NASA Rally Sport expands Rally Tennessee to be the longest rally in America

Posted on May 18th, 2010 by admin

Rally Tennessee, which takes place in Perry County on May 29 – 30, 2010, has expanded its route this year. Adding a new stage in the southern end of the county, a twisty course that runs parallel to a small stream before heading back up to the ridge, has made Rally Tennessee the longest stage rally in the United States. The course is roughly twenty percent longer than any other event in the country and includes a scheduled 158 miles of competition packed into two days. The all-paved tarmac course is very twisty as it runs through the hills of Middle Tennessee.

‘We’re pretty excited about it.’ says Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport. ‘All competitors love getting more racing. The amazing part is that this new stage starts only two miles from an existing stage, so the rally has remained very compact. Every rally driver, in their heart, really wants ten or twenty mile stages out in the woods. The drivers will get two chances to look at the roads, called ‘recce’, and then the race is on!’

Rally racing began in the early part of the last century, racing from one city to another. It was a free for all, with no defined route, and drivers were free to take whatever route they thought best, passing other daily traffic as they went. As the machines became faster, and reliable enough that the drivers didn’t have to carry a mechanic with them, the courses became more rigidly defined. As we entered the modern era of rallying in the 1970s, the events became flat-out high speed racing, and the roads are closed for the racing.

‘Perry County and the towns of Lobelville and Linden, have been very helpful to us.’ says event organizer Amy Feistel. ‘We have doubled the number of spectator areas available on the last day of racing, and we think that will help get more people coming out to watch. There will also be a free country music concert featuring T. Graham Brown in Lobelville on Saturday after the racing. We’re shooting for as much economic impact in the area as possible.’ Guides on where to spectate, with schedules and driving directions, will be available at Main Street Market Deli in Lobelville and Sanders Service Center in Linden. The free concert in Lobelville’s Music Park begins at 7:30pm on Saturday, May 29, 2010.

More information, along with how to get behind the scenes and even closer to the drivers as a volunteer, is available at RallyTennessee.com. The web site also has a sign up to receive text message updates on scores and activities during the rally.

Rally Tennessee is part of the 2010 Atlantic Rally Cup and the 2010 Atlantic RallyMoto™ Cup. International competitors from as far away as Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Ireland, Poland, and Russia join competitors from as close as Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee. Rally Tennessee attracts novice and veteran competitors alike while spectators enjoy the variety of viewing locations throughout Perry County.

Registration now open for North Nevada RallyMoto event

Posted on May 11th, 2010 by admin

After some last minute details had to be worked out the organizers of the North Nevada Rally have opened registration for the returning event for 2010. The first running of RallyMoto was in 2008 and the rally took a year off in 2009. Entries can be submitted onRallyData.com. Information including supplemental regulations and schedules are posted on the North Nevada Rally website. June 4-5 is not very far off so make sure you get your bikes in order and your entry submitted. This is event has some of the best RallyMoto roads in the US.

Jonah Street Takes Seventh in Dakar Then Races with NASA Rally Sport

Posted on January 28th, 2010 by admin

Jonah Street just finished seventh at the Dakar rally in South America, and was the top competitor from the USA. After months of training, preparation, and two weeks of grueling racing in the Dakar, this hero deserves a break. But less than a week after making it back home to the US, he’s already planning for his next rally. Street is headed South again, only this time he won’t need a passport or a translator, he’s racing in the United States. The Sandblast Rally on February 6 in South Carolina, is his next stop.

Sandblast Rally runs in a similar format to the Dakar. Racing stages are separated by liaison sections. The main differences for Street are going to be the length and the navigation. Sandblast is only one day long, running from morning to night. The format of the rally is the same as a WRC rally event, so the stages are completely closed and there are no navigation choices to make during the racing sections. Relative to the Dakar, the Sandblast Rally is much more of a sprint, with the competitors covering 130 miles.

‘Our other racers are very excited.’ say Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport. ‘Like millions of other race fans, they have been watching Jonah on Versus for the last three weeks. Getting to race him, in the sandy conditions we have, is like escaping to Dakar just for a day. Other Dakar competitors have said that our stages remind them of the old Dakar Day 1 stages in Portugal, so I have no doubt that Jonah will jump right in move out to the front.’

Sandblast Rally is one of only a handful of rallies in the US that take part in NASA Rally Sport’s program called RallyMoto(TM), which allows motorcycles to compete on the same racing stages as traditional rally cars. This program started in 2007 and has exploded in popularity. For the last two years, Sandblast Rally has had the biggest entry fields of any rally in America.

