Category Archives: Racing Blog

Let’s check in with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about his latest run at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

 

Tell Us About the Race

“This race is really known for its water crossings, but this year, everything dried up. That made the experience a lot different. This was the 2^nd year at this event with the Hyundai i20 car.”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

“We placed 4^th, right behind Travis Pastrana, and got 1^st place in RC2.”

 

What Was Different About This Race Compared to Others?

“As I mentioned, this event is famous for its water crossings, but not this year. Even the large crossing dried up. Hopefully, the water will be back next year!”

 

What Challenges Came Up?

“The car has boost issues, which hindered our performance. We also hit some large rocks, which is never good.”

 

Are You Pleased with the Outcome?

“We were in our own zone, with Travis Pastrana 5 minutes ahead of us, and the guy behind us at 2 minutes. We had a solid finish, so I’m happy with the results.”

 

Anything You Want to Improve or Change?

“This was our first event in the Hyundai i20 this year, so there’s plenty of room for improvement, which will come with more driving time.”

 

What Lessons Did You Take Away from This Race?

“We learned the hard way that large rocks break things and cause flat tires! This was my first race where I had to drive on a flat to finish the stage. The right front blew out and I was riding on the wheel. It wasn’t fun, but it gave me some practice with driving at speed with a flat, and tire changes!”

 

It’s time to catch up with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about his recent experience at the Nitrocross Las Vegas in Nevada.

Tell Us About the Race

“It’s hard to believe, but this was my 4^th Nitrocross double header event and the final round of the 2023-2024 Nitrocross season.”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

“Not our best results this time. We wound up taking 6^th place the first night. The next day, we damaged the suspension and ended up in the wall during the final. That dashed our hopes for a good finish in this event.”

 

What Was Different About This Race Compared to Others?

“This was mostly a tarmac track, and not much dirt, which I’m not used to. I don’t have a lot of experience on this type of surface, so that was the biggest hurdle of the weekend. Also, there weren’t any jumps for the NEXT cars, other than a little step down.”

 

What Challenges Came Up?

“I would say that coming in sixth the first night, and then crashing into the wall the next day were challenges we were not hoping for. I wasn’t pleased at the end of the night.”

 

Anything You Want to Improve or Change?

“I need more seat time on the tarmac track. More experience will certainly improve my driving. I also discovered that crashing into an FIA wall is not fun – they are hard!”

 

What Lessons Did You Take Away from This Race?

“We used the expression “win it or bin it” before entering the finals. With this outcome, I took it too literally! The other lesson is a reminder that not every event is going to turn out the way we want. The team just needs to keep moving ahead, and set our sights on the next race.”

Ask Patrick Series
Nitrocross Southern California
Glen Helen Raceway
December 9^th & 10^th 2023

 

Let’s check in with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about his experience in the Nitrocross Southern California at the Glen Helen Raceway.

 

Tell Us About the Race

“This was another new track for me, as it’s my first season in Nitrocross. It was really cool – 95% dirt, with only the starting grid being tarmac. It was shorter than previous tracks, but had a lot more jumps!”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

“We finished 3^rd place in the first round of the doubleheader and walked away with some hardware. The second round didn’t work out so well, as during the first lap of the final, I got pushed into a wall. I had to back up to get going again, and by that time, I could not catch up. We ended up in 6^th place.“

 

What Was Different About This Race Compared to Others?

“This track came from the brilliant mind of Travis Pastrana. Every track he does is different. Some are all tarmac, others complete dirt, and one is on ice. He also has tracks with a combination of mixed dirt and tarmac. This particular one was all dirt, with 6 jumps – the most I have seen this year.”

 

What Challenges Came Up?

“We actually had 2 cars for this race with Alastair Scully running the other car. During the past few weeks, the crew had a lot of work to do getting both cars ready to go. We got on the podium the first night, and had a great chance the next evening too, but I went into that wall. That’s racing for you!”

 

Anything You Want to Improve on or Change?

“Improvement is a never-ending process. Between our last race in Phoenix and this one in SoCal, I can see that we got a lot better. We just have to keep at it, and cut our lap times down a few tenths, while staying consistent”.

 

What Lessons Did You Take Away from This Race?  

“I’m pleased with our progress, but when it comes to Nitrocross, I have a lot to learn. This is what this season has been all about – racking up seat time to get all the experience I can.”

Nitrocross Phoenix
Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park
November 10^th & 11^th 2023

 

Let’s check in with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about his experience in the Nitrocross Phoenix race in Arizona.

