Mitchell DeJong Fourth in Global Rallycross Lites at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Focused on Podium at Bristol Motor Speedway
Temecula, CA (July 18, 2013) — Mitchell DeJong’s debut into Global Rallycross for the first U.S. round of Global Rallycross Lites Series in New Hampshire made great strides in odd conditions as he finished in 4th place, marking him the highest ranked American in the GRC Lites class.
After qualifying, the sky began to fall as huge downpours of rain attacked the track, giving Mitchell more time to think and talk racing with his fellow racers. After another tireless dry session from the track crew, Mitchell and his Red Bull rocket launched toward the green light securing the holeshot is his first GRC Lites heat race. After holding the lead, Mitchell got a taste of the nasty New Hampshire crossover ramp, also responsible for claiming the best in GRC, like Ken Block and Tanner Foust. As he hit the turning brakes over the ramp, Mitchell slid straight into the guard rail relinquishing his lead. After a quick recovery, Mitchell held the second position to excitingly advance straight into his very first Global Rallycross Lites Main event.
- Red Bull
- Olsbergs MSE
- Horizon Hobby
- Royal Purple
- Powertank
- 4130 Clothing
About Mitchell:At age 15, Mitchell DeJong has taken a different path than most teenage youth, instead of playing ball sports he wakes each day with racing on his mind. Whether it’s a casual game on iRacing driving simulator, racing Losi r/c cars, or strength training, he takes every step today poised to live his dream as a racing champion in every sport he competes in. The passion to drive grew at an early age while helping his dad in the family off-road shop building high-end off-road cars. At first chance Mitchell won karting and off-road championships in 2007, at only age 9. Since then, he has accumulated 9 total championships in 6 seasons putting him on pace to be one of the winningest off-road drivers of all time. Global Rallycross and racing in X Games has always been a dream for Mitchell. He’s turned great success on the track into an opportunity to race GRC Lites and he will begin working hard to be the best amongst great drivers from around the world.
About Global Rallycross Lites Series:
Built by top rallycross preparer OlsbergsMSE, the Lites produce 310 HP, just over half the power of the top Supercar vehicles and are designed to be more manageable for developing star drivers. The cars are purpose-built racers that are fast, nimble, and exciting to watch. They are all-wheel drive and capable of handling the jumps, door-to-door combat and surface changes of a typical rallycross course. The class will run as a support series on the same courses as the Supercars at all US GRC events, with the Last Chance Qualifiers and Finals expected to run immediately before the main Supercar races.
“The racing is going to be close, since all cars conform to the same specification, and driving talent will be the deciding factor in these races,” said OlsbergsMSE CEO Andreas Eriksson, who worked with GRC to develop the class. “There is no better place than GRC Lites competitions to learn the sport.”
“GRC Lites continues the growth of Global Rallycross and will provide the perfect venue for drivers to hone their rallycross skills infront of our thousands of spectators,” said GRC CEO Colin Dyne.
About Global Rallycross:
Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) features the world’s top action sport athletes and combines them with the best elements of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. Action sport stars including Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan, Dave Mirra, Bucky Lasik, Marcus Gronholm and Ken Block have described the sport as “motocross – with a roll cage.”
2013 GRC LItes Schedule:
July 11: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH
July 20: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN
August 4: X Games, Los Angeles, Irwindale, CA
August 10: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA
September 22: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
November 7: SEMA Las Vegas, NV
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