PMR Motorsports’ duo, Patrick Moro and Ole Holter, won the 2010 Rally America Super Production (SP) Class Championship after overcoming a slow start to the season and acquiring the points needed at the recently held New England Forest Rally in Newry, Maine to secure the Super Production Class Title!

All year the Super Production Class has been a source of excitement with a dramatic lead change in the standings, new competitors entering events, and top teams overcoming, or succumbing to, mechanical failures that changed the course of the SP battle.

Throughout the season the SP Class became harder and harder to predict the outcome, but it was Dublin, Ohio’s Pat Moro driving a 2005 Subaru WRX STI that prevailed as the Super Production Class winner as well as 5th overall in the Rally America National Championship.

Early in the 2010 season, Hanson Motorsports’ father and son team, Terry, from Michigan and his son Travis Hanson, from Littleton, NH, were the team to beat when they took significant wins at January’s Sno*Drift Rally in Atlanta, Michigan and 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri in March and set the tone in Super Production.

It appeared that the Hanson’s were unstoppable as other competitors in the class struggled to string along consistent finishes. The Super Production Class podium saw a mixture of drivers in 2nd and 3rd place during the first two events of the season with Travis Hanson the only consistent finisher in 1st place.

However a string of mishaps plagued Hanson Motorsports thereafter. The team secured a 2nd place finish at the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, Oregon in May, but they weren’t able to finish the other three events remaining in the season.

“I was happy for Travis (Hanson) with his early wins,” said Moro, “I seriously thought Travis was going to walk away with the SP Championship this year and we were already in the mindset of winning 2nd place.”

But the SP winds changed drastically and Patrick Moro saw his chance materialize following a successful West Coast tour combined with Hansons’ unfortunate difficulties. Moro went on to secure a class win at the Oregon Trail Rally, gain 2nd place points at the Olympus Rally in Washington and Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Pennsylvania, and secure the points needed to secure the class championship at the New England Forest Rally in Maine.

“This SP Championship was won by perseverance. This is what makes this season so special,” reflected Moro. “Last year we were just 1 point away from winning the Super Production title. We were so close that we worked even harder this year building our own cars and running the whole team by ourselves. This win validates everything we worked so hard for.”

“We could not have gotten through this Championship without the support of Subaru’s contingency program,” continued Moro. “The award money really helped, but we also owe Rallyspec a lot of credit for crewing with us and providing technical expertise. Exedy Racing Clutches also stepped in with parts, that was a big help.”

The Super Production Class is only two years old, but it has seen a slew of notable and extremely competitive team entries that Pat Moro had to fend off for his title. At the end of the season a spread of only 3 points separated 2nd through 4th place!

Last year’s returning SP Champion, Jimmy Keeney from Colorado Springs, Colorado, used consistency to win his 2009 SP title and relied on the same strategy again this year. Though, Keeney only finished once on the podium all year, he was reasonably within striking distance of Moro at the New England Forest Rally. At season’s end, Keeney settled for third overall in class and 10th in the Rally America National Championship.

Rally America’s Super Production class attracted new teams this year that challenged the podium, most notably ex-Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ramana Lagemann, who returned to competition after a two year absence driving a Subaru WRX STI for the RallyTire.com team from Maryland.

Lagemann from Boston, MA, arrived almost halfway through the 6-event season and immediately began nabbing SP 1st place finishes at the Olympus, STPR, and New England Forest Rallys. He suffered mechanical problems at the Oregon Trail Rally, which could have cost him the SP Championship, instead settling in for 2nd overall in class for the year. Lagemann’s strong showing in an SP car got him on the overall Rally America Championship podium at the final two events of the year. Though, Lagemann came in 2nd to Moro in the Super Production Championship, he beat Moro in the overall standings by taking 4th place overall.

The Super Production class will be well represented at the Summer X Games 16 in Los Angeles this year as well. Returning to “Rally Car Racing”, Moro, Hanson, and Keeney will rely on previous X Games competition experience to challenge for an X Games medal. New to X Games in 2010 will be fellow PMR Motorsports teammate and Subaru WRX STI driver Timothy Rooney from Dublin, Ohio, making his X Games debut in “SuperRally”.

SuperRally is a new rally event being added to the X Games docket featuring 4 cars racing wheel-to-wheel in fast 4-lap heat races on the L.A. Memorial Coliseum floor. Fans can catch the live Rally Car Racing and SuperRally action LIVE on ESPN, Saturday, July 31st from 4:00pm – 7:00pm PT, and 7:15pm – 8:00pm PT.

About Rally America, Inc.:

Based in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2009, Rally America will conduct nine National Championship events at venues across the country, from Portland, Ore., to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street-legal rally cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow.

Rally America is introducing “Rallycross” to America for the first time on August 27-28, October 9-10, and November 6-7 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. Fans will be able to watch two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive rally cars compete wheel-to-wheel on a closed-loop 1.3 mile tarmac and gravel circuit in timed heats from the comfort of grandstands and special viewing areas.

Rally America is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, the Team O’Neil Rally School, Able Planet, Hawk Performance Brakes, Rally-Tire.com, RaceWatches.com, Exedy Racing Clutches, RECARO, Mazda and the Danza del Sol Winery.

New England Forest Rally recap video available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbI3W0yNUS8

For Results from the New England Forest Rally visit:
http://rally-america.com/events/2010/NEFR/results

Photo: Mike Proulx/World Rally Sport/Rally America

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Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Team’s Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both from Quebec, Canada, became the newest Rally America National Champions after a spectacular drive at the drama filled New England Forest Rally!

This is Antoine L’Estage’s first Rally America title and Nathalie Richard’s third co-driver title. She co-drove for her brother, Patrick Richard, on his way to win the 2005 Rally America and 2004 SCCA ProRally Championships.

L’Estage led the 2010 Championship heading into the season’s final round with a 13 point advantage over New England hometown favorite, Bill Bacon a full-time Firefighter from Nashua, NH, and just needed 5th place or better to gain enough points to become Rally America’s third ever title holder. Bacon, who has doggedly pursued L’Estage on the podium all season, was the only driver within striking distance of L’Estage, but he had to win the event outright and rely on L’Estage finishing outside of 5th place to snatch the Championship for his own. But Bacon suffered a devastating flat tire on Stage 9 that pushed him back to an overall 6th place finish.

Luck was on L’Estage’s side though as he faced the return of 4-time Rally America Champion, Travis Pastrana from Davidsonville, Maryland, and Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block from Encinitas, California. Pastrana missed two crucial rally events when he was in Australia for two months performing in a Live Nitro Circus television show, thus costing him valuable points and relegated him to a 3rd place position in the overall Championship points.

Early on, Ken Block led the New England Forest Rally in his Monster Energy-backed Ford Fiesta until he went too wide in a sweeping Stage 4 corner and ditched his car damaging his rear suspension. That left Pastrana in the overall lead by nearly 3 minutes until Stage 11 when he lost oil pressure in his 2010 Subaru WRX STI and was forced to retire. L’Estage and Richard then cruised to the end, winning the New England Forest Rally and stepping into the record books as the new 2010 Rally America National Champions!

It was not an easy season for L’Estage and Richard. At the start of 2010, they planned to compete in just four Rally America events in addition to their Canadian Rally Series schedule with just one car – a 2010 Mistubishi Lancer Evolution X prepared by US Rally legend John Buffum and his team at Libra Racing. But once the two Canadians found themselves at the top of the overall Rally America points in early spring and with two West Coast Rally America events looming, they mustered enough energy and funding to trek across the country from Quebec to see if they could maintain their overall points lead.

“I’ve never rallied in the West Coast, so it was a huge gamble for us,” said L’Estage following the Olympus Rally. “I came to the West Coast with the goal of maximizing recce at Oregon Trail and winning this rally. At Olympus there was no point in catching Pastrana. I just wanted to save my 2nd place for the big picture.”

L’Estage also placed his West Coast finishes in perspective: “Travis Pastrana has been out here rallying for years and should know these roads. I suppose it would be the same situation if Pastrana came to the Canadian Baie Des Chaleurs Rally where I know those roads and he just showed up for the first time.”

Antoine L’Estage has even more on the line competing in two North American Rally Championships with a single car making his run for a title even more special and improbable. Each event L’Estage entered he hoped for a smooth and problem-free run. Any catastrophic failure meant throwing away his season in both the Rally America Championship as well as the Canadian Rally Series, not to mention the coveted North American Rally Cup.

With the Rally America Championship secured, he and Nathalie can now focus their efforts on finishing the Canadian Rally Series season where they currently sit in 4th place overall.

Before he returns to his homeland, L’Estage has one more stop on U.S. soil at the Summer X Games 16 in Los Angeles where he plans to compete in both Rally Car Racing and the newly added discipline for Rally cars, SuperRally.

An experienced X Games competitor, L’Estage has even more momentum on his side heading to the big show in Los Angeles to win his first X Games medal. Plus, he will be part of motorsports history as a participant in the first-ever SuperRally competition featuring four rally cars at a time battling wheel-to-wheel on the L.A. Memorial Coliseum floor.

This has been the dream season that has validated Antoine L’Estage’s talent as one of North America’s best rally drivers. There are many ways to win a Championship and L’Estage, along with his co-driver, Nathalie Richard, have shown that consistency pays huge dividends in the world or rally. With that, L’Estage and Richard have cemented their place in rally history as the duo who broke Travis Pastrana’s run of four consecutive Rally America Overall Championships. And now he joins his co-driver’s brother, Patrick Richard, as only the second Canadian rally driver in history to win the Rally America Overall Championship.

About Rally America, Inc.:

Based in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2009, Rally America will conduct nine National Championship events at venues across the country, from Portland, Ore., to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street-legal rally cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow.

Rally America is introducing “Rallycross” to America for the first time on August 27-28, October 9-10, and November 6-7 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. Fans will be able to watch two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive rally cars compete wheel-to-wheel on a closed-loop 1.3 mile tarmac and gravel circuit in timed heats from the comfort of grandstands and special viewing areas.

Rally America is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, the Team O’Neil Rally School, Able Planet, Hawk Performance Brakes, Rally-Tire.com, RaceWatches.com, Exedy Racing Clutches, RECARO, Mazda and the Danza del Sol Winery.

To watch RAM TV videos from the New England Forest Rally go to:
http://rally-america.com/index.php

For Results from the New England Forest Rally visit:
http://rally-america.com/events/2010/NEFR/results

Photo: Mike Proulx/World Rally Sport/Rally America

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Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard win the 34th edition of the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) and maintain their lead of the Rally America Championship. Despite dropping time on day one after their Rockstar Energy Royal Group Mitsiubishi Evo X lost power steering, L’Estage went on to finish the rally with a 1 minute 36.4 second lead over privateer Bill Bacon. L’Estage won STPR in 2008, but this victory marks his first outright win of the 2010 Rally America season.

Bacon and his co-driver, Peter Watt, secured a second place finish by deciding to drive conservatively after L’Estage began to develop his lead over them. The Bacon Motorsports team was happy with their result considering they dealt with a variety of mechanical issues throughout the weekend. Both L’Estage and Bacon qualify for an X Games invitation based on their placement in the championship points.

Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis of the Rally-Tire.com team rounded out the overall podium in their 2007 Super Production-spec Subaru. Lagemann is the third competitor ever in Rally America history to put an SP class car on the overall podium. Lagemann has proven his consistency and pace since returning to rallying this past April, but was given an advantage at STPR after two top contenders retired from the rally.

Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and Martin Headland blew their car’s turbo three miles into SS5 and then crashed out of the event. The Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino held a promising rally lead up until SS10, when they were forced to retire due to fuel system issues and a failing gearbox.

Top Super Production class teams were embroiled in a fierce battle that lasted to the very end, trading positions in the standings throughout the weekend. Lagemann dominated the class, but the remainder of the SP podium was not determined until the final stage. The PMR racing team had their fair share of mechanical issues at STPR, but drivers Pat Moro and Tim Rooney finished the rally in second and third in class, respectively. During the final stage at the Tioga County Fairgrounds, Moro overtook his teammate Rooney and finished 11.2 seconds ahead of him.

In Two-Wheel Drive, Chris Duplessis made an impressive comeback after a flat tire early on the first day put him 30th overall and third in class. Chris Greenhouse and co-driver Christopher Gordon dominated the 2WD field until rolling their 1995 Plymouth Neon and giving Duplessis the opportunity to take the lead. Duplessis finished the rally ninth overall and first in class. Dillon Van Way and co-driver Ben Slocum finished second on the 2WD national podium while Greenhouse placed third. With this win, Duplessis clinches the 2010 national Rally America 2WD Championship.

Driver Joey Kale and co-driver Scott Nickerson won the Sherwood Forest regional rally 40.9 seconds ahead of Maciej Przybysz and Kristin Przybysz. Peter Hascher and co-driver Scott Rhoades finished third on the regional podium.

The next event on the Rally America calendar is the New England Forest Rally in Bethel, Maine on July 16-17.

To watch videos from the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, visit:
http://youtube.com/RallyAmericaSeries

Stay up to date with Rally America news and information via Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/rally_america

Photo Credit:

Podium shot: http://www.WorldRallySport.com | Mike Proulx
L’Estage action: http://www.WorldRallySport.com | Mat Janiak
Lagemann action: http://www.WorldRallySport.com | Mat Janiak

About STPR:
The Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally presented by Citizens and Northern Bank is based in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania with stage roads set in the scenic Susquehannock, Tioga, and Tiadaghton State Forests near the Pine Creek Gorge. STPR also boasts the heavily attended Subaru Super Special Stage at the Tioga County Fairgrounds. STPR is round 5 of 6 of the 2010 Rally America Series.

About Rally America:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, through a partnership with ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16, the annual leading action-sports event that’s broadcast live on ESPN. For more information, be sure to visit www.rally-america.com.

Rally America is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, Danza del Sol Winery, Team O’Neil Rally School, Able Planet, Inc., Hawk Performance Brakes, RaceWatches.com, Exedy Racing Clutches, RECARO, Rally-Tire.com, Mazda.

