Another THS grad to compete in the X Games

Posted July 8-Later this month Chris Duplessis of Gilead will become the second Telstar High School graduate to compete in the X Games.

Duplessis will take part in the Rally Car Racing event during the July 29-August 1 Summer X Games, to be held in Los Angeles.

A 2005 THS grad, he will join 2004 graduate Simon Dumont as an X Game competitor.

Dumont, a freestyle skier, has won several medals in recent years in the Winter X Games.

Rally car racing is considered an extreme sport form of automobile racing, sometimes described as “real cars, real roads, real fast.”

The all-season motorsport sees drivers and co-drivers in modified road cars tackle “Stages” that can cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

“I grew up watching action sports and immersing myself in the sport of rally,” Duplessis said in a press release. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought rally would be in X Games. Ever since the first year of X Games Rally, I wanted so bad to be competing, but X Games has always been reserved for the top level open class drivers or celebrity invitees. This year ESPN and Rally America announced that the top level two wheel driver competitor may get an invite, so my goal for this season was to be on top when it was time for invites.”

Last month, Duplessis won the Rally America 2WD championship in Pennsylvania, marking his eighth championship rally win in five years.

On July 16-17, Duplessis will race in Bethel at the New England Forest Rally, driving a 2009 Scion xD with the 0-60 Rally Team.

Rally fans wishing to meet Duplessis will have several opportunities.

On Thursday July 15, he will be at the Phoenix House at Sunday River, and on Friday, July 16, he will be at Parc Expose at Sunday River and at the Mexico Recreation Park. More details are available at www.newenglandforestrally.com. A free spectator guide can be downloaded, at www.rally-america.com.

For more on Duplessis, go to www.0-60mag.com; www.chrisduplessis.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Duplessis 139945137192.

To follow X Games action, go to www.expn.com.