DirtFish and American Rally Association (ARA) are pleased to announce their newly created partnership aimed at cultivating a more promising future for rallying in the United States. The two organizations will work together to elevate the US championship to the same level as other national series around the world. While United States Auto Club (USAC) and ARA will still focus on the competition and sporting side of the championship, DirtFish Media will assume responsibility of the marketing, media and branding. With the United States being one of the largest car markets in the world (roughly 800 cars for every 1,000 residents...), there is no question that auto manufacturers from around the globe have their eye on the USA. In the past, the US rally championship has attracted multiple manufacturers and has a rich history in rallying. Subaru, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi have all fought for the title with the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård, Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Rod Millen, John Buffum and many more. This partnership is aimed at reigniting that manufacturer passion and creating a stage for them to showcase their latest models and technologies in the future. When asked about DirtFish’s involvement, DirtFish CEO Justin Simpson had this to say: “We are really excited about the opportunity to support the growth of rallying in the USA. This sport is our home and the championship here has so much to offer competitors and fans from around the world.
“Our plan is to help put the ARA championship on the global stage and give recognition to the incredibly diverse terrain that exists in our nine national rounds. We will do this through expanded media coverage and marketing support for the championship in 2021 – all while the USAC and ARA continue supporting the competition elements of the series.” USAC President Kevin Miller, who has been a strong proponent leading the charge on the competition side, had this to say about the future of ARA: "The media partnership with DirtFish builds on the strengths of both parties in a joint effort to grow rallying in North America. USAC has a storied past in organizing many forms of motorsports, and DirtFish is a world-recognized media brand in the sport. The combination of our efforts will boost the presence of American rallying globally overnight. I am truly excited to put 100% of USAC’s efforts into bettering the competition side of rallying, including timing, scoring and safety initiatives we have planned to roll out in 2021!" 2021 will be the most competitive championship fight we’ve seen in a while with Subaru Motorsports USA drivers, Pastrana and (Brandon) Semenuk looking to take the crown from ARA Champion, Barry McKenna who will be returning with title defense in mind. There will also be an influx of R5/Rally2 cars this year – five registered for SnoDrift and nine registered for 100 Acre Wood. Rally on!
2021 ARA Schedule February 20: Sno*Drift (Atlanta, Mich.) March 19-20: Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Salem/Potosi, Mo.) April 24-25: DirtFish Olympus Rally (Shelton, Wash.) May 21-23: Oregon Trail Rally (Portland, Ore.) June 11-12: Southern Ohio Forest Rally (Chillicothe, Ohio) July 30-31: New England Forest Rally (Bethel, Maine) August 27-28: Ojibwe Forests Rally (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) September 17-18: STPR (Wellsboro, Penn.) October 15-16: LSPR (Marquette, Mich.)
Contact:
Trevor Wert
Director of Marketing
Office: +1 425 888 7715