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The NOS Energy Mitsubishi team of Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey took a decisive win on the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally, round 4 of the Rally America National Championship. Comrie-Picard held a comfortable lead over the Mitsubishi crew of Bill Bacon and Peter Watt at the start of the final day and managed to increase his advantage by the final stage. Bacon focused more on maintaining his position by staying ahead of the overall Rally America Championship points leader Antoine L’Estage than trying to catch Comrie-Picard.

L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard drove their Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi EVO X to third place after dropping to seventeenth early on day two of the rally due to mechanical issues. L’Estage claimed every stage win on the third and final day of competition and now leads Bacon in the National Championship standings by 8 points.

This event was the first time in Rally America history to have an all-Mitsubishi national podium and was particularly rewarding for the winners, who are all privateers. The factory-backed teams of both Subaru and Ford were put out of the contest early on the second day of the rally after crashing their cars.

Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and Martin Headland rolled their car near the start of the Fir Mountain Long I stage (SS6) and were not able to continue. Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino suffered the same fate on the second pass of the Fir Mountain stage (SS8), damaging their 2010 Ford Fiesta and retiring from the event.

This year’s Oregon Trail Rally was a grueling event that witnessed a heavy rate of attrition. Of the 61 starters, 24 crews had DNF’d by the end of day two and only 47 teams were able to start on the final day. Teams challenged Oregon’s unforgiving gravel logging and farm roads in the areas surrounding The Dalles and Dufur, battling hot, dusty conditions against the backdrop of the scenic Columbia River Gorge and towering Mt. Hood.

The trip out West was favorable for Pat Moro and co-driver Ole Hunter, who took the Super Production Class win. Moro’s podium finish at the Olympus Rally along with his Oregon Trail Rally win have launched him to second place in the Super Production Class Championship. Moro has overtaken his teammate Tim Rooney, who retired early on day two of the rally, in the SP title chase with only two events left on the calendar. Moro is now within striking distance of SP leaders Travis and Terry Hanson, who finished Oregon second in class to maintain the SP Championship lead. Able Planet Rally Team driver and 2009 Super Production winner, Jimmy Keeney, completed the podium with co-driver Jason Grahn for their first top three finish of the year.

Ramana Lagemann returned to the West Coast hoping to repeat his Olympus Rally Super Production win and was certainly on pace to do so, but a 17:30 minute penalty for speeding through a transit effectively knocked him out of contention.

The 2-Wheel-Drive Class saw a new winner with reigning 2009 2WD Champion, Dillon Van Way, securing his first overall class victory for the year. Van Way finished 1:15.3 minutes ahead of 2WD points leader Chris Duplessis. Duplessis was behind his usual pace while adapting to a newly-built Scion xD supported by 0-60 Magazine and Sparco, but finished second in 2WD with an unproven, underpowered car. Normally, Duplessis pilots a 1990 VW GTi and consistently beats other rally cars with twice as much horsepower. Dodge SRT-4 driver John Conley and co-driver Keith Rudolph held onto third in class and maintains his 2WD second place overall position.

In the opening round of the 2010 MaxAttack! 2WD Series, Cody Crane battled Dillon Van Way throughout the weekend, but ran into mechanical troubles late on day two. Crane had to rebuild his Honda CRX’s transmission overnight, forcing him to drive more conservatively on the final day of the rally. Van Way overtook Crane for the MaxAttack! win and Duplessis finished third. Gaylord Van Brocklin and Brian Gottllieb also claimed MaxAttack! cash prizes, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. The MaxAttack! Series now moves East to the New England Forest Rally in Sunday River, Maine on July 16-17 before the final MaxAttack! shootout at the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Houghton, Michigan.

The Trails End Regional Rally saw another Mitsubishi Lancer EVO in the top spot with Wolfgang Hoeck and Piers O’Hanlon beating Wagons Ho! Regional Rally winners Mark Mager and Jake Blattner by 1:32.5 minutes. Wolfgang also won the Shunpiker Stages Regional Rally on Saturday. Pacific Northwest team of Dave and Richard Hintz finished third on the podium.

The next round of the Rally America Championship is the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on June 4-5. STPR is the last chance for teams to win valuable points towards receiving a Summer X Games 16 invitation to compete in the venerable Rally Car Racing event.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

About Rally America:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, through a partnership with ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16, the annual leading action-sports event that’s broadcast live on ESPN. For more information, be sure to visit www.rally-america.com.

Rally America is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, Team O’Neil Rally School, Able Planet, Inc., Hawk Performance Brakes, RaceWatches.com, Exedy Racing Clutches and RECARO.

Podium Photo Credit:
Matt Young/www.worldrallysport.com/Rally America

Pat Moro Super Production Winner:
Aaron Kathman/www.worldrallysport.com/Rally America

Dillon Van Way 2 Wheel Drive Winner:
Matt Young/www.worldrallysport.com/Rally America

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard start this weekend’s Oregon Trail Rally as the Rally America series leaders. After podium finishes at all three 2010 championship rounds thus far, L’Estage’s main objective in Oregon is to increase his title hunt lead, which is currently six points ahead of four-time champion Travis Pastrana. A strong finish in the team’s Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X will be enough for the team to leave Oregon one step closer to the championship title.

Two-time Canadian and North American champion Antoine L’Estage, who has never before competed at the Oregon Trail Rally, has high expectations of himself. “I don’t want another second place finish. We’re here to win. The rally organizers have added a day of reconnaissance to the event schedule this year so we will use that day to familiarize ourselves with the roads and lessen the advantage that the other teams have over us,” indicates the driver from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qc.

With only three events to go, he and five-time North American champion co-driver, Nathalie Richard, lead the Rally America series title hunt. Rumours of Travis Pastrana missing the Oregon Trail Rally is bittersweet for L’Estage. “We always want as much competition as possible at every event. All the championship contenders were at each of the events to date and at the last rally in Washington, we had even more competition than usual. It was fantastic – just how we like it,” confides the Yokohama driver.

The duo suffered a bit of misfortune at the last two rallies, preventing them from putting pressure on the eventual winners throughout the entire duration of each rally. “We’ve had a really strong start to the season and clearly we’re consistent! We’re both eager for a top podium spot this year but my ultimate job is to make sure Antoine doesn’t lose sight of the big picture,” adds Richard, who won her first overall victory at this rally in 2004.

In two weeks, L’Estage and Richard will head north to Calgary for the Rocky Mountain Rally, round two of the Canadian Rally Championship, followed by a sprint across the country to Rally America’s Susquehannock Trail Rally in Pennsylvania. A reliable car, prepared by John Buffum’s Libra Racing shop in Vermont, enables the team to be such a threat while competing both full championships.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the entire 2010 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver’s Edge Autosport (OMP), VP Racing Fuels, and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .

2010 Rally America and North American Championship leaders Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard.
Photo: Andrew Snucins, World Rally Sport

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Tighten the belts and hold on! Round 4 of the Rally America Championship, is about to go full throttle. Teams from across North America have begun arriving in Portland to contest the Oregon Trail Rally, May 14-16. The Oregon Trail Rally is a 3 day extreme motorsport event that tests driver’s skill and vehicle reliability to the limit. Competitors will face the challenge of northwest Oregon gravel roads over a course that is 115 miles in length.

With 65 entries registered for the event, this is expected to be one of the most spectacular events organized by the local Oregon Rally Group. “It’s great to have the Rally Championship return to Oregon for the eleventh straight year”, commented event chairman, Matt Tabor. “The organizing team has worked hard over the past year to add some new spectator locations and new competition stages to this year’s event. We feel confident that this will be an exciting event for spectators and competitors alike.”

Current Rally America Championship point’s leader, Antoine L’Estage in the Rock Star Mitsubishi Evo X can expect stiff competition from the top National and Local drivers at this weekend’s event. Subaru Rally Team USA driver and X Games BMX legend, Dave Mira, will be pushing hard after his podium finish at last month’s Olympus Rally. YouTube Gymkhana driving legend Ken Block will bring his new Monster World Rally Team 2010 Ford Fiesta to Oregon for the first time and will be aiming for a win. Multi-disciplined driver, Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard, will return in his NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi Lancer Evo thrilling the crowds with his driving style. Not to be out shone by the more powerfully 4WD cars, current Group 2 (2WD) class point leader Christopher Duplessis will debut a new Scion XD rally car at the Oregon Trail Rally.

Local competitors to watch include Doug Heredos in his newly built Subaru WRX driving for Open Class honors, the mother daughter team of Janice and Kristen Tabor in their Acura RSX and Glen Wallace in his beautifully prepared 1967 Ford Cortina.

Prior to the start of competition on Friday evening at Portland International Raceway, there are a number of fan events planned in the Portland/Vancouver area.
* Early Thursday morning look for local and national rally competitors to appear on the KGW Northwest News Channel 8 morning show from 5 -7 am with Drew Carney.
* Oregon Trail Rally Fan Appreciation Show on Thursday from 11 am – 1 pm in Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland.
* Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra will sign autographs and shows his rally car on Thursday from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at Dick Hannah in the Vancouver Auto Mall.
* Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and his Ford Fiesta will appear on Thursday from 6 – 8 pm at Courtesy Ford on 122nd Ave in Portland.

The Friday Fan Spectacular at Portland International Raceway (PIR) begins at 6 pm with a Parc Expose (car display) where fans can view the competition cars up close and talk with the drivers. It is followed by a series of timed competitive special stages specifically designed for spectator viewing.

Saturday morning starts with another Parc Expose at 10 am in The Dalles (2600 W. 6th St., immediately off of I-84 exit 83). At 11 am the cars will leave at one minute intervals and head out to the forest stages which includes the spectator favorite at Fir Mountain. Rally fans in Oregon are familiar with this Hood River site, and 1000 fans packed the hillside last year. Special parking and shuttles are being implemented this year so that fans don’t have to hike a mile to the spectator location. Oregon Trail Rally sponsor, Dick Hannah Subaru, is graciously providing free hot dogs to fans at spectator locations over the weekend.

After a service stop back in The Dalles the show moves out to the Dufur area (15 miles south of The Dalles). A rally car service area will be set up in the City Park, with spectating venues nearby. At the service areas, teams refuel and make necessary repairs to their cars. The service areas are open to the public and are similar to being in the pits at a circuit track race. Take a walk through the service area and you will see the mechanics work on the cars under time restrictions. The top teams can change a transmission and get a car back on the road within 20 minutes.

Saturday’s action concludes in downtown Dufur at 7:30 pm with a “Rally Street Party & Barbeque” in the city park open to all rally fans.

On Sunday, teams return to Dufur, with breakfast at the high school on Court St. from 7:30 to 10:30 am, which will benefit the Dufur Schools Activity Fund. The breakfast is open to the public to come meet the rally teams and enjoy a warm morning meal, while raising money for a great cause. The motorsport action continues around the Dufur area all day, with the champions taking the podium on Dufur’s Main Street around 4 pm.

Spectator Information:

Detailed spectator information, including viewing locations and times, is now available on the events web site http://www.OregonTrailRally.com.

Attached: Carl Jardevall powers along the service roads at Portland International Raceway.
Image (c) Aaron Kathman

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Teammate Pastrana Foregoes Event Due to Schedule Conflict

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra will be the lone team entry in this weekend’s 2010 Oregon Trail Rally based in and around Portland, Oregon. A previously scheduled engagement with the Nitro Circus Live tour in Australia precludes Subaru driver Travis Pastrana, the 4-time defending Rally America National Champion, from competing at the Oregon Trail Rally. Mirra currently holds 4th Overall in the 2010 Rally America National Championship standings while teammate Pastrana sits in 2nd having won the last round of the series, the Olympus Rally, late last month.

Pastrana will headline Nitro Circus Live in Australia this month, a series of stadium based events that will feature action sports stars performing never before seen tricks and stunts in a spectacular live action format.

The Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2010 Rally America National Championship, features over 115 miles of competition run over the course of three days. The action kicks off this Friday in Portland with a night of fan-friendly mixed-surface stages at Portland International Raceway. The bulk of the rally however will take place east of Portland in the Mt. Hood area on technical and flowing gravel roads. The ever changing Pacific Northwest weather adds to the challenge for drivers and crews. Area roads can get extremely muddy and wet with rain; however, it is just as possible for them to be dry and dusty.

Mirra, driving a BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI enters the Oregon Trail Rally on a high note after having earned his best-ever national finish at the previous round , the Olympus Rally, where he placed 3rd Overall.. “I can’t wait to get out to the Oregon Trail Rally and pick up where I left off at Olympus. My pace was solid but I’m not where I want to be yet,” explains Mirra. “I’m progressively getting quicker and more confident in my new, more powerful Subaru [Impreza WRX] STI this season, but I feel I made a lot of progress at Olympus. I’m hoping to find some more at Oregon and get a bit faster still.” Mirra will again have co-driver Martin Headland sitting alongside.

Dave Mirra will meet fans at the Oregon Trail Rally Fan Appreciation Show this Thursday (May 13, 2010) from 11 am – 1 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. Later that same day, Mirra and his #40 Subaru Impreza WRX STI raly car will make an appearance at Dick Hannah Subaru in the Vancouver Auto Mall from 6:00pm – 7:30pm for an autograph session.

The Friday Fan Spectacular at Portland International Raceway (PIR) begins at 6 pm kicking off with a Parc Expose (car display) where fans can view the competition cars up close and mingle with drivers. This will be followed by a series of mixed surface competitive special stages specifically designed for spectator viewing.

Event updates, news and results can be found at www.Rally-America.com starting Friday evening. Nightly Subaru Rally Team USA updates and photo galleries can be found at rally.subaru.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

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After an action packed weekend of competition at the Olympus Rally in Ocean Shores, WA it was four-time Rally America Champion and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana who took top spot on the podium. Pastrana said, “This rally was hard from the start. It was definitely the most intense field that we’ve had.” Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi driver Antoine L’Estage keeps his Championship points lead with another second place overall podium finish, for the third event in a row.

