Central UP Rally This Weekend

The annual Central UP Rally, a NASA Rally Sport series event, runs this weekend near Powers, Michigan. Comprised of 8 stages over 90 miles, this event features fast and wide, hard packed dirt roads, and often very wet conditions. Open Paddock’s own Ian Holmes will be co-driving for Scott Parrot in a Chevy S-10 rally truck. For more information, check out their website and NASA Rally Sport’s event page.

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This Weekend in Rally

This weekend in rally we have several major events we’ll be following:   The big one in the US is Oregon Trail Rally, one of our favorites. Held every year around Dufur, Oregon, this years rally will feature top battles between Subaru drivers David Higgins and Travis Pastrana, with Barry McKenna and Piotr Fetela looking to upset them with their Open class Fiestas. You can track the cars and see times as they come by following along at http://live.americanrallyassociation.org/live.html as well as following Oregon Trail Rally on Facebook. Another big…

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Sandblast Rally 2018 Recap

Sandblast never fails to disappoint fans with drama, plenty of DNFs, and surprise winners. 2018 would be no different. The one day event on the sandy roads around Cheraw, South Carolina saw 36 cars start the race but only 22 finish. Unfortunately, an expected entry from Amanda Skelly in her rebuilt car named “Stitch” failed to materialize as last minute engine issues prevented the car from being ready in time. A last-minute entry from Barry McKenna in a Ford Escort MK2 energized a list of strong compeitors going for the…

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In The Paddock – Episode 2 Featuring Erick Nelson of the ARA

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode Mike Shaw chats with Erick Nelson the Competition Director of the American Rally Association.  Erick tells us about his background, how the inaugural season is going so far, and goes into detail about the recently announced Junior Championship set to start in 2018.   Official ARA Junior Championship Press Release    

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In The Paddock – Episode 1

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThis is episode one of our new “In The Paddock” interview series. This week we chat with Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport just before this weekend’s Sandblast rally.  He tells us about the latest NRS tech, including details of a new digital route book app they just launched  yesterday. NASA  Rally Sport Links: Digital Route Book app Website Facebook Twitter   Let us know what you think in the comments!

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

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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Subaru of America Partners with ARA for 2017 Championship Season

  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

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

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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