Street’s machine, given his long relationship with the manufacturer, is no surprise: KTM. The 950 Super Enduro is built and ready for the trip to Cheraw, SC next week. The Dakar had a recent class rule lowering the allowed engine displacement, but large engines are still allowed with NASA Rally Sport. Some riders will be on BMW HP2 bikes with 1200cc engines. ‘A key difference,’ notes Green ‘is that since the format of our rally is so compact, we can have medical staff only a few miles away. Safety is still our primary concern for all racers.’

For Dakar fans that want to follow Street as he races next weekend, they can sign up for text message updates and get scores on SandblastRally.com For those folks lucky enough to live in the Southeast, they have a chance to meet this Dakar hero and watch him race in South Carolina. A testing session on the Friday before the race is open for viewing. Friday evening all competitors will have their race vehicles on display in Chesterfield, SC. The ceremonial start is Saturday morning in downtown Cheraw, SC. More spectating information is available on SandblastRally.com.

CRS Moto 2009 winners honored at awards banquet

Posted on January 24th, 2010 by admin

California Rally Series held their annual awards banquet last night and part of the ceremonies was awarding the trophies for the 2009 winners. In the Under 800 class Andrew Sutherland was champion, and in the Over 800 class Tim Hilsamer was awarded the the championship. The 2010 schedule starts in April with High Desert Trails rally and promises to be an exciting year of Rally Moto.

California Rally Series wraps up Rallymoto season at Prescott Rally

Posted on September 29th, 2009 by admin

The California Rally Series inaugural CRS moto season runs the final points race this weekend (October 2-3,2009). With four of the five entries in the big bike class there should be a good battle for bragging rights. This is first year bikes have run at Prescott, but the rally has a long history. This is the 22nd Annual Prescott Rally. Racing starts Friday afternoon and runs into the evening, where bright lights will be the biggest advantage.
Racing continues on Saturday with the majority of stage miles being run. For bike this will be a test of endurance and strategy to get to the end with the fewest mistakes made.
If you are interested in running or spectating all of the information can be found on the Prescott Rally site.

Prescott Rally Lowers entry fees for RallyMoto ™

Posted on August 22nd, 2009 by admin

The Prescott Rally organizers have lowered the entry fee to $150.00 for two days of Rallymoto(tm) racing on the great roads of Prescott Valley and surrounding areas. This is only good until Sept 12 when early entry closes. This rally includes night stages on Friday night and a full day of racing on Saturday. Several competitors have already signed up including several new names.
Prescott Rally Home Page

BLACK RIVER STAGES NOW SECOND LARGEST STAGE RALLY IN U.S. FOR 2009

Posted on August 18th, 2009 by admin

Black River Stages, a stage rally located in Lewis County, New York, is already the second largest stage rally in the USA and is still growing. The current entry total stands at 49 car and motorcycle teams registered and paid for the event. Black River Stages, which is sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport and will take place the weekend of September 19 and 20, is still accepting entries.

Black River Stages has surpassed last year’s entries (48) and with six weeks left is expected to keep growing. Anders Green, the event organizer, says ‘We only count and show paid entries on our web site. Until the final week, there’s usually half a dozen teams that have paperwork in but haven’t paid yet. I’m confident we’ll set new records. It’s great because each new team adds to the economic impact for the area. It also makes for a great show for the fans.’

‘An event this size is challenging.’ says Jeff Denton, Chief of Scoring for the event. ‘Each team adds another time card to be counted, another vehicle to be inspected, another car or bike to be tracked by the radio net, or another vehicle for sweep to watch for on stage. Even though it’s more work for the volunteers all around, it’s still loads of fun.’

This year has been a tough year for rally racing across the country as the declining economy has hit home for many racers. Most stage rally events have seen a decline in entries of 20 – 30%. The only other events to have grown in 2009 are Rally Tennessee, posting a modest 6% increase, and the New England Forest Rally, which had a massive 45% increase in entries. The New England Forest Rally’s jump moved it to third largest rally overall in the U.S. The largest rally, for the second year in a row, is still the Sandblast Rally, which had about 20% more teams participate than any other event in 2009.

