Rally Tennessee wrapped up the second round of the Atlantic Rally Cup and the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup over Memorial Day weekend in Perry County, Tennessee. The awesome all-paved tarmac course winds through the hills of Middle Tennessee and is known for having the twistiest rally roads in the United States.

Two-wheel drive cars swept the podium on both days of racing. Doug Shepherd and Karen Wagner, in their powerful Dodge Neon SRT4, took first place overall and in the Open 2WD Heavy class. Shepherd said ‘It’s amazing how these roads really work you as a driver. We really used the whole road.’ Josh Wimpey and Jeremy ‘Worm’ Wimpey were only nine seconds behind in their Volkswagen Golf GTI and finished second place overall and first in the Open 2WD Light class. In a bright yellow Acura Integra Type R, Evan Moen and Billy Elliott Mann rounded out the podium with third place overall and second place finish in the Open 2WD Heavy class.

Other class leaders included Darrell Pugh and Jonathan Barnes with first place in the Open AWD Heavy class. Newcomers Jason Smith and Jared Lantzy finished first in Open AWD Light in a Subaru Impreza. Dmitriy Martynov and Jonathan Tinsey had an off course excursion on day one that had them stuck fifteen feet down in a ditch. They fought back on day two in their Eagle Talon to earn a first place finish in the Stock Medium class.

Diversity was visible in the RallyMoto(tm) competition – each competitor campaigned a unique motorcycle! Rider Bill Conger took first place overall and first in the RallyMoto(tm) Medium Modified class both days on his Aprilia RXV 5.5. Conger, the fastest rider of the weekend, unfortunately had his one and only crash right in front of the photographers on the Tree Farm Stage. Kurt Weigand followed in second place overall and first place in the Stock Medium class on his KTM 530EXC-R. Rally novice Ken Anderson finished third overall and second in the Stock Medium class on a Honda XR650.

The City of Lobelville hosted the event on Saturday with Pit Row featured on Main Street. Competitors, volunteers and the local community enjoyed the festival atmosphere and the free country music concert that night. Despite thunderstorms and rain, the event finished on a high note at Hot Rods & Cadillacs – with the final checkpoint inside the bar!

“Tiny Perry County has been slammed hard recently,” admitted Lobelville Mayor and Perry County Chamber Board member Robby Moore. “Of course, the Governor rescued us somewhat last year, as we were hit unemployment-wise and therefore, economically. Now we’re doing like all of Middle Tennessee and assessing and rebuilding in the aftermath of wide-spread, devastating floodwaters. Rally Tennessee offered a free holiday weekend of first-class racing and music, which was a well-needed, well-deserved blessing.” Proceeds from Rally Tennessee spectator guides, concessions, and t-shirt sales went to the local volunteer fire departments, a local Boy Scout troop and the Bobby Qualls Family Fund. Many local businesses reported feeling the impact of the event. For example, Chet’s Pit Stop doubled their sales on the Saturday of the event.

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Rally Tennessee, which takes place in Perry County on May 29 – 30, 2010, has expanded its route this year. Adding a new stage in the southern end of the county, a twisty course that runs parallel to a small stream before heading back up to the ridge, has made Rally Tennessee the longest stage rally in the United States. The course is roughly twenty percent longer than any other event in the country and includes a scheduled 158 miles of competition packed into two days. The all-paved tarmac course is very twisty as it runs through the hills of Middle Tennessee.

‘We’re pretty excited about it.’ says Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport. ‘All competitors love getting more racing. The amazing part is that this new stage starts only two miles from an existing stage, so the rally has remained very compact. Every rally driver, in their heart, really wants ten or twenty mile stages out in the woods. The drivers will get two chances to look at the roads, called ‘recce’, and then the race is on!’

Rally racing began in the early part of the last century, racing from one city to another. It was a free for all, with no defined route, and drivers were free to take whatever route they thought best, passing other daily traffic as they went. As the machines became faster, and reliable enough that the drivers didn’t have to carry a mechanic with them, the courses became more rigidly defined. As we entered the modern era of rallying in the 1970s, the events became flat-out high speed racing, and the roads are closed for the racing.

‘Perry County and the towns of Lobelville and Linden, have been very helpful to us.’ says event organizer Amy Feistel. ‘We have doubled the number of spectator areas available on the last day of racing, and we think that will help get more people coming out to watch. There will also be a free country music concert featuring T. Graham Brown in Lobelville on Saturday after the racing. We’re shooting for as much economic impact in the area as possible.’ Guides on where to spectate, with schedules and driving directions, will be available at Main Street Market Deli in Lobelville and Sanders Service Center in Linden. The free concert in Lobelville’s Music Park begins at 7:30pm on Saturday, May 29, 2010.

