Rally America
Encyclopedia
The Rally America National Championship is the national championship of rallying
events in the United States
. The inaugural season was in 2005. Rally America was also the name given to the organization that sanctioned the championship, was briefly rebranded to RallyCar in July 2010, then reverted to Rally America the following year.
's ProRally Championship. The two companies worked in tandem until the end of the 2004 season, when the SCCA withdrew its involvement in U.S. stage rallying. The SCCA then made the decision to sell all commercial and sanctioning rights to Rally America.
In 2005, the inaugural Rally America National Championship was run, incorporating most of the events previously sanctioned by the SCCA. In 2011, Vermont businessman Bill Fogg took over ownership of Rally America from Havir.
has been an integral part of Rally America from its inception. At the time Rally America was begun, Subaru's Impreza, and in particular the WRX STi versions of the vehicle, had already become the most numerous competitive rally car in North America. Subaru became a sponsor of the series and many prizes and other incentives were provided by the company both for rally in general, and Subaru driving teams in particular. A fully stocked parts truck was dispatched to all national events, offering Subaru teams unique access to parts and expertise on scene. There are also discounts on parts for teams using Subaru Rally Team USA parts.
has been Subaru's primary competitor in North America, with its Evo series
of cars. In the hands of competitive drivers, the Evo did prove a challenge to the larger quantity of WRXs, often edging into top three finishes.
both worldwide
and in North America. Ford made a unique appearance in American rallying at the 2009 X Games
. Driven by Tanner Foust, Kenny Brack and Brian Deegan, three open-class Fiesta
s were dominant (two of the three claimed podium positions) throughout the weekend. Brack, the eventual winner, praised the car, while Foust has said he would like to see a factory-backed Ford team
competing regularly in Rally America. For 2010, Ford announced that they would be sponsoring a Fiesta in Rally America and the X-Games.
was piloted by Andrew Comrie-Picard
.
and Group 2
standards. Both are limited on weight, displacement, and must be based on cars with a production of 1000 per year. Power may be sent to either the rear wheels or the front wheels.
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
events in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The inaugural season was in 2005. Rally America was also the name given to the organization that sanctioned the championship, was briefly rebranded to RallyCar in July 2010, then reverted to Rally America the following year.
History
Rally America was founded in 2002 by CPD Rally Team owner Doug Havir, who provided scoring and reporting services to the Sports Car Club of AmericaSports Car Club of America
The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional racers.-History:...
's ProRally Championship. The two companies worked in tandem until the end of the 2004 season, when the SCCA withdrew its involvement in U.S. stage rallying. The SCCA then made the decision to sell all commercial and sanctioning rights to Rally America.
In 2005, the inaugural Rally America National Championship was run, incorporating most of the events previously sanctioned by the SCCA. In 2011, Vermont businessman Bill Fogg took over ownership of Rally America from Havir.
Rallies associated with Rally America
| Race | Years involved with Rally America |
|---|---|
| Colorado Cog | 2005–2009 |
| Lake Superior Rally | 2005–2009 |
| Maine Forest Rally | 2005–2006 |
| New England Forest Rally New England Forest Rally The New England Forest Rally is a performance rally event in New Hampshire and Maine, United States. Originally known as the Maine Forest Rally, it first appeared in 1991 as a winter rally... |
2007–Present |
| Ojibwe Forests Rally | 2005–2009 |
| Olympus Rally Olympus Rally The Olympus Rally is an event in the motorsport of rallying. While it has usually been run as a national rally, in 1986-1988, it was a round in the FIA World Rally Championship, the most recent time a WRC rally has been run in the United States.... |
2007–Present |
| Oregon Trail Rally | 2005–Present |
| Pikes Peak Int'l Hill Climb | 2005 |
| Rally in the 100 Acre Wood | 2006–Present |
| Sno*Drift | 2005–Present |
| Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is an annual rally racing event held in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. STPR is currently the fifth Rally America National Rally Championship event of the season.- Past Winners :... |
2005–Present |
| Wild West Rally | 2006 |
Champions
| Season | Champion | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 |  Patrick Richard |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities... |
| 2006 |  Travis PastranaTravis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends... |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2007 | Travis Pastrana Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends... |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2008 | Travis Pastrana Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends... |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2009 2009 Rally America season The 2009 Rally America season was the fifth season of Rally America. The season consisted of 9 rallies and began on January 30, with the Sno* Drift National Rally in Michigan. The final stage of Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was canceled due to impassable conditions... |
Travis Pastrana Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends... |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
| 2010 2010 Rally America season The 2010 Rally America season is the sixth season of Rally America. The season consists of 6 rallies and began on January 29, with the Sno* Drift National Rally in Michigan. They will also be hosting 3 rally-cross competitions in the fall at New Jersey Motor Sports Park... |
Antoine L'Estage |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |
| 2011 2011 Rally America season The 2011 Rally America season was the seventh season of Rally America. The season consisted of 6 rallies and began on January 29, with the Sno*Drift National Rally in Michigan. It was the first rally won by a Super Production Car in Rally America's history... |
 David HigginsDavid Higgins (rally driver) David Higgins is a British rally driver.Higgins won the 1997, 1999 and 2002 British Rally Championships in the Group N category. He won the SCCA ProRally Championship in America in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 he returned to the British championship for what was supposed to be a one-off entry at the... |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI |
Points
The points are awarded based on final position. As well as achieving a point for starting the race and one point for finishing the race. Thus, finishing a race will automatically earn you three points. One for starting, one for finishing, and one for coming in 10th+ place.| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Manufacturers
Rally America does not maintain manufacturer scoring or provide recognition for vehicle successes. Most cars are selected by their drivers or teams with the vast majority being entered without any special involvement by their manufacturers.Subaru
SubaruSubaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
has been an integral part of Rally America from its inception. At the time Rally America was begun, Subaru's Impreza, and in particular the WRX STi versions of the vehicle, had already become the most numerous competitive rally car in North America. Subaru became a sponsor of the series and many prizes and other incentives were provided by the company both for rally in general, and Subaru driving teams in particular. A fully stocked parts truck was dispatched to all national events, offering Subaru teams unique access to parts and expertise on scene. There are also discounts on parts for teams using Subaru Rally Team USA parts.
