Toyota Gazoo Racing Ignites the 2026 ARA Championship

 

The sleeping giant has awakened, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) has officially entered the 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship, ending years of speculation and setting the stage for a titanic manufacturer war with Subaru..

Leading the charge is American phenom Seth Quintero. Transitioning from his dominant tenure in Dakar and T3 lightweight prototypes, Quintero brings a "maximum attack" philosophy to the cockpit. Beside him sits veteran Finnish co-driver Topi Luhtinen, whose clinical European experience and "ice-in-the-veins" delivery are designed to temper Quintero’s raw desert-bred speed with the discipline required for technical forest stages.

The weapon of choice is a specially homologated Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Optimized for the high-speed gravel sweeps of the Pacific Northwest and the punishing bedrock of the Ozarks, the car features a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine paired with a sophisticated five-speed sequential gearbox. While its footprint is smaller than the competition, its nimble chassis and TGR’s world-class dampers make it a surgical instrument on tight, technical stages.

The path to the podium, however, is blocked by the gold standard of American rallying: Travis Pastrana and the Vermont SportsCar Subaru powerhouse. Quintero faces a steep learning curve; while he possesses world-class car control, he must now battle Pastrana’s decades of "reading" the changing grip levels of North American forests. The Subaru WRX remains a refined beast, and Pastrana’s psychological edge in the ARA is immense. For TGR, the 2026 season isn't just a debut; it is a high-stakes baptism by fire against an icon who knows every crest and jump on the calendar. The battle for North American supremacy will open on round 2 of the ARA Championship, 100AW in March. 

Report: Neil McDaid 

Devine Unstoppable in Donegal

Letterkenny, Ireland: Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan secured a historic third consecutive victory at the 2025 Wilton Recycling Donegal International Rally, held on June 20-22. The Derry-Kerry pairing led the event after the first day and managed their pace through a dramatic weekend to win by 20.5 seconds in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

Rally Overview & Stages

The three-day tarmac event covered over 270 competitive kilometers across 20 classic stages in County Donegal.

• Day 1 (Friday, June 20): The rally began with six stages in the Inishowen peninsula, including the famous Mamore Gap. Devine established an early lead here, ending the day ahead of Hayden Paddon.
• Day 2 (Saturday, June 21): Action moved to stages like Knockalla and Garrygort. This day proved pivotal, as major rivals suffered mechanical issues or crashed out, leaving Devine with a manageable lead.
• Day 3 (Sunday, June 22): The final day featured classic tests such as Atlantic Drive and Fanad Head. Devine maintained his composure to seal the hat-trick.

Top 10 Overall Results

Pos	Driver / Co-Driver	Car	Time	Gap
1	Callum Devine / Noel O'Sullivan	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	2:23:30.2	–
2	Meirion Evans / Ger Conway	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	2:23:50.7	+20.5s
3	David Kelly / Arthur Kierans	VW Polo GTI R5	2:24:53.1	+1:22.9s
4	Josh Moffett / Andy Hayes	Hyundai i20 R5	2:25:00.2	+1:30.0s
5	Michael Boyle / Dermot McCafferty	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	2:26:48.2	+3:18.0s
6	Declan Boyle / Patrick Walsh	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	2:27:33.5	+4:03.3s
7	Kevin Eves / Chris Melly	Ford Fiesta Rally2	2:28:09.6	+4:39.4s
8	James Ford / Neil Shanks	Citroën C3 Rally2	2:28:57.6	+5:27.4s
9	Ryan Loughran / Dale McGettigan	Ford Fiesta Rally2	2:29:58.6	+6:28.4s
10	Matthew Boyle / Gary Byrne	Ford Fiesta Rally2	2:31:33.8	+8:03.6s
[Source: 1.2.5]

Significant Incidents & Retirements

The rally saw high attrition among top contenders, dramatically altering the leaderboard:

• 
  Hayden Paddon (Rolled): The former WRC driver and current ERC champion was running 2nd overall after Day 1. He retired on Saturday afternoon (SS13) after rolling his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 on the second pass of Knockalla.

Jon Armstrong (Off Road): Armstrong fought for the lead early on but dropped back due to a rear differential issue on Saturday morning. After fighting back into podium contention, he crashed out on the very final stage (SS20).

