The laconic Finn’s premature exit was the talk of the sport for most of the year, especially after Ferrari’s 2009 car turned out to be quite a dud. Nowhere was Räikkönen’s indifference more stark than at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where during a break forced by torrential rain, he wandered about the pits with a bar of ice cream instead of remaining by his racing car:

Räikkönen was forced to leave Ferrari at the end of the season to make way for Fernando Alonso. There were talks with Toyota, hampered by Räikkönen’s high price and ultimately by Toyota’s exit from Formula One, then there were talks with his former team McLaren, which fell through. One has to wonder whether Räikkönen’s exorbitant salary demands—rumored to be close to $50 million, very much not in synch with his performance over the last two seasons—were a deliberate move on his part to ease his exit from the sport.

Going where many Finn have gone before, Räikkönen is set to continue his career in rallying. He has, in fact, already debuted in the World Rally Championship: Räikkönen drove a Super 2000 class Fiat Grande Punto Abarth for Tommi Mäkinen Racing at this year’s Rally Finland in August.

He leaves the sport after nine seasons, with occasional displays of devastating speed and a lucky world championship in 2007, when he exploited the rivalry between McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton and the hubris of the latter to beat both at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, claiming the title which had eluded him at McLaren.

Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images, Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images

[DC Shoes]

When they do, they still look frightening. This is no doubt a function of us being used to road races held behind seven layers of barbed wire and security and the pure spectacle of seeing high-tech race cars decked out to resemble European family hatchback go full throttle on dirt roads, surrounded by nothing by wildflowers and humans.

The above video was created by the Polish videographer Maciej Puczyński and is set to a wicked electronic remix of a Bloc Party song. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

The proximity of the branch to either one of their heads is phenomenal and we're guessing that the alternate scenario to this crash will haunt these two for years to come. [via youtube]

The Finn—celebrating his 24th birthday on the day of the accident—had already gotten off to a shaky start in the 2009 WRC season, going off the road in two of the three races before his big roll. While leading the fourth stage, his Ford hit the cliffside on a narrow dirt road, flipped over the Armco and began its roll down the hillside:

We rolled and rolled. I don't know how many times, but I had time during the accident to think about how it might end and what might happen. It was not nice.

When we were rolling, I could see the roll cage getting lower and lower and coming towards me. When you have an accident like this, you think it’s going to stop, the noise is going to stop soon, but this time it didn’t, it just kept on happening.

The Focus came to rest after 17 rolls against a tree and Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila walked away from the wreckage:

The work the FIA and Ford have done definitely helped Miikka and I walk away from it. That wouldn’t have happened 10 or 20 years ago. The work on side impact, the seats, everything has helped and I have to say a very big thank you for that.

Source: Autosport.com, Photo Credit: Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images

Below you'll find the official release explaining what happened during Rally Norway, as well as a picture we almost went with. Thankfully, the photographer didn't get too close.

Touch The Sky

Icemen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen kept their cool in the heat of a thrilling snow battle to throw down the gauntlet to arch-rival Sébastien Loeb during today's opening leg of Rally Norway. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pair won four ice-bound speed tests in their Focus RS World Rally Car to lead for most of the day, before calmly playing a tactical masterstroke in the final kilometres to gain a better start position tomorrow.

[Source: Ford]

If you don't think the Renault 5 Turbo is one of the most awesome factory hot rods ever made, you need to reevaluate your automotive priorities ASAP! To build this rally monster, Renault ditched the front-wheel-drive setup normally found in the 5 and replaced it with a turbocharged engine mounted behind the driver and delivering totally unreasonable amounts of power to the rear wheels. The few hundred street-legal units sold for homologation purposes had 185 horsepower, and they sold for $22,500 in 1984. That's about $46,000 in 2009 dollars, so how much is a very nice 34,000-mile example worth today? Would you pay $39,500 for one?
[Princeton Lotus, thanks to MyDatsunIsInCali for the tip!]

