 The second round of the American Rally Association National Championship kicks off its USA debut at the Oregon Trail Rally Presented By Mtn Dew Kickstart on April 21-23. The racing starts on Friday with four Super Special Stages at Portland International Raceway (PIR). These stages combine the asphalt of the racing circuit with gravel service roads in and around the track. Gates open at 4pm and the rally racing action begins at 6pm.
The event then moves east Saturday and Sunday along the scenic Columbia Gorge where teams will experience the much faster closed public and private roads known for their high speeds, technical turns, and varying road. The over 50 team entry list is sure to have something for everyone with vehicles of all types from highly modified modern 4 wheel drive factory backed machines to rally classics dating back to the 70s and 80s. For more information and purchase tickets, go to our web site http://www.oregontrailrally.com
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 TOPEKA, Kan. (March 21, 2017) -- After a roaring success last year in its inaugural tour, the Sports Car Club of America® is bringing back in 2017 the adventure that is Targa Southland. Taking place August 11-13, Targa Southland participants will again start their voyage in North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway's zMax Dragway. But this year, the festivities will wrap up at Memphis International Raceway in Tennessee.
"Targa is a unique way for Club members to have fun with cars and showcases the SCCA lifestyle across multiple activities wrapped into one event," said Heyward Wagner, SCCA's Director of Experiential Programs. "SCCA Targa connects three pre-existing events planned by different SCCA Regions. Activities include Road Rally, Autocross, Track Night in America, Time Trials and TrackCross." The voyage begins Friday morning, August 11, with check-in at zMax Dragway where an autocross will be held Friday afternoon. Then there's a Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack experience Friday evening across the street at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with dinner included. Drivers will then head to Georgia that night for a track session and Time Trial event Saturday morning at Atlanta Motorsports Park. Early Saturday afternoon, the Targa Southland RoadRally will be conducted, followed by a trip to Memphis later in the day. Saturday night will be spent whoopin' it up at the world-famous Charles Vergos' Rendezvous restaurant, and a likely visit to Beale Street. The fun with cars continues Sunday morning with lapping sessions at Memphis International Raceway, followed by a Sunday afternoon TrackCross at the same venue. An "awards" ceremony then concludes the three-day challenge. SCCA® Targa is a team event. Vehicles must have at least one licensed driver and at least two team members above 14 years old. Participants can only use street-legal vehicles and must drive from one destination to the next -- no trailering. Targa will have two options for participation: Targa Competition and Targa Experience. Targa Competition will have seven classes, based on Solo® classing, which will be scored and winners will receive trophies. Targa Experience will have three groups: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. The Novice Class will also have a Novice coach to guide participants through their Targa experience. Entry fee for Targa Southland is $595 per team and includes the Friday night dinner. A hotel stay Friday night with Saturday breakfast included can be added for an additional $125 per team. An all-inclusive dinner Saturday night at Rendezvous is an additional $75 per team, and hotel accommodations Saturday night in downtown Memphis are being offered at $150 per team. So, clear August 11-13 calendar dates now for what will undoubtedly be another amazing Targa Southland. For more information, visit the Targa Southland webpage.  Subaru Rally Team USA (SRTUSA) drivers David Higgins and Travis Pastrana made history by claiming a 1-2 finish at Rallye Perce-Neige, the first round of the newly formed ARA (American Rally Association) National Championship. The 143 mile stage rally event held in Maniwaki, Quebec, hosted over 40 international competitors on snow-covered gravel roads in a grueling single-day race format.
Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Antoine L’Estage, a seven-time winner of Rallye Perce-Neige, built an early lead over the first three stages of the rally, until mechanical issues hindered his pace. Higgins and Pastrana, who closely trailed L’Estage during the first loop of stages, battled for the lead throughout the remainder of the rally. Higgins would go on to win the event over teammate Pastrana putting the #75 Subaru WRX STI rally car on top of the podium. “A great result, it feels good to win in such harsh conditions against some top guys, and this was the first ever ARA event, so I’m glad we were able to get our names in the history books,” explained David Higgins at the podium celebration. “The last loop of stages was hard work, the snow was coming down pretty hard on one stage, there was a big snow ball inside the corner, we clipped it and smashed one of the lights, making the night stage even tougher. The hood pin was also damaged, so we had to slow down a bit to keep the hood from flying open on stage. It was a challenge but it was all good in the end!” “Man, heck of a day! The snow during the final night stages came down hard. It was like a video game, you’re in a trance going 120 mph,’ said Travis Pastrana at the finish. “You don’t see anything on the road. All you see are trees coming at you really fast. We gambled with tire choice this weekend which didn’t go in our favor, but we’re happy to be on the podium and get valuable championship points.” “The extreme temperatures and single day format tested drivers and crew alike this weekend,” stated Subaru Motorsports Marketing Manager Rob Weir. “We’re proud of the hard work SRTUSA put in this weekend to help Subaru claim their first ARA Championship victory.” Higgins and Pastrana continue on to round two of the ARA Championship, the Oregon Trail Rally, beginning April 21st at Portland International Raceway in Portland, OR. Full coverage of Subaru Rally Team USA is available on the Subaru Motorsports App. To download from the iTunes App store, click here, for Android App on Google Play store, click here. Follow the team on Instagram @srtusa, on Twitter @srtusa, and on facebook @Subaru Rally Team USA.  