Next up for the national and international competitors is the Oregon Trail Rally, Round 4 of the Rally America Championship, May 14-16. The teams will have a short three weeks to prepare their cars for the always-challenging rally event.

To introduce rally to those less familiar with this style of racing, the Oregon Trail Rally event organizers will bring a display of competitor cars to Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on Thursday May 13, from 11 AM to 1 PM.

The competition begins at Portland International Raceway (PIR) on Friday evening at 6 PM with a series of timed competitive special stages specifically designed for spectator access. “Our Friday Fan Spectacle at PIR has developed over the years to be one of the best rally racing spectator formats in North America. Spectators will have the opportunity to see the cars and competitors up close with full “pit access” at the car display (Parc Expose) and feel the excitement of Rally competition. We are grateful to Portland International Raceway for their continued support”, commented Robert Mahony, Oregon Trail Rally media officer.

Teams from across North America and Europe are scheduled to compete at the three day event:
* Subaru Rally Team USA driver & Freestyle Motocross champion Travis Pastrana took first place at last year’s Oregon Trail Rally. Pastrana achieved an outstanding six overall wins in 2009, including a silver medal at X Games 15, as he went on to win his fourth consecutive Rally America Championship.
* YouTube Gymkhana driving legend Ken Block has formed a new team, Monster World Rally Team, and will test his 2010 Ford Fiesta on the challenging Oregon roads. Block has the speed to win in Oregon. Will this be his year to celebrate at the top of the podium?
* BMX Legend and Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Dave Mirra, has moved up to the powerful Open Class this season following a successful Super Production class run last year. Mirra is well known in the action sports community with a line of video games besides being the most decorated X Games athlete in history.
* Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard, always a fan favorite, will return in his NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.

Unlike circuit racing, Rally racing takes place mostly on temporarily closed gravel roads, and the course is unknown to competitors until they face the special stage at speed. Variable road conditions, changing weather and the race against the clock must all be taken into account by rally teams as they hurtle their finely tuned racing machines through day and night. The three-day contest includes 16 timed competitive special stages, with the action taking place at Portland International Raceway on Friday and Hood River and Wasco County venues on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning starts with a 10 AM Parc Expose (display) at 2600 W. 6th St (immediately off of I-84 exit 83) in The Dalles. At 11 AM the cars will leave at one minute intervals and head out to the forest stages which includes the spectator favorite at Fir Mountain. Rally fans in Oregon are familiar with this Hood River site, and 1000 fans packed the hillside last year. Special parking and shuttles are being implemented this year so that fans don’t have to hike a mile to the spectator location. Oregon Trail Rally sponsor, Dick Hannah Subaru, is graciously providing free hot dogs to fans at spectator locations over the weekend.

After a service stop back in The Dalles the show moves out to the Dufur area (15 miles south of The Dalles). A rally car service area will be set up in the City Park, with spectating venues nearby. Saturday’s action concludes in downtown Dufur at 7:30 PM with a “Rally Street Party & Barbeque” in the city park open to all rally fans.

On Sunday, teams return to Dufur, with breakfast at the high school on Court St. from 7:30 to 10:30, which will benefit the schools Activity Fund. The breakfast is open to the public to come meet the rally teams and enjoy a warm morning meal, while raising money for a great cause. The motorsport action continues around the Dufur area all day, with the champions taking the podium on Dufur’s Main Street around 4 PM.

Oregon Trail Rally Chairman Matt Tabor is excited about returning for a second year to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge region of the state. “Last year’s event was one of our best ever, the weather was great and the competitors and fans loved our new location. We have had great support from the people in Dufur and they are really excited to have this event and the economic benefits for their community. We are planning a great show for the town.”

Additional information on the 2010 event and a downloadable “Spectator Guide” will be posted on the events website, http://www.oregontrailrally.com, as details become available.

Become a fan of the Oregon Trail Rally on Facebook for the most up to date information.

Photo: Antoine L’Estage in his Rockstar Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 powers through a corner during the 2010 Olympus Rally. Image (c) WRS-Ken Maydaniuk

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It’s time again for the most exciting motorsport in the world to make its annual visit to Oregon. Round 4 of the Rally America Championship comes to town, May 14-16, for the extremely popular and challenging Oregon Trail Rally. This year’s event will follow the familiar format of spectator special stages in the heart of the city at Portland International Raceway (PIR) on Friday, followed by some new and exciting special racing stages on Saturday and Sunday on the forest and county gravel roads south of the Columbia River Gorge.

After a very successful 2009 event, running to the east of Portland for the first time, the Oregon Trail Rally will return again to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge region. Oregon Trail Rally Chairman Matt Tabor is excited about returning to this scenic area of the state. “Last year’s event was one of our best ever, the weather was great and the competitors and fans loved our new location. We want to thank the people and county officials in Hood River and Wasco Counties for their support to bring the event back there again this year.”

The Oregon Trail Rally is known as a tough test for rally racing teams as they take on the challenging Northwest forestry roads. While the event is held in late spring, unpredictable weather conditions have always been a factor for competitors. Coupled with the tight and twisty nature of the special racing stage roads quite often make this event a battle of attrition.

Teams from across North America and Europe are scheduled to compete at the three day event.
* Subaru Rally Team USA driver & Freestyle Motocross champion Travis Pastrana took first place at last year’s Oregon Trail Rally. Pastrana achieved an outstanding six overall wins in 2009, including a silver medal at X Games 15, as he went on to win his fourth consecutive Rally America Championship.
* YouTube Gymkhana driving legend Ken Block has formed a new team, Monster World Rally Team, and will test his 2010 Ford Fiesta on the challenging Oregon roads. Block has the speed to win in Oregon. Will this be his year to celebrate at the top of the podium?
* BMX Legend and Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Dave Mirra, has moved up to the powerful Open Class this season following a successful Super Production class run last year. Mirra is well known in the action sports community with a line of video games besides being the most decorated X Games athlete in history.
* Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard, always a fan favorite, will return in his NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.

Unlike circuit racing, rally racing takes place mostly on temporarily closed gravel roads, and the course is unknown to competitors until they face the special stage at speed. Variable road conditions, changing weather and the race against the clock must all be taken into account by rally teams as they hurtle their finely tuned racing machines through day and night. The three-day contest includes 16 timed competitive special stages, with the action taking place at Portland International Raceway on Friday and on the challenging forestry and county gravel roads around Hood River, The Dalles and Dufur on Saturday and Sunday.

Mike Nagle, Clerk of the Course for the event, has put together a challenging course for the national and international competitors. “This year’s combination of forest and rural grassland stages will be a mixture of old and new and is sure to challenge the crews. For the fans we are planning a Rally street party on Saturday evening in Dufur after the conclusion of the day’s racing action. We have received great support from local businesses and land owners and we are delighted to be able to bring this national event and the associated economic benefits to the area. The town (located 15 miles south of The Dalles along Highway 197) will be supporting two spectator sites in the immediate vicinity, and invites all fans to attend the after race party with the rally teams on Saturday evening”.

Additional information on the 2010 event will be posted on the events website, http://www.oregontrailrally.com, as details become available.

Become a fan of the Oregon Trail Rally on Facebook for the most up to date information.

Travis Pastrana pushes his Subaru Impreza WRX sideways during the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally.
Image (c) Aaron Kathman

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Competition at the Olympus Rally gets hotter!

One of the most scenic events on the Rally America calendar promises to be one of its most competitive when round three of the Rally America National Championship takes place in Washington State’s picturesque Olympic Peninsula on April 24-25.

The Olympus Rally includes mountain backdrops, temperate rain forests, and ocean views all of which will complement top national rally teams slipping, sliding and jumping along the peninsula’s gravel roads at formidable speeds.

This year, however, two new teams have quietly joined the championship with the skills to win and that will stir up the competition at Olympus.

Canada’s current rally champion and Canadian Subaru Rally Team driver Patrick Richard and Former Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ramana Lagemann have both entered the Olympus Rally. Both are former X Games competitors. The Richard and Lagemann teams aren’t full time competitors in the Rally America Series but they are expected to steal points from teams that are. Richard and Lagemann will play a role in the 2010 championship. Both are expected to compete for overall podium finishes.

These two enter Olympus when points will be on everyone’s mind, as the top four teams with the most points not already invited to the X Games will be one step closer to being invited to X Games competition. Last year’s X Games medalists have already been invited back.

Richard will be competing in the Open Class threatening the dominance of four-time defending champion Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, winner of February’s 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri. Lagemann’s presence will threaten the points spread that current Super Production Class leader, Travis Hanson, has secured after winning the Class in the first two events of the season.

There will be other small changes in this year’s Olympus Rally. The headquarters has moved from the birthplace of Grunge Music in Aberdeen to the Ocean Shores Convention Center in Ocean Shores, Washington. But many of the competition roads will remain closer to the Pacific Coast, except for the addition of the mountainous Crane Creek Stage set more inland in the Olympic mountain range.

The Olympus Rally has been part of the Rally America calendar since 2007. It brings a rich rally history that’s revered by Rally America fans. Olympus was part of the first U.S. Rally Championship in 1973 and hosted international teams in the World Rally Championship from 1986-1988 during the “Group B” years (light rally cars with big horsepower). Olympus actually hosted the last “Group B” event- the spirit of which still lingers in the gravel.

The Rally America Championship battle resumes after a month long break and fans will be given the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers making headlines across the world.

* The Monster World Rally Team and driver Ken Block will be returning to the U.S. from their international rally racing debut in Mexico and Turkey. Block is also coming off his fifth 100 Acre Wood Rally win in Missouri back in February.
* X Games athletes and Subaru Rally Team USA drivers, Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, will be waiting to make a statement at Olympus after uncharacteristically not finishing on the podium at the 100 Acre Wood Rally.
* Consistency by drivers Antoine L’Estage and Bill Bacon has them leading the Rally America Championship after the first two rounds of the season. L’Estage, a former Canadian and North American champion, leads the standings. Bacon, a firefighter from Massachusetts, is in second. Both are still looking for an overall rally win to validate their threat as championship competitors.
* In the 2 Wheel Drive Class, Chris Duplessis will look for his third victory in a row. He currently leads his class driving a 20-year-old 1990 Volkswagen GTI that consistently beats newer cars with twice the horsepower.

Before the Olympus Rally on Thursday there will be a public charity function, located at the Pacific Grand Prix (www.pacificgp.com), a karting facility on the grounds of Pacific Raceways in Kent. The charity function will be in support of the Ronald McDonald House. Press stages will also be open to the public on Thursday allowing fans and media another opportunity to catch the rally action first hand.

There will be two Parc Exposes where fans can get up close and personal with teams and drivers. They will be held on Saturday, April 24 at 8:00am and Sunday, April 25 at 7:00am in Ocean Shores, WA.

Olympus is a very tight and technical rally that can dismember a competitor’s car with lots of elevation changes, hidden logs, large rocks, and tire slicing sharp gravel. The weather is very unpredictable along the coast and drivers must prepare for either dry dusty roads or the infamous spring rains of the coastal Northwest.

It looks like 2010 Olympus will be a clash of Titans in North American rally with names like Block, Pastrana, L’Estage, Bacon, Mirra, Comrie-Picard, Hanson, Richard, and Lagemann.

Event schedules, team entries, and a (soon to be available) spectator guide complete with driving directions can be located at: http://rally-america.com/events/2010/Olympus/

Top teams in the Series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

About Rally America, Inc.:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses of gravel, dirt or snow. In the Fall of 2010, Rally America will also introduce European-style wheel-to-wheel rally cross to North America. For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please call (763) 553-2742 for details or visit www.rally-america.com.

Rally America, Inc. is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, Able Planet, RECARO, Exedy Racing Clutches, Hawk Performance Brakes, Rally-Tire.com, Mazda and the Team O’Neil Rally School, the official rally school of Rally America. For more information regarding Rally America, visit www.rally-america.com.

Photo Credit: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Two drivers capable of winning have quietly entered the Olympus Rally, round three of the Rally America National Championship.

Olympus is set among the wooded mountainsides along the Washington Coast April 24-25th. Many teams are looking to pad their point leads or rewrite their fates on the tricky and gravelly Washington stages.

That will be difficult, however, because of Patrick Richard and Ramana Lagemann the two championship contenders who could become spoilers at Olympus.

Richard hails from Squamish B.C. and, actually, has a championship pedigree. He won back-to-back Canadian National titles in 2008-09 and added the 2005 Rally America Championship. In addition he was an X Games 12 competitor in the Rally Car Racing competition. But Richard has not been readily seen south of the Canadian border since his 6th overall finish at the 2008 Olympus Rally.

“I took some time off from rally before Olympus 2008 and only used that event as a primer to get back into the sport,” explained Richard, “I had fuel problems on day 1 of the event, but after fixing it we won the last three stages of the Rally.”

The mere fact that a rusty Patrick Richard could win three stages at the fastest event of the 2008 season means that Rally America teams should pay attention to a champion who can arrive and drive.

However, Richard has not determined what vehicle he will campaign at this year’s Olympus Rally. He is the current Canadian Subaru Rally Team driver and he has permission to bring his team car to the States. But Richard needs to iron out his logistics before deciding on running the late model Subaru at Olympus. “Though, whatever I bring down will definitely be an Open Class Car.”

“I am looking forward to coming back to the States,” said Richard. “Not many people realize Olympus is my home rally and where I cut my teeth driving. It’s easy for me to get here and I am really looking forward to rallying against the U.S. guys! I compete against (Antoine) l’Estage and (Andrew Comrie-Picard) ACP in Canada every weekend, but it’s going to be a new challenge to race some unseen competitors. ”

Depending on the Olympus Rally outcome the Unites States may see more of Richard as he fights for another X Games invite or the 2010 North American Rally Championship title.

Ramana Lagemann from Boston, MA also has history with the Subaru brand in the U.S. and the World Rally Championship. He once drove for the Subaru Rally Team USA when he was only 22 years old. In 2002, Lagemann was selected to drive for Subaru in the SCCA ProRally Championship. He quickly earned 3rd overall the following season and even extended his success to the World Rally Championships when he finished 10th overall at Rally New Zealand while becoming the first American to compete in WRC since the 1990s.