• William Creighton (Retired): Running close to the front, Creighton slid off the road on Saturday's final stage due to a slow puncture. Although he finished the stage, he withdrew the car before Sunday's start.
• Mark Alcorn (Withdrawn): A local favorite in the modified class, Alcorn withdrew after Day 1 citing time lost from an incident at Coolcross and navigation issues.

Quotes from the Podium

• Callum Devine (Winner): "To be honest I was quite happy with my driving all weekend... Once I got into a lead I fell back into management [mode], but everything was top class. It just shows you the Tarmac Championship is pretty fast."
• Meirion Evans (2nd Place): Described the event as "the best racing I've ever had."

Report: Neil McDaid

Photos: David McDaid, Neil McDaid 

Sno*Drift 2013: Antoine L’Estage Overhauls David Higgins on the Final Stages, Andrew Comrie-Picard Takes Scion to the Podium in 2WD

Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard celebrate an epic come-from-behind victory at the 2012 Sno*Drift Rally, held this past weekend in Northern Michigan. Despite winning three of the eight special stages on day one, L’Estage, in his Libra Racing / Rockstar Energy sponsored Mitsubishi Evo X, found himself trailing Subaru’s David Higgins after the first day of competition. L’Estage would concede the first three stages on day two to Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew but would pull back over six seconds on the longest stage of the rally SS12 “Camp 30."  After battling through the afternoon stages, swapping stage times along the way, it would be on the second pass of “Camp 30” the penultimate stage of the rally that L’Estage would set a blistering pace on the icy surface to pull ahead of Higgins. With only one short stage left in the rally it only took a clean run from L’Estage and Richard to cap off this outstanding victory over the rival Subaru team. Photo: Neil McDaid

“If you build it they will come.” Despite the blistering cold, hardy rally fans lined the banks of the spectator stage held in a large quarry west of Atlanta, MI.  Pictured here is Subaru Rally Team driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew, running first on the road. David looked for the fastest line through this snow covered man made stage. Higgins opened his rally by taking some early stage victories and ,despite making hard contact with a tree on the closing stages on day one, held the overall lead into the closing stages of the rally on the day two. David and his Subaru Team would eventfully have to settle for second overall, but are already vowing revenge at 100AW.  
Photo: Neil McDaid



“Not so Crazy Leo” after a little off during practice we seen a more subdue version of this very popular Canadian/Russian driver.  Leonid Urlichich [aka Crazy Leo] and co-driver Carl Williamson opted to run first on the road, but their pace was drastically off from prior events. Nonetheless this “less crazy” approach netted the team a third overall podium place, which is no small feat at Sno*Drift. Photo Neil McDaid

“He's back!” Without question there was a certain buzz among rally fans with the return of Ken Block to the Rally America Championship. Ken’s newly rebranded “Hoonigan Racing Team” will contest all Rally America events in 2013. 
Photo: Neil McDaid

Ken Block will be the first to tell you that Sno*Drift has been a frustrating rally for him over the years. But he was feeling pretty confident in the car setup when we spoke with him prior to the first stage. After setting the second fasted time to David Higgins on the first stage, Ken’s string of bad luck would continue at Sno*Drift. Electrical gremlins would stall his Fiesta after only two stages. Thankfully, Rally America has adapted the Super Rally rule where Ken was able to return on day two. It was a case of what might have been had the Fiesta not had problems on day one. Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino would set fastest times on several stages throughout day two. Unfortunately, the penalties accumulated on day one would leave a podium finish out of reach. Block would claw his way back to sixth overall.
Photo: Neil McDaid



SP Class: With defending SP Champion Laughlin O Sullivan not able to make it to Sno*Drift due to his new car build not being complete, Evan Cline and his new [again] co-driver Jake Blattner would take full advantage and charged to the class victory. Evan was as high as forth in the overall standing at one point on day one, but with the return of Block and taking the sensible approach for the class victory, Cline would finish 7^th overall.  Mason Moyle / John A Hall would take 2^nd in SP Class and Nick Roberts / Nick Judkins in only their second national rally would take third on the podium.
Photo: Neil McDaid



