots too.
While the Ultimate class is the top category in cross-country rally, side-by-sides sweeping the Baja Portalegre 500 podium makes Ultimate driver João Ramos feel he is “throwing money away and fighting a losing battle”.
The full transcript of The Checkered Flag’s interview with 2024 Championship Off-Road Pro SPEC champ Dylan Parsons.
Kove Moto will lend factory-level assistance in a SCORE International race for the first time at the Baja 1000, providing the Kove 450 Rally EX for the Pro Moto Adventure class for rally raid bikes. The flagship bike will be led by Mike Johnson and Jim Pearson.
With class wins in all three of his starts at the Golden State 250, Silver State 300, and Laughlin Desert Challenge, 18-year-old Ryan Prosser became the youngest driver to win the Trick Truck class.
A year after he chatted with The Checkered Flag ahead of his Championship Off-Road Pro SPEC rookie season, Dylan Parsons joined TCF again as the 2024 champion.
The Ultimate Rally Classic by TL’O for vehicles built between 1976 and 2000 will run from late October to early November 2025, starting in France and ending in Morocco.
Red-Lined Motorsport will sponsor a “single-make” championship within the South African Rally-Raid Championship for privateers in their vehicles.
Sébastien Loeb will aim to be the Champion of Champions for a record-breaking fifth time in 2025, while Hayden Paddon will lead the Race of Champions’ first Team New Zealand.
After making her Dakar Rally début in January, Christine GZ does not have enough funding to return to the race in 2025.
After finishing 4th in SSV in her début this year, Sara Price will return to the Dakar Rally in 2025, racing a Can-Am Maverick R with 2020 winner Sean Berriman as her co-driver.
Over 30 years after their last race, Lancia will return to rallying with the creation of the Trofeo Lancia Rally and the new Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF. The inaugural Trofeo Lancia Rally champion will then become a factory driver for the 2026 European Rally Championship.
