Op-Ed: American Rally Championships Expected to be a 5 to 4 Split for 2017

After yesterday’s announcement that the Oregon Trail Rally will switch to the newly formed American Rally Association, there was a quick response from the organizers of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood that they would remain under the existing Rally America sanctioning. We would like to announce that Rally in the 100 Acre Wood will be March 17-18, 2017 and will be Round 2 of the Rally America Championship. The 100AW group is starting its planning now and hopes the sanction has little bearing on who can come to…

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Episode 291 RallyCast – OpenPaddock.net

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWe have a massive show this week starting off with two special guests, Tino Fortunato of the All Fours Rally Team and Nick Roberts of the Nick Roberts Global Rally Team!  Then we move on to a preview of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, followed by a special review of the rejuvenated British Rally Championship from our good friend Tom Firth in the UK.  Then we finish it off with a bit of WRC Mexico. It’s a long show and I hope you…

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New Liveries Abound for Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

Although it is the 2nd round of the 2016 Rally America Championship, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood has become the stage for many new team liveries.   We at Open Paddock have been raving about the All Fours Rally Team livery they showed up with at Sno*Drift designed by RallyDesign. It is quite striking, but here’s a look at what else you’ll see from the competition at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood this weekend. Nick Roberts changes up his “Planel” design for a new design that hasn’t…

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Rally Photographers – A Passion That Endures All Conditions

Before I post up the official Open Paddock review from the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, I wanted to say a little something about our good friend and photographer Doug Patterson and the other photographers at the event.  This weekend Doug, and many other media “photogs” drove many hours in icy conditions to then freeze their butts off (actually I think it is their hands that suffer the most) standing for many hours in the middle of the forests to capture the images that describe the action and atmosphere better…

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Day 1 – 2015 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

The best description I’ve heard of the 2015 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood with its varying conditions and grip levels was a gravel version of Rally Monte Carlo.  Monte Carlo is well known for on a single stage for drives to go from dry pavement to ice to snow and back to try pavement again.  At the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood it isn’t much different.   Tire choice was critical as up and down the paddock teams were saying that at some points they would have really good grip from frozen gravel, but…

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