Earlier this week, the Town Council of Walton, New York approved the special use road permits for the 2010 edition of Rally New York USA. Together with the three-year contract with the Town of Thompson that encompasses the Village of Monticello, Rally New York, Ltd. has road permits for the event in place.

Rally New York USA, a two-day tarmac rally, is unique in that it is the only National Championship event in North America that is run entirely on tarmac roads. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino won Rally New York USA in two previous years. Ken Block recently announced the formation of Monster World Rally Team and its participation in the 2010 World Rally Championship.

2010 Rally New York USA will be entirely based and headquartered in Walton, New York. The rally is a round of the United States Rally Championship (www.usrallychampionship.com) and allows full reconnaissance of the rally route and pace notes. Each of the two days is a separate round of New York Rally Championship (http://www.rallynewyork.net/nyrc.htm).

The program is as follows:

Thursday, April 15 – afternoon/ evening: Registration and scrutineering of competition vehicles
Friday, April 16 – morning: Reconnaissance of special stages in Walton
Friday, April 16 – afternoon / evening: Reconnaissance of special stages in Monticello, Ceremonial Start at Sullivan County Center in Monticello, racing at Concord Resort in Monticello, return to Walton in the evening
Saturday, April 17 – all day: Restart in Walton, racing in Walton, Ceremonial Finish at Delaware County Fairgrounds in Walton, post-event party and dinner in Walton
Sunday, April 18 – morning: Awards Ceremony

Rally New York, Ltd. is headquartered in Forestburgh, New York located ninety miles northwest of New York City in spectacular southern Catskill Mountains of Sullivan County. It is dedicated to furthering the sport of stage rallying in the United States.

The United States Rally Championship will continue its bold steps to make national competition in 2010 more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. The Championship structure minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the Championship. As a result, 207 competitors, drivers and co-drivers, participated during the 2009 USRC season, nearly twice as many as in any other championship series in North America.

Atlantic Division teams will be again competing for coveted cash travel subsidies that will be awarded to top six teams in the Division. The total of $12,000 in subsidies will be distributed to Atlantic Division teams to assist them with travelling to the final round of the 2010 United States Rally Championship in Prescott, Arizona.

The Championship season consists of a combination of snow, gravel and tarmac events. Rallies in the United States Rally Championship allow for reconnaissance and pace notes. Tarmac events, full reconnaissance and pace notes make the United States Rally Championship unique in North America as no other series in North America encompasses all these features.

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Tom Lawless, the 2005 United States Rally Champion, with the Irish codriver Brian Sharkey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9), emerged as the winners of the International Rally New York 2009, a two-day test where the result was in doubt until almost the final mile.

Going into the second day, an accomplished Finnish crew of Jani Paasonen/Mika Rajasalo (Subaru Impreza), had a lead of 43 seconds. With a competitive car and more experience than their rivals, United States Rally Championship (USRC) regulars assumed that the visiting Finnish team would be able to cruise to a victory. At the time, Lawless/Sharkey were second, 43 seconds behind, despite a bit of turbocharger and fuel pump trouble on the first day. Seamus Burke/John Buffum were third, but would soon withdraw from the rally due to a head gasket failure.

And then the momentum of the event went the other way: Paasonen’s car broke an axle during the final morning, which slowed Paasonen enough to allow Lawless a 13-second lead. Paasonen responded by taking back seconds on each special stag – despite heavy rain, mud, and deep puddles which limited his and everyone else’s speed. The margin was down to about three seconds at lunch time. But as Paasonen should have surged ahead on the final two or three stages, the Subaru broke a differential. Paasonen/Rajasalo decided to pace themselves and finish, falling to 1 minute and 17 seconds behind the winners.

Martin Donnelly/Stephen Duffy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) placed third. They were far enough behind the leaders, 6-3/4 minutes, that Donnelly joked afterward that they became spectators in the rally. United States Rally Championship hopefuls Daniel O’Brien and Brendan McCabe finished under Super Rally rules. This was not enough to secure the Championship title. Keith Jackson/Marra Estep (Subaru Impreza) took fourth, garnering enough points to wrap up the United States Rally Championship in the All-Wheel-Drive category. Shawn and Jennifer Hudspeth (Mitsubishi Eclipse) placed fifth overall and secured the USRC All-Wheel-Drive Production Cup for the season. Both teams traveled to the final round of the 2009 USRC season in New York from California.