After Subaru, Lagemann continued to rally and also was an athlete in the inaugural X Games Rally Racing event in 2006. He returned in 2007 and made the ESPN highlight reels being the first to crash a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO while practicing the new 70 foot jump introduced in X Games that summer. Lagemann was okay, but his car had to be completely repaired in 2 days to be race ready. He made the start line but his X Games competition was cut short with engine power difficulties, but still gained a 4th overall victory at X Games.

Since then Ramana has taken a break from Rally but we’ve learned that he’ll be at Olympus in the Super Production Class battle supported by Rally-Tire.com. Barak Tuglu, owner of Rally-Tire.com added, “I feel that the car is more of ‘Team Rally Tire’, since ‘.com’ makes things a bit virtual and too commercial where it’s all about our sweat and blood. Of course, that is just my humble opinion.”

“Timing really worked out to drive this car at Olympus,” said Lagemann, “It was the site of my last win in 2007 but the roads were different back then, though the character of the event is the same. We are just trying to spend our resources wisely. I don’t think you need the best car to win.”

Lagemman’s Super Production Class entry adds an instant challenge to SP points leader Travis Hanson, who is entered at Olympus looking to increase his points spread over Tim Rooney. Lagemann is a definite wild card with the skills and experience to win the SP class. Lagemann has understandably reserved expectations but you can still hear the anticipation in his voice when talking about returning to the driver’s seat.

“During my break I was attending rallys as a fan and watching Travis Hanson and Tim Penasack. I am looking forward to finally competing with them, but I think an SP car could still be good enough to take an overall podium finish.”

The entries of Patrick Richard in the Open Class and Ramana Lagemann in Super Production add more suspense to the Olympus outcome and that’s a good thing for Rally America followers and fans. One thing is certain, the results landscape could look much different after Olympus at the end of April and leading to the Oregon Trail Rally on May 14-15.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all- season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine, and three European style rallycross events in New Jersey.

Patrick Richard Photo Credit: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com
Ramana Lagemann Photo Credit: Arthur Partyka/artpartphoto.com

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Officials with Rally America, Inc. announced today that Rally-Tire.com has recently joined the growing list of companies participating in the Rally America Contingency Program for the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship.

Following each of this year’s remaining four Rally America National Championship rally events, qualified Rally America Regional and National participants in the Rally-Tire.com Contingency Program will be entered into a random drawing to win two $250.00 Rally-Tire.com gift cards. These gift cards can be redeemed towards the purchase of a variety of rally-oriented products carried by Rally-Tire.com including Lassa Racing Tires, Arcasting Racing Wheels and Sabelt Racing Equipment.

The winning entries, one National competitor and one Regional competitor, will be drawn just prior to the awards banquet following each of the remaining four rounds of the 2010 Rally America National Championship season – the Olympus Rally in Ocean Shores, WA (April 24-25, 2010), the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, OR (May 14-16, 2010), the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA (June 4-5, 2010) and the New England Forest Rally in Newry, ME (July 16-17, 2010).

When reached for comment, Rally-Tire.com owner Burak Tuglu said “We’re very excited to have formalized our support of North American rally teams who prefer our hand-selected products via this program. The Rally America National and Regional Championships attract some of the best rally teams from around the United States as well as some International teams. We believe that our products are best utilized at rally racing events; they respond well to the high demands of fierce rally competition and we hope our participation in the Rally America Contingency Program will help to increase the possibilities of competing rally teams.”

Details regarding the Rally-Tire.com 2010 Rally America Contingency Program can be found at www.rally-america.com/contingency or by contacting Rally America directly.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

About Rally America:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, through a partnership with ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16, the annual leading action-sports event that’s broadcast live on ESPN. For more information, visit www.rally-america.com.

About Rally-Tire.com:
Rally Tire is a subdivision of New Alliance LLC and is based in Temple Hills, Maryland, USA. Established in 2007, Rally Tire imports and distributes a variety of racing products that meet the demands of World Champions suitable for stage rally competition including Lassa Racing Tires, Arcasting Racing Wheels and Sabelt Racing Equipment. Rally Tire delivers quality customer service and support at North American stage rally events. Rally Tire also provides gravel and tarmac testing as well as set-up at facilities located at nearby Summit Point, WV. For more information, visit www.rally-tire.com.

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Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino of the Monster World Rally Team have claimed their fifth consecutive 100 Acre Wood Rally win. Block drove the Open Class Ford Fiesta to victory despite having a tough first day and starting the second leg over a minute behind rally leader, Travis Pastrana. The Ford driver was able to gain some ground after Antoine L’Estage dropped to third place due to a water crossing visibility issue and a puncture on the second stage of the day.

Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana held a fast pace and a comfortable lead over Block and L’Estage until Pastrana broke his car’s left rear control arm on the Super Special Stage in Potosi and was unable to continue. With Pastrana out of contention, L’Estage pushed to catch Block and posted comparatively close stage times with him, but Block was able to maintain his lead to the end.

An ecstatic Block said, “This is the location of my first national rally win, so I have now won this rally five years in a row and it is a pretty good feeling to get the Fiesta home in first.”

Having secured his consecutive second-place finish this season, the Rockstar Mitsubishi Evo driver from Quebec now leads the Rally America Championship with 34 points. Privateer Bill Bacon joined L’Estage on the podium again despite having some difficulties with his Mitsubishi’s new set up, but Bacon’s consistency has now put him second in the overall championship standings with 28 points.

The father-son team of Travis and Terry Hanson had another remarkable performance, winning the Super Production class by over two and a half minutes over their closest rivals. Attrition was heavy in Super Production, with several crews retiring throughout the rally with various mechanical issues. Tim Rooney and Dennis Hotson placed second in class followed by Wazoo Racing’s Tim Penasack and Alex Kihurani.

In the 2-Wheel Drive Class, Chris Duplessis and Catherine Woods remained dominant with another win in their 1990 Volkswagen Golf. Duplessis had reported alignment problems on the first day of the rally, but finished 10th overall with a nearly six minute spread over reigning Group 2 Champ, Dillon Van Way. John Conley and Keith Rudolph finished third in class.

The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood also hosted the Rally America Regional Championship, where regional winners from 2009 gathered to shoot it out for top honors. This year, the husband-wife team of Henry and Cynthia Krolikowski won the showdown for the Central Region in an Open Class 2000 Subaru Impreza.

The next national event on the Rally America calendar is the Olympus Rally in Olympia, Washington this April 24-25.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

This year there will be six forest events from Maine to Washington, before X Games 16, plus three new European style rallycross events after X Games — all based in Southern New Jersey.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

All results are considered provisional pending official post-event race processes.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine, and three European style rallycross events in New Jersey.

Photo Credit: Neil McDaid/Monster World Rally Team

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Qc), will compete at this weekend’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, Round 2 of the Rally America series. After a well-deserved second place finish at Michigan’s SnoDrift Rally last month, this trip to Salem, Missouri will be the Rockstar Energy Drink/Royal Group team’s second voyage south of the border this year.

Antoine L’Estage, two-time Canadian and two-time North American rally champion, is heading to Missouri with one main goal : qualifying for the dynamic ESPN Summer X Games to be held in Los Angeles this coming August. “In addition to the entire Canadian Rally Championship, our calendar includes a minimum of four Rally America events in order to maximize our chances of being invited to this year’s X Games. ” he explains. “I competed at the X Games two years in a row but missed out on last year’s. After our second place finish in Michigan in January, there’s a good possibility of placing well in the overall championship hunt too and we’ll take every opportunity to acquire critical points towards that, as well as taking home victories. ” adds the Quebec driver.

This will be the second time in three years that the L’Estage/Richard duo will take to the start of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. While the rally is normally run on gravel roads, Mother Nature was a force to be reckoned with, leaving snow and ice-covered roads during the past two years of competition. “Whatever the conditions and road surfaces, we have a fantastic lineup of Yokohama tires to rely on. We are very motivated and are looking forward to Friday’s start. The few modifications that have been made to our Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Mitsubishi will allow us to continue to be amongst the fastest teams out there ” added the Quebec driver.

Five-time and reigning North American champion co-driver, Nathalie Richard, is also anxious to get back in the rally car : “As always, I have a lot of confidence in Antoine’s driving ability. Similarly to in Canada, competition is really strong again this year in the United States – we compete head to head with some really big manufacturer teams and we’ve proven to be right alongside them in terms of competitiveness and speed. The team’s ready, the car is reliable, and we’re aiming for the victory ” she mentions.

The Rockstar Royal Group team’s 2010 program includes the entire Canadian Rally Championship and four of six rounds in the Rally America series. Antoine L’Estage has two Canadian Championship titles (2006 and 2007), as well as two North American Rally Championship titles (2007 and 2008) and nineteen overall national victories in Canada and the US. Last year, he and Nathalie Richard were awarded the Bertrand-Fabi Trophy, which recognizes motorsports driving excellence and international exposure. Nathalie has four national titles (two Canadian and two American) as well as twenty-eight overall national victories. In 2009, she won her fifth North American Rally Championship title in six years.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .

Photo : A.L’Estage and N.Richard thrilling the spectators while leading the Rallye Perce-Neige 2010.

Photo credit : Maxime Poirier

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The nation’s top teams are coming to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood set in the beautiful woods of the surrounding Salem, Steelville, Potosi, and Viburnum areas of southern Missouri. The 100 Acre Wood Rally is the second rally in the Rally America National Championship Series.

Fans can expect a fierce battle for the overall lead. Four-time defending champion Travis Pastrana of Subaru Rally Team USA comes to the 100 Acre Wood Rally as the overall National points leader after winning the Sno*Drift Rally last month in Atlanta, Michigan.

However, Travis Pastrana faces a significant hurdle against Monster World Rally Team driver, Ken Block, who has won this rally four years in a row! Block signed with the Monster World Rally Team earlier this year and is campaigning a 2011 Ford Fiesta. This will be the first time he will drive the Fiesta at the 100 Acre Wood as he seeks to extend his Missouri win totals and land valuable points early in the season.

Block has said he loves the rhythm of the roads in southern Missouri and many in the rally community are anxious to see him bring his new Ford Fiesta into the 100 Acre Wood.

Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino did not finish the Sno*Drift Rally after a mechanical failure took the team out on the first day. Block needs points to contend for the Rally America National Championship. The national calendar features six rally events and competitors cannot drop an event result. Last year teams could choose to drop two event results from the nine national events offered.

Adding to the drama in this event, the Subaru and Ford manufacturers will face a battle from the Mitsubishi powered teams of Antoine L’Estage, Bill Bacon, and Andrew Comrie-Picard, all capable of points paying finishes on the podium. They are currently ranked second through fourth, respectively, in the Rally America points standings and are always a threat to unseat the favorites. L’Estage is a former Canadian rally champion. Comrie-Picard is the current North American Rally Champion. Bacon finished on the podium at Sno*Drift.
In the Super Production Class, Travis Hanson from Littleton, NH, is seeking to extend his lead over Chicago, IL resident, Piotr Wiktorczyk, and the 2009 Rally America Super Production champion Jimmy Keeney. All are previous X Games competitors and are locked in an extreme battle to take over the Super Production Class lead.

The 2 Wheel Drive Class will see particularly interesting action as New England favorite, Chris Duplessis, seeks to dominate another rally in his 1990 Volkswagen GTI and continue to challenge last year’s 2 Wheel Drive Champion Dillon Van Way driving his plaid covered Ford Focus. Duplessis is particularly noteworthy in that he consistently places in the overall top 10 in a 20 year old VW against much newer and more powerful rally cars.

The 100 Acre Wood rally is known as one of the most scenic rallies on the Rally America calendar. It’s set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and named after the story book home of Winnie the Pooh. It is home to some of the best rally roads in North America.

Fans will have a chance to meet the drivers and see the cars close up at the Parc Exposes to be held at the City Park in Steelville on Friday, February 26th, and on 4th Street & Main St. in downtown Salem on Saturday, February 27th.

Saturday will also feature a spectator friendly Super Special Stage at Potosi Lions’ Park. Super Special Stages is a great way to watch an entire competition stage from start to finish from a single vantage point. Prior to the Super Special fans will again get a chance to meet drivers and take pictures of cars at the Potosi Parc Expose.

Event schedules, team entries, and a spectator guide complete with driving directions can be located at: http://rally-america.com/events/2010/100AW/

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

About Rally America, Inc.:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses of gravel, dirt or snow. In the Fall of 2010, Rally America will also introduce European-style wheel-to-wheel rally cross to North America. For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please visit www.rally-america.com.

Photo Credits: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Rally Car Racing returns for X Games 16 as one of the most exciting events on the schedule. With increased ticket sales and television ratings, Rally Car Racing is a fan favorite.

Drivers from the Rally America National Rally Championship series will once again be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16 competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ESPN.

Rally America, Inc. will be the sport organizer for the X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event. The selection criteria for the twelve athletes receiving an invitation for Rally Car Racing at X Games 16 is as follows:

1. The three Rally Car medalists from X Games 15; Kenny Brack, Travis Pastrana, and Tanner Foust.

2. The top four overall Rally America National Championship drivers not otherwise invited as of June 8, 2010.

3. Five “At Large” entries yet to be determined. “At Large” entries may or may not be competitors currently active in the Rally America National Championship.

If a driver invited using criteria 1 or 2 declines his invitation, the invitation will become “At Large”. Criteria 2 will not automatically be extended beyond the 4th driver not otherwise invited. Although SP and 2WD National championship points leaders as of June 8, 2010 are not automatically invited unless they meet criteria 2, they will be strongly considered by the selection committee.

This summer’s X Games 16 event location and dates, and a television schedule will be announced in the near future by ESPN.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses of gravel, dirt or snow. In the fall of 2010, Rally America will also introduce European-style wheel-to-wheel rally cross to North America. For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please visit www.rally-america.com.

Photo Credit: Lars Gange/Subaru Rally Team USA

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Officials with Rally America, Inc. announced today that EXEDY USA has returned as a sponsor of the popular Rally America Contingency Program for the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship.

