Category: North American Rally

News from the various stage rally organizations throughout North America.

RallyCast Episode 101 – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Part 3 with Ryan and Rachel Rethy, Katie Gingras, and Arek Bialobrzeski

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadPart 3 of the 100 Acre Wood review, it’s all about NA4WD. We kick it off with regional overall winners Ryan and Rachel Rethy who had a fabulous run with some extremely close competition. Then it’s Co-Driver Katie Gingras who with driver Chuck Surdyke was battling the Rethy’s until they got a little over ambitious into a fast left hander. And finally it’s a chat with Arek Bialobrzeski about his killer H6 swapped 2011 Subaru WRX hatchback that was so fast that it was…

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RallyCast Episode 100 – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Part 2 with Barry McKenna, Martin Brady, and Cameron Carr

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIt’s our 100th episode! We start our chat with current ARA champion Barry McKenna who gives us all the details on his World Rally Car and all the changes they did to have it meet ARA regulations. It’s always a treat to be joined by Martin Brady. 100 Acre Wood didn’t go so well for he and Seamus, but their speed was remarkable. Then it’s co-driver Cameron Carr with some stories about recce and what it’s like to compete in an R5 for the…

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RallyCast Episode 98 – The Rally Race Book Project

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode we chatted with Dr. “Koz” – Michele Kozimor, Dr. Barbara Prince, and Emalie Rell about a study they’re doing about the culture of rally racing in North America. A long time Subaru fan, Michele had never been to a rally until a friend called about a bunch of Subarus running around Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.  That visit to STPR and her interaction with teams, fans, and volunteers inspired the project now in it’s 3rd year of research. Follow the Rally Race Book project…

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The Revolution Has Started, but is it Good or Bad?

Mike Shaw

In my very first column for OpenPaddock.net, I talked about how much of the magic in US rallying is created by the unique variety of cars and the “can-do” attitude of crews. While I would love to see a US round of the WRC, I would never want the US rally scene to lose the care-free approach that makes it so special. With eight R5 cars on the entry list for the upcoming 100 Acre Wood Rally, it’s fair to say that momentum is increasing when it comes to the…

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RallyCast Episode 89 – Olympus 2020 Part 2

Mike Shaw

In Part 2 of our Olympus review show, we conclude our interview with Regional overall winner Dave Clark, and then provide some thoughts and insight from our commentary crew which includes our host Mike Shaw, rally photographer Tedrick Mealy, and recently announced 2020 Eastern Regional Open 2WD champion co-driver, Kelsey Stephens of Cooper Autoworks.  

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RallyCast Episode 87 – ARA’s New Series Competition Director Preston Osborn and Ojibwe Forests Rally Review

Mike Shaw

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode we welcome back friend of the RallyCast Preston Osborn. After toasting to his new role as ARA’s new Series Competition Director, we chat about what interested him in taking up the new position, areas he plans on focusing first, and what his recent skills as a team manager and competitor at O.D.D. Racing can bring to the sanctioning body’s management team. From there  we delve deep into a review of the Ojibwe Forests Rally and learn why everyone should keep an…

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Are Hyundai and US Rallying a Match Made in Heaven?

Mike Shaw

By Jon Scoltock Hyundai have been on my mind a lot recently. That sentence would have been unimaginable 10 years ago, but the South Korean manufacturer has undergone something of a transformation in recent years. In fact, I think I would go as far as to say that they are probably one of the most exciting car makers in the world right now. I know that might seem like a far-fetched idea, but hear me out. When I was a kid, Hyundai made fairly dependable, but pretty crappy family cars.…

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Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) Elects New Chairmen and Host City

Mike Shaw

Open Paddock has learned that the Lake Superior Performance Rally has elected Steve Gingras and Eric Carlson as their new co-chairmen. Steve told Open Paddock “It’s going to be a big challenge but we want to build an event that is going to be strong for several years.” This is yet another ‘changing of the guard’ we’ve been seeing over the past several years as a younger generation begins to run events. “Only somewhat younger” as Steve jokingly put it. This is quite the change for the former Production GT…

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Horses for Courses

Mike Shaw
McKenna's Skoda R5

Horses for Courses Another view from across pond by Jon Scoltock No, I haven’t written a column about four-legged transport instead of the four-wheeled kind, but I have been thinking about how different machines work for different events; something that has been well illustrated in recent weeks. We’ve just enjoyed the spectacle of a brand-new WRC event, Rally Estonia, which delivered plenty of drama. It was obviously really cool to see WRC cars in action again, but it also made me think about how unique rallying is, or perhaps was?…

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