 

Tell Us About the Race

“It was really amazing. This race was only my second Nitrocross event. This track seemed a lot more technical than the one I ran in Utah.”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

“On day 1, I rolled my car for the first time ever, so that was exciting! I knew it would happen eventually. We couldn’t quite get the pace we needed in day 2, and wound up just shy of the podium in 4^th place.”

 

What Was Different About This Race Compared to Others?

“Nitrocross is Rallycross on steroids!” The track had massive jumps, and huge banked turns. It was designed by Travis Pastrana himself. The whole experience had a festival like atmosphere to it, with live bands and other cool stuff. This was unlike any other experience I’ve had in motorsports!”

 

What Challenges Came Up?

“Prep time for the race went fine, but we had a really full rig on this trip. We went to SEMA with 2 Nitrocross NEXT cars, stuff for our booth, a huge motion racing simulator, and everything we needed for Nitrocross Phoenix. It’s challenging getting used to this car and the tracks we run them on. The crew had to get the car prepped for day 2 after the roll. I did injure my wrist, so I had quite a bit of pain when I got back in the car. I managed to push through, and finish the race.”

 

Anything You Want to Improve on or Change?

“One of the real challenges with this generation of NEXT cars is maintaining a consistent speed. Even the smallest slowdown will put you back a few spots. The only way to make it up is to wait for another driver to make a mistake. Consistently maintaining speed, and improving my lines and braking points are things I want to work on in the future.”

 

What Lessons Did You Take Away from This Race?     

“I learned both what to do, and what not to do when your car is flipping over! The more seat time I get in this car, and on these types of tracks, the better I’ll be. I also learn a ton from talking to veteran drivers like Travis Pastrana, Andreas Bakkerud, and Conner Martell. Their advice is invaluable!”

Ask Patrick Series

Lake Superior Performance Rally

Marquette, MI & L’Anse, MI

October 13-14 2023

 

Let’s catch up with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about the recent Lake Superior Performance Race in Michigan.

 

Tell Us About the Race

“This was my 3^rd time running this race. This one was my first ever doing Rally in a L2WD car, and it went really well. I call this my redemption year, as last year I broke my hand at the event.”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

“Great! We finished 2^nd overall, and 1^st in RC2. We are beyond stoked to have achieved the results we have for this event and the season overall.”

 

What Was Different About This Race Compared to Others?

“This rally is unique because of all the changing fall colors in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The roads can be fast and smooth, but also have technical sections that require more attention to detail. It’s also the last rally in the championship season, so there’s always a special feeling that other events don’t have. It was a great way to end the 2023 rally season.”

 

What Challenges Came Up?

“We had a short turnaround after The Boone Forest Rally, so we had to fix the power steering quickly, after damaging it at the Boone. No real challenges during this race, as we didn’t need to push hard once we had a comfortable gap with the car behind us.”

 

Anything You Want to Improve on or Change?

“There’s always room for improvement for me as a driver. We will work on a bunch of things while we are off and next season.”

 

What Lessons Did You Take Away from This Race?     

“Hopestly, this entire season was a learning experience. Coming off last year with the Mitsubishi Mirage and jumping into a Hyundai i20, we needed as much seat time as we could get. We had to get a feel for the new car in different conditions, which we were able to do.”

The Daniel Boone National Forest
McKee, KY
September 22-23 2023

 

 

We recently talked with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka about the recent Boone Forest Rally Race in Kentucky.

 

Tell Us About the Race

“This race was really exciting, as it was the inaugural run for this event.  We have been working with our close friend, Erik Hubbard with Backroads of Appalachia, and the ARA (American Rally Association) to put this race together. We knew it was going to be challenging, and we were not wrong!”

 

What Was Different About This One Compared to Others?

 “Because it’s a regional event, the race was much shorter both in length and time. Even so, it was a tough event. The roads used as stages were not like any other we have competed on before. Fast and smooth in some sections, then rough and extremely technical in others.”

 

How Did It Go for the Green APU Rally USA Team?

 “Well, not as well as he had hoped. We had a mechanical issue with the steering system, which took us out of the competition.”

 

What Challenges Did You Find During the Race?

 “The prep for the race went great, but during, we encountered a lot of bedrock coming through the road, and large gravel. We got a work out for sure, and it was hard on the car, and us as drivers.”

 

Sorry About Not Finishing

 “Well, it’s all part of the sport. Things happen, both good and bad. We just have to move on and look forward to the next race. We are really excited about the future of this particular event too. We hope to see it grow into a national event.”

 

What Did You Learn from the Event?

