Speedway, Ind. ~ The American Rally Association, presented by DirtFish is heading to the car capital of the world this December with the revitalization of some of U.S. rally’s most historical stages.
The ARA is pleased to announce the addition of the Ridge Rally to the 2022 calendar. The Ridge Rally, which will be part of the 2023 ARA West Championship, will take place December 2-3 of this year in and near Lancaster, Calif., which is just an hour north of Los Angeles.
The two-day event will consist of roughly 70 stage miles mixed between gravel and sand in the heart of the Mojave Desert. The event is being put together by a group of dedicated rally enthusiasts and tips its hat to history. Event Chairman Ryan Bakeman sees the Ridge Rally as a rebirth of the High Desert Trails Rally as it will utilize parts of many different historical and famous U.S. rallies.
“The Ridge Rally brings back the super special stages that Rim of the World ran for many years in the early 2000's,” Bakeman told DirtFish. “The Ridge Rally also activates a set of roads that was first used back in the first High Desert Trails Rally in 1973 in Jawbone Canyon.”
It’s not just historic roads for the sake of historic roads for the estimated 30-plus car field. The paths planned for the 2022 Ridge Rally are meant to be a mixture of all driving styles.
Bakeman explains, “the rally consists of 70 stage miles of open, flat-out roads that change to switch backs and hairpins, all while traversing a 4,000 ft elevation change."
The 70 stage miles makes The Ridge the longest regional on the 2022 ARA calendar, save for the series two-day Super Regionals. The location just outside of L.A. brings the ARA to one of the largest car cultures in the world and is expected to enhance the rally opportunities in region, which include Rally Nevada and several events in the nation’s Pacific Northwest.
For more information on The Ridge Rally, go to the American Rally Association website, as well as the official site for the organization, here.