Few motorsports arenas are as brutal as the Paris-Dakar race. Though the rally now takes place from Argentina-Chile, it still covers some of the most unforgiving terrain on the planet. Now it looks like Subaru is headed to battle. The company has teamed up with Elaion to prove just how tough its Forester is. Details on what’s under the hood is sketchy at best, but you can tell from the video after the jump there’s some serious suspension at work, as well as plenty of carbon fiber. As an owner of a 2004 2.5 XT Forester, I completely approve. [Source: YouTube]

That’s it, kids. There are officially no more Japanese F1 teams on the grid for next year. Toyota made a tearful announcement this morning, saying the company could no longer sally forth in one of the world’s most expensive forms of motorsport. The company had dropped a staggering $2.4 billion dollars trying to capture a championship win and never succeeded. Word is the grid won’t be down one team next year, though. Toyota’s absence means there’s a chance Sauber could step back into the ring. Next year’s season should make for one helluva show, that’s for sure. [Source: Autonews]

Alright, so the Ford Mustang may not be the first choice of chariots when it comes time to saddle up to take on some rally action, but that hasn’t stopped two hoons from throwing down the muscle car gauntlet. Evidently there’s been some dispute as to who’s fastest behind the wheel of a dirt-prepped Pony – Mike Hurst or Mark Utecht. To settle the dispute, the ’10 Unleashed campaign gave each guy an identical Mustang to have at four stages in the Ojibwe Forest Rally in Minnesota. Who’s quickest? Who cares? Watching the 2010 Ford Mustang GT tear it up through the woods would make them Duke boys proud. Check it out after the jump. [Source: Ford]

Formula One’s undergoing some pretty serious changes right now. Mighty dynasties that have dominated the sport for decades are stepping down while new names are sliding in to take their place. Bridgestone just announced it will no longer be the tire supplier for the sport after next year’s season and new tracks are popping up left and right. With all the changes, it’s good to have a reminder of where the sport has come from. For that, we turn to the sweet video after the jump detailing BMW’s 10 years in F1. Awesome. [Source: BimmerFile]

Since word popped up good Mr. Ken Block may take a tour of the WRC sometime soon, the haters have come out of the woodwork to say the guy doesn’t have the cops to go up against the likes of Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb. To that, all I have to say is watch the video after the jump and get back to me. In it, Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino knock off the all-time record for the Concord Pond stage run at the 2009 New England Forest Rally. Tarmac, dirt, snow – doesn’t matter. This guy’s got what it takes to take it to the WRC in all the right ways. [Source: ColdTrackDays]

One of my biggest hang-ups with the new era of muscle cars is that while those giants of horsepower were sleeping, the definition of high performance has changed. Fewer people care about straight line domination as they do all-around performance, and while the best efforts from Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford can click off a quarter mile plenty quick, few manage to hang with even the lowly Miata once the going gets twisty. Few things rectify that problem like a factory-backed racing effort, and a slew of renderings from VizualTech are hoping to nudge GM back into competition with an American Le Mans Series Camaro. The car looks hot at as can be with its super wide stance and slammed ride height. Will this be a case of life imitating art? We sure as hell hope so. Hop over to the gallery for a look-see. [Source: VizualTech]

We’ve just rolled out a new video of this year’s Formula Drift championship. Hostess with the mostest Kerryann De La Cruz interviews big names like Tanner Foust, Samuel Hubinette, Vaughn Gitten Jr., and privateer Joon Maeng on the run up to the final show down, and even has a word with this year’s champ – Chris Forsberg. There’s plenty of sweet shots of the guys getting sideways around Irwindale, including the Gitten Jr. upset. Whether you’re a drift nut or a casual observer, the video after the jump is worth catching.

You guys know Travis Pastrana, right? The rally racer/stunt driver extraordinaire is stepping up for this year’s Red Bull New Year’s No Limits stunt. While we’ve seen some crazy vehicular acrobatics in the past, this one should take the cake whether Pastrana can pull it off or not. What’s he planning on doing? Take one rally-prepped Subaru WRX, throw in the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach California and one barge 250 ft away and you start to get the picture. It’s important to remember Pastrana’s not going to be driving a car specifically built for jumping. That means the nose-heavy WRX is likely to start pointing toward the water unless Pastrana hits the ramps just right. Keep your fingers crossed and tune in for the action. Hop the jump for some bonus footage of Ken Block and Pastrana playing around on the salt. [Source: RedBull]

Get excited, boys and girls. I know we’re all about covering the wickedly modified here at WebRidesTV, but this is just to good to pass up. By now, every man, woman and child on our little blue marble has seen Ken Block hoon the crap out of his Crawford-prepped Subaru WRX STI. We can almost recite each and every flick, burnout and slalom by memory. While good Mr. Block has been more than active in the rally scene on this side of the pond, the guy’s never gone toe to toe in the big leagues – the WRC. Now it looks like Block is headed to battle. Will his skills behind the wheel translate into some serious victories? If you have a look see at the guy’s ride, you’ll start to think so. Block has teamed up with Ford to get into the saddle of a WRC-prepped Focus. Hot damn. Hop the jump for a look at block behind the wheel of his personal Ford Escort rally car. [Source: AutoBlog]

You may very well be looking at the next fastest gasoline-powered vehicle on the planet. It’s called the Infidel, and this Buck Rodgers ride gets its gusto from a twin-turbo Cadillac mill with 1,900 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Built by the goons at Spectre Performance, the sled’s aiming to topple the 400 mph mark and managed to click off 237 mph on Friday before a fire extinguisher went off in cabin. Let’s just take a second to think about that one. Imagine you’re busting along with your derriere mere inches from the course salt of Bonneville when the cockpit fills with foam. Not only did pilot Kenny Hoover manage to deploy the shoots and bring the car to a stop, but he did it without crapping his pants. Someone buy that boy a beer. Spectre head honcho Amir Rosenbaum said he named the car the Infidel as a blatant FU to fanatics bent on killing instead of living. Well said, sir. We wish the team best of luck. [Source: Autopia]