Story: Staff Writer
Picture: Mat Janiak / WorldRallySport
With the first five rally events of the 2010 Rally America National Championship in the record books, the top regional and national rally teams from across the United States and Canada will soon be making their way to the tiny resort village of Newry, Maine for the New England Forest Rally – home to the Sunday River Resort, for the final round of the six-event 2010 Rally America National Championship.
Set for this weekend, the more than 65 top-level rally teams are expected to be competing on some of the fastest gravel and forest roads in the country for top honors at this always-popular rally event.
Sitting atop of the Rally America national points championship competing at this year’s New England Forest Rally is Rockstar Energy Drink driver Antoine L’Estage. Minus any drastic situations, L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard are poised to be crowned the new Rally America National Champions, thus breaking Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana’s run of four consecutive Rally America National Championships.
After missing the last two rally events, Pastrana returns to U.S. soil after spending two months performing in a live Nitro Circus show in Australia and is looking to defend a third place overall finish in the season standings.
Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block is also returning to U.S. soil after competing in World Rally Championship’s Rally Portugal event. Block will finish the Rally America season in a new 2010 Ford Fiesta. The internet “Gymkhana” video sensation and DC Shoes co-founder has had a difficult season adjusting to his new Fiesta with multiple DNFs and would like to finish the year on a positive note with a win.
The hotly-contested Super Production class is expected to be all fireworks here with PMR Motorsports’ Patrick Moro leading the charge in his Subaru WRX STi over Travis Hanson, also piloting a Subaru. Moro surpassed Hanson in the Super Production class standings at last month’s STPR Rally after Hanson failed to finish, but both drivers have been invited to compete at this years Summer X Games Rally Car Racing event.
Chris Duplessis wrapped up the Rally America National Two-Wheel Drive Class Championship at the STPR Rally in June, and netted his first-ever invitation to compete at ESPN’s X Games as a result. At this year’s New England Forest Rally, Duplessis and co-driver Catherine Woods will campaign a TRD-backed Scion xA rally car.
Although the New England Forest Rally will be contested over two days and 215,8km of gravel and forest stages for the national competitors, the regional rally teams will compete on the very same roads, but in two separate one-day regional rally events run simultaneously with the national rally.
Friday’s regional rally will be known as the “Mexico Regional Rally” presented by the Mt. Washington Auto Road and will include a “Super Special” in the town of Mexico, Maine. Taking place at the Mexico Recreational Area located just off Route 17 in Mexico, spectators will be have the opportunity to watch their favorite rally driver or team complete an entire gravel rally stage, complete with a jump. This stage will be run twice from start to finish right for maximum spectating! Fans will also have the chance to get drivers and co-drivers autographs as well as an up-close look at the service crews as they take care of their rally cars at the Service Park which will also be based at the Mexico Recreation Area.
Also available on Friday, July 16th the New England Forest Rally organizers will make available a number of spectator buses provided by the Sunday River Resort. The buses will take interested spectators from the Mexico Rec Area to where they’ll be able to view the spectacular Concord Pond Stage – one of the most popular stages in the Country.
On Saturday 17 July 2010, the rally action moves slightly north and west to the area surrounding Errol, NH, where rally teams will compete on a series of gravel and forest stages. The town of Errol, known more for snowmobiling in the winter as well as hunting and fishing, is welcoming the rally with open arms and offering service area space and amenities for teams and fans alike. Errol’s premier sporting goods outfitter, L.L. Cote, located in the heart of Errol, is sponsoring the Saturday Regional Rally and will serve as the official refueling location for teams as they re-prep their rally cars.
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 2,15km tarmac and gravel circuit in timed heats from the comfort of grandstands and special viewing areas.
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