Like the overall victory, the Two-Wheel-Drive win was not settled until late in the rally. United States Rally Championship contenders Josh & Jeremy Wimpey (Volkswagen Golf Mark 2) and Dan Brosnan/Shane McCann (Nissan Sentra) both suffered mechanical breakages on the first day, broken suspension and steering, respectively. Likewise, the very rapid Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino (Ford Escort Mark 2) were stopped by a broken differential. And so, in the heavy rains of the final afternoon, Wojtek “Al” Kulpa/Adam Pelc (Volkswagen Golf Mark 3) raced with the father-son team of Simon & Kieran Wright (Ford Focus ZX3). Kulpa/Pelc reached the final control with an advantage of 39 seconds for the trophy.

Dan Brosnan and Shane McCann finished under the Super Rally rules, which was enough for them to secure the United States Rally Championship in the Two-Wheel-Drive category. It might have been a golden opportunity for the up-and-coming team of Michael Reilly/Josh Benthien (Ford Focus SVT), but they were delayed by an off-course excursion while leading the Two-Wheel-Drive classification. In the end, they finished tenth overall and won the 2009 USRC Two-Wheel-Drive Production Cup.

The International Rally New York 2009 was broadcast live on USTREAM TV. Hours of recorded live broadcast may be viewed at http://www.ustream.tv/discovery/live/all?q=irny . More information on the International Rally New York 2009 is available at http://www.rallynewyork.net/irny2009.html. Information on the United States Rally Championship is at www.usrallychampionship.com

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Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino (Subaru Impreza WRX) have once again proved that they are the masters of the roads in New York’s Catskill Mountains. The two Californians won Rally New York USA for the second year in a row. The Subaru Rally Team USA duo took the lead on the first of 23 special stages and were never overtaken. Their lead when they reached the finish line in Walton, New York was over a minute.

Photo by:Pete Kuncis http://www.onalimbracing.com

The weather in the Catskills was hardly Spring-like, whatever the calendar may have said. Friday’s leg featured cool weather and light to moderate rain. Saturday’s leg had near-freezing temperatures, with alternating light rain and snow flurries. It was not ideal for vacations (in what is a resort area), but the rally competitors and service crews took it in stride. In the late stages of the rally, with many of the class victories settled, some drivers were admitting that they were only driving at about 90%, to avoid going off the road.

Photo by:Neil McDaid WWW.ABHUSANSEO.COM

Otis Dimiters/Dominik Jozwiak (Subaru Impreza) were second most of the way and finished in the runner-up position. Dimiters admitted to two spins in the slippery conditions, but otherwise the event went smoothly for them.

Former winners Seamus Burke/Eddie Fries (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) placed third. The team lost time on Friday due to contact with a guard rail at speed, but recovered and put in a clean drive over the remaining miles.

There was a strong race in the two-wheel-drive category, which was ultimately settled in favor of Dan Brosnan/Shane McCann (Nissan Sentra). Thomas Greer/Bob Della Rocco (Volkswagen Golf GTI) were the runners-up, ahead of 2WD Production trophy winners Michael Reilly/Josh Bentien Ford Focus SVT.

Note: Rally New York USA is the opening round of the U.S. Rally Championship. Each day’s event is also scored as a round of the regional New York Rally Championship.

Photo by: Pete Kuncis http://www.onalimbracing.com

Photo by: Pete Kuncis http://www.onalimbracing.com

Results:
1 Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino, Subaru Impreza WRX, 1st AWD
2 Otis Dimiters/Dominik Jozwiak, Subaru Impreza, 2nd AWD
3 Seamus Burke/Eddie Fries, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 3rd AWD
4 Daniel O’Brien/Brendan McCabe, Subaru Impreza, 4th AWD
5 Patrick Brennan/Eamon Sweeney, Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, 5th AWD
6 Eoin McGeough/Cathal McAree, Subaru Impreza WRX, 6th AWD
7 Maciej Przybysz/Kristin Przybysz, Subaru Impreza, 7th AWD
8 Mike O’Leary/John O’Leary, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, 8th AWD
9 William Petrow/Vincent Neuven, Subaru Impreza, 9th AWD, 1st AWD
10 Dan Brosnan/Shane McCann, Nissan Sentra, 1st 2WD
11 Thomas Greer/R. Della Rocco, Volkswagen Golf GTI, 2nd 2WD
12 Michael Reilly/Josh Bentien, Ford Focus SVT, 3rd 2WD, 1st Production 2WD
13 Thomas Barton/Brian Barton, Mazda 323, 4th 2WD
14 Bill Miller III/Constantine Mantopoulos, Audi A4 Quattro, 10th AWD, 2nd AWD Production
15 Andrew Wickline/Steve Kurey, Audi 90 Quattro, 11th AWD
16 Woitek “Al” Kulpa/Adam Pelc, Volkswagen Golf GTI, 5th 2WD
17 Thomas Lawless/Brian Sharkey, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, 12th AWD
18 Andrew Havas/Aaron Crescenti, Mazda RX-7, 6th 2WD

