Michigan is home to both the start and end of the yearly RallyAmerica racing circuit. The 2008 season came to an end in Houghton, Michigan last October at the Lake Superior Pro Rally. The fresh 2009 season begins anew here in Atlanta, Michigan during the dead of winter.

Snowmobiles and 4x4 trucks aren't just a convenience in Atlanta - they're a necessary facet of life. Good thing we were locked, stocked and two smoking cameras while rolling in our Roush Propane-powered F-150. This time we were pushing giant steamroller tires on chrome wheels as the factory hides met a smokey demise at an earlier date.

The rally went down as a classic snow rally with plenty of snowbank-Plinko and lots of off-course sliding. Spectators were quick to jump in and assist when drivers chose to jam their cars firmly into the stout, powdered walls. Our rookie favorite of last year Kyle Sarasin was stuck in an old front wheels-driven Mitsubishi Eclipse after his previous yellow Subaru-wielding team was disbanded. The title of Most Jalopnik Rally Car of this event was taken by Greg and Tom Woodside in their turbo 1987 Dodge Shadow.

After a short battle with Travis for the lead, Ken Block was knocked out in the first day with a mechanical failure as a result of a minor crash. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom secured the first place finish while Tanner Foust and Co-driver Chrissie Beavis locked in the second rank in their Hyundai Tiburon. Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard and Marc Goldfarb snuck into third place after fighting against some handling problems in their Mistu Evolution IX. BMX baddie Dave Mirra pulled in a strong 6th-place finish.

Keep an eye on our RallyAmerica tag as we'll soon be following up with an exclusive behind the scenes look at Subaru's Rally Team, a full HD video of Sno*Drift and Travis and Ken's In-Car video. We're stuffing our hatchbacks in preparation of the 100 Acre Wood rally in a few weeks time located in Salem, MO. Press on regardless!

Partial Photo Credit: Alex "Tater Salad" Conley

We think it's fairly clear by these glaring faults that Edo has a lot of work to do, and we didn't even jump into some of the more disappointing details down the sides. Seriously, the Enzo is a good start and all, but pumping up a tepid car to a meager 700 HP, dropping carbon fiber bits all over the place, adding an adjustable suspension and quicker shift points is just totally phoning it in. [Edo Competition via World Car Fans]

Oh, it's because the owner, Frankie Rio, decided to use a Lexus GS350 for one of those subwoofer decibel competitions. You know, Frankie, there's a reason beater vans are popular for these kinds of competitions. Vans are a lot cheaper and generally, hold many times the speakers, and are made like brick shithouses. Hopefully this display of wanton destruction at least won the competition to pay for the repairs. Who are we kidding? This 159.5 dB monster is probably being held together right now with duct tape and some super glue.
[FloridaSPL via Audiojunkies]

Dodge Brand Helps Tune Up a Tuned-Out Relationship This Holiday Season

Auburn Hills, Mich., Dec 13, 2007 - Zach Madrid of Colorado Springs, Colo., has been named the winner of the Dodge brand's "Are You Tuned Out?" search for the nation's most "tuned-out" car enthusiast and vehicle tuner. Nominated by his fiancée, Tricia Champagne, Madrid represents the 63 percent of men who, according to a survey conducted by Dodge and Ipsos Public Affairs1, are "tuned in" to their cars and trucks, sometimes at the expense of their personal relationships.

In her nomination essay, Champagne said Madrid is completely "tuned-out," so much so that she has no chance of having a "civilized conversation" with him if there is any sort of car show on television. According to Champagne, Madrid has sketch books full of visions, concepts and customized versions of his favorite Dodge cars, and has memorized the exact horsepower and torque for the entire SRT lineup.

"The Dodge Caliber SRT4 is awesome. I can't believe I'm going to have a brand new one sitting in my driveway," said Madrid. "I never thought when Tricia nominated me that I would end up winning the 'Are You Tuned Out?' contest! I couldn't have asked for a better wedding present or a better fiancée!"

In the last year, vehicle customization and tuning has exploded into a $36.7 billion industry, and Americans are spending 18 billion hours tuning and maintaining their vehicles annually2. To help these tuners (and tuners-in-training) get cool rides without having to spend all of their free time and money in the garage, the Dodge brand launched a search for the most "tuned-out" car enthusiast. Of the nearly 1,000 enthusiasts who entered the contest, Madrid was named one of four finalists to win an all-new 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4 - a vehicle that comes performance-tuned straight from the factory, which means tuners can spend less time working on their car and more time with their friends and family.

"In the 'Are You Tuned Out?' contest, we were looking for people who are so obsessed with automotive performance and personalization they never leave the garage long enough to really connect with their significant others, family and friends," said Ralph Gilles, Vice President - Jeep®, Truck, Advance Interior and Component Design, Chrysler LLC. "The Dodge Caliber SRT4 is a high-performance, race-inspired vehicle that comes 'pre-tuned' straight from the factory. We hope it will help tuners like Zach live more balanced lives, because all the tuning work is already done."

While Madrid won an all-new 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4, Champagne will be awarded a Dodge prize package, which includes Dodge gear and a $100 gift card for nominating the grand prize winner. The three runners-up will each receive a Dodge prize package, which includes Dodge gear and a subscription to Mopar magazine.

"While there's no guarantee Zach won't end up right back in the garage to further personalize his Caliber SRT4, we think the vehicle's 285-horsepower and incredible acceleration will keep him and Tricia happily cruising together for a long, long time to come," said Gilles.

Tuner Roadblocks
With so many people tuned into the tuning trend, Dodge asked consumers what they considered to be the biggest roadblock to having a tuned-out ride. Cost and lack of time were identified by 41 and 34 percent of tuners respectively, while only seven percent said being in a relationship was the biggest roadblock to tuning.

Additional survey results showed:

* Putting the Grrrr in Garage - Seventeen percent of men say the garage is their favorite place to spend time at home
* Date Night vs. Drag Night - Twenty-two percent of women and 16 percent of men would rather spend an evening without their significant other rather than have to give up their vehicle for the same night
* Tuner Vision - More than one in three women (34 percent) say they are tuned in to cars and trucks

Tune In to the Are You Tuned Out Contest Details
Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 15, consumers were invited to nominate themselves, their significant other, friends or family for a chance to win an all-new 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4. During the registration process, participants were asked to submit a 250-word essay answering the questions, "Why are you or your significant other tuned-out?" and "How will winning an all-new Dodge Caliber SRT4 help you or your significant other tune back in?"

An independent panel of judges reviewed all of the entries and the four contestants who received the highest scores were named finalists. Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 10, consumers were invited to vote for their favorite tuner or tuner-in-training online at www.DodgeRUTunedOut.com. The results of the online voting were added to the judges' scores, and the tuner with the highest combined score was awarded an all-new 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4. [Source: Chrysler]

Students at the University of British Columbia handily trounced competitors in this year's SAE Supermileage Competition, using their superior engineering kung-fu to achieve over 3,000 mpg in a car they designed and built. The competition pits smartypants against propellerhead to see who can best expand the efficiency of an internal combustion engine, and the UBC has won in four out of the six competitions it's entered. Employing principals of aerodynamics, weight reduction, and drawing on Canada's storied advancements in dildonics, the team thrusted to victory, despite a diminutive 54cc unit.

UBC Engineers Create Vehicle that Travels from Vancouver to Halifax on a Gallon of Gas [Physorg.com via Gear6]

Related:
Ohio State Students Design Fastest Electric-Powered Car [internal]