Higgins – OpenPaddock.net

Rally – 2013 Ojibwe Forest Rally

August 27, 2013 Josh Tons

The sixth round of the Rally America National Championship, the Ojibwe Forests Rally held in Detroit Lakes, MN, sun and strong winds greeted 46 teams ready to tackle the narrow, sandy and extremely technical forest roads. Hoonigan Racing’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino dominated from start to finish at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on August 23-24th, finishing first overall. This is the first career Ojibwe Forests Rally victory for Block and his third straight overall win in the Rally America National Championship. Block drove a relatively…

Rally – Season Opener Preview to 2013 Rally America National Championship

January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 Shaun

Williston, VT (January 10, 2013) — The kick-off to the 2013 Rally America National Championship is coming quickly and teams are lining up to take on the snow and ice-covered roads of the Sno*Drift Rally on January 25-26th in Atlanta and Lewiston, MI. Event organizers report approximately a foot of snow has fallen in the local area in recent weeks. A year ago, the Sno*Drift Rally was an extremely icy affair and while there are a couple weeks to go the roads are looking much more like roads than an…

Rally – Olympus Rally Sees Record 78-Team Entry List

September 14, 2012September 14, 2012 Doug Patterson

The last round of the Rally America National Championship is almost here! Next weekend, 78 teams will take to the back roads in the mountains around Olympus, WA. That’s a record turnout for the Rally America Series! All season long, the Rally America events have been recording record entries and seeing record crowds come to enjoy rally racing. It all points to the rising popularity of rally racing and seeing competition between real cars. IndyCar racing is exciting, but the cars are nothing like anything you’d see in the showroom,…

Rally – New England Forest Rally Preview

July 11, 2012 Doug Patterson

The 2012 New England Forest Rally is this weekend, and our friends at Last Ditch Racing return to Rally America to compete in their home event. Driver John Cassidy and co-driver Jennifer Daly will be taking his 2003 Subaru WRX-STi to the difficult Maine roads in their one Rally America appearance of the season. “We haven’t missed a Maine Forest Rally / New England Forest Rally for the past thirteen years, but I think we still have more speed to show on our home roads. We really enjoy the rough…

Rally – 2012 STPR Preview

June 1, 2012June 1, 2012 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…

Rally America – Thursday Notes From 100 Acre Wood Rally

February 23, 2012February 23, 2012 Shaun

The OpenPaddock.net crew has finally landed in Salem, MO for the 100 Acre Wood Rally! While action does not start until tomorrow at 2:01 pm central time, the cars were out and about today for tech inspection. This weekend’s event boasts a large number of cars and some unbelievable driving talents which is sure to make the event one to remember! Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta had already passed through tech this morning before we were able to get on scene for photos, but Antoine L’Estage and David Higgins entries along…

Rally America – Slippin’ ‘n’ Slidin’ at Sno*Drift

January 30, 2012 Doug Patterson

The first of six rounds for the Rally America National Championship is in the books, and wow was it a great rally! The conditions near Atlanta, MI in the upper portion of the lower peninsula were treacherous! There was packed ice below about an inch or two of snow on the road surfaces which made grip difficult to manage. Since studded tires are not legal in every state where the Rally America championship is contested, they are prohibited in the technical regulations. I don’t care how aggressive of a tread…

Rally – David Higgins and Subaru To Defend Championship

January 19, 2012January 19, 2012 Doug Patterson

The record-setting large field for the upcoming Sno*Drift Rally, first round of the Rally America National Championship, just got a little bit bigger. David Higgins will return to the series with the Subaru Rally Team USA to defend their 2011 championship title. David Mirra will also be back, but will focus on the RallyCross event due to several schedule conflicts with Mirra’s BMX events. “I’m excited to defend my title with Subaru as we have made some great progress in the development of our STI rally car in the off-season,…

Rally – L’Estage Wins New England Forest Rally

July 17, 2011 Shaun

From: RallyCar – NEWRY, ME (July 17, 2011) — One of the most spectacular seasons in Rally America Championship history came to an end at the New England Forest Rally with Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard atop of the NEFR podium for the second consecutive year. The privateer Rockstar Rally Team took the lead from the start and held it for the entire duration of the event, winning eight of the eleven special stages. L’Estage finished 48 seconds ahead of Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins. Higgins and…

Rally – STPR Highlights

June 7, 2011 Shaun