Based in Belleville, Michigan, EXEDY is the undisputed world leader in sports and performance racing clutches. EXEDY Globalparts Corporation (USA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the EXEDY Corporation of Japan. EXEDY (Japan) was founded in 1923 and its clutch manufacturing business and prominent brand name Daikin Clutch are known throughout the world for supplying quality powertrain products. Their pursuit of perfection and the assurance of safety underlie their famed quality and reliability. Their advanced engineering and patented innovations have also made them the leading OEM manufacturer in the world for Clutches and other powertrain components.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome back EXEDY USA to our 2010 Rally America Contingency Program lineup”, stated J.B. Niday, Managing Director of Rally America. “EXEDY produces a top-shelf product that many of our competitors not only use but appreciate, and having EXEDY return as a sponsor of our 2010 Contingency Program not only reinforces their support of the fast-growing sport of Performance Rally, but lends further credibility to the level of performance rally competition here in North America.”

Following each round of this year’s six Rally America National Championship events, EXEDY will provide $375.00 in VISA Gift Cards to a total of five lucky National and Regional competitors through random drawings totaling $2,250.00 in prizes for the 2010 championship season. For more information regarding the 2010 Rally America Contingency Program or EXEDY’s involvement with the program to include competitor registration, please visit www.rally-america.com for complete details.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

About Rally America:
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, through a partnership with ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16, the annual leading action-sports event that’s broadcast live on ESPN. For more information, be sure to visit www.rally-america.com.

About EXEDY USA:
EXEDY Globalparts Corporation has evolved from the business known as Daikin Clutch Corporation. All EXEDY manufactured products still carry the famous Daikin winged logo. The US business was established in 1967 and EXEDY/Daikin products have been manufactured in the US since 1988 for both OEM and the Aftermarket. The EXEDY Group supplies Manual Clutches, Flywheels, Torque Converters, AT Plates or other advanced Powertrain Components to all 11 vehicle manufacturers in Japan as well as many other vehicle manufacturers, construction / machinery industries in the world including GM and Ford. EXEDY Globalparts (USA) now distributes all EXEDY, Daikin and Dynax (AT related) products to the aftermarket for all of North, Central and South America.

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Officials with Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning body for Performance Rally competition in North America, announced today that HAWK Performance Brakes has joined a growing list of sponsors in the popular Rally America Contingency Program for the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship.

Based in Solon, Ohio, Hawk Performance brand disk brake pad products are owned and manufactured by Wellman Products Group, the world’s leader in severe-duty friction products. For nearly a century the Wellman Products Group has engineered and manufactured severe-duty friction products for brakes, clutches, transmissions, and driveline components.

“We’re excited to welcome HAWK Performance Brakes and the Wellman Products Group to Rally America and our 2010 Contingency Program”, stated J.B. Niday, Managing Director of Rally America. “The HAWK Performance brand of brake products has been a leader in the performance brake industry for many years and their decision to join Rally America and participate in the 2010 Rally America Contingency Program has been extremely well received by our competitors. We’re not only looking forward to working with HAWK Performance and the Wellman Products Group in 2010, but excited about growing our relationship and their involvement in the sport of Performance Rally in the years to come.”

Following each round of this year’s six Rally America National Championship events, HAWK Performance will provide $700.00 in HAWK Performance gift certificates to a total of six lucky National and Regional competitors selected through random drawings totaling $4,200.00 in total prizes for the 2010 championship season. For more information regarding the 2010 Rally America Contingency Program or HAWK Performance’s involvement with the program to include competitor registration, please visit www.rally-america.com for complete details.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

About Rally America:Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, through a partnership with ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games 16, the annual leading action-sports event that’s broadcast live on ESPN. For more information, be sure to visit www.rally-america.com.

About HAWK Performance and the Wellman Products Group:
Based in Solon, Ohio, the Wellman Products Group is renowned for providing engineered solutions to original equipment and aftermarket customers for products that perform in demanding aerospace, on-highway truck, agriculture, construction, mining, powersports, motorsports, automotive, military, industrial, and specialty applications. With their exceptional research and development programs, they can provide friction materials designed to improve power management for any friction application. Wellman Products Group introduced Hawk Performance high performance disc brake pads into the Motorsports arena more than 15 years ago and the brand has outperformed the competition and gained a loyal race and street following.

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Defending Rally America champion Travis Pastrana skated to victory on Saturday at Sno*Drift, the incredibly slick 2010 season opener.

Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom built a solid early lead and continued to put time on the rest of the field over the course of the two-day rally — despite a badly injured left shoulder.

“Man, I’m really excited,” said Pastrana. “Everybody next rally is going to come with a sling.”

Pastrana broke his collarbone last Sunday during a motocross ride and had to undergo surgery this week to plate it back together before he could drive. But, ever the optimist, Pastrana said the injury actually helped his performance.

“As slick a the roads were out here, I drove as smooth as I could – for the shoulder – and it made me focus a little bit more,” he said at the finish. “It was probably the best thing that could have happened for us.”

In second place, more than a minute and a half back, were challengers Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard. The former Canadian champions typically run select events south of the border and added Sno*Drift to their calendar this season.

“I was hoping to be closer to Travis and fight for the win but he was the fastest this weekend, so congrats to him,” said L’Estage. “It was such a tough rally with crazy conditions – glare ice on all the stages.”

Bill Bacon and co-driver Peter Watt earned the third spot on the podium with a measured drive. Bacon is a proven podium threat, but typically runs only a partial championship season.

“Everyone’s saying how icy it was, but the reality is you could have skated half of the rally,” said Bacon. “People don’t really know how icy it was out there.”

Fourth place went to the NOS Energy team of Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey, while the father-son team of Travis and Terry Hanson rounded out the top-five and took the Super Production class win.

The top two-wheel drive team was Chris Duplessis and Catherine Woods, who finished 11th overall in a 1990 Volkswagen GTI. The duo were the only two-wheel drive car to finish in the top half of the field. Duplessis is an extremely talented two-wheel drive competitor who cut his teeth as an instructor at the Team O’Neil rally school.

The treacherous event claimed several high-profile victims.

Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino, who made the move from Subaru to Ford this year as part of their campaign with the Monster World Rally Team, failed to finish after a mechanical failure on Day 1.

“We had some sort of component in the suspension break,” Block said. “It’s really unfortunate because I was driving conservatively and was in third place and just trying to finish.”

Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer – who moved up from Super Production to Open class for 2010 – had been running as high as fourth overall in the event before they found some snow banks and a tree late on Day 2. The team pulled into the final control of the day shedding pieces of bodywork from their battered car. But, even after the incident, they still managed to finish in sixth place.

Comrie-Picard and Wimpey also slid into a snow bank on Stage 9 and were stuck until rally novices Craig Decker and co-driver Adam Craig – pro mountain bikers who are running their first national event this weekend – stopped to help them out.

Sno*Drift is one of the few true snow rallies in the world. Located in the region of the 45th parallel — the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole – and the weather here at this time of year is bitterly cold. For the 2010 running of the event, the course roads were covered in glare ice. Teams cover 130 miles of competitive stages over two days.

Unusual among snow events, the Sno*Drift rally does not permit teams to use studded tires so competing in these conditions is an extremely specialized skill. Rally rules traditionally require cars to be street legal and studs are not allowed in this part of Michigan.

The second round in the Rally America championship is the 100 Acre Wood Rally February 26 – 27 in southern Missouri.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

This year there will be six forest events from Maine to Washington, before X Games 16, plus three new European style rallycross events after X Games — all based in Southern New Jersey.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

All results are considered provisional pending official post-event race processes.

Photos: Matt Young/World Rally Sport

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Able Planet joins the Rally America team as a Contingency Sponsor of the 2010 Rally America National Championship to provide financial support to the organization and award valuable prizes to this year’s competitors who will be eligible to receive a wide range of award-winning headphones and headsets with Able Planet’s patented technologies that provide superior sound quality and speech clarity.

Kicking off the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship season, 2009 Super Production National Champion Jimmy Keeney returns to defend his title with new co-driver Jason Grahn as they gear up to compete in this year’s Sno*Drift Rally in northern Michigan. Driving the Able Planet Super Production Rally Car, a 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, the Keeney/Grahn team plan to enhance last year’s strategies that helped Jimmy and Melissa Keeney win the 2009 Rally America Super Production Championship.

“As a leader in audio and communication devices, Able Planet is an important sponsor of the 2010 Rally America National Championship,” said Paul Giblin, Director of Business Development for Rally America, Inc. “The company’s “i am able” campaign that challenges all people to overcome personal obstacles to lead more active lifestyles is ideally suited for action sports, like performance rally. Together, Rally America and Able Planet can show our fans that “It Is Possible” to set new standards of performance, and we’re proud to have them involved in the Rally America National Championship for 2010.”

Held January 29-30, 2010 in Atlanta, MI, the Sno*Drift Rally takes place over 100 miles of snow-covered gravel surface roads in the area surrounding Atlanta, Lewiston and Hillman, Michigan. Big names in extreme sports like multi-time X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana, DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block, BMX-legend Dave Mirra, and 2009 Super Production National Champion Jimmy Keeney have become annual contenders at this event. Sanctioned by Rally America, Inc., this year’s event will mark the 44th Anniversary of the Sno*Drift Rally.

“Able Planet is a proud supporter of Rally America, and the Sno*Drift Rally is an ideal venue for champions like Jimmy Keeney, Travis Pastrana and Dillon Van Way to show the world what they are able to do in extreme environments,” said Able Planet CEO Kevin Semcken. “While some may say that sponsoring action sports are perfectly suited for communicating our company’s mission, we do it simply because we love to watch them drive!”

About Able Planet

API designs and manufacturers audio and communication devices for people with normal hearing to those with severe loss; For All Levels of Hearing(r). The company’s products include headphones, headsets, and assistive listening devices with proprietary technologies that enhance sound quality and speech clarity. The company has won over 26 awards in the past five years, including 22 International Consumer Electronics Show awards for innovation and design. The company’s products are marketed worldwide through Able Planet, leading retailers, audiology networks, non-profit foundations and strategic partners. The privately held company is headquartered in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. For more information, visit www.ableplanet.com

Photo Credit: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Storylines abound in the upcoming 2010 Rally America Season that opens in two weeks with Sno*Drift, the series’ traditional “bad weather” event, January 29-30 in Atlanta, Michigan.

The Sno*Drift Rally is held in the middle of winter in northeastern lower Michigan. It takes place where snowmobiles and Elk probably outnumber cars. Winter conditions in Michigan are hard to predict, but some combination of fresh snow and glazed ice can always be expected.

The conditions at Sno*Drift are the most immediate storyline in the Rally America news cycle. But there are more including a change in the Rally America format. Last year there were nine events on the calendar in forests from Maine to Washington plus the highly visible and invitational X Games 15 competition in suburban Los Angeles.

This year there will be six forest events from Maine to Washington before X Games 16 plus three new European style rallycross events after X Games all based in Southern New Jersey. You can see the complete schedule at the Rally America website (www.Rally-America.com).

In all those events, starting with Sno*Drift, is the introduction of a new factory supported rally team operated by Action Sports and web video icon Ken Block. Block, a co-founder of the iconic Action Sports brand DC Shoes, has finished as high as second in the Rally America national championship and last year finished fourth running for the Subaru America Rally Team based in Vermont.

This year Block has put his own team together. The Monster World Rally Team (MWRT) will compete with a Ford Fiesta at Sno*Drift. After Sno*Drift Block’s MWRT team will prepare for Rally Mexico in March, the team’s first of several World Rally Championship events with a Ford Focus based in the United Kingdom.

But the storylines don’t stop there! For example:

* Pre-event entries at Sno*Drift are up 35 percent over last season, an encouraging sign for Rally America and the Sno*Drift organizers when other motorsports entities are struggling in a difficult economy.
* The Subaru Rally Team will continue as one of the favorites to keep the championship Action Sports legend Travis Pastrana has won four straight years. After Pastrana’s world record rally car jump on New Year’s Eve, he’ll be joined on the Subaru Team by another Action Sports pioneer Dave Mirra who graduates to the powerful open class rally machinery after several years learning in the sport in slower Super Production machinery.
* Former Canadian and North American Rally Champions Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard have committed to running the entire Rally America championship in a Mitsubishi Evo, a third factory supported effort in the championship
* Returning for 2010 is the 2009 Rally America Super Production champion Jimmy Keeney who won the title in the last event of 2009 by one point over 2008 Super Production champion Patrick Moro.
* Also returning for 2010 is the 2009 Rally America Production champion Dillon Van Way, a 17-year-old who learned enormous speed from his Ford Focus last year on his way to his championship.

These are just samples of the storylines available at Sno*Drift, the first event in the 2010 Rally America Championship. There are more as you might expect from fifty teams starting the season in the brutal cold and icy snow of the northeastern Michigan winter.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine, and three European style rallycross events in New Jersey.

Photo Credit: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Continues to Offer the Most Lucrative Rally Contingency Program in North America

Subaru of America, Inc. announced today increases to its contingency award payouts for Subaru drivers in the 2010 Rally America National Championship. The Subaru Rally Support Program, which was created in 2005, continues to be the most lucrative contingency program in North American rallying, with over $20,000.00 available per event for eligible Subaru drivers to earn. The program will again focus support on the popular Super Production class (SP) within the Rally America National Championship where the top finishing eligible Subaru SP driver can now earn $7,000.00 at each round.

The Super Production class was created in 2009 by Rally America to offer a compromise between the top-tier Open class and the more restrictive Production GT class. This new category provides a cost-effective means for models such as the Subaru Impreza platform-based WRX and STI to compete not only head-to-head with but also be capable of challenging the top of the leader board at any Rally America National Championship event. The class was hotly contested in 2009 and moving into the new season, Subaru hopes to attract even more new entrants to the sport and the SP class with substantially increased award payouts. Under the revised 2010 program the top finishing eligible Subaru SP class driver can now earn $7000.00, more than double the $3,000.00 payout the program offered in 2009. Prize payouts in 2010 will be awarded to the top ten finishing Subaru SP class registrants.

