Category: Featured

All of the latest stories from your favorite series located here!

American Dillon Van Way to Compete in Junior World Rally Championship

Mike Shaw

2014 Rally America Super Production Champion Dillon Van Way released the news on Facebook that we’ve been holding on to for a little while.  Van Way is set to compete in the Junior World Rally Championship.     Van Way stated on Facebook: Better late than never… I planned on making a cool announcement post, but since I’m sitting in the airport on my way I guess this will have to do. It’s official, I will be competing in the 2017 JWRC! It’s an incredible opportunity and I am so…

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IndyCar Connection to Red Bull GRC Strengthens with Addition of RLL

Mike Shaw

  RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING TO ENTER RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS SERIES; WILL ENTER A FORD FIESTA ST WITH DRIVER AUSTIN DYNE     HILLIARD, Ohio (March 8, 2017) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR) announced today that the team will compete in the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross Supercar championship and enter a Ford Fiesta ST for driver Austin Dyne.  The program will operate from the team’s Ohio race shop.   The GRC team is the latest addition to RLLR’s portfolio that includes a current program in the Verizon…

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Wallingford & Junnila Take on WRC’s Toughest Challenge

Mike Shaw

Did you know that we have an American competing in WRC Rally Mexico this weekend? That’s right! Dave Wallingford and his Canadian Co-driver Leanne Junnila will be driving a M-Sport / Team O’Neil Fiesta R2 in one of the longest and toughest events on the entire WRC calendar!  WRC Mexico is known for taking it’s toll on both drivers and machinery with it’s high temperatures and nearly 9,000 foot altitudes. Be sure to give Dave, Leanne, and Team O’Neil a follow this weekend with the below social media links: Facebook…

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Op-Ed: Media Done Right at Rally of the Tall Pines

Mike Shaw

US rally fans, myself included, often complain about the lack of media coverage at stage rally events.  In the Rally America Championship we’ve seen it go from the well funded days of a satellite truck with live video and interviews to waiting multiple hours for times to get posted and maybe the occasional Facebook post.  There have been some recent improvements with the occasional Facebook live stream and Jim Beaver’s service park interviews with the top few, but it’s still a far cry from what many of us fans think…

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RallyCast Episode 10 – Vexit and Subaru Helps ARA Solidify It’s Legitimacy

Mike Shaw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode Mike, Matt, and Tom welcome new member Ian Holmes to the show.  Ian helps us debate VW’s exit from the World Rally Championship and where the drivers might go.  We also discuss the big announcements last week from Subaru and the American Rally Association which appears to cement the new series as a real championship.  We go over the 2016 Rally America Championship results, what the ARA announcement might mean for Rally America, and we finish things off with the Red Bull…

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Subaru of America Partners with ARA for 2017 Championship Season

Mike Shaw

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE American Rally Association, Inc.   NATIONAL LEVEL SPONSOR ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 AMERICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Subaru of America to Sponsor American Rally Association 2017 Championship Season     Plymouth, NH– The American Rally Association (ARA) is excited to announce Subaru of America as the first national level sponsor for the 2017 ARA National Championship. As the inaugural year for ARA, the support and sponsorship of automotive industry icon Subaru of America is a key development for the new series. ARA, an organization of experienced volunteers, is…

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American Rally Association Expands to 6 Rounds with Canadian Winter Opener

Mike Shaw

In today’s press release from the American Rally Association, they have announced their full 2017 championship schedule along with a new 6th round to begin the season with a winter event in Canada.   Full press release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SIX EVENTS INCLUDING A ROUND IN CANADA FILL OUT 2017 ARA SEASON American Rally Association Formally Announces Events in 2017 National Championship Series   Plymouth, New Hampshire (October 16, 2016) – The American Rally Association announced today that they will collaborate with the Canadian Rally Association for Round 1 of…

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Big Battles and Massive Entry List for Rally America Finale

Mike Shaw

One could easily forget that with the recent drama leading up to next season that the national championship has another rally to contest this season.  LSPR, the Lake Superior Performance Rally, takes place Friday and Saturday in the forest tracks surrounding Houghton, Michigan and it is going to be awesome! This year’s LSPR should be a memorable one with an entry list tipping the scales with a last count of 75 entries with 25 of those entered as National or combined Regional/National, a number not seen in years.  Some of the…

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

Mike Shaw

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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BREAKING NEWS: Oregon Trail Rally joins American Rally Association for 2017

Mike Shaw

Another domino falls in the USA rallying sanctioning body saga as the Oregon Trail Rally announced this morning that they are switching from Rally America to the newly formed American Rally Association for 2017.  Rallying in the USA has had peaks and valleys over the years, but recently has been gaining popularity.  The new sanctioning offers a number of potential opportunities for continued growth, and we at Open Paddock are excited to see how it develops.   Full press release below.         Oregon Trail Rally Announce 2017…

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