SPEEDWAY, IND.~ Coming off a successful albeit shortened season that pressured the calendar in 2020, The American Rally Association is heading into 2021 with the one of the most aggressive schedule of U.S. based rally events in recent years.
The new season will start with the one true winter rally on the national schedule, Sno*Drift, which is moving from its historical January dates to a one-day rally on February 20. The newly formatted Sno*Drift will kick off a busy schedule that features 20 total rallies in 2021. The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is set for its traditional mid-March dates. The national championship series then heads west, stopping in Shelton, Wash. in late April for the Olympus Rally and then a May 21-23 date with the Oregon Trail Rally.
After a successful inaugural year as an ARA national, the Southern Ohio Forest Rally moves into the beginning of June for a two-day event. From there, the series heads East, with the New England Forest Rally July 30-31. Organizers with the Ojibwe Forests Rally are planning a new-look event on the final weekend in August to wrap up the summer.
In the fall, the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally will continue with a two-day national event September 17-18 near Wellsboro, Penn. The national schedule will conclude with a revamped Lake Superior Performance Rally, which is moving from Houghton, Mich. to the more populated Marquette, Mich., but still featuring many of the event’s popular stages.
“We were very fortunate to be able to rally this past year, but we plan to be at full strength in 2021,” said ARA Competition Director, Preston Osborn “We know the event organizers are working towards normalcy, and we expect minimal impact heading into the new year.”
With nine national events, the ARA is expected to field another 11 regional events, headlined by five Super Regionals. The two-day rallies will feature larger car counts and stage miles and will kick off with the Empire State Performance Rally in New York on May 1-2. Rally Colorado moves into the beginning of June with the Idaho Rally International returning to its mid-July weekend. The New York Forest Rally is coming off a successful first year and will take over the first weekend of October on the ARA schedule. Finally, the Show-Me Rally, which became a national in 2020, will continue as a Super Regional in late October.
The 2021 ARA East and West Regional Championships will also be highlighted by several regional rallies, including, Missouri Ozark, Summer Sno-Drift, Headwaters, Tour de Forest, Rally Nevada and Nemadji Trail Rally. The ARA is looking at several other options for teams on the regional level.
“We are really excited to expand our Regional and Super Regional schedules,” said Osborn. “We will continue to expand the opportunities for our teams to race, and especially for our regional teams to be successful within the ARA.”
The series will continue to monitor for any restrictions regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic, and will announce all safety requirements and procedures per event for the 2021 season. Registration for Sno*Drift is planned to open in December. For more information, go to www.americanrallyassociation.org.