One of the key attractions of the SP class for Subaru drivers is the allowance of several key modifications to Subaru Impreza WRX and STI model rally cars to make them more affordable and competitive to prepare and run as compared to meeting compliance for the PGT class. This includes but is not limited to: allowing vehicles to be updated or backdated within a body style of the model, fitting of hydraulic handbrakes, and granting broader brake system modifications. The SP class also features a larger turbo inlet restrictor than the PGT class, 34mm versus 32mm, positioning SP cars to potentially produce more power.

“The healthy number of SP-classed Subaru entries throughout the 2009 season speaks to the relevance and popularity of this relatively new class specification,” explains James Han of Subaru of America, Inc. “We are pleased at the impact our Subaru Rally Support Program has made within the Rally America National Championship and proud to continue our role in supporting Subaru rally entrants for the 2010 season.”

In addition to this continued support to SP class participants at Rally America National Championship events, Subaru of America Inc., will also offer a $200.00 ‘start fund’ to any class of Subaru entered in a Rally America Regional rally that runs concurrent to a national event weekend.

The 2010 Subaru Rally Support Program is administered and managed by Vermont SportsCar. For complete rules and information on how to register please visit http://rally.subaru.com/overview.html

For more information about the Rally America’s Super Production class please refer to the Rally America rule book and rule bulletins found at http://rally-america.com/rules.php.

*Certain eligibility rules apply. For complete rules, regulations and car eligibility restrictions please visit the official rules page of the Subaru Rally Support Program here http://rally.subaru.com/overview.html

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Returns to Rally America Series with 4-Time, Reigning Champ Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra

Subaru Rally Team USA announced today that reigning four-time Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana and BMX Freestyle legend Dave Mirra will both return as factory team drivers. Subaru Rally Team USA will contest the entire 2010 Rally America National Championship, ESPN’s X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event as well as participate in Rally America’s new and highly anticipated European-style rally cross exhibition events. Pastrana and Mirra will each pilot a 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car prepared by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar.

Action sports icon and rally champion Pastrana has driven exclusively for the Subaru brand since he first began to compete in rally in 2004. Pastrana has dominated rallying in the USA since 2006 and has amassed eighteen overall rally victories, thirty-six podiums and two Golds, a Bronze and Silver medals at the ESPN X Games Rally Car events. “Subaru is like family to me; they have given me every opportunity and resource available to help me become rally champion,” explained Travis Pastrana. “The sport has grown and the competition in 2010 will be better than ever and so I’m glad to be in the best car with the best team again to go for my fifth championship.” As in 2009, Pastrana will have co-driver Christian Edstrom at his side for his rally campaign.

Mirra, who became a pro BMX rider in 1992, holds the record for most X Games medals (including most Gold medals), and has medaled in every X Games since their inception in 1995. He is recognized as one of the World’s most well known Action Sports athletes and is credited with bringing freestyle BMX into the mainstream. Mirra began a transition to rally racing in late 2007 and joined Subaru Rally Team USA in 2008 where he earned Rally America’s Rookie of the Year. “I’m so excited to get back in my STI for the 2010 Rally America Championship!” exclaimed Mirra. “It’s great having the support of Subaru to race with the best drivers in North America and allowing me to develop as a rally driver. The Subaru Impreza WRX STI is the best car for rallying and my teammate and mentor, Travis Pastrana, is the four-time champion. Is that a dream or what?” Mirra will again team with former WRC champion co-driver Derek Ringer who has been instrumental in Mirra’s rapid ascension to a top driver in the Rally America Championship. Mirra will move up to an Open Class Subaru WRX STI from that of a lower specification Super Production class Subaru that he campaigned in 2009.

“We’ve made some significant gains in building both brand and team recognition while showcasing the performance capabilities of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “I’m pleased with our 2010 driver line-up comprised of Travis and Dave and excited at the prospect of retaining the Rally America National Championship title in what should prove to be an exciting rally season.”

Long time Subaru driver Ken Block will be departing Subaru Rally Team USA for 2010. “It was a pleasure having Ken [Block] as part of Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) from the very start of his rally career and supporting him in securing Rally America’s Rookie of the Year honors for 2005,” said James Han, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru Rally Team USA will be in action again in less than three weeks on the snow and ice-covered roads of Michigan’s Sno*Drift Rally. The team will then crisscross the country over the next seven months to compete in Rally America National Championship events in Missouri, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania and New England. In early August the team will star yet again at the ESPN X Games Rally Car racing event.

The team will also officially participate in Rally America’s new European-style rally cross events in the fall of 2010. Rally America have announced they will hold three European-style rally cross events in 2010, to be run as exhibition events in 2010 with the expectation of more events on the 2011 calendar. European-style rally cross combines disciplines from road racing, short-course off-road racing and X Games-style rally car racing.

For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA please visit rally.subaru.com or follow the team on Twitter at twitter.com/srtusalineup.doc

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photo from Rally-America.com

Mark Fox in the #54 National Guard rally car received the 2009 Rookie of the Year award capping an action packed rookie season in the Rally America Championship Series.

Fox joins the company of recent winners Ken Block, Kyle Sarasin, “Cowboy” Kenny Bartram, and Dave Mirra who have all gone on to successful rally careers.

Rally America presents the award to the driver who has made the most significant pro-gress in his first year of national competition and holds the highest overall year-end standings. Fox was a clear leader in the competition having nearly secured the title after Rally Colorado’s tie for third, resulting in a fourth place finish. Adding to the accom-plishment is the fact that Fox competed the entire season with rookie co-driver, Jake Blattner at his side. “It’s a real honor to be in the company of the past winners” said Fox. “It feels great to be rewarded for the hard work and difficulties that accompany a first championship season”.

“It’s a steep learning curve, and it couldn’t have happened without such a solid team”. “We learned continually throughout the season, and that knowledge insures we will com-pete successfully next year” The 2009 campaign was defined by change with team adjustments and Fox driving three different cars. The team finally purchased a 2007 WRX Impreza. In the new car he went on to place fourth, seventh, and tie for third in the last three races of the year.

We would like to thank our fans and everyone who helped make this season such a great success. See you next year!

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Travis Pastrana scored his fourth-consecutive driver’s title after another incredible season on the 2009 Rally America circuit for Subaru Rally Team USA.

The action-sports veteran took the Jon Woolf Cup with six outright wins in nine starts and also earned the X Games 15 Rally Car Racing silver medal. Christian Edstrom, who returned to Pastrana’s side in 2009 after a year-long hiatus, took the Grant Whittaker Cup as the top co-driver.

The championship runner-up was Andi Mancin, who also debuted in the X Games Rally Car Race this summer in Los Angeles. After establishing a reputation as a competitive driver in his native Poland, 2009 saw Mancin run his first full season in the United States in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. NOS Energy backed Andrew Comrie-Picard rounded out the top three and scored a top-five finish at X Games 15 in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.

The hotly contested new Super Production class saw fierce competition all season and came down to the final round when Colorado’s Jimmy Keeney took the Roy Donnison Super Production Cup by just one point over Ohio’s Pat Moro. Keeney’s wife Melissa Keeney was the winning Super Production class co-driver for 2009. The Keeneys also made their first appearance at X Games this summer, while Moro attended as the alternate, both in similarly prepared Subaru WRX STI rally cars.

In two-wheel drive, series newcomer Dillon Van Way, from Louisiana, took a decisive victory after putting in a consistent performance all season in his Ford Focus to earn the Jon Woodner Cup. The teenaged Van Way’s season highlight was a dramatic demonstration of his real commitment to the tough sport of rally when he finished the Rally Colorado after a rollover. Colorado’s Keith Rudolph was the top two-wheel drive co-driver for 2009.

The 2009 Jeff Moyle Memorial Rookie of the Year Award went to the National Guard-backed Mark Fox who took the step up from regional competition to contest every round of the Rally America national season. He and co-driver Jake Blattner finished the season ranked seventh overall.

Two events, the Oregon Trail Rally and the Rally of the 100 Acre Wood, were jointly awarded top honors for the 2009 Rally of the Year.

Awards were distributed Sunday at the Rally America National Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich Tires in Houghton, MI.

A simplified class structure, another exciting X Games and steadily increasing entries marked Rally America’s fifth season as the premier sanctioning body for rally sport in the United States.

The national class structure was simplified to three classes in an effort to increase the sport’s appeal for fans and competitors alike. The change was a success with the new Super Production class for lightly modified, production-based vehicles bringing out intense competition at every round. Subaru Rally Team USA even added a third driver to their roster, signing BMX superstar Dave Mirra to contest the class. He joined Open class drivers Travis Pastrana and Ken Block on the factory team.

As expected, the fourth X Games Rally Car Race provided a season highlight for fans. Although not a points event for Rally America competitors, the high profile contest features select top series competitors, plus top racers invited for their credentials in the racing community at-large. Former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack took the gold in an Olsbergs Motorsport Evolution Ford Fiesta, in the manufacturer’s first appearance in the contest. Pastrana earned silver for Subaru and Tanner Foust took Ford’s second medal, the bronze.

Series entries were on the rise as the economic tide began to turn at the mid-point in the 2009 season. Entries were up an average of two per cent over 2008, with New England Forest Rally boasting a 50 entry field in 2009 — up an astounding 67 per cent thanks to a series of inventive marketing initiatives this year.

As further demonstration to its commitment to the growth and success of rally competition, Rally America has recently announced positive changes to its championship calendar and its expansion into the exciting sport of European-style rally cross.

Also in 2010, Rally America officials will once again be involved ESPN’s Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. X Games 16 is scheduled for July 29 to August 1, 2010.

Considered by many to be the extreme sport of auto racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Dodge and Volkswagen.

The 2009 Rally America championship was made possible with the assistance of Subaru of America, DC Shoes USA, BFGoodrich, Mazda, Lanson Champagne, defNder, and Fulmer, with contingency support by Exedy Racing Clutches, Q Racing, and Endless USA.

The 2010 Rally America season begins in January at Sno*Drift, January 29 – 30, in Atlanta, Michigan.

For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please call (763) 553-2742 for details or visit www.rally-america.com.

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Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the NOS Energy rally team scored a third place overall in the 2009 Rally America Championship, edging Monster Energy’s Ken Block out of the top three despite suffering an engine failure while angling for the a podium at last weekend’s season ender.

“We had the runner-up position in the championship in our sights, so the DNF at the final round was a disappointment,” said Comrie-Picard, “But we’ve had a strong season and the whole team and all our partners deserve a huge thanks for the effort that carried us to all the successes this year.”

Comrie-Picard and ACP Racing were consistent podium finishers throughout the 2009 Rally America season, with their results topped by an overall win at the Colorado Rally last month and a top-five finish at the high-profile X Games this summer in Los Angeles.

The factory-backed Travis Pastrana, of Subaru Rally Team USA, took the championship win for a fourth-consecutive season, while top Polish driver Andi Mancin secured second place after ACP retired from the season ender while running in second place overall.

Initial investigation suggests that the engine was damaged by water taken in at a water splash about 90 miles into the 130-mile contest.

“We’ll be back next year to contest not only the rally championship and X Games, but also the new Rally America rally cross contests scheduled for late 2010 in the Northeastern USA,” said Comrie-Picard. “Next year looks like a great one and with our renewed relationship with NOS Energy we expect great success.”

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The ACP Rally program is made possible by: NOS Energy (www.drinknos.com), K&N (www.knfilters.com), Mitsubishi Canada (www.mitsubishi-motors.ca), Yokohama Canada (www.yokohama.ca), Bully Dog (www.bullydog.com), Motul (www.motulusa.com), AMS (www.amsperformance.com), Works (www.worksevo.com), Brian Crower (www.briancrower.com), JE (www.jepistons.com), Exedy (www.exedyusa.com), Ohlins (www.ohlinsusa.com), Pfitzner Performance Gearbox (www.ppgearbox.com.au), Mishimoto (www.mishimoto.com), Oakley (www.oakley.com), Innovate Motorsports (www.tuneyourengine.com), Team Dynamics (www.teamdynamicsracing.com), Endless (www.endlessusa.com), NBB (www.nbblights.ca), Sparco (www.sparcousa.com), NGK (www.ngksparkplugs.com), Seibon Carbon (www.seiboncarbon.com), Rockford Fosgate (www.rockfordfosgate.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).

For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com and read the team’s blog at www.drinknos.com. Find us on YouTube or Twitter under ACPRally.

Photo courtesy of Rally America.

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Teammate Ken Block Secures Third Place

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana put an authoritative stamp on his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship with a dominating win at the 2009 Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR). Pastrana, from Davidsonville, MD, mathematically won the 2009 Rally America Championship at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in late August. With nothing to lose and no pressure, Pastrana entered LSPR stating he was intent on simply driving to dominate, taking risks and putting on a proper show for the fans. He lived up to his claims by leading from the start at the wheel of his 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car and finishing fastest on fifteen of LSPR’s seventeen stages. Pastrana, with co-driver Christian Edstrom, won by a comfortable margin of over four minutes. The win at LSPR is Pastrana’s 6th of the nine-event 2009 Rally America National Championship and caps the most successful season of his rally career. Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block, with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, finished in third position overall and won the Super Production class.

The Lake Superior Performance Rally is headquartered in Houghton, at the northern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The rally is revered by rally drivers for its difficult conditions, which typically include high speeds on tree-lined roads with variable weather making stages a white-knuckled affair. Adding to the challenge are over seventy miles of night stages where visibility can be in short supply.

“I drove flat out, took some risks and had a lot fun,” explained Pastrana at the podium ceremony. “Christian [Edstrom] and I wanted to win as many stages as possible and really show how fast we can go, its definitely a different strategy when the points and the championship don’t matter!”

Pastrana’s goal of winning all of the event’s seventeen stages was interrupted only by former Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L’Estage who narrowly beat Pastrana on two stages on the first day of competition. Pastrana went on to win all eight competitive stages on the second and final day of LSPR cruising to a victory of over four minutes.

