Road & Track Editor Jason Harper to Drive at Oregon Trail Rally

Road & Track should be changing its name to Road & Rally next weekend when Contributing Editor Jason Harper hits the stages of the Oregon Trail Rally. Harper, an automotive journalist with over twenty years experience, will be filling the shoes of 2015 Super Production Champion Lauchlin O’Sullivan in Dufur. A tall order for someone with a limited rally background, but don’t think that Harper is going it alone. Scott Putnam will be in his usual seat, guiding Harper throughout the weekend. Harper has a long history in the automobile…

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2015 Lake Superior Performance Rally – Driver Previews Super Production

Welcome back to Open Paddock’s Lake Superior Performance Rally Driver Previews. We’re making sure that your knowledge of Rally America teams is up to date in this three part series, so if you’re new to rally or just want to get caught up before LSPR kicks off we’ve got you covered. In case you missed our previous 2WD class preview click here, and be sure to check in tomorrow morning when we’ll be talking about the big guns of Open class. Tonight we will be talking about the drivers and…

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RALLY – David Higgins Wins Sno*Drift in New 2015 WRX STi

Round one of the Rally America National Championship kicked off this last weekend with the iconic Sno*Drift Rally in Atlanta, Michigan.  The snow covered and icy roads of Montmorency County played host to both national and regional competitors with just 36 entries this year.  Although a little light in car count vs. some of the past seasons, this is an event that seems to have an ebb and flow of entrants from year to year.  What makes Sno*Drift so unique isn’t just that it is a winter rally, but that it is…

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Rally – Oregon Trail on NBC Sports This Weekend!

PORTLAND, OREGON (May 28, 2014) – The spectacular scenery of The Columbia River George, Mt.Hood and surrounding areas will be on display this weekend as The Oregon Trail Rally, held May 2-4, airs on NBC Sports Network this Sunday, June 1 at 3 pm PT.   Round 3 of the Rally America National Championship will feature rally racing from Portland International Raceway (PIR) and on the challenging gravel roads of Dufur and Hood River.   The one-hour show is jointly produced by Rally America and Rage Productions (Bend, OR) and will…

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Rally – Oregon Trail 2014 Preview

Round three of the Rally America National Championship gets underway this week with the Oregon Trail Rally.  The only event on the calendar in the western United States, Oregon Trail is also the longest event spanning 3 days.   The Weather: Over the last week the Pacific Northwest has had some fairly heavy rain, however drying conditions are in the forecast with temperatures in the 70’s for Friday and Saturday with only a slight possibility of a few scattered showers on Sunday.  Their could be some dusty conditions on Saturday…

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Rally America Returns to TV Tomorrow …and it Looks Good!

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/k_51JVOg1uo”]

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2013 Oregon Trail Rally – Day 2

Day 2 of the Oregon Trail Rally is where the real test of vehicle strength and driver endurance would occur.  Just outside of the picturesque town of Hood River, the forest roads here are some of the most technical and the most dangerous on the Rally America calendar.  The surface is rough with large stones that can be pulled out.  A wrong pacenote here can be a very dangerous thing with giant trees and large drop offs around every corner. Ken Block was eager to gain back the time lost…

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Oregon Trail Rally – Preview Part 2

In this part I’m going to discuss the drivers and teams gearing up for the Oregon Trail Rally, and are they ever plentiful. At last check there were 79 entrants on the start list.  Sorry for the lack of images, but have been short for time.  I’ll be taking plenty out on the stages though! The favorites are of course going to be David Higgins and Craig Drew in the Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza WRX STi. Team Subaru has a good lead in the points after getting second at…

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