Speed wins Brazil X Games gold

Former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed has won gold in the rallycross element of the Brazilian X Games today.

Speed, a rallycross rookie, upset the formbook by defeating a host of rally drivers and star names including Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and Tanner Foust.

All three men were eliminated in an accident in the final.

Speed said: “To be able to win it like this, to make passes at the end of the heat race and the main event, I couldn’t ask for a better story.

“The racing was so much fun all week, the learning curve was huge and I still have a lot to learn.

“It definitely fits my driving style clearly and I have an X Games gold medal. I definitely never thought I’d be able to pull that off in my life.”

Talking about the shunt, multiple X Games gold medallist Pastrana said: “We just threw a Hail Mary into Turn 1. The front suspension, everything on the front left of the car is gone.”

Finland’s Toomas Heikkenen led from the re-start, but was passed by Speed who took a late joker to move to the front.

Heikkenen picked up the silver, while former Junior World Rally Champion Patrik Sandell collected the bronze.

The podium was therefore filled not only by Ford Fiestas, but also by drivers who had never stood on an X Games podium previously.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/real-world-racing/3rdparty/speed-wins-brazil-x-games-gold

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