Dodge Unveils 2013 Dart Rally Car for RallyCross Competition, Taps Travis Pastrana as Driver

Dodge has revealed the first image and a few details regarding its latest motorsports entry, the 2013 Dart RallyCross car. Powered by a turbocharged 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 600 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, Dodge is claiming 0-to-60 times as low as 1.9 seconds. (The regular Dart's max output of 184 hp will produce somewhat-less-scintillating acceleration.) Power is transmitted to all four wheels via a Sadev gearbox. The Dart rally car will make its official public debut at the 2012 New York auto show. Additional details and specifications are for now scarce, but a Dodge spokesperson told C/D that "the entire car is built in Sweden." That may end up being a wise decision on Dodge's part, as the region essentially invented automotive rallying, writing the rulebook and honing the hardware along the way. It remains to be seen which companies lent expertise to the Dart rally car, but you can bet most of them will have Scandinavian accents. Nitro Circus To put all that power on the podium, Dodge and SRT Motorsports have inked a deal with four-time Rally America champion Travis Pastrana. The face of extreme sports for many, Pastrana's involvement will be a key component in focusing the attention of the 30-and-under set on the new Dart; his near-maniacal devotion to placing himself in the middle of vehicular chaos should keep most of them riveted. Entering its second season for 2012, the Global RallyCross series was created out of the popular X Games rally races; as such, Pastrana, a 17-time, multi-discipline X Games gold-medal winner, should feel right at home piloting the Dodge Dart across the 70-foot jumps that highlight many of the courses. Although the 2012 driver roster hasn't been finalized yet, the 28-year-old Pastrana is expected to compete against returning extreme sportsmen Dave Mirra (Subaru WRX STI), Brian Deegan (Ford Fiesta), and Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta). Also confirmed for 2012 events are gymkhana fiend Ken Block (Ford Fiesta), Swedish rally legend Per Eklund (Saab 9-3), and two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm (Ford Fiesta), whose presence lends a touch of umlaut-laced credibility to the so-called "global" series. Show and Go Like NASCAR stock cars, the cars you see on various rally circuits are usually mere shells of their streetgoing counterparts, their mechanicals basically dictated by various class restrictions. Global RallyCross is split into two- and four-wheel-drive classes; cars are further separated by build level with a "Limited" class for close-to-stock cars and "Super" for the highest-spec vehicles in the series. The 2012 RallyCross season begins May 26 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and concludes September 29 in Las Vegas, with the majority of events supporting IndyCar or NASCAR races. The June 30 and July 1 events will be held during the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles. Pastrana and Dodge are scheduled to campaign the Dart for the entire 2012 season, which will be broadcast live in its entirely by ESPN. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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