Yesterday one of the biggest bombshells in American rally racing was dropped with the announcement of the new American Rally Association as a new sanctioning body. Admittedly we’ve seen this before when just a year ago the formation of the US Rally Association threatened to replace the often criticized Rally America Championship Series, but it never came to fruition. So what’s different this time, and will ARA be successful? As stated in the press release below from the American Rally Association and Team O’Neil, the ARA already has 4 of the…
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STPR 2016 – Review & Photo Gallery
By Andrew Pascarella We were hoping the 2016 Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally would provide a continuation of the close battles at the front we saw from the previous rounds that included Subaru Rally Team USA Teammates David Higgins and Travis Pastrana. Coming into the event, Travis had won 100 Acre Wood while David won the Oregon Trail Rally. They had one victory each with the two trading stage wins and gaps so close that each event was only decided on the final stages. Unfortunately before STPR began the gap between Travis and David…
Read MoreSTPR Starts Today! – Links to Follow Round 5 of the Rally America National Championship!
Bouncing back across to the eastern side of the country after the west coast swing of Oregon Trail Rally and Olympus Rally we’ve now reached the halfway point in the Rally America National Championship. The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is round 5 and it is set to be a barnstormer of an event. At the top Open Class we have the returning battle between Subaru Rally Team USA teammates David Higgins and Craig Drew vs. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom. So far the score is one win apiece, so who will…
Read More2016 Olympus Rally Review
As we get ready for this weekend’s Waste Management Susquahannock Trail Performance Rally, let’s review what took place a couple of weeks ago at the Olympus Rally. Whereas the Oregon Trail Rally was more about the drivers and battles going down to the final stage, the 2016 Olympus Rally was the complete opposite where the battle was against attrition and simply finishing was a challenge in and of itself. The Olympus Rally consisted of 125 competitive miles over 12 challenging twisty stages in the forests near Shelton, Washington. Most notable was the Wildcat Pass…
Read MoreOlympus Rally 2016 Preview
The much famed Olympus Rally kicks off this weekend outside of Shelton, Washington. Regional and National competitors will take to the same classic forest roads once used in the WRC during the much lauded Group B era. In fact this year marks the 30th anniversary since the end of that most exciting and yet dangerous time in rally history. It was in fact here at the Olympus Rally in November 1986 when the last of the beastly Lancia Delta S4s, Audi Quattro’s, and Peugeot 205 T16s took to the forests…
Read MoreFinal Stage Decided Multiple Classes at the 2016 Oregon Trail Rally
The Oregon Trail Rally continued the dramatic final stage excitement we’ve been seeing all year in Rally America. It isn’t often stage rally can say that not one, not two, but three events in a row came down to the final stage to decide the overall victor. It was a battle down to the wire, in one of the most picturesque settings on the national championship calendar. This year’s Oregon Trail Rally first started with some short fan friendly stages at Portland International Raceway, and then trekked out east to…
Read MoreFrench Ace Bryan Bouffier to Compete at Oregon Trail Rally
We all know Subaru Rally Team USA has been a dominant force in Rally America for a long time. However a late entrant to the Oregon Trail Rally may mix things up a bit. Many Rally America fans will recognize Polish native Art Gruszka’s big Green APU truck in the service park and his Mitsubishi RS he debuted last year. The unusual little car looks a lot like the current WRC or R5 spec machines, but is a private development project. Unfortunately Art had a series of mechanical DNFs last…
Read MoreRoad & Track Editor Jason Harper to Drive at Oregon Trail Rally
Road & Track should be changing its name to Road & Rally next weekend when Contributing Editor Jason Harper hits the stages of the Oregon Trail Rally. Harper, an automotive journalist with over twenty years experience, will be filling the shoes of 2015 Super Production Champion Lauchlin O’Sullivan in Dufur. A tall order for someone with a limited rally background, but don’t think that Harper is going it alone. Scott Putnam will be in his usual seat, guiding Harper throughout the weekend. Harper has a long history in the automobile…
Read MoreThe Quick Recap – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
A close battle at the front, massive accidents, and wide-spread attrition made the 2016 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood one to remember. It feels like someone snuck “Do a Barrel Roll (Press Z or R twice)” into the Jemba notes this year. A Red Cross came out twice this weekend, delaying stages, and even more drivers had offs, rolls, and skids. Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured in any of these instances. A side effect of the delays, stages traditionally run in the dark that we feared gone, thanks to…
Read MoreWelcome Back Gravel – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Preview
The extended wait is finally over. After nearly two months the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is finally here and it’s looking to be a fantastic event. Rally regulars, off-road specialists, and tarmac professionals will be competing against each other on the Missouri stage roads this weekend. In total, nearly 70 entries are slated to do their best Christopher Robin impressions, a great turnout for the second Rally America national event of the year. Why such a long time between rallies this year? After two of the last three runnings of the…
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