Streetwise Motorsports Takes Global RallyCross 2WD Championship

Driver Lauchlin O’Sullivan Tied for Lead in U.S. Rallycross Title Chase Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (June 27, 2011) – Despite an abbreviated race schedule, Streetwise Motorsports and Lauchlin O’Sullivan have managed to clinch one 2011 rallycross championship and are tied for the lead in another. Thanks to a strong performance at the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) “Last Chance” event June 17 – 18 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, O’Sullivan and Streetwise will go down in history as the year’s Two-Wheel-Drive (2WD) Limited Class Champions. Meanwhile, at the midpoint of the season, O’Sullivan and Streetwise are tied with Cody Crane of Milwaukie, OR, at the top of the U.S. Rallycross Championship 2WD Limited class points standing. “We entered the Global RallyCross Championship and RallyCar’s U.S. Rallycross Championship to showcase our team’s ability to be successful even when time and other resources are limited,” said Streetwise principal Doug Nagy, a veteran team manager and crew chief who has led professional sports car efforts at Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, among many others. “We’ve achieved that by winning our class championship in Global RallyCross, but we’d love to put an exclamation point on our 2011 season by winning the U.S. Rallycross title.” The inaugural GRC season included three events: “The Revolution” at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (CA), March 25 – 26; “Twin Peaks” at Old Mill Rally Park in Seattle, April 15 – 16; and “Last Chance” at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, CO, June 17 – 18. Streetwise contested the first event, building a 1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16 in just two weeks and then overcoming a race-day engine failure to win 2WD Limited and finish third overall in 2WD. The team missed the second event due to budgetary constraints but then rebounded at the “Last Chance” round – so named because it was the last opportunity to win points to secure an invitation to participate in the prestigious X Games 17 in Los Angeles, July 31. Again winning the 2WD Limited class, O’Sullivan and Streetwise secured the 2011 class championship and wrapped up sixth place in 2WD overall. Points scored in two of the three 2011 GRC events also count towards the U.S. Rallycross Championship, which runs its remaining three events in conjunction with The Off Road Championship (TORC): Bark River (MI) International Raceway, Aug. 13 -14; Crandon (WI) International Off Road Raceway, Sep. 4 – 5; Chicagoland Speedway (Joliet, IL), Sep 15. “We’re hoping to be able to put together a program to finish out the U.S. Rallycross season and have a shot at that second title,” said Nagy. “But even if we don’t make it this year, being part of the inaugural Global RallyCross Championship was a great experience. We proved that we know how to win, and we were a part of the launch of a brand-new form of motorsport in this country – one that I think has a bright future. I’m proud of Lauchlin and the rest of the team for what we were able to accomplish together. We’re looking forward to continuing our involvement – and our success – in rallycross, whether this year or next.” Based in Orange County, CA, Streetwise Motorsports specializes in high-performance automotive projects, including rally, rallycross, off-road racing, drifting and road racing. Streetwise offers professional-grade performance parts at www.streetwiseparts.com. [caption id="attachment_278" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Lauchlin Crossing the Finish Line"][/caption]