There is no better feeling when debuting a new car than putting it on the podium in its first rally! Andrew Comrie-Picard [right] and Jeremy Wimpey celebrate their overall victory in 2WD. Andrew and the team took a calculated move to run their Scion XD normally aspirated for Sno*Drift and it paid off big.  The team won an impressive 19 of the 20 stages.  Team Scion Racing was flanked on the podium by a pair of Ford Fiestas; Dillion Van Way in second and "Fast" Eddie McNally in third. Photo: Neil McDaid

With an unconfirmed schedule for multi-time 2WD Rally America Champion Chris Duplessis, the weight of the 2WD battle for Ford will fall on the shoulders of drivers Dillon Van Way and “Fast Eddie” McNally.  For 2013, Van way has recruited the service of Andrew Edwards to call the notes, Edwards, comes with an impressive resume that includes the British Junior Rally Champion co-driver title in 2010 and runner-up in the national championship in 2011. Although Dillon was unable to match the pace of the Scion Racing team at Sno*Drift we are expecting to see a tighter battle at 100AW in late February.
Photo: Neil McDaid




























David Higgins and Subaru Rally Team USA Ready to Launch 2013 Championship Defense at Sno*Drift Rally

Defending Rally America National Champion David Higgins will begin his title defense this weekend on the challenging snow and ice covered roads of the Sno*Drift Rally, round one of the 2013 Rally America National Championship. Higgins will fight for his third-straight Rally America Title in his Vermont SportsCar prepared 2012 Subaru WRX STI rally car with his trusted co-driver Craig Drew at his side.

The title fight begins at the legendary Sno*Drift Rally, now in its 47th year, Jan. 25 - 26 in Atlanta and Lewiston, MI. The challenge of racing on the icy Northern Michigan roads that compose the Sno*Drift Rally are compounded by rules which prohibit studded or spiked competition ice tires, meaning traction is fleeting and driving skill and patience truly shine.
Besides sleek updated graphics on Higgins’ 2012 Subaru STI much of what earned Higgins the 2012 Rally America Driver’s Championship is in place yet again for the Champion.


Higgins is also brimming with confidence after an active “off-season” which saw him competing as a guest driver with Subaru Rally Team China at a few rounds of the hotly contested Chinese Rally Championship, where Higgins won two events outright.
“I'm really looking forward to getting the 2013 season started. The Sno*Drift Rally is sort of a funny event because when you are doing it you hate every minute of it because the icy conditions are so tough and you are always only a few inches away from slipping off the road at any moment,” explains Higgins. “When it goes well it’s a great feeling but it’s a tough mental game and you are always fighting yourself from trying to push too hard. A small mistake at Sno*Drift will find you stuck in a snow bank digging with your shovels!”


Added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc., “Sno*Drift [Rally] is a challenging event as it traditionally features snow and slick ice, conditions unique to the other rounds in the championship.

Constantly driving on the knife-edge of traction as quickly as possible can be very demanding on drivers, many who will likely struggle to develop a sense of rhythm from one corner to the next. David’s rallying experience prepares him well for such conditions, and the all-wheel drive system in his #75 WRX STI will prove crucial in pulling him and [his co-driver] Craig through the rally stages to the finish.”
The 2013 Rally America National Championship will include five of last year’s events plus the revival of two extremely popular events: The Ojibwe Forests Rally in Minnesota and the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – both of which spent the past three seasons as Rally America Central Region Championship events.
The 2013 Rally America National Championship calendar is as follows:


Sno*Drift Rally Atlanta, MI Jan. 25 - 26
Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Salem, MO Feb. 22 – 23
Oregon Trail Rally Portland & The Dalles, OR May 3 - 5
Susquehannock Trail Rally Wellsboro, PA May 31 - June 1
New England Forest Rally Newry, ME July 26 - 27
Ojibwe Forests Rally Detroit Lakes, MN Aug. 23 – 24
Lake Superior Performance Rally Houghton, MI Oct. 18 – 19


About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), PUMA, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Exedy, Race Proven, and MOTUL. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: @srtusa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

Ken Block Releases His Driving Schedule For 2013, Along with a First Look at Hoonigan Racings New Livery.