DirtFish SCCA RallyCross Launches 2017 Season TOPEKA, Kan. (February 7, 2017) – Registration is open for the first DirtFish SCCA® RallyCross® National Challenge of the season. The DirtFish Central RallyCross National Challenge will be held April 7-9 at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas. This is also the site of the 2017 DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Championship in October. The full 2017 DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge season is as follows: April 7-9: DirtFish SCCA Central RallyCross National Challenge Heartland Park Topeka; Topeka, Kan. July 7-9: DirtFish SCCA East RallyCross National Challenge Rally Farm; Catlett, Va. July 21-23: DirtFish SCCA West RallyCross National Challenge DirtFish Rally School; Snoqualmie, Wa. October 20-22: DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Championship Heartland Park Topeka; Topeka, Kan. The most significant change to the SCCA National RallyCross program this season is the addition of DirtFish Rally School as the title sponsor for the three National Challenge events and National Championship. More information about this partnership can be found here. Also, new for 2017, each DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge will offer a Starting Line RallyCross school on the Friday before competition. Much like the Starting Line Autocross program, Starting Line RallyCross will instruct participants on vehicle dynamics and driving techniques specific to low-traction surfaces. More information about the expansion of the Starting Line program can be found here. There are some other minor changes to the format of these events. Competition runs will start later in the day on Saturday to allow for longer Check-in and Tech hours. This later start is intended to help participants save the cost of a hotel room on Friday night when possible. Additionally, to allow more runs on Saturday, only one course will be laid out per day. Due to the nature of RallyCross competition, the course will evolve during the day. Instead of a human draw, grid positions will be calculated by computer to allow for faster grid sheet generation and earlier posting. In 2017, online registration is shifting back to MotorsportsReg.com for National RallyCross events. Entries for the DirtFish SCCA National Challenge events are capped at 120 with a fee of $95 each. With the return to MotorsportsReg, non-annual SCCA members can purchase a weekend membership while registering online. RallyCross is the SCCA's most widespread and readily accessible form of extreme dirt motorsport. The activity is a scaled-down version of a rally stage laid out on a non-paved plot of land where the course is delineated by traffic cones instead of trees or rocks. Participation requirements are considerably less than those associated with other forms of performance rally, so drivers usually only need a mechanically sound, hardtop vehicle and a helmet to come play in the dirt. For additional information on DirtFish SCCA RallyCross, visit https://www.scca.com/pages/i-want-to-rallycross. Image: A competitor slings dirt while rounding a cone at the 2016 SCCA RallyCross National Championship. Credit: Rupert Berrington  TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 25, 2017) – DirtFish, the premier driving school nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range in Snoqualmie, Washington, and the Sports Car Club of America® have announced a partnership naming the Club's national-level RallyCross® events the DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge and the DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Championship. In addition to event support, DirtFish and SCCA® will work together on a number of promotions to help grow the RallyCross program. Each of the DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Challenge and National Championship cars will carry a decal representing the iconic driving school's involvement in the program. "In the six and a half years that DirtFish has been in business, we have seen substantial success and growth. We are constantly seeking new ways to promote DirtFish and reach new groups of enthusiasts to show them the value of the car control techniques we teach," said DirtFish Media Manager Trevor Wert. "We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with such a highly-commended organization, like Sports Car Club of America. We look forward to working throughout the year with SCCA to promote the RallyCross and RallySprint programs, while offering SCCA members a place to improve their driving skills." Howard Duncan, Sr. Director of SCCA Rally/Solo, added that DirtFish will have a presence throughout the SCCA community, including on SCCA.com, in SportsCar® Magazine, and at the Tire Rack Solo® Nationals and the SCCA Runoffs®. "The RallyCross program is poised for growth, and working with DirtFish, we think there's another step forward that we can take," Duncan said. "But because DirtFish is more than just a rally school, there will be opportunities for all SCCA members to take advantage of the skills and resources that DirtFish offers." More than just a rally school, DirtFish recognizes that car control skills on any surface translate to the track, autocross or street. DirtFish teaches car control, confidence and safety behind the wheel through advanced driving techniques built from the roots of rally. From 15 years of age with a learner's permit, all the way up to the sophisticated age of 85, DirtFish has a program for everyone. The dates for the 2017 Oregon Trail Rally are set for April 21-23. The rally will begin with the traditional Friday night stages at Portland International Raceway, followed by two days of rally racing east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. New for 2017, the Oregon Trail Rally will partner with American Rally Association (ARA) to sanction the event.
Newly formed American Rally Association (ARA), a member-driven nonprofit organization based in New Hampshire, will establish their first-ever ARA National Championship series in 2017. Oregon Rally Group President Dylan Hooker was excited to announce the transition to a new sanctioning body which he feels will strengthen rally racing in the USA and help the Oregon Trail Rally to reach new heights. “Over the last sixteen years the Oregon Trail Rally has grown into a premier Northwest motorsport event and one of the top rally events in the country. Our past sanctioning bodies have provided a stable platform with a high level of safety and competitiveness from which to run our event. We are confident that the new American Rally Association will continue this work and help our sport grow”, Hooker said. For a tenth consecutive year the Oregon Trail Rally will return to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge region. Oregon Trail Rally Chair Rebecca Ruston is excited about this new partnership. “Each year we continue to grow and improve our event, making it a competitor and fan favorite while providing an economic benefit to the local community. I look forward to working with the ARA team and feel confident that together we will deliver another great rally for both participants and spectators in 2017.” The inaugural 2017 ARA National Championship series currently consists of five rallies: Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, Oregon dates TBD, the Olympus Rally in Shelton, Washington in May, the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) in Wellsboro, PA in June, the New England Forest Rally in Newry, Maine in July, and the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota in August. Additional events and the fully event calendar for 2017 will be announced later this fall. Additional news and event dates for 2017 will be posted on the event’s web site, www.OregonTrailRally.com, and Facebook Site, www.facebook.com/OregonTrailRally as the event draws closer. Information on the new American Rally Association and the inaugural 2017 ARA National Championship series can be found on their site – www.AmericanRallyAssociation.org |
By Mark TaborRally Director, 
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