June 22, 2014 – Washington, DC.

The second round of the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross series was held in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

“We had worked through the entire clutch, transmission and differentials following the X Games race,” said Geoff Sykes “and had spent several days at the Rally Pro school at the FIRM in Florida, testing the car and getting very comfortable with asphalt and dirt set up. The facility there is amazing, with so much space and well laid out configurations. Plus the availability of seasoned rally instructors was a huge bonus.”

When he got on track, Sykes again had to deal with a shortened practice session, this time caused by a damaged radiator and fan from the harsh landing at the jump, along with a sticking throttle that made downshifts very difficult. “The car was pushing through the turns, and the engine was behaving erratically, making it hard to do consistent laps”.

Sykes placed well in both heat races, including fighting a high speed sideways slide after contact with another car, but in the finals found a lack of power in the motor, with the result that he couldn’t defend his position and suffered slow lap times.

“There was not much we could do during the weekend,” said Sykes, “the engine was running at only half power, but at least we now know the problem and will be back stronger for the next round.”

ABOUT RALLYCROSS AND GEOFF SYKES

Rallycross combines circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition with intense, crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment, featuring a challenging course that includes jumps, unbanked turns and changing track and surface conditions that can include dirt, gravel and wet asphalt.

Geoff Sykes is driving his second season in Global Rallycross, having come from an autocross and road racing background with multiple records and championships in the BMW CCA racing series, and is the 2013 GT champion in the US Touring Car Championship.

Sykes’ rallycross racing includes support from SONY Team Action Cam, RallyPro at The Firm, BendPak, Midnight Oil and Stepco Insurance.

Photos: Matt Kalish