Mitsubishi
MitsubishiMitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
has been Subaru's primary competitor in North America, with its Evo series
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo, is a high-performance sedan manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral...
of cars. In the hands of competitive drivers, the Evo did prove a challenge to the larger quantity of WRXs, often edging into top three finishes.
Ford
Ford has had a long history in rallying item rallycrossRallycross
Rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars, although usually with about stronger engines, due to e.g. their 45 mm turbo restrictor plates. It is...
both worldwide
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
and in North America. Ford made a unique appearance in American rallying at the 2009 X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
. Driven by Tanner Foust, Kenny Brack and Brian Deegan, three open-class Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
s were dominant (two of the three claimed podium positions) throughout the weekend. Brack, the eventual winner, praised the car, while Foust has said he would like to see a factory-backed Ford team
Ford Racing
Ford Racing is the Ford Motor Company's racing division and the multinational name used for its motorsport activity.-History:* 1896 - Henry Ford reached a top speed of 20 mph in his first car, Quadricycle....
competing regularly in Rally America. For 2010, Ford announced that they would be sponsoring a Fiesta in Rally America and the X-Games.
Volkswagen
While not often found contending for top overall spots they can be very good cars for those contesting the two-wheel-drive championships and for beginners. The Jetta, Golf and Beetle have all had many appearances and much success in Rally America events.Scion
The Scion Rally xD debuted in the two-wheel-drive category at the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally with Christopher Duplessis at the wheel. In 2011, Duplessis switched to a Ford, and the Scion xDScion xD
The Scion xD is a five-door hatchback subcompact marketed in the US and Canada by Japanese manufacturer Toyota beginning with the 2008 model year — replacing the xA. The Scion xD and the second generation xB were first shown to the public on February 8, 2007 at the Chicago Auto Show...
was piloted by Andrew Comrie-Picard
Andrew Comrie-Picard
Andrew Comrie-Picard is an X Games athlete, professional race car driver, stunt driver, automotive journalist, and TV personality. He left a career as a New York City entertainment lawyer to pursue his passion for racing...
.
Groups
In 2009, Rally America narrowed down the number of championships. The regional rallies have many categories split into two events, such as 2 Wheel Drive being split into a separate championship for Group 2 and Group 5, as well as the addition of an Open Light. A list of the full rules can be seen at the Rally America websiteOpen
The engine must be based on a production engine. Displacement is limited to 5.1L with multipliers used for rotary, turbo charging, etc. The body must be recognizable as the original car. There is a minimum weight also enforced dependent on the engine.Super Production
The chassis generation must match the appearance and modifications of the car. Thus, one can take a chassis from a 2006 Subaru WRX and put a 2003 WRX Shell around it, but all parts must be allowable for a 2003 WRX. Engine displacement cannot be more than 2.6L with multipliers, and a limiter is placed on any forced induction system. A minimum weight is also enforced. Many other parts can be replaced, as long as they are an option from the manufacture.2 Wheel Drive
These are based on the old FIA Group 5Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defined a Special Touring Car category and from 1970 to 1971 the classification was applied to limited production Sports Cars restricted to 5...
and Group 2
Group 2 (racing)
The Group 2 racing class referred to regulations for cars in touring car racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. Group 2 was replaced by Group A in 1982....
standards. Both are limited on weight, displacement, and must be based on cars with a production of 1000 per year. Power may be sent to either the rear wheels or the front wheels.