Black River Stages is growing in more than entries. Last year the event added a new stage to the mix. This year, by moving both racing days to the weekend — a move requested by the towns that support the event — the schedule was able to expand to allow an additional running of the Saturday night stages. The total racing distance is now around 90 miles.

The race follows the traditional stage rally format. Multiple racing sections, each called a ‘stage’, are connected by ‘transit’ sections. The stages are closed gravel roads with flat-out, full speed racing. The transits are on open public roads, where the street-legal cars and motorcycles are given plenty of time to leisurely make their way to the next closed, timed racing section.

Spectators wanting to come out and see the race should get more information at blackriverstages.com. There will also be time to meet the competitors just before racing begins on Saturday at the American Maple Museum in Croghan, NY.

Tags: black river stages, rally, rally moto, rallymoto, stage rally

BAJA WINNER SCOT HARDEN TO RACE BLACK RIVER STAGES IN NEW YORK

Posted on August 11th, 2009 by admin

One of the most accomplished men in off road racing, Scot Harden, will be taking two wheels to the dirt and gravel this fall in upstate New York. September 19 and 20 will find Harden racing at the Black River Stages Rally based in Lewis County. No stranger to running in the most difficult of conditions, Harden will race well into the night against the series regulars on his Husqvarna 510.

Harden’s resume reads like a dream list of racing events. He has won the Baja 1000 overall, the Baja 500, and is a SCORE overall champion. Successful trips to the Dakar Rally, both as a racer and manager, are under his belt. A national motorcycle enduro champion and Best in the Desert champion, Harden was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2008. Currently he is the National Sales and Marketing Manager of Husqvarna Motorcycles North America.

Bobby Wooldridge, from the BMW/Ducati/Husqvarna Motorcycles of Atlanta dealership in Georgia, will be supplying the vehicles and infrastructure to support Harden during the event. Wooldridge, who competed at Black River Stages last year, reports that planning for schedules, bikes, and spares began months before the event. Last year’s second overall finish gives Wooldridge plenty of experience to start the setup and tuning of the bikes.

Defending winner Mike Gilkey is very excited for the chance to go bar-to-bar with Harden. Gilkey, a former pro racer who previously toured Europe racing flat track events, could barely get out a “Wow!” when told that Harden would be at the start line with him. “You always want to race against the best.” said Gilkey.

The format of the race, sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport, will be familiar to Harden, who has raced in a wide variety of rallies. Multiple racing sections, each called a ‘stage’, are connected by ‘transit’ sections. The stages are closed gravel roads with flat out, full speed racing. The transits are on open public roads, where the street-legal motorcycles are given plenty of time to leisurely make their way to the next closed, timed racing section.

Spectators wanting to come out and see the legend race should get more information at BlackRiverStages.com. There will also be time to meet the riders just before the racing starts on Saturday at the American Maple Museum in Croghan, NY.

North Nevada Rally Canceled for 2009 Back in 2010

Posted on July 29th, 2009 by admin

Citing changes to the schedule required by permitting agencies and the impact on competitors and workers, the 2009 running of the North Nevada Rally has been canceled. Work has already begun on the 2010 event with permitting and scheduling issues addressed early to add stability to the event for the future.

Tags: rallymoto crs event nevada rally

Official 2009 CRS Moto Championship Schedule

Posted on December 21st, 2008 by admin

The California Rally Series has announced its official 2009 calendar including a Championship for RallyMoto™ bikes at CRS events that have RallyMoto™. This championship will be called the CRS Moto Championship and will utilize the the same system for weighting events, awarding points, dropping events and resolving ties as the CRS Rally Championship. Competitors must be CRS members prior to a given event to accrue CRS Moto Championship points at that event.
CRS Moto will recognize two championship classes:
“Moto U8″ is for bikes with displacements less than 800cc ( NASA 2008 Prod 2 and Super Prod 2 classes)
“Moto O8″ is for bikes with displacements of 800cc or more (NASA 2008 Prod 1 and Super Prod 1 classes)
Here are the championship events:

February 21 High Desert Trails (1,1) Ridgecrest, CA
June 20 North Nevada Rally (3) Fernley, NV
July 10-11 Idaho Rally (3,2) Mountain Home, ID
August 29 Gorman Ridge Rally (3) Frazier Park, CA
October 2-3 Prescott Rally (2,3) Prescott, AZ

The CRS Moto Championship will have 8 events, of which the best 5 will be scored.
In addition to the calendar above, February 7 is the date of our annual Rally School in Ridgecrest California.