RallyCar Officials Announce 2011 Rally America National Rally Championship Schedule
The Championship will visit the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri on February 25-26, where fan attendance nearly doubled in 2010, before swinging to the West Coast for the Olympus Rally April 30 and May 1 and Oregon Trail Rally May 13-15, 2011.
The Championship will then shift it's focus eastward stopping at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on June 3-4 before ending the season at the New England Forest Rally which takes place at the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine and Errol, New Hampshire July 15-16, 2011.
In addition, RallyCar saw increased the number of top U.S. and Canadian rally teams entering most, if not all, of the Rally America National Championship in 2010. Ten teams competed in all 6 national events this year compared to just 4 teams in 2009 and 2008.
Teams such as Quebec, Canada's Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard benefited from the 2010 schedule and entered the West Coast events for the first time with their Rockstar Energy-backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X as the Championship became more attainable. L'Estage and Richard not only competed in all six Championship events in 2010, they became overall Champions by finishing on the podium at each of the six events and claiming overall victories at the final two Rally America events of the season - the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally and the New England Forest Rally.
Another Mitsubishi privateer, William Bacon of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, driving his self-sponsored 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, also contended the entire 2010 Championship battling against Antoine L'Estage and 4-time Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana in his factory-backed Subaru WRX STI to capture second place overall by season's end.
2010 Super Production Class Champion, Pat Moro from Dublin, OH, utilized the entire 2010 season to fend off strong competition. Each round provided valuable points to set up a season ending showdown at the New England Forest Rally. Moro prevailed and was awarded an invitation to compete at ESPN's X Games 16 Rally Car Racing competition.
2010 Two Wheel-Drive Class National Champion, Chris Duplessis from Berlin, ME, dominated the 2010 season and campaigned each round for the first time in his rally career. Normally driving a 1990 Volkswagen GTi, fan favorite Duplessis finished on the podium at each event even when he switched mid-season to a SPARCO and 0-60 Magazine sponsored Scion xD for development purposes.
In addition to the 6-round Rally America National Championship in 2011, RallyCar sanctions four regional rally championships. The Regional schedule is still in the process of being finalized. An announcement of the entire Rally America Regional Series will be released in the coming weeks.
2011 Rally America National Rally Championship Schedule:
Sno*Drift Rally, January 28-29, 2011, Atlanta & Lewiston, MI
100 Acre Wood Rally, February 25-26, 2011, Salem, MO
Olympus Rally, April 30-May 1, 2011, Ocean Shores, WA
Oregon Trail Rally, May 13-15, 2011, Portland, OR
Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, June 3-4, 2011, Wellsboro, PA
New England Forest Rally, July 15-16, 2011, Newry, ME & Errol, NH
For more information regarding the 2011 Rally America National Championship, please contact Ananda Siverts via E-mail at: ananda@rally-america.com, call (802) 861-3067 or visit http://www.rally-america.com/ for details.