More information, along with how to get behind the scenes and even closer to the drivers as a volunteer, is available at RallyTennessee.com. The web site also has a sign up to receive text message updates on scores and activities during the rally.

Rally Tennessee is part of the 2010 Atlantic Rally Cup and the 2010 Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup. International competitors from as far away as Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Ireland, Poland, and Russia join competitors from as close as Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee. Rally Tennessee attracts novice and veteran competitors alike while spectators enjoy the variety of viewing locations throughout Perry County.

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Thomas Lawless, the 2005 United States Rally Champion, with Irish codriver Brian Sharkey in a Mitsubishi Evo IX won tarmac Rally Tennessee, the second round of the United States Rally Championship. Daniel O’Brien and Brendan McCabe in a Subaru Impreza STi took second and Martin Donnelly with Stephen Duffy in Mitsubishi Evo IX were third. Enda McCormack with Bernard Farrell in another Mitsubishi Evo IX rounded up the Irish-American brigade.

David Alan with Ben Slocum in their handsome, black Subaru Impreza WRX won the Production All-Wheel-Drive Cup classification and placed fifth overall. Only 16 seconds behind was a new team of William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart in Subaru Impreza WRX. Petrow, with a different co-driver, Vincent Nguyen, won the Production Cup classification at the previous round – Rally New York USA. Scott Wilburn and Aaron Crescenti, who were battling engine issues in their Subaru Impreza WRX throughout the rally, were third.

Brad Morris and Doug Nagy in a Two-Wheel-Drive Mitsubishi Lancer won the Two-Wheel-Drive category, Dan Brosnan and Shane McCann, winners of Two-Wheel-Drive category at Rally New York USA, in a Nissan Sentra took second, and Andrew Frick and Ryan Scott in a Ford Focus placed third. Robert Maunz with Mark Sackett won the Two-Wheel-Drive Production Cup classification.

After Rally Tennessee, the Championship will continue with five gravel rounds – Idaho Rally International, Rally West Virginia, Gorman Ridge Rally (California), Prescott Rally (Arizona) and the final round – International Rally New York. Most rounds of the Championship allow for reconnaissance of the rally course and pacenoting.

The United States Rally Championship, now in its fifth season, is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. This is the third season of the new Championship structure that 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. The highest-scoring six teams from the USRC Pacific Division are eligible for the coveted cash travel subsidies totaling $12,000 to attend the final round in New York.

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* Round Four of the Atlantic Rally Cup expands to Linden and Lobelville, Tennessee
* New sponsors join event

Perry County’s annual event, Rally Tennessee, is only days away and it appears this year will be another year of growth for the event. In the current economy, this is an exciting development for the local communities and the competitors!

“So far it’s looking very good.” said Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport. “Last year we had thirty-six entrants. This year, with a few last minute folks that aren’t yet listed on the web site, I’m expecting a few more than that, maybe forty total.” The current competitor list on the event’s web site, RallyTennessee.com, shows twenty-four car and thirteen motorcycle entrants. Green added that the declining economy has had a significant effect on the amount of entries at rallies throughout the country.

The excitement is spilling over into the local community as several new sponsors join the event. This year’s sponsors include the City of Lobelville, the Perry County Chamber of Commerce, Performance Friction Brakes, P-Sport, the Commodore Hotel & Caffe, Village Pizza, and Sonic of Linden. Additional local businesses are sponsoring discount coupons for spectators.

For the racers, the roads of Tennessee are one reason they are drawn to Perry County and this year’s event added two new stages to the schedule. Now racing roads in both Linden and Lobelville, there is even more for spectators to enjoy as well. The rally will be in downtown Lobelville on Saturday, coinciding with a free country music concert being offered that night at the Lobelville Music Park. On Sunday, the rally will be at the Perry County High School in Linden.

Rally Tennessee is the fourth round of the notable Atlantic Rally Cup and the second round of the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup. It is also the second round of the United States Rally Championship.

There’s still time to get involved with the rally. “Volunteering really opens up the door for a lot of folks. Many competitors got their start as volunteers.” said Green. “We treat our volunteers well — with a free t-shirt, free breakfast, free lunches, and an exclusive invitation to the awards ceremony. Plus, they get to hang out with all the racers. Being right on the course for the rally all day long is pretty exciting, too!” RallyTennessee.com has more information on volunteering opportunities.

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