Defending Rally America National Champion and action sports star Travis Pastrana claimed the X Games 14 rally car gold medal by defeating X Games 13 rally car gold medalist Tanner Foust by 2 seconds in a spectacular final round race. Pastrana, teamed with stand-in co-driver Carolyn Bosley, drove a Subaru WRX STi to victory in front of a packed Home Depot Center crowd and a live television audience.  Jim DeChamp was originally schedule to co-drive for Travis but was unavailable due to an injury suffered during the X Games Moto X best trick competition.

Irishman Niall McShea, the 2004 Production WRC Champion, missed his chance at the podium when he crashed his Subaru in the qualifying round and was eliminated by Travis Hanson. Hanson, the first alternate competitor, also took advantage of Jeff Moyle’s misfortune by replacing Moyle in the competition when Moyle damaged his car in a practice session.

BMX star and rookie rally driver Dave Mirra impressed the crowd with surprise wins against Antoine L’Estage’s Subaru STi and Andrew Comrie-Picard’s Mitsubishi. Mirra damaged his steering rack in the race against Comrie-Picard and this may have contributed to his losing control on the landing ramp of a 70-foot gap jump and crashing out of the event.

Overheating due to a broken radiator caused Ken Block’s to stall on the starting line in the semi-final match against Travis Pastrana. As a semi-final loser, Block was eligible to race against Mirra for the bronze medal. Since neither car could answer the call for the bronze medal race, and the rules prohibited filling the bronze race with competitors eliminated in quarterfinal races, the Race Director declared the bronze race a tie, and both Mirra and Block would share the bronze medal this year.

Comrie-Picard had the most dramatic wreck of X Games rally when he landed short on the big stadium jump for the second year in a row and rolled end-over-end, landing back on his wheels. Comrie-Picard and Jen Horsey were okay but damage to their Mitsubishi prevented them from continuing in the competition.

X Games rally car racing again proved to be exciting, entertaining and emotional. The entire stadium crowd joined in a touching tribute to International rally legend Colin McRae, who suffered fatal injuries in a helicopter crash near his home in Scotland shortly after competing in last year’s X Games rally competition.