Round 2
of the Rally America National Championship Set for February 24-25, from Salem,
MO
WILLISTON, VT (February 10,
2012) -- Round two of the 2012 Rally America National Championship takes place
in the majestic Ozark foothills of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood on February
24-25th in Salem, MO. Up to 70 of the top national and international
rally competitors will challenge the fast, hard-packed dirt roads following a
very slippery opening round at Michigan's Sno*Drift Rally in January.
The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
promises more great battles across all car classes. The roads are fast, tight
and twisty and the conditions are extremely variable, creating an excellent
playing ground for teams to compete for National Championship points.
Subaru Rally Team USA and 2011 Rally America National Champions, David Higgins and Craig Drew, got off to a great start winning the season opener to lead the Series over the Rockstar Energy Drink Rally Team Canadian duo of Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard. At last year's Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, L'Estage and Richard secured an important overall win, and in the process beat their Subaru Rally Team USA rivals.
"I'm really looking
forward to 100 Acre Wood," said L'Estage. "I love these fast roads!
The competition will be tough, but I'm going there to win!"
Both L'Estage and Higgins will
need to pay close attention to a slew of new talent entering the fray who could
play spoiler to their Rally America National Championship dreams.
A powerful new entry, Krzysztof Holowczyc (pronounced Kristoff Holovich) of Olsztyn, Poland, will join the Art Logistics Racing Team with co-driver Maciej Wislawski in a 2006 Mitsubishi EVO IX for his American debut. Holowczyc brings a deep racing resume having won three Polish Rally Championships, 1997 European Championship title and has placed as high as 6th overall at a World Rally Championship event. This year Holowczyc drove a factory BMW X-Raid in the Dakar Rally to place 10th overall.
Canadian Rally Championship
(CRC) regulars, Leonid Urlichich and Carl Williamson, made a splash in their
Sno*Drift debut proving that they are podium contenders on the American
circuit. Urlichich is carrying momentum off his best CRC ever after making 7 podiums
in 8 events and a Tall Pines overall victory last November. The team is now
challenging for the Rally America National Championship crown and looks to
improve their Sno*Drift standings and place even more pressure on other
top-tier teams.
The competition in the Super
Production (SP) class promises to be much tighter on Missouri's fast gravel
than on the treacherous frozen stages in Michigan last month. Travis Hanson and
Terry Hanson won this class at Sno*Drift in dominant fashion with a 15-minute lead
over second place. Hanson is expected to enter the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
to continue his defense of his 2011 Super Production title following
significant engine repairs that threatened to force his exit from Sno*Drift.
Hanson will face a contingent of SP top talent. Ex-factory Mitsubishi Rally Team driver, Lauchlin O'Sullivan with co-driver Scott Putnam switched back to a 2003 Mitsubishi EVO at the beginning of the year. Though unfamiliar with his ride he sits second in class and within striking distance of assuming the SP lead early in the season.
In the National Two-Wheel Drive
class, fan favorites Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson in their 2011 Ford
Fiesta R2 seek to build upon their class lead after an impressive Sno*Drift
outing where they finished 15 minutes ahead of the Scion xD Rally Team of
Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey. Duplessis is always favored to win, but
Comrie-Picard displayed a special tenacity coming back from fifth in class to a
2nd place finish.
The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood will begin at 12:00pm on Friday, February 24, with a Parc Expose. Fans can attend the Parc Expose to seek autographs and pick up spectator information before heading to various spots in the woods to watch the exciting rally action.
Another Parc Expose will kick off the action on Saturday, February 25th in downtown Salem at the intersection of 4th & Main Street at 8:00am. Two Super Special stages will take place that day at the Potosi Lions' Park beginning at 2:40pm. All Parcs Expose and race viewing are free to attend.
Fans who cannot attend in
person can catch some live event streaming and video recaps, as well as
regularly-updated stage times and results, at Rally-America.com.
For a complete schedule of the event, please visit Rally-America.com. A spectator guide with driving instructions to viewing areas will be available on the website soon.
The 2012 Rally America National Championship is proudly supported by VP Racing Fuels - the Official Fuel of Rally America, Exedy Racing Clutches, Hawk Performance Brakes, ParkNBlend and RECARO seats.
About Rally America:
Based in Williston, VT, Rally
America, Inc. sanctions the Rally America National Championship, the premier
performance rally series in the United States. In 2012, Rally America will be
conducting six National Championship events at venues across the country, from
Seattle, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of
well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting
of gravel, dirt or snow. More information about the Rally America National
Championship and the sport of rally can be found at http://www.rally-america.com.