 

 

January 23^rd, 2013, Park City, Utah — Kicking off 2013 with a brand new race team and global headquarters, Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block is off to a big start this year. So, to better inform everyone about what he's going to be up to this season and what events he'll be partaking in, Hoonigan Racing Division decided it'd be best to let fans hear it directly from the man himself, the Chief Hoon, Ken Block. Below, Block goes into detail on everything from how he came up with his all-new team look to what he hopes to accomplish in 2013.

The Hoonigan Racing Division 2013 Livery: “I’m stoked on how this livery and overall team aesthetic has turned out this year. With the name change to Hoonigan Racing Division, we wanted to take the look in a slightly different direction, one that has been inspired by my love of 80s and early 90s skateboarding graphics, as well as Miami Vice-era offshore powerboats and a dash of hair metal and old school hip hop mixed in for good measure. Much like we did in our years as MWRT, we’re continuing to try and lead and innovate in the motorsports marketing arena with this livery.” 

2013 overall: “Once again, I’m trying to fit in as much driving as possible for 2013. Unlike most drivers who only compete in one series, I’m very fortunate to be able to race in so many different disciplines. Between competing in X Games, GRC, Rally America, Gymkhana GRID and WRC, It’s going to be an awesome year. I can’t wait to get it started.”

Global X Games: “X Games has always been one of my favorite events of the season, so I’m hyped that this year it is going global with four international stops. Now Los Angeles isn’t my only chance at taking the gold, there will also be Brazil, Spain and Germany. I think the worldwide fans are really going to enjoy the opportunity to go see what X Games is all about up close and personal.”

Global RallyCross: “Last year was my rookie season in GRC. I learned a lot and had some amazing qualifying times. I even managed to dominate the final event of the season until my car caught fire! So, with a season’s worth of experience now under my belt, and a car that has now had a year of rallycross development, I’m feeling really confident about entering the 2013 GRC season and going after the title. I think I’ve got the experience and the car to get it done this year.”

Rally America Championship: “I’m pleased to say that I’ll be campaigning the full Rally America Championship this year. In 2012 I made it out to two events and won both, as well as winning a Canadian rally. I’m confident that my team has built a highly capable car and that the experiences that myself and my co-driver, Alex Gelsomino, have gained doing WRC events the past few seasons really help us when it comes to making our pace notes for the races. My goal for the year is to win the championship, plain and simple.”

WRC: “For me it’s great to continue racing in the World Rally Championship. Last year I competed in three events and in two of them I finished within the top ten and scored points [the third event would have ended with a top 10 finish also, but ended in a mechanical DNF on the final day]. I really enjoy being able to stay somewhat competitive in WRC, despite only competing part-time and not being able to log any testing in the car prior to the actual events. Hopefully I’ll be running a similar amount of WRC events in 2013.”

Gymkhana GRID: “Monster Energy came in last year and got behind my Gymkhana GRID series in a big way. They ran a five-event European series and all of the fans and participants that came out really enjoyed the racing format. In fact, the feedback was so strong that they’re looking to expand it even further this year, so I’m looking forward to going back over and competing in GRID once again. We’re also going to try and investigate the possibility of bringing GRID back to America in 2013 as well.”

Octane Academy 2: “Ford had great success with Octane Academy last year. So much so that the second season has been picked up by NBC Sports for 2013. We’re changing up the format a bit and focusing a lot more on actual driving challenges, getting the contestants more seat time and really showcasing just what the cars can do with the proper training behind the wheel. It’s going to be a lot of fun to make, I can’t wait to get started.”

Gymkhana: “I’m working on a very special Gymkhana project with DC for 2013. I can’t comment too much on it at this point, but we’re taking a very different approach to it for this year. That’s all I’m going to say right now!”

 

WRC FINLAND 2012: KEN BLOCK FORCED TO RETIRE AFTER HARD LANDING

August 4th, 2012, Jyväskylä, Finland – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino were having a fantastic rookie Rally Finland until SS14 on day three of racing. A landing after a jump 4km in on the stage broke their control arm bracket, which resulted in a loss of steering. This forced Block into a wild skid to the edge of the road, where he then pulled off course and immediately retired, knocking him out of the remainder of the rally.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Block. “I was having a really great rally up until SS14. I’d stayed consistent and clean through days one and two and we’d managed to work ourselves up 7 positions yesterday from 17th to 10th overall. To have been in points-scoring position here in Finland my first time ever is an incredible feeling, I was definitely exceeding my personal expectations for my performance at the event. It’s a shame that I got knocked out by a mechanical failure—especially before I got to take a run on Ouninpohja! Hopefully I’ll be able to come back in the future and race Rally Finland again.”