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Entry is now open for all-tarmac Rally New York USA scheduled for April 3 – 4, 2009. Rally program, online entry, downloadable entry forms, itinerary, supplementary regulations, lodging and downloadable order form for course notes (can also be ordered online) are available at www.RallyNewYork.com.

The regular entry ends on March 5. The entry will close on March 26.

Rally New York USA is the first round of the 2009 United States Rally Championship – USRC – (www.usrallychampionship.com). The National event consists of 100 miles of special stages. The total length of the two-day event is 413 miles. The new headquarters is at Honor’s Haven Resort and Spa in Ellenville, New York. The rally takes place in southern Catskill Mountains of New York ninety miles northwest of New York City. Day 1- Friday is the same as last April. Day 2 – Saturday consists of entirely new tarmac stages.

The rally will be conducted according to the international FIA regulations.

A new prize fund guarantees that each team finishing in top 30 percent of all finishers, including at least one production class car and one two-wheel-drive car, will win $250 in prize money.

The rally also consists of two rounds of New York Rally Championship – NYRC – (www.RallyNewYork.com). Each day is a separate round of NYRC.

Early registration starts on Wednesday night. Reconnaissance takes place all day on Thursday. The day ends with the shakedown and with Ceremonial Start in Kerhonkson, New York at 7:00 pm. The rally ends on Saturday night with Ceremonial Finish at Walton Fairgrounds. The Ceremonial Finish with champagne-spraying ceremony for the first three crews in All-Wheel-Drive category and the first three crews in Two-Wheel-Drive category takes place at 7:00 pm.

Rally New York, Ltd. is also the organizer of the International Rally New York on October 23 – 24, 2009. This gravel rally is the final round of United States Rally Championship with Year-End USRC Awards. Top six teams from the USRC Pacific Division will receive the total of $12,000 in subsidies to attend the final round in New York.

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Seamus Burke/Eddie Fries (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) have won International Rally New York for the second year running. For this former national champion team, this comes at the end of a season of mechanical difficulties.

At the finish, Burke/Fries were three minutes ahead of Seamus’s son Joseph Burke and co-driver Ole Holter (Subaru Impreza WRX). Holter noted at the finish, that this was only the younger Burke’s second outing in a powerful turbocharged, all-wheel-drive car – and in the first he won the Black River Stages Rally in Upstate New York.

Celsus Donnelly/Barry Smyth (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) had been a solid second for most of the rally. But with two special stages remaining, the car engine failed, apparently due to head gasket failure.

Brian Scott/John Dillon (Subaru Impreza WRX) finished third, after a cool performance in which they went just fast enough for a top finish – sufficient to take the all-wheel-drive category title in the U.S. Rally Championship.

The two-wheel-drive (2WD) category in the rally was taken by the husband-wife team of Kristopher and Christine Marciniak (Dodge Neon), who also won the 2WD division of the U.S. Rally Championship. They were followed to the finish by Dan Brosnan/Shane McCann (Nissan Sentra) and the father-son team of Simon and Kieran Wright (Ford Focus).

Hampton Bridwell/Josh Katinger (Ford Focus SVT) were in contention with Marciniak/Marciniak early in the rally, for both the 2WD win and championship. But when the Ford slid off the road on the first day, the team was forced to “play catch-up.” They were closing on the leaders again when they rolled the car – without harm to themselves, but it put them out of the rally.

International Rally New York was the final round of the United States Rally Championship and the New York Rally Championship. It began in Callicoon, New York on Thursday evening, and ended in nearby Walton this evening.

For further information, check the event web site, www.rallynewyork.com.

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