“It’s sometimes difficult to believe that Travis only began his rallying career a few short years ago,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “In that time, he has really developed into a devastatingly quick and well-rounded driver who can also maintain a consistent pace and provide the team with sufficient feedback to maximize car set-ups. Achieving four consecutive Rally America national titles is quite a testament to Travis and his co-drivers, the strength of Subaru’s technical partner in Vermont SportsCar, and performance from our Subaru Impreza WRX STI.”

Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block entered LSPR in a Super Production (SP) Class 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The production-based, minimally modified, Subaru stood in as a replacement for Block’s usual Open Class STI rally car which sustained heavy damage in a crash at the Ojibwe Forests Rally. Block performed well to wring out all he could from the car and achieved a podium result, a rarity for a Super Production class car amongst the more powerful Open Class specification vehicles. In the latter stages of Day 1, Block found himself having to measure his pace as his car began showing signs of engine trouble. Block backed off considerably but was still able to handily win the Super Production class overall as well as finish in third position overall.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com

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While many motorsports sanctioning bodies are looking for ways to shrink and save, Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning body for performance rally competition in North America, is expanding and growing.

Rally America today announced three European-style rally cross events in 2010. The three events will be run as exhibition events in 2010 but there may be more on the calendar in 2011.

European-style rally cross combines disciplines from road racing, short-course off-road racing and X Games-style rally car racing. It’s the action sport of motor racing.

“We’ve experienced dramatic growth in spectator interest the past three years,” said J.B. Niday, managing director for Rally America, Inc. “We’re confident American rally spectators would like to add this wheel-to-wheel competition to their plate of national championship rallying. Our championship is among the most respected in the world. This will make it more so. It’s a logical move for the growth of rally here in the United States.”

All three Rally America events will take place in the fall of 2010 at New Jersey Motor Sports Park in Millville, NJ. The course will be a combination of pavement and gravel surfaces totaling about one mile in length. It will include jumps, un-banked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel that promise to unsettle the cars and drivers. The three-minute sprint heats will see competition between six cars on the track at once. The winners advance through the day to the main event finale. It promises extreme challenges and extreme excitement for spectators and drivers alike.

The rally cross format is extremely popular in Europe. You can experience the excitement through on-demand video highlights at www.Rally-America.com.

There will be two classes of cars in Rally America’s initial year of competition. The faster, all-wheel-drive cars will resemble those used in current Rally America competition including the AWD Subarus used by four-time American rally champion Travis Pastrana and Internet gymkhana video star Ken Block. The second category of rally cross cars will be two-wheel-drive. That includes the various body styles from manufacturers such as Ford, Mitsubishi, Dodge and Honda boasting 450+ horsepower, highly modified engines and rally-style suspension.

Both categories include vehicles currently being used in the Rally America National Rally Championship. There will be one departure; rally cross is a driver-only competition. There’s no need for a co-driver to help navigate the car around the one-mile course.

“The Rally America National Championship has experienced constant growth in the past couple of years,” Niday continued. “The sport of rally cross has taken place successfully in Europe for many years and draws tens of thousands of spectators to each and every event. The excitement of wheel-to-wheel racing action for high-powered rally cars should work well here in the United States as it takes place on a closed-loop course that allows spectators to take in all the high-speed racing action from a single vantage point.”

2010 RALLY AMERICA NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF IN JANUARY

In addition to European-style rally cross competition at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, Rally America will resume its National Rally Championship series beginning with Sno*Drift, the traditional championship kick off in January 2010 and one of the only American national championship motorsports events run in real snow on real roads with real cars.

The 2010 championship, however, will be compressed to allow more spectator and media interest during the season. It ensures that every event will have greater import in the chase for the Rally America Championship. The 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship Schedule:

1. January Sno*Drift Rally Atlanta, MI
2. February Rally of the 100 Acre Wood Salem, MO
3. April Olympus Rally Olympia, WA
4. May Oregon Trail Rally Hood River, OR
5. June Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Wellsboro, PA
6. July New England Forest Rally Newry, ME

Three rally events that were on the calendar in 2009, the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Bemidji, MN, Rally Colorado in Steamboat Springs, CO, and the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Houghton, MI, will be changed to regional-level rally events and will not be included in the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship.

“After a great deal of consideration and review of the past three seasons, we’ve decided to reduce the Rally America National Championship from nine to six events to help reduce team costs and increase competition,” said Mike Hurst, the Rally America competition director. “The 2010 championship schedule will include two national-level rally events on the west coast, two on the east coast and two in the central portion of the United States. The six-event schedule will not only make it more affordable for the teams, but allow for better competition as well as allow Rally America to introduce European-style rally cross competition in the fall.”

Considered by many to be the extreme sport of auto racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

In addition, some of North America’s top rally drivers from the Rally America National Rally Championship series will be invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Rally America officials will once again be involved in the organizational aspect of the rally car racing segment of competition for X Games 16 which is scheduled for July 29 to August 1, 2010.

For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please call (763) 553-2742 for details or visit www.rally-america.com.

Photo by Andrew Comrie-Picard.

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Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana wrapped up his winning 2009 Rally America season with yet another victory this weekend at the year-end Lake Superior Performance Rally.

“This was a great rally for us,” said Pastrana. “It’s one of my favorites because it’s a more technical rally than some of the others on the circuit and it’s great to drive.”

Heading into this event, Pastrana had already secured the Rally America driver’s title for 2009 and said his objective was to earn as many stage wins as possible. With nothing to lose, he admitted he drove hard and took plenty of risks to win all but two stages – falling only about four seconds short of an outright sweep over more than 120 miles of racing.

In second place were Canadians Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard. The team occasionally competes south of the border, largely in pursuit of the North American Rally Championship, which counts events from both Canada and the U.S. Despite a two-minute penalty for a jumped start on Friday, the team put in a consistent performance to land on the podium.

“I’m happy overall,” said L’Estage. “Now we’re going into the final Canadian event of the year leading the North American Rally Championship and that’s what we’re here for.”

In third place overall and taking the Super Production class win, despite an ailing engine, was the Subaru Rally Team USA crew of Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino. The duo have been running in a borrowed Super Production class car for the final rounds of the championship after a bad wreck that put their Open class Subaru out of commission.

“It’s been a horrible year for us,” said Block, who finished the season fourth in the points. “Blown turbos, car overheating, mechanical issues… I’ve been driving the best I ever have and I feel I just can’t get anything to go my way.”

The crowded Super Production class saw Heath Nunnemacher and co-driver Mike Rossey take second place, followed by Pat Moro and co-driver Ole Holter in third. The podium finish wasn’t enough for Moro to overtake Jimmy Keeney in the points for the 2009 class win. Keeney and co-driver Melissa Keeney finished fourth in class at this event to take the Rally America Super Production class championship for 2009.

A stroke of bad luck saw Piotr Wiktorczyk out of the hunt for the class title before the race could begin; his engine blew during practice.

The Polish team of Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski battled engine trouble at this event to finish in fifth-place overall. The result wasn’t what Mancin had hoped for, but it was enough to earn him runner-up status in the 2009 championship after challenger Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey suffered a blown engine late on Day 1. ACP wound up third in the Rally America standings for 2009.

In two-wheel-drive, 17-year-old driver Dillon Van Way locked up the two-wheel drive Rally America title with a start here this weekend.

All results are considered informational pending official race processes.

The fall colors are brilliant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at this time of year. It was cold and drizzly on Friday as cars headed out for the opening stages, with snow reported in some areas. It was a picture-perfect autumn day when the rally finished Saturday.

As the season ender, this rally also plays host to the Rally America awards banquet, presented by BFGoodrich Tires, at the Rockhouse Grill & Tavern on Sunday. Awards for the season will be handed out at the Sunday ceremony.

Considered the extreme sport of automobile racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Top teams in the Rally America National Championship series are also invited to compete in ESPN’s annual Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

Rally competition resumes January 29-30 with the 2010 Rally America season opener, Sno*Drift, in Atlanta, Michigan.

Photo: Lars Gange

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For the last 5 years the 9th and final round of the Rally America Championship Series will return to picturesque Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on October 16th and 17th.

The peak of Fall colors will be in full force providing a striking backdrop to rally cars tackling the tough gravel roads and the famous Brockway Mountain Stage, a perennial favorite among some the nation’s top rally drivers.

Leading up to LSPR, the 2009 Rally America Championship Series provided no shortage of memorable moments and LSPR promises to deliver even more spectacular stories. LSPR will see the return of many X Games superstars to the local area to compete for top honors and a final push for Championship points.

At LSPR, the most notable stories are:

- Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Travis Pastrana from Davidsonville, MD, mathematically won his 4th Rally America Championship in a row at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in lat August. However, his competitive spirit will not allow him to take it easy at LSPR as he seeks his 6th overall win this season.

- 2nd and 3rd place overall is still up for grabs at LSRP! Ken Block, Andi Mancin, and Andrew Comrie-Picard (all X Games rally car racing competitors) will battle it out for the final two podium spots.

- Only 20 points separate the top three drivers in the highly entertaining Super Production Class. 22 points awarded to first place will be all Jimmy Keeney, Pat Moro, and Piotr Wiktorczyk will need to secure the class win after a much deserved LSPR finish!

- Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Ken Block from Ranch Sante Fe, CA, typically competes in the top Open Class. However, due to complications at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in August he will return to compete in the Super Production Class car normally driven by Subaru Rally Team USA teammate and BMX legend, Dave Mirra. Ken used the same Super Production car at last month’s event, Rally Colorado, and won three stages despite driving a less powerful car and before his rally ended in a mechanical failure. Expect Ken to repeat his success at LSPR considering he won this event in 2008!

- 17-year-old, Dillon Van Way from Carencro, LA, in his first season as a national competitor showed enough talent and tenacity to be just 1 point away from winning his first-ever National 2 Wheel-Drive championship.

LSPR is one of the most revered rally events in the nation by competitors alike due to a great local organizing committee and extremely challenging roads. The mystique surrounding this event have been graced by many U.S. and international rally drivers, such as 11-time US rally champion John Buffum, Mark Lovell, Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and Mark Higgins.

The event is headquartered in Houghton, MI and competition will take place as far as Kenton and Copper Harbor. As the Fall season sets in over the Upper Peninsula, frigid Lake Superior temperatures have been known to bring unpredictable weather conditions ranging from rain, snow, and occasional sun breaks to complicate rally team strategies.

Fans will be given the opportunity to meet the drivers and take pictures of the cars at the two Parc Exposes, which take place on Friday, October 16th at the Country Inn & Suites in Houghton, and on Saturday, October 17th in downtown Calumet. More information can be found on www.lsprorally.com or http://rally-america.com/events/2009/LSPR/.

Rally America will also host the season ending National Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich Tires at the Rockhouse Grill & Tavern on Sunday, October 18th from 9:00am – 12:00pm in Houghton, MI. Rally America will officially announce the Rally of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and the champions of each car class. The nation’s top rally teams and competitors will be on hand to receive their awards before going into the off-season. Ticket sales and more information can be found at www.rally-america.com.

Considered the extreme sport of automobile racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Top teams in the Rally America National Championship series are also invited to compete in ESPN’s annual Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Ten top teams were invited to this past August’s contest.

For more information regarding Rally America, Inc. or to reserve tickets for the 2009 Rally America National Rally Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich scheduled for Sunday, October 18, 2009, call (763) 553-2742 or visit www.rally-america.com for details.

Photo Credit: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Officials with Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning body for performance rally competition in North America, announced today that BFGoodrich Tires has joined them as the presenting sponsor of the 2009 and 2010 Rally America National Championship Awards Banquets.

A longtime supporter of performance rally competition world-wide, BFGoodrich builds world-class rally tires which are the choice of many of the world’s top rally teams including many in the Rally America National Championship and various Regional rally events held across the U.S. and North America

“BFGoodrich is excited to be the presenting sponsor of the Rally America National Awards Banquet”, said Roberts Kukainis, BFGoodrich motorsports manager. “The drivers and fans of the Rally America series know the importance of going fast while maintaining control. BFGoodrich gets feedback from rally racing and uses it to make both better rally tires, and better tires overall. Congratulations to Rally America for 5 great years; and now on to the next five!”

The 2009 Rally America National Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich will take place on Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 9:00am to Noon at the Rockhouse Grill & Tavern in Houghton, Michigan following the final Rally America National Championship event of the 2009 season – the Lake Superior Performance Rally.

Among the various year-end awards handed out at this year’s banquet, the 2009 Rally America Rookie of the Year will be presented as well as the much-coveted Rally America Rally of the Year award. In addition, BFGoodrich will recognize Rally America, Inc. for its unwavering commitment to the sport of rallying in the United States with a 5-year milestone achievement award as the premier sanctioning body for performance rallying in North America since 2005.

Those interested in attending the 2009 Rally America National Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich can purchase tickets in advance by downloading the ticket order form located at http://www.rally-america.com/story.php?article=532 and faxing the form directly to Rally America at (763) 553-2862 before 5:00pm on October 13th, 2009. Advance tickets to the year-end banquet are available for $14 per person, while tickets the day of the event will be available for $17 per person.

This year’s 9-event Rally America National Rally Championship started in January and was contested in eight states. With National rally events taking place in Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Maine, Minnesota & Colorado the Rally America National Rally Championship is one of the most recognized performance rally championships in the world.

Considered the extreme sport of automobile racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Top teams in the Rally America National Championship series are also invited to compete in ESPN’s annual Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Ten top teams were invited to this past August’s contest.

For more information regarding Rally America, Inc. or to reserve tickets for the 2009 Rally America National Rally Championship Awards Banquet presented by BFGoodrich scheduled for Sunday, October 18, 2009, call (763) 553-2742 or visit www.rally-america.com for details.

Photo Credit: Lars Gange

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NOS Energy Drink driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard scored a decisive victory this weekend at Rally Colorado, Round 8 of the Rally America Championship.

