Rally2 Rebellion at the 100 Acre Wood

Salem, Missouri, Round 2 of the 2026 ARA championship, Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. This high-speed sprint through the Ozarks demands absolute commitment, with blinding dust or deep water crossings, depending on the weather. The stakes are always high, but this year, with Subaru no longer fielding two Open class cars, a new crop of young drivers  setting their sights on the overall podium.

The big story? It has to be the world debut of the Toyota GR Corolla RC2, the car was built/prepared in Vermont by the subsidiary of Vermont Sport car, so basically built by VSC, with lot of input from Toyota WRC, team boss Jari-Matti Latvala, has even been to the USA to test the car during development. . Seeing a factory-backed Toyota on American gravel feels like a fever dream for those of us who remember the ProRally days of the '80s. Piloting this monster is Dakar sensation Seth Quintero, and let’s be honest, the pressure is immense. Can a desert specialist find the rhythm on these lightning-fast, undulating Missouri stages, keeping it on the correct side of the camber and out of the trees will be job number 1. 

Coming off a disastrous last stage DNF on round one,  Lia Block, is back for more with Alex Gelsomino calling the notes, she’s finding a level of consistency that’s starting to look very familiar to those of us who watched her father dominate these woods. Word is that Lia will debut a Hyundai Rally2 car which will be run by PCRS out of Ireland, word also has it, that Patrick Gruszka’s Hyundai will now be run by PCRS, after his DNF at Sno drift. This car is a big step up for Lia and she definitely will be a contender for the podium. 

The return of Tom Williams. The 2022 RC2 champion and former WRC competitor is back, and he’s swapped his familiar Ford for a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 prepared by Standard Motorsport. Williams isn't here to make up the numbers; with a more level playing field with Subaru’s open class cars sidelined, an overall podium is not out of the question for Tom.  

And then there are the icons, Travis Pastrana remains the spiritual heart of the ARA, a man who has won this event multiple times and knows every rock in the Mark Twain National Forest. As mentioned Subaru’s open class cars are out 2026 so Travis will continue as the soul driver for the team in the newly developed w L4WD car.

Rounding out a stacked field will be Irish driver Aoife Raftery, a DirtFish-backed talent stepping into a Ford Fiesta Rally3. Also we can't not mention the ever-present threat of privateer and round one winner, Mark Piatkowski, who has moved to an L4WD for 100AW.

Because of the unique, super-fast surface of Rally in the 100AW, going out first on the road can often be an advantage due to the hard-packed gravel with very limited to no gravel sweeping. It's really difficult to predict a winner for this one. Of course, Travis would be an easy pick, but with the new car still having some issues when pushed hard, it's wide open.

Report/Photo: Neil McDaid 

From Pace Notes to Power Moves: Jonne Halttunen Joins Toyota Gazoo Racing USA Rally Program

 

Report: Neil McDaid

Photo: Red Bull Racing 

Toyota has confirmed WRC Champion Co-driver Jonne Halttunen as Project Manager for its expansion into the American Rally Association Championship. Toyota Gazoo Racing will also collaborate with Rallysupport Services, a company ironically led by Lance Smith, the same Lance Smith of Vermont Sports Car who brought Subaru to be the most successful brand in North American Rally.

Halttunen arrives with a résumé that commands instant respect. As co-driver to Kalle Rovanperä, he has been a central figure in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s modern WRC dominance. Together they claimed WRC World Championships in 2022 and 2023, multiple rally victories across gravel, tarmac, and snow, and redefined the modern driver–co-driver partnership with precision, calm authority, and tactical intelligence beyond their years. Halttunen’s reputation inside the service park is that of a strategist as much as a navigator—someone who understands not just pace notes, but the bigger competitive picture.

Less widely discussed, but equally relevant for the ARA project, is Halttunen’s own rally driving background. Before cementing his career on the right-hand seat, he competed as a driver in Finland’s national rally scene, giving him first-hand understanding of car behavior, setup compromises, and the physical demands of stage competition—an invaluable asset when translating WRC-level thinking to American events with their unique roads, formats, and logistics.

With WRC, getting serious about getting USA on their calendar, the obvious question is: could this project lead to something even bigger for Jonne? While a one-off ARA appearance by Halttunen alongside Rovanperä might seem far-fetched, Rovanperä has said "rallying will always be close to his heart," even though he hasn't indicated a 2026 stage rally commitment. Given this season's focus on establishing Toyota's presence in the USA, such an entry would generate significant exposure for both Toyota and ARA. Of course, this is all speculation, but regardless, Halttunen's move alone demonstrates that American stage rally is no longer on the fringes; it's firmly back on the world map. 

Chasing the Ghost of Paddy Hopkirk, MINI returns to stage rally and tackles the snow and ice covered Stages of Sno*Drift Rally

 

Report: Neil McDaid

Photo's: Mini USA

Atlanta, Michigan, To understand why this return matters, one must look back to January 1964. It was the "Night of the Long Knives" on the Col de Turini where Irishman Paddy Hopkirk etched his name into legend. In what remains the ultimate "David vs. Goliath" story, Hopkirk’s diminutive Mini Cooper S out-muscled V8-powered Ford Falcons. On the treacherous, icy mountain passes of the French Alps, the Mini’s nimble front-wheel-drive layout proved that agility and balance are the ultimate equalizers against raw horsepower.

The brand’s modern history with the dirt has been a series of "what ifs." In 2011, MINI made a grand, yet tragically short-lived, return to the World Rally Championship (WRC). Partnering with the engineering maestros at Prodrive, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car was a technical masterpiece. It found immediate success, with Dani Sordo taking the car to a stunning 2nd-place finish at the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally—a poetic nod to Hopkirk. However, corporate restructuring and budget shifts saw the factory program shuttered far too early, leaving fans wondering what a fully developed MINI could have achieved on the world stage.

In 2026, we see a return of the little car that could, well not so little anymore, The "works" effort returns via the MINI John Cooper Works Race Team, led by a name synonymous with the brand’s American road racing success: Luis Perocarpi.

This isn't just a corporate entry; it is a family legacy. The team principal, Luis Perocarpi, will lead from the driver’s seat of a 2025 MINI Countryman ALL4 in the Limited 4-Wheel Drive (L4WD) class. Luis brings a storied background from the IndyCar pits and IMSA paddocks, but his heart has always been in the dirt, fueled by a childhood watching rallies in Chile. Joining him on the stages is his son, Cristian Perocarpi, who will pilot a 2025 MINI JCW in the highly competitive Open 2-Wheel Drive (O2WD) class. 

Cristian has spent the last several seasons proving his mettle in SRO TC America, honing the precise car control required to keep a front-wheel-drive machine at the limit. Both drivers gained prior rally experience by competing in regional events in late 2025, with Luis running the Nemadji Trail Winter Rally and both father and son competing at the Show-Me Rally. Despite their impressive resumes in racing the unpredictable and unforgiving stages of Sno Drift will surly be a new test of skills. 

Both cars were prepared by LAP Motorsports in Indianapolis. Known for building championship-winning touring cars, LAP has adapted the production-based MINI platform for the ever changing conditions of stage rally. 

In L4WD, Luis will contend with top drivers including Travis Pastrana in a new Subaru WRX and Lia Block in a Ford Fiesta, to name a few. The O2WD class sees Cristian face off against strong competitors, with vast experience on the tricky stages of Sno Drift.

One can always dream of a Mini shocker, but this is a new day and experience will win on the day at Sno Drift, nonetheless, its great to see brands like Mini back in the game.