 “Every time I strap into a racecar, I’m always learning and looking to improve my skills as a driver. This event specifically gave me solid experience on rough stages that will greatly help us in the future.”

 

Anything You Would Like Change or Try to Improve On?

 “I don’t think I would necessarily change anything, as every failure and challenge makes us come back even stronger for the next run.”

Ask Patrick Series

Nitrocross Rally Race

Salt Lake City, UT

August 18-19^th 2023

 

We caught up with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka after he completed the recent Nitrocross Rally race in Salt Lake City.

 

Tell Us About Nitrocross!

Patrick: “Nitrocross is an extreme version of RallyCross and was designed by Travis Pastrana. It’s door to door racing, with lots of jumps, big banked corners, and is a mix of dirt and tarmac. This weekend was my first ever time doing this type of race.”

 

How Did the Race Go?  

Patrick: “It was a double header, and we ended up securing 3^rd place for both rounds!”

 

What Challenges Did You Face?  

Patrick: “We had zero time to prepare, as we only got the car a few days before we left for the race. I had to learn quickly and adapt to the car, as it’s much more different than our i20 rally car.”

“We had a few mishaps during the race, with a few busted body panels, but that’s to be expected with door to door racing. Besides that, things went pretty smoothly.”

 

Sounds Like You are Pretty Pumped with the Outcome!

Patrick: “Absolutely! We came in with the mindset to just get seat time and learn. The Team had no expectations to be on the podium. We were up against a field of drivers who have been doing this much longer, so to podium on both rounds is awesome!”

 

What was Different About This Race?

Patrick: “It’s all in one location, unlike a stage rally, so for spectators, it’s an ideal situation. It’s also door to door, as we are racing directly against one another. Usually at a stage rally, we run one at a time against the clock.”

 

What Do You Want to Change for the Next Race? 

Patrick: “We need to work on the car’s setup and get more seat time for sure.”

 

What Did You Learn from the Race?

 

Patrick: “I learned that I definitely want to do more Nitrocross! I had so much fun out there, and we’re hoping to be able to do the rest of the season.”

Ask Patrick Series

“Talking Tires”  

 

Every component of a Rally Race car is critical to a team’s success. This is especially true with regard to tires. In this edition, we caught up with Green APU Rally USA Racing driver Patrick Gruszka to discuss the specialized tires the team uses for each race.

 

What types of tires do you use? 

 Patrick: “We run special edition Pirelli’s that are specifically made for gravel sport racing.”

 

What is special about these tires?

 Patrick: “Pretty much everything. These tires are made from a special compound that gives us extra grip for gravel. Also, in comparison to a street tire, they have stronger sidewalls to minimize flats.”

 

Are there any racing rules for tires? 

 Patrick: “Oh, for sure. The main rule is that our tires have to be DOT legal for the street racing that we do. Another rule is that there must be 4 tires on the car at all times.”

 

How many tires do you go through each race?

 Patrick: “It depends on the amount of testing we do before the race, and of course what happens during the event. Generally speaking, we go through about 20-26 tires during the race week.”

 

How many tires will you go through in an entire season?

 Patrick: “Every season is different of course, but I would say we burn through about 96-120 tires each year.”

 

Can racing tires be reused?

 Patrick: “It depends on how much wear there is on a specific tire. For example, in Ohio on the street stage, we have reused worn down gravel tires, to mimic the performance of regular street tires.”

 

Do you use different tires for summer and winter racing?

 Patrick: “The compounds are different. In the Pirelli series, a numbering system measures the hardness of the tires, with K4 being the hardest, and K8 the softest. For snow tires, a different form of rubber mixture is used in order to combat the slippery roads.

The downside to Rally races in the U.S. is that they do not allow us to use studs, which are really effective at griping the road in the snow. Without studs, it is kind of like ice-skating with gym shoes on. For summer racing in extreme heat, the harder the tire compound, the longer it will last.”

 

Do you need to change tires during a race?

Patrick: “Some competitors opt to rotate the tires, front to rear, since the back tires wear less. We want the best tires we have on the front, since steering is so critical.”

 

What happens if you get a flat tire during a race?

 Patrick: “There’s a couple of things that can be done. First, you can decide to drive the stage on the flat tire, and try to minimize the time loss as best as possible. Another option is to stop and change the tire as quickly as you can. Depending on how efficiently you work with your co-driver, a tire change can take anywhere between 1-3 minutes.”

 

Have you ever had a blow out during a race?

 Patrick: “Thankfully, no. Hopefully that trend will continue this season!”

 

What do you do with the tires once they cannot be used anymore? 

 Patrick: “We recycle them.”