No, it's not April 1st. We're totally serious. Here's the full press release from Subaru Rally Team USA:

Dave Mirra Earns First Rally Win, Will Join Subaru Rally Team USA as 3rd Driver in 2009

(Jan 27, 2009) After having competed in only a handful of rally
events, BMX legend Dave Mirra has won his first rally race, the 2009
Team O'Neil Rally, at the wheel of his 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
rally car. Mirra dominated the New Hampshire-based snow rally by
setting fastest time on all but one of the event's eight stages and
finishing with a lead of fifty seconds. The wins comes just over one
year after Mirra began his burgeoning rally career that has since seen
him be named the 2008 Rally America Rookie of the Year as well as earn
a Bronze medal at last summer's X Games 14 Rally Car Racing event.

"I'm really excited to get my first win, the roads were a lot of fun
here," explained Mirra. "Running in these snowy conditions was
perfect preparation for the Sno*Drift Rally [which serves as the first
round of the Rally America Championship] next week, so I will have a
lot more confidence from the start."

Mirra's rally program will expand in 2009 with increased support from
Subaru of America, Inc. and Monster Energy that will see him join
Subaru Rally Team USA drivers Ken Block and Travis Pastrana at all
nine rounds of the 2009 Rally America National Championship as well as
X Games 15. Mirra will compete in the new Super Production class and
will debut a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI early in the race season.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America,
Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT),
DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy,
and Vermont SportsCar.

About Dave Mirra:

Mirra became a pro BMX rider in 1992 and holds the record for most X
Games medals (including most Gold medals), and has medaled in every X
Games since its inception in 1995. With his current X Games medal
count at twenty one, Mirra is recognized as one of the World's most
well known Action Sports athletes and is credited with bringing
freestyle BMX into the mainstream.

Mirra has always been a car enthusiast and became hooked on rallying
after friend and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block introduced him
to the sport. Mirra completed a test and training program with Vermont
SportsCar in late 2007 and entered a limited number of rounds of the
2008 Rally America National Championship, making an impressive debut
season to earn 2008 Rookie of the Year honors. He surprised rally
veterans and casual fans alike on his rally debut at X Games 14 where
he earned a Bronze medal, after defeating two championship-caliber,
North American drivers in separate head-to-head heats.

***

The image quality isn't so good; in fact, identifying the cars is much like trying to extract useful information from the Zapruder Film (which was shot using similar hardware). The ASA 24 film means there are some dark parts, and my film-to-video conversion technique (camcorder + projector) doesn't help matters. There's definitely a Corvair, a 356, and a Beetle, and what appears to be a Renault Caravelle. Maybe a Sprite as well? Mostly you just get atmosphere from this; the sense that it's really freakin' cold, with maybe a mournful whistling of grim Scandinavian-style wind through the skeletal trees, punctuated by the roar of engines at rod-throwing revs and the occasional crunch of sheetmetal on snowbanks. You might check out this Land-O-Lakes SCCA history of racing in Minnesota when you're done here.

Yes, you're looking at a total of 34 minutes of vintage rally action below, in a vintage Shell documentary put up on YouTube courtesy of this kind soul. We don't want to spoil things for anyone, but you'll be awed by the parade of race cars that go past the starting line (about 2:20 into the Part 1), and it just gets better from there. The usual Alfa Romeo and Porsche suspects are there, of course, but fans of British and French machinery won't be disappointed. Thanks to Scroggzilla for hipping us to this super-addictive find!

GUMBALL 3000 CELEBRATES ITS "10th ANNIVERSARY RALLY"

San Francisco to the Beijing Olympics, August 9-16, 2008

LONDON, ENGLAND (June 17, 2008) — Superstars and supercars converge on San Francisco, Saturday, August 9 for the "10th Anniversary" Gumball 3000 Rally. 120 of the most amazing cars, driven by film stars, musicians, sports stars, billionaires, and the cast of "Jackass," will set on an incredible eight-day drive to the Beijing Olympics - incorporating one night in North Korea. This ladies and gentlemen is Gumball 3000 - and is certain to be nothing short of spectacular.

