THE “CRAZY SWEDE” HüBINETTE WINS BRONZE AT FIRST X GAMES 16
Los Angeles, CA (Samuel Hübinette Racing) A newcomer in X Games 16, professional stunt driver and two-time Formula Drift champ Samuel Hübinette adds rallycross to his list of successes behind the wheel, with a Bronze medal win in RallyCar Super Rally. “I’m very happy with the combined effort ACP Racing, BFGoodrich Tires, Sparco, Stack Performance, DV Wraps and ES Motorsports made for us to be here,” said Hübinette
He and X Games teammate Andrew Comrie-Picard of ACP Racing each piloted Mitsubishi Evolutions to Bronze medal finishes, with Comrie-Picard taking the medal in the RallyCar Racing event. While his teammate elected to compete in both RallyCar events this year, Hübinette said, “We decided to save the car and only run in the Super Rally event.” We saw drivers like Travis Pastrana braking their cars before the SuperRally started, so we were happy with our decision.
The bronze-winning team owes its success to the hard work of both ACP Racing and ES Motorsports for preparing both Mitsubishis. “I am very happy with BFGoodrich, Sparco, Stack Performance and DV Wraps as sponsors,” said Hübinette, “And extremely happy to make the podium in our first event, even with only 30 minutes of testing in the car earlier in the week and a car not prepped for Rally Cross.”
Team mechanic Brad Manka said, “It’s been a while since we’ve had good luck. I’ve never been so happy for a third place in my life!”
The rallycross format of SuperRally quickly became the fan favorite throughout the heats because of the wheel-to-wheel action. When Hübinette and Comrie-Picard took to the 70ft span gap jump on the same lap nearing the end of one of the heats, fans were out of their seats cheering. The X-Games SuperRally was run in a rallycross format and joins Rally Car Racing, already in its fifth year at X Games. The SuperRally format is based on the wildly popular rallycross in Europe, and features multiple drivers hitting the course at once for a big-air, big-action race. “I can only see the sport taking off and think the timing for the U.S. is terrific. I can’t wait to do it again!” said Hübinette.
The X Games is the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. 2010 marks the 16th anniversary of the high-profile contest. The Rally Car discipline is a hit in the X Games format, consistently setting among the highest television ratings of the four-day action sports event.
Following X Games, fans can watch Hübinette in action in Formula DRIFT competition at Las Vegas Speedway August 20-21 for round five in the series. He is taking on a new role as team owner this season, while also making a bid for the title as a driver in a factory-backed Dodge Challenger. X Games Rally Car Racing teammate Andrew Comrie-Picard competes alongside Hübinette in the drifting series, in the SHR Dodge Viper. The full list of athletes invited to compete at X Games 16 is available at espn.go.com/action/xgames/news/story