This year we will see the return
of the ‘European Gauntlet’ with
rounds being held in France, the
Nürburgring in Germany and then
wrapping up with the finals in
Madrid, Spain on October 30th.
The opening round of the 2014
series went down at the IME
Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand,
France. Tyres were slain, times
were counted, and the French
asphalt bears the scars of 38
cars going all-out in automotive
combat. This can only mean one
thing: the official qualifying events
for the 2014 Gymkhana GRiD
European Gauntlet series have
begun.
For those not familiar with the
killer GRiD format, the rules are
simple: Split into two classes –
All Wheel Drive (AWD) and Rear
Wheel Drive (RWD). Two cars go
head-to-head on the track, each
taking a run at a custom designed
course. The fastest time wins. It’s
autocross on steroids, and packs
more punch than a drift battle and
a drag race combined.
2014 saw a whole heap of new
driver testing obstacles, enough
to make even the most advanced
pro driver sweat. In addition to the
all-important ticket to the final,
podium drivers picked up prizes
from Corbeau Seats, Shining
Monkey and a sweet Ken Block
(AWD) or Vaughn Gittin Jr (RWD)
R/C car.
The trademark GRiD season
opener in France has grown year
on year, and this year’s event
delivered in awesome style.
Attracting a record number of
entries, the variation of machinery
on display was immense. Some
stand-out cars included a Stars
’N’ Stripes liveried Ford Mustang,
a custom Volkswagen Beetle, and
a full drift spec RB26 powered
Nissan PS13.
Race times were super close, and
a tight squad of UK drivers put the
locals through their paces. In the
top 16 qualifying heats alone, the
three leading drivers were covered
by a mere half a second. u
54 | FreestyleXtreme.com