From San Francisco, the 3000 mile route incorporates overnight stops in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas, with VIP parties each night. Upon reaching Las Vegas, all participants will be flown directly to Pyongyang, North Korea, to spend an unprecedented night in this undiscovered city to watch the incredible 'Mass Games' (their spectacular annual display of arts and sport) as part of a global "friendship" initiative. (And you thought Gumball was just another Cannonball Run - this one's more likely to get the Nobel Peace Prize than Burt Reynold's version - that's for sure!)

Following the Mass Games and the "first ever" western music performance in Pyongyang promoting peace and friendship, all participants will be flown on to Hangzhou, China to be reunited with their vehicles. From there the Rally then heads north to Shanghai and Xuzhou, before crossing the finish line in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Saturday, August 16, just in time for the Gumballers to watch a week of Olympic finals.

Entrants already include David Hasselhoff driving the legendary K.I.T.T. car from Knight Rider, famous drummer Travis Barker, MTV's Rob Dyrdek (Rob & Big) in a fully customized '69 Camaro as well as Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the "Jackass" guys...driving everything from Ferrari Enzos to Bugatti Veyrons, Rolls Royces, old Cadillacs, low riders and even a few electric cars. This rally is nothing short of stunning - closing city streets and boulevards throughout the entire route to make it Gumball's most spectacular event to date.

For more information go to www.gumball3000.com bringing you the latest news, reviews, videos, products and celebrity blogs - the social network for the Gumball generation; incorporating art, apparel, music, films, events, street culture and everything automotive.

About Gumball 3000
The first Gumball 3000 took place in April 1999, when British creator Maximillion Cooper invited 50 of his friends to take part in a 3000-mile party around Europe to bring together the music, film, fashion and sport industries. Ten years later, and things have certainly grown, with crowds of more than a million people attending the start last year in London, and a televised and online audience that reached more than 60 million in more than 150 countries around the world.

Gumball 3000 consistently hits the headlines as "Cool Britannia's" most unique addition to pop culture, described by Vanity Fair Magazine as "the most rock 'n' roll car rally ever staged" and famed for its exploits and celebrity participation. The event annually attracts stars including Oscar-winning star of the "Pianist" Adrien Brody, "Jackass's" Johnny Knoxville, Hugh Hefner, supermodels Jodie Kidd and Caprice, "Kill Bill's" Daryl Hannah, action sports legends Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Carey Hart, and rock stars including Snoop Dogg, Blink 182, 50 Cent, The Fun Lovin' Criminals, The Happy Mondays, Placebo, Jamiroquai and even Ms. Minogue.

Incorporating a new 3000-mile route each year, the attraction of the Gumball transcends social barriers, appealing to the adventurer in everyone, regardless of status or wealth; combining grease, glamour and guts in equal measures, stretching the experiences of travel and entertainment - just that bit further. Over the past nine years, Gumball 3000 has been hosted by kings and presidents, partied with Snoop Dogg, appeared on the "Jay Leno Show," raised awareness for testicular cancer, chartered the world's three largest aircrafts, created untold amount of "Jackass's" fuelled mayhem, hung out at Hugh Hefner's mansion, and most recently has been invited to work with the United Nations, all through the language of the motor car.

# # #

How much do you have to pay for a rare European rally car steeped in 1960s and 1970s racing history from one of the most famous races in North America? More than you could ever afford, of course. But wait! An unaccountable distortion in the Vintage Race Car Reality Field (VRCRF) has produced this 1963 Peugeot 404 Baja 1000 veteran. How can we tell the VRCRF was involved? The $1,200 price tag. No, really- just barely over a thousand bucks; in fact, the seller states "No Reasonable Offer Will Be Refused!!!" so you might be able to get it for under a grand! Of course, you'll have a Sisyphean ordeal somewhat challenging road in front of you with this project, since the car has been sitting for 34 years and the engine is long gone. That shouldn't stop you, however- it's a rear-wheel-drive car, so the junkyard is overflowing with suitable engines that could be swapped right in without too much trouble. BMW M10? Toyota A? Is the suspension good? Probably not! Is anything on this car good? Who knows? Once you've got it running, however, it'll be time to head to the desert for some vintage dirt-eating adventure! Thanks, once again, to PCH ÜberTipster LTDScott.

