Dirt Racing A Fiat 124 Abarth Is the Kind of Fun We All Deserve to Have

The Hoonigans put together an epic test with several modified Fiat 124 Abarth to see which driver is good enough to be part of their crew.

When we drove the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, our only question was this: How fun is it to drive? The short answer is “very,” and the long answer involves tire smoke and a lot of slip angle.

Naturally, we saw that The Hoonigans were hosting a driver’s challenge that involved modified Fiat 124 Spider Abarths, we were interested. The cars are simple: two Fiat 124 Abarths, tuned with aftermarket suspension, wheels, tires and louder exhaust systems. The challenge is equally simple: Bring together 10 potential Hoonigans-in-training from across the country and have them compete for a spot in the gang buy throwing down tire smoking antics.

Some of those antics involve getting dirty, like taking those 124 Abarths and chucking them around an impromptu dirt course, designed by racing royalty Rhys Millen. If the name sounds familiar, it should, Rhys and the entire Millen family have dominated many corners of the motorsport world. Rhys Millen is a formidable foe when it comes to rally, drifting and anything that involves off-roading. Naturally, he’s the perfect person to hold a dirt racing for the Hoonigans.

The course is technical with Millen proclaiming that the chicane box element was specifically designed for handbrake turns. Prominent driving personalities, like Micah Diaz and Jackie Ding, as shown sliding around the loose dirt course, as the Fiat scrambles for grip.

After two practice laps, the would-be Hoonigans are left to throw down a time lap around the course. Only the top six finishers out of 10 are advancing to the next round so the pressure is on. The pressure seems to have been an effective speed strategy as Diaz managed to run the course 1.5 seconds quicker than Millen.

The final result? Well, you will have to watch the drivers performances and find out for yourself.

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Jake Stumph

Jake Stumph is a lifelong car enthusiast and racer, and former content editor for Internet Brands Automotive which he joined in 2015. His work has been featured by several other prominent automotive outlets, including Jalopnik and Autobytel.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in Political Science at the Ohio State University in 2013, then pivoted from covering politics and policy to writing about his automotive adventures, something that, he says, is a lot more fun. Since that time, he has established connections with most of the world's major automakers, as well as other key brands in the automotive industry.

He enjoys track days, drifting, and autocross, at least, when his cars are running right, which is uncommon.

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