“We’re really excited to win,” said Comrie-Picard, who was co-driven by Jeremy Wimpey for the first time at this event. “We were having a really great race with Travis (Pastrana) early on, so it’s a shame it came down to a chicane but it’s great to have the victory.”

Comrie-Picard had been trading times with Pastrana on the first day of the event until the Subaru Rally Team USA driver struck a chicane and incurred hefty penalties. The driver has already secured the 2009 title – with just one round remaining, nobody can catch him in the points – and the team opted to play it safe and pull Pastrana out of competition for Day 2.

The Polish team of Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski finished in second-place overall after a long battle with Subaru Rally Team USA’s Ken Block in his loaner Super Production class car.

Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino had been running ahead of Mancin until they struck a chicane element on the final stage of Day 1, taking a one-minute penalty. Then, as they fought to claw back the time, Block found himself out of the contest with engine trouble on the second-to-last stage.

The team’s Open class rally car is out of commission after a big wreck at Round 7, and they had taken over Dave Mirra’s ride for this event. Mirra sat this round out due to a conflict with his BMX competition schedule.

Block, who is perhaps best known for his sensational online gymkhana videos, has had a run of bad luck in rally competition this season and has DNF’d more times than he’s finished. Yet another poor result drops him into fourth-place in the championship, behind Pastrana, Mancin and Comrie-Picard.

Third place came down to a tie-breaker between Nathan Conley and co-driver Todd Moberly, and Mark Fox and co-driver Jake Blattner. Both crews crossed the finish line with a time of 1:35:46.0 but, under Rally America rules, a tie is resolved by counting the number of stage wins between the teams and the final spot on the overall podium went to Conley and Moberly.

With Block out, Pat Moro and co-driver Ole Holter inherited the Super Production class lead, scoring valuable points in a tight class championship battle. Heading into the final round, Moro is narrowly ahead of Piotr Wiktorczyk — who was absent from this round.

In the two-wheel drive class, Monument, Colorado’s, John Conley took the win.

All results are considered informational pending official rally processes.

The Rally Colorado event poses unique challenges. Many teams were complaining that they were down on power or overheating during the high desert stages. The altitude and subsequent lack of oxygen at this event saps the rally cars’ power. Despite this drain, the event has a reputation of being a one of the fastest in the series featuring many high-speed sections on flowing roads. The typically variable weather saw the event begin and end under bright, sunny skies, but also a rain delay and two stage cancellations due to mud on Day 2.

The rally is headquartered in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, known as “Ski Town”, USA. The small mountain community that’s home to numerous world-class ski and snowboarding events is also home to the largest ski jumping complex in America — used for training by the US Olympic Ski Jumping Team.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The 2009 Rally America National Championship series consists of nine exciting events that take place in a range of challenging weather and road conditions in a season that extends from February to October. Throughout the year, teams take on everything from the forest logging roads in Minnesota, to the Pacific Northwest forest and coast paths.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

The ninth and final round of the 2009 Rally America series is the grueling Lake Superior Performance Rally, October 16 – 17, in Houghton, MI.

Video link to Andrew Comrie-Picard on careful driving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWTOPzHioi4&feature=player_embedded

Photo Credit: Caleb Tkach/Kevin Hahn Photography/Rally America

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NOS Energy Drink driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is in the lead heading into Day 2 of Rally Colorado after his Subaru Rally Team USA rival Travis Pastrana took huge penalties for hitting chicane elements late Saturday.

Comrie-Picard and Pastrana had been trading stage wins, with Pastrana 20 seconds ahead by the end of the day. But a moment of distraction saw Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom barrel through three pylons in a chicane on Saturday’s final stage. The misstep cost the duo seven minutes in penalties and dropped them from first to 8th place overall.

“We had a shaky start with a few small mechanical issues that held us back and we were starting to reel Travis in stage by stage,” said Comrie-Picard, who is accompanied by guest co-driver Jeremy Wimpey at this event. “We’d rather fight to the finish without the penalties, but we’re pleased to be in the lead.”

Pastrana has already secured the 2009 title- with just two rounds remaining, nobody can catch him in the points. But Comrie-Picard is among a tight pack of top drivers who are still battling it out for the remaining spots in the top three.

Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block also took a one-minute penalty on the chicane, bumping Polish driver Andi Mancin into second place after the Day 1 stages.

Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino were in third place after the opening day, more than two minutes ahead of the fourth-place team of Nathan Conley and co-driver Todd Moberly.

Block is competing in the Super Production class this weekend. His Open class rally car is out of commission after a big wreck at Round 7, and they have taken over Dave Mirra’s ride for this event. Mirra is sitting his round out due to a conflict with his BMX competition schedule.

“I just want to do well in the car and get the best out of it,” said Block.

The lower-spec car is a big change for Block, whose aggressive style demands the high power available in his Open class car to pull him out of corners. Even so, he still managed to set the fastest time on the first stage of the rally and by the end of Day 1, he was well ahead of the other drivers in the class.

A very fast driver, Block has struggled this season to find a pace that earns him reliable finishes and he has DNF’d more rallies than he’s finished. He’s currently in third place in the championship, behind Mancin.

With the wildcard entry of Block in the Super Production class, regular contenders are planning their strategy. Pat Moro and local driver Jimmy Keeney are fighting hard. If Moro can earn second-place in the class this weekend, he’ll enter the final round of the championship in a tie for the class lead with Piotr Wiktorczyk — who is absent from this round.

In the two-wheel drive class, Monument, Colorado’s John Conley is in the lead, ahead of reliable performer Dillon Van Way from Carencro, LA.

The Rally Colorado event poses unique challenges to rally teams. Many teams were complaining that they were down on power or overheating during the high desert stages Saturday. The high altitude and subsequent lack of oxygen at this event saps the rally cars’ power. Despite this drain, the event has a reputation of being a one of the fastest in the Series featuring many high-speed sections on flowing roads. Teams expect variable weather and there has been dust on Day 1. The high altitude, coupled with fast straights places the high horsepower Open class cars at a distinct advantage.

The rally is headquartered in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, known as “Ski Town”, USA. The small mountain community that’s home to numerous world-class ski and snowboarding events is also home to the largest ski jumping complex in America — used for training by the US Olympic Ski Jumping Team.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The 2009 Rally America National Championship series consists of nine exciting events that take place in a range of challenging weather and road conditions in a season that extends from February to October. Throughout the year, teams take on everything from the forest logging roads in Minnesota, to the Pacific Northwest forest and coast paths.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

Click to see Travis Pastrana’s time penalty interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09vte2zppoM&feature=player_embedded

Photo Credit: Kevin Hahn/Rally America

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Flatirons Tuning’s Scott Crouch has chosen the Colorado Rally in Steamboat Springs to make his debut in the driver’s seat of his 2004 Subaru. Although a long time coming, Crouch always knew that he would eventually make the switch from co-driver to driver. “When I first got involved in rally back in 2003 with Tanner Foust, my plan was to learn the sport as a co-driver and make the move to driver after a year or two. I fell in love with co-driving, so my two-year plan got extended a bit. I’ve had a blast and been extremely fortunate to ride with amazing drivers. Steamboat is where it all started for me with the COG Rally in 2003, so making my driving debut there makes perfect sense.”

Scott will team up with Steamboat local Lea Croteau, senior instructor at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School. As a seasoned driver herself, this will be Lea’s first time in the co-driver’s seat at a rally. “Scott and I are excited about competing in our home state at the Colorado Rally in Steamboat Springs. We have mutually beneficial experience in motorsports, and our plan is to have fun, be safe, and learn from our new roles.”

The Driver:

Scott Crouch is the General Manager of Flatirons Imports in Boulder, CO, home to Flatirons Subaru/Acura and Flatirons Tuning. Scott has competed in over 30 U.S. Rally’s as the Co-Driver for the Flatirons Rally Team. He was the 2005 Rally America PGT Co-Driving Champion and competed in the inaugural 2006 Rally X-Games with Tanner Foust as a member of the Subaru Rally Team.

The Co-Driver:

Lea Croteau lives in Steamboat Springs, CO and is an automotive and marketing consultant working nationwide. She’s been top competitor since 1995 in several series: the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Championship, SCCA Nationals and Valvoline Championship Runoffs, the ESPN Neon Challenge, and 24 Hours at Moroso Endurance Race. Career highlight was being a member of the CART Champ Car PPG Pace Car Team. As a nine-year senior instructor at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, she also loves sliding a car around on pavement doing drifting rides and precision driving.

For Additional information please visit:
Rally-America: www.rally-america.com
Flatirons Tuning: www.flatironstuning.com
Flatirons Rally Team: www.flatironsrally.com
Rally Colorado: www.rallycolorado.org
Bridgestone Winter Driving School: www.winterdrive.com
Lea Croteau: www.365drive.blogspot.com

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“Ski Town USA” is the next stop on the calendar for the top teams in the Rally America Championship when they hit Steamboat Springs on September 19-20 for Rally Colorado – Round 8 of the 9-event Rally America National Championship.

Last year’s Rally Colorado overall win went to Subaru Rally Team USA’s driver, Travis Pastrana, who will be looking for a repeat and says he’s planning to “go all out for the final two events of the season,” despite already securing his fourth Rally America Championship. Pastrana has had mixed results at this event over the years, with his most spectacular rally career crash occurring here during the 2005 event when he rolled seven and three-quarter times and walked away unhurt.

He can expect a challenge for the overall win from his teammate Ken Block, who’s had a tough season in 2009. Pastrana already has the top spot in the Series’ rankings – with just two events left, nobody can catch him – however, Block will be looking to secure the runner-up overall position and needs a strong finish at Rally Colorado to help insure his chances of success.

Currently in the second spot in the overall standings is Polish newcomer Andi Mancin, who is running his first full Rally America Championship season this year in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Mancin is still looking for his first overall U.S. win and will mix it up at the front of the pack at this event.

Also returning to the series after a two-round break is NOS Energy Drink’s Andrew Comrie-Picard with his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Just two points behind Ken Block in the overall standings, there is no doubt he will seriously challenge Block for the runner’s up position in the Championship point standings.

Super Production class leader Piotr Wiktorczyk and local challenger Jimmy Keeney will put up a fight, though, in what is expected to be an exciting class battle right up until the final round of the season. Subaru Rally Team USA’s Super Production Class entry, Dave Mirra, will not be present at the last two rounds of the Championship due to conflicts with his busy BMX schedule.

In the 2-Wheel Drive Class, expect another reliable performance by newcomer Dillon Van Way from Carencro, LA. The youngster has posted consistent results this season to take the class lead over Monument, Colorado’s John Conley.

The Rally Colorado event poses unique challenges to rally teams. The high altitude and subsequent lack of oxygen at this event saps the rally cars’ power. Despite this drain, the event has a reputation of being a one of the fastest in the Series featuring many high-speed sections on flowing roads. Expect variable weather and some dust if it is dry. The high altitude, coupled with fast straights places the high horsepower Open class cars at a distinct advantage.

The rally is headquartered in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, known as “Ski Town”, USA. The small mountain community that’s home to numerous world-class ski and snowboarding events is also home to the largest ski jumping complex in America — used for training by the US Olympic Ski Jumping Team.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The 2009 Rally America National Championship series consists of nine exciting events that take place in a range of challenging weather and road conditions in a season that extends from February to October. Throughout the year, teams take on everything from the forest logging roads in Minnesota, to the Pacific Northwest forest and coast paths.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

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Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana has mathematically secured his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship with a dominating win at the Ojibwe Forest Rally in northern Minnesota this weekend. Pastrana and his co-driver Christian Edstrom cruised to victory in their 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI after several of their closest rivals hit trouble. The win, his fifth of the season, hauled in sufficient championship points to place Pastrana mathematically out of reach to his closest challengers and thus securing his fourth consecutive Rally America national title. Pastrana has won each of his Rally America championships (2006-2009) behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car.

“It is game-on for the next two rallies,” said Pastrana at podium. “It’s great to drive without any pressure. A lot of the other drivers have had hard a season and bad luck, but things have just gone my way. My Subaru Impreza WRX STI has been perfect all year. It just works for me at every rally, it’s easy to drive and lets me focus on winning.”

“Travis really has transitioned into rally like fish to water ever since his first event with Subaru in 2004,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager at Subaru of America, Inc. “To think that he has earned four consecutive national titles under Subaru Rally Team USA is all testament to Travis’ skills as a rally driver, thorough preparation by our team partner Vermont SportsCar, and consistent performance capability of the Impreza WRX STI regardless of terrain or driving condition.”

The Ojibwe Forests Rally featured over 130 miles of technical, sandy gravel, forest roads in northern Minnesota, around the town of Bemidji. The event is a favorite amongst rally drivers for its demanding fast and flowing roads and numerous stages run in darkness of night.

The rally began with a duel between Pastrana and his Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Ken Block. Entering the Ojibwe Forests Rally, only Block had a mathematical chance to catch Pastrana in the standings but needed to secure a win to keep his hopes alive. After the first two stages, the highly competitive friends and rivals were separated by just seconds. The challenge however was cut short on stage three when Block impacted a large rock while cutting the inside of a corner that launched his Subaru off the road, hitting a tree and rolling to DNF. Both Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were unharmed in the crash. With Block out of the picture and several of his closest challengers experiencing small problems of their own, Pastrana found himself with a healthy lead early in rally. The driver of the #199 SRT USA car backed off his pace but was still able to win all but three of the event’s fifteen competition stages.

In 2nd place overall for the majority of the event was the third Subaru Rally Team USA entrant of Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer, driving a 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI in the Super Production class. Mirra drove one of his best events of his young rally career, consistently finishing each stage ahead of the rest of the field and chasing Pastrana while maintaining a healthy lead in the Super Production class. However, on the penultimate stage Mirra’s car suffered an electrical issue that brought his car to halt, ending his run to the podium prematurely. “Everything was going our way and I was driving really well so it’s unfortunate not to finish and get the result on paper,” said Mirra. “My Subaru was running great until that [electrical] problem forced me out of the event. But that’s rally, anything can, and does, usually happen.”

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Max Lawton | rally.subaru.com

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