LONDON (Reuters) - Former Toyota Formula One team principal Ove Andersson died in a car crash in South Africa on Wednesday while competing in a classic car rally, the Cologne-based team said.

The 70-year-old Swede, a former rally driver who led Toyota into Formula One in 2002, was driving a 1957 Volvo in the Milligan Vintage Trial when he was involved in a head-on collision on a blind corner.

"Everyone at Toyota is extremely shocked and truly saddened at this terrible news," said Toyota Motorsport chairman Tadashi Yamashina in a statement.

"Ove was an inspiration to our team and to many in motorsport. His passion for motorsport was legendary and he is a great loss to our sport."

In 2006, Rally Car racing was added to the Summer X Games events lineup. There in Los Angeles, front and center at the Home Depot Center, multisport superhero Travis Pastrana took home the first gold medal and ushered in the sport's ever-revving popularity.

I was there for the first two rally go-rounds. Three years later, I still hardly know the basics. To me, rally racing feels like the sexy, unguarded stepsister of NASCAR in that, if NASCAR is Chevy and Dodge, Rally is Subaru and Mitsubishi. If NASCAR is Georgia and Kentucky, Rally is New Hampshire and Canada. And if NASCAR is an asphalt track, Rally is the Oregon Trail.

The top rally drivers on the continent are set to take on the rugged forest terrain of Maine and New Hampshire when the Rally America National Championship Series moves to the East Coast for the New England Forest Rally on July 11 and 12.

Heading into Round 6, the top three drivers in the series are separated by just three points and it is expected to be an exciting battle.

Andrew Comrie-Picard is leading the standings in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. One point behind is Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana in his Subaru WRX STi, with Ken Block another two points behind him.

In addition to the 2008 Rally America National Championship title, New England Forest Rally competitors are vying for the Last Chance Qualifier entry into X Games 14, to be held in Los Angeles this August 3rd.

The event’s top-finishing driver who has not already earned an invitation to the X Games will earn the coveted last-chance spot.

        The sun was already out when teams awoke and packed their cars for the 2 hour drive out to Empire, NV. We rode up with the Hamblin Rally Team with their rally Volvo. These are two brothers from So-Cal who have attended many rallies before and were excited about the North Nevada Rally.  Brian Hamblin and I struck up a conversion about the movie industry as we are both film makers. He is works for Sony Pictures Imageworks in doing HD work. His brother Mark is increadibly funny guy and should try out for some stand up in LA. Getting to know these competitors who put all this money into Rallying is what this sport is really all about. Drifting sideways at 60mph through trees is just a bonus we all love. 

Glowing lights and towering casino buildings sets the stage for the CRS North Nevada Rally. The Rally411 crew rolled into town late Friday night after tech inspections had been completed. The competitors and their cars were all tucked in for the night ready for tomorrows race. We ran into Chrissie Beavis who was still laughing and having fun. She hopping from her usual co-drivers seat with Tanner Foust and into the drivers seat. She will be rallying her '91 VW Rabbit in the CRS production class and group two in USRC. Local Alex Radamacher is out here in his Subaru for his first rally. We interviewed him at the Prairie City RallyX earlier this year at got a look at his mostly prepped Subaru. We will be following him through the rally to see how he does at his first Rally. Rally411 will be crewing for Rallynotes.com team of Kris and Christine Marciniak. They are going to be running their Dodge Neon nicknamed "Zeneon". This should be a great rally and we will be bringing you more news tonight from North Nevada Rally.