X Games 12 - Rally X Plosion

Split between two major cities-LA's Staples Center in downtown and the Home Depot Center in Carson, along with surfing held in Puerto Escondido, Mexico-the X Games held its twelfth mega event, showcasing the world's best in BMX freestyle, skateboarding and Moto X. This was a prime opportunity not only to catch pro skaters like Bob Burnquist, Danny Way, Bucky Lasek and Paul Rodriguez in action, but to see Moto X stars Adam Jones and Mike Mason performed crazy flips alongside Travis Pastrana, who grabbed his first gold medal of the weekend during the Moto X Best Trick competition. This was one of three medals he earned during the entire X Games after completing the first ever double flip. But Travis lives a double life and it was his performance during the rally finals that got our attention.

It was the first ever rally competition in any X Games, attracting big names from their world and introducing it to a much broader audience. One by one, they filed in-rowdy kids clamoring for a chance to catch a high-five or an autograph from the man who the night before had just accomplished an impossible feat for a motocross bike. But not a single pre-pubescent voice yelling out his name could distract Travis during a time like that. In the rally, he was in the lead by the time the last driver, Colin McRae, started his run. Yet despite the winds that were pushing the ever-growing clouds of dust deeper into the crowd, Subaru's superstar Rally Team USA drivers' eyes remained fixated on their gold No Fear WRX STi that was being driven far beyond its extreme.

In a freak turn of events, McRae flipped on his last jump, destroying the front left tire, yet somehow landing upright and pointed towards the final exit. But McRae is no ordinary driver; as the '95 WRC champion he's a seasoned veteran of many rally races around the world and this gave him the strength to push his STi toward the finish, crossing the line just 0.52 seconds short of Travis' 12:02.19 lap time. The kids went bananas but Travis Pastrana still solidified his position over Colin McRae as the first rally champion of the X Games.

Ken Block, Travis' teammate on the Subaru Rally Team, who's also one of DC Shoes' co-founders, was able to take the bronze medal along with co-pilot Alex Gelsomino. Two familiar drivers from the Formula D series, Tanner Foust (Rock Star Energy Drink WRX STi) and Rhys Millen (DVS Shoes WRX STi) also put on a strong show, with Tanner taking ninth place assisted by Scott Crouch. Rhys was unable to finish as his STi broke its rear axles during the Gorman race.

Travis' efforts earned him Saturn's Most Outstanding Athlete of the Games award, having competed in four of the weekend's events and winning three gold medals; he took home a '07 Saturn Sky Roadster as the big prize.

What The F Is Rally Racing?
Think of rally racing as a motorsport equivalent to soccer, being that it's a competition that many countries, unlike the US, have a high regard for. They're held on either private or public roads, on all surfaces and weather conditions, with modified production cars like the STi or Evo. It's not circuit racing; instead, drivers and the co-drivers race from point to point while managing speed, accurate timekeeping, navigation and vehicle reliability over long distances. Rally drivers are often known as some of the best car control experts in the world.