Prior to the mechanical failure on SS14 of Rally Finland, Block and Gelsomino had logged two solid days of racing at what is regarded by most as the WRC’s toughest event on the calendar. Prior to their retirement on Saturday’s second stage, the pair were sitting in 10th overall, which, had they maintained the position, would have marked their third consecutive WRC rally this season with points being scored. Unfortunately, the mechanical failure brought their streak to an end.

“I’m extremely proud of how Ken drove here in Finland,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “Finland is such a tough event, even for the top drivers who have done the event for years and years. For him to come out and put down pace that was quick enough to work himself into the top ten while still keeping the car clean and on the road really shows just how much natural talent he has behind the wheel. I’m confident that if he hadn’t suffered the mechanical failure, he would have maintained his position and scored points here.”

Source: MWRT

RALLY AMERICA ANNOUNCES NEW OWNERSHIP AND 2012 RALLY SCHEDULE

Golden Valley, MN, September 22, 2011 – Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning and Rally promotion organization in the United States, announced today the seamless transition of ownership to Vermont business professional, Bill Fogg. Fogg has twenty-five years of entrepreneurial success in distribution, manufacturing, software development, telecommunications and marketing. Fogg is also a founding partner in a business development company that invests in a number of technology start-up businesses.
Managing Director, J. B. Niday, will continue in his long-standing role along with Mike Hurst, Rally America’s Competition Director, Paul Giblin, Rally America’s Director of Business Development, and Ananda Siverts, the organization’s Marketing Director. The Rally America staff, new and old, is also quick to acknowledge the founder of Rally America, Doug Havir, for his many contributions to the development of the Rally America National Championship Series.
“First, I want to express my appreciation to Doug Havir for establishing and building Rally America,” said J.B. Niday, “Bill Fogg and his team bring great, new talents and resources to Rally America, as well as fresh ideas and perspectives.”
Fogg has been working with Rally America personnel as well as professionals from other companies to assist in planning for the expansion of Rally America’s reach into homes around the globe. “I want to expose as many people as possible to Rally and turn them into rabid fans,” said Fogg, “Rally America is in a unique position to put Rally and Rallycross in front of the mainstream public.” Fogg believes that Rally America’s future success will be built on the vision and depth of its management team and a history of producing safe and exciting Rally events.
As part of that vision, social networking, live streaming, and online video channel development will be enhanced or launched during the 2012 season. “I have spoken with top performers in the sport, team owners, sponsors and manufacturers, and they all agree that now is the time to bring Rally and Rallycross to the masses,” Fogg said.
Fogg first attended a rally three years ago with his sons Jon and Tom when long-time friend and Rally driver Chris Putzier suggested they give it a try. “We had no idea what to expect at the New England Forest Rally in 2009 but we had a great time, it was a wonderful family experience with the boys and an exciting introduction to the sport of Rally,” said Fogg. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to put my years of business experience and entrepreneurial spirit to work for Rally America.”

The 2012 Rally America National Championship Series schedule has been created in partnership with local Rally event organizers. In the upcoming season, Rally America will make the series more accessible and build more excitement for fans, sponsors, drivers, and teams.

For 2012, the six Rally events will stretch from coast to coast and are scheduled to run through September. Rally America organizers have moved the Seattle, Washington-based Olympus Rally to September from April and have pushed back the Portland, Oregon-based Oregon Trail Rally by a few weeks to allow more time between it and the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA in early June. This new National Championship schedule for 2012 accomplishes two goals. First, it extends the Rally season into the fall, and secondly, it eliminates the compacting of half the Championship into less than two months. Rally America is in the process of evaluating the addition of a seventh National Championship Series event in 2013.




Sno*Drift Atlanta, MI January 27 - 28
Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Salem, MO February 24 – 25
Oregon Trail Rally Portland OR May 4 - 6
STPR , Wellsboro PA June 1 - 2
New England Forest Rally Newry, ME July 13-14
Olympus Rally Seattle, WA September 22 – 23