Tag: Will Orders

Rally America – Serious Problems Ahead

Mike Shaw

Remember last season where every major class came down to the final event to decide the championship?  Two of those titles came down to the final day, and one wasn’t sealed until the final stage.  It was simply epic.  There were some great battles between Ken Block and David Higgins all season long.  David Sterckx overcame his mechanical issues from the previous year to take the championship in Super Production and Mason Moyle had his best season yet finishing second in the class.  In 2wd Brendan Reeves showed us American’s…

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Review – 2013 New England Forest Rally

Mike Shaw

The long summer break for rally in America is over. It had been two months since STPR and teams were more than ready to get back into the action at the New England Forest Rally, the 5th round of the Rally America Championship.     As a quick recap, back at STPR Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino finally got the win they had been waiting for all season. Their win came rather easy as his closest rivals weren’t a factor. Antoine L’Estage didn’t have a car to compete in…

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World’s First? – Gravel Spec GT86 to Compete in Nameless Performance Rally

Mike Shaw

The rally world has been moving towards compact and fuel efficient 2wd cars in the last few years. This makes the sport more affordable for teams and are more relevant to what the manufacturers are selling. A good example would be the Ford Fiesta ST. As good as these cars are, many fans have said that this new era has taken away some of the “ spectacle” of rally racing and long for the days in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s when the rear wheel drive Ford Escort Mark II…

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Breaking News – Aussies Return to Oregon Trail

Mike Shaw

Once again the Oregon Trail Rally gets the opportunity to host some of our friends from down under.    Just announced this evening WRC Academy driver  Brendan Reeves along with his co-driver sister Rhianon Smyth will get reunited with an R2 Ford Fiesta like the drove in the Academy.  This time the young Australians will get to drive a Fiesta R2 courtesy of Team O’Neal, one of two top level rally schools in America.   Back home Brendan and Rhianon have been competing in the ECB Australian Rally Championship in a RallySchool.com.au…

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Rally – 2012 STPR Preview

Doug Patterson

Editor’s Note: Mike Shaw is a regular visitor to OpenPaddock.net and rally fan. His contributions to our rally coverage began with his articles summarizing the rally action and fan experience from this year’s Oregon Trail Rally, and he continues his contributions here with coverage of the Susquehannock Performance Trail Rally. Be sure to check back regularly throughout the weekend for new articles and give him a follow on Twitter, @oregonwings. 2012 Susquehannock Performance Trail Rally Preview – Round 4 of the Rally America National Championship Although the Open class seems…

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