Gottlieb/Gager winning IRNY 2011 Photo by Liviu Hrituleac, www.LHImages.com

The up-and-coming rally team of Matt Gottlieb and Austin Gager (Subaru Impreza WRX) took advantage of breakages by the favorites, as well as their own speed, to win International Rally New York 2011. This should be a popular win in the Catskill Mountain region of New York State where the rally is held. Both are locals who ran their first national rally at the spring Rally New York USA in 2009.

Gottlieb/Gager ran in the top five on the first leg, as the more veteran entries of Martin Donnelly/Brendan McCabe (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, from Ireland) and Michael Reilly/Josh Benthien (Ford Focus turbo, from Maine) raced for the lead. But the Reilly/Benthien car suffered a broken transmission casing on the first afternoon, and Donnelly/McCabe went out with unspecified mechanical problems on the second day. (For Reilly, this must have been especially disappointing, because this was the first time that his 2 wheel drive Ford was among the theoretically faster 4 wheel drive leaders.) Gottlieb then had to cope with an engine problem, which robbed the Subaru of power at the top end in the closing miles.

Alvin Fong/Billy Machin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) achieved what many can only dream about – placing second in their first national rally. They were 2-3/4 minutes ahead of the more veteran Niall Johnson/Daniela Manago (Subaru Impreza WRX). Those two teams also finished first and second in the Production All Wheel Drive class. Fong’s team, in order to keep him focused on finishing, had not told him where he stood in the rally. He didn’t find out that he was the runner-up until the staff of a checkpoint broke the news just before the end.

With Reilly/Benthien out early, the local father/son team of Tom and Brian Barton (Mazda 323) looked set to take home the rally’s 2 Wheel Drive category. But wheel bearing or axle problems late in the second day allowed the novice team of J. Tyler Rohrer/Dane Hylan to take home the top 2WD prize ahead of the Bartons. (This was the second rally for Rohrer. It was the first for Hylen, who just a few weeks ago was flying helicopters for the U. S. Army in Afghanistan.)

Mechanical failures did not prevent the 2011 United States Rally Championship leaders from taking home top honors. In the All Wheel Drive category, Mitchell Williams/Alix Hakala (Audi 80) came into this final series event with a huge lead. They went out of the rally on the first special stage with a flat tire and broken wheel, but the points for starting the rally put them over the top. Likewise, the husband/wife team of Chris and Lori O’Driscoll (Subaru Impreza WRX) were near the top of the standings, went out with clutch failure here, but placed second in the AWD points race. Similarly, in the 2 Wheel Drive championship, Michael Reilly/Josh Benthien were sidelined early, but claimed the season title. Eric Potts/Steve Case (Ford Focus) were second, despite a poor finish in International Rally New York due to contacting a tree.

United States Rally Championship contenders will now have the winter to rebuild, before gathering again in the Catskills for Rally New York USA next April.

Photo by Liviu Hrituleac, www.LHImages.com

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April 21 – 22, 2012: Rally New York USA

This is an all new tarmac event in a new location. All new special stages located in Rock Hill and Thompson, which include a unique 20-mile tarmac stage and a super special stage at Monticello Motor Club. This new event is taking over the established name of Rally New York USA and is located in Rock Hill, NY, which is adjacent to Monticello, NY. The event has full support of the local community, it is presented by the Rock Hill Business Association and it is hosted by the Rock Hill Fire Department.

Late June 2012: Summer Rallysprint

This gravel event is a one-day Regional rally comparable in stage mileage to one day of a two-day National event. The rally is located on the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in Narrowsburg, NY.

August 24 – 25, 2012: Rally Delaware

This is also a new tarmac event for the first time entirely based in Walton, NY in Delaware County, combining all the roads we have used in Delaware County individually over the last three years.

October 20 – 21, 2012: International Rally New York

Like this year when we added new gravel stages in Thompson, we will continue expanding and adding new gravel stages for 2012. The rally headquarters is located at Callicoon, NY.

More information on Rally New York, Ltd. and on the New York Rally Championship can be found at www.RallyNewYork.com.

Information on the United States Rally Championship is at www.usrallychampionship.com.

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The events known as the Rally New York USA, International Rally New York, New York Winter Rally, the supporting Rallysprints (Summer and Autumn), and the ownership stake in the United States Rally Championship shall remain the property of Rally New York, Ltd. But a dedicated and robust team of key personnel of the events has stepped up to secure the future and legacy of these rallies.

The core of this team is Marcel Ciascai, Michael Cosgrove, Walter Clark, Fran Gager and Bernie Obry.

This statement is made with heartfelt thanks and a gracious nod to Ivan and Olga Orisek in understanding that the future is found in change. Because of Olga’s and Ivan’s expertise and professionalism in rallies, Rally New York events have always been well organized and run on time. Now, combined with an operational committee and guiding vision of the founders, competitors can look forward to the same professionally organized events infused with new blood, energy and ideas.

We feel for these events and for the good of North American rally as a whole that a cooperative, known, veteran leadership will allow for the best possible rallies.

That said, the new face of Rally New York events asks for your patience and understanding during the transition we have jointly started with the founders of Rally New York.

If it’s about rally, rally here.

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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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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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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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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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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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