Liam Doran defies odds to clinch maiden Rally Car Racing gold medal – X Games 17 Update
The final of Rally Car Racing went down on the third day of X Games 17, July 30, at Lot 7 outside STAPLES Centre in Los Angeles, America.
Britain’s Liam Doran pulled off one of the biggest upsets of X Games 17 on Saturday by walking away the gold medal after beating the most dominating athlete in the sport, Finland’s Marcus Gronholm. Gronholm settled for the silver, while Isle of Man’s David
Higgins took the bronze to complete the podium.
The races took place on a newly-designed course through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, complete with brick walls and tight corners to test the drivers for their precision and skills.
After triumphing over the defending event champion Tanner Foust in the semi-finals, the 24-year-old Doran made his way into the finals to face one of the most celebrated names in Rally Racing, 43-year-old Gronholm. The Finnish veteran had earned his place
in the finals by defeating Higgins in the semi-finals.
Prior to the start of the best-of-three finals, the Finnish was a heavy favourite due to his experience and reputation. However, Doran refused to get intimidated by his rival and remained focused on defying odds to claim top honours.
The strong determination of the British rider paid off and allowed him to dominate his intimidating rival with ease in both, the first and second race, to sweep the best-of-three final. He clinched the hole-shot in both the races and drove with exceptional
precision and consistency to maintain his position.
“I didn't even leave him a chance, I did him in two,” Doran said during his post-final interview. “I can't say it was easy, it definitely wasn't easy. These guys are the best guys in the world and this has to be one of the toughest rally competitions ever.
I still can't believe it, to be honest.”
Gronholm was disappointed with his driving and the setup of his car, as well as the outcome of the final. After missing out on good starts, his Ford remained incapable of overtaking his rival’s Citroen in both races and ended up giving away easy wins.
Talking about his performance after the final, Gronholm said, “It was fun. But the whole day I have not been happy with my driving so that was not so enjoyable.”
The battle for bronze went down between the 38-year-old Higgins and last year’s gold medallist, Foust. Despite getting off to a great start, the defending champion’s Ford broke down halfway through, forcing him to pull over to the sidelines, from where he
helplessly watched Higgins drive to victory on his Subaru.
In their very first appearance of X Games, the European drivers had taken over the entire podium. The level of competition has surely increased with the inclusion of these European drivers in the event. It would be interesting to see if the American drivers
would be able to meet the new standards that have been set by these X Games rookies and redeem themselves next year.
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