When you're going racing in Baja California, don't you want a vehicle with "Baja" in its name? Ah, the ol' Baja Bug! Remember when you used to see them doing daily-driver duty all over the Southwest? The air-cooled Beetle in stock form is no slouch off-road- no radiator to boil over, most of the weight over the drive wheels, and so on- but put nerf bars, roll cage, and big tires on it and you'll be ready to leave tire tracks across the backs of the most elusive endangered species in the desert! To be vintage, however, you need an oval-window Beetle for your Baja Bug project...and have you priced 1953-57 Beetles lately? Fortunately for you, we've managed to find this '57 Beetle that's already well on its way to Baja-ness. You get a significant fraction of a 1776cc engine and "many other parts," and all for just $1,400! Old VWs have the dubious distinction of being the only cars that manage to get terrible rust in Southern California, so you have to figure on some pan rot to deal with. While you're shopping for your great big wheels, roof-mounted oil cooler, sixer of Primo Beer, and lid of Acapulco Gold, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate stuffing a Roots-type blower on the engine, just like yesterday's PCH Beetle!

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Just look at today's DOTS retrospective. Would we rally a Porsche 356? Yes. 1977 Olds Custom Cruiser? Yes. 1987 Starion? You see where we're going with this. Assuming unlimited classes, and most rally series have many classes, what would you convert for dirt-ice-mud-roading?

[Photo: SpecialStage]

Press Release:

Press Release

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has announced that their new-generation high-performance 4WD sedan, the Lancer Evolution X (10) is to be used as the course cars for the Japanese round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Rally Japan is also the 6th round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC) and will run in Tokachi, Hokkaido from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th October 2007.

As official the Course cars for Rally Japan, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will be the vehicles that run though the route and all the demanding stages of the event ahead of the competitors to check track conditions making sure that everything is ready for the 14th round of the WRC. The Course cars, often referred to as the 'Double Zero' and 'Zero' cars, travel through the course before the competing vehicles, 30-minutes for the Double Zero car and 15-minutes for the Zero car.

The Lancer Evolution X will run on Rally Japan in Group N specification and include various new features that have been developed in close collaboration between the Motor Sport Division / Technical Development Department of Mitsubishi Motors and Ralliart Inc.
Included in these new developments is the integrated of the roll cage into the body of the car with extensive reinforcements resulting in the cars strength and stiffness being drastically upgraded from the normal road-going version. Purpose-built components have been used for the running gear and brakes with drive-train components specially developed by Ralliart featuring a constant-mesh close-ratio gearbox.

The exterior of the Lancer Evolution X Group N will use accessories usually found on all high-performance vehicles and familiar to all rally enthusiasts including sump-guard, floor guard with fuel tank protection and mud flaps. In the cockpit additional safety features have been added including five-point safety harnesses for the crew with bucket seats and a competition steering wheel.
As Course cars on Rally Japan, the Mitsubishi Lance Evolution Xs used will have revolving roof lights as well as a siren and loudspeaker to warn the many thousands a of spectators expected on the stages that the competitors will be arriving shortly.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is scheduled to obtain the Group N homologation from the Federation International de L'Automobile (FIA) next summer with the new rally challenger taking part in international rallies during the second half of 2008 or 2009. Registration with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) will be applied this year, allowing competitors to participate in JAF-sanctioned events with the new-generation Lancer Evolution X.

The development of the official reconnaissance vehicle plays a leading role when it comes to supplying competition parts/components to the customer early on. Also, the participation as course car will allow the automobile manufacturer and the rally specialist to technically verify the potential of rally cars prepared by customers who use these special components. Mitsubishi Motors and Ralliart are fully committed to making maximum use of the know-how and expertise learned through various motor sport activities to support future customers and for the development of the production model.