ARA Ready to Restart Rally Racing in the USA

Series set for midsummer return

SPEEDWAY, IND. ~ The American Rally Association, presented by AMSOIL will return to action in July, starting with the rescheduled Southern Ohio Forest Rally and running the final six national events through November.

The on-going COVID-19 Pandemic has put the world on pause, but the ARA and its event organizers have had continuous communication with local authorities and health officials to develop a working plan to accomplish a national championship.

Revised 2020 ARA National Schedule as of May 22, 2020

Sno*Drift (completed)                                      January 24, 2020                                

Southern Ohio Forest Rally                             July 18, 2020*

Ojibwe Forests Rally                                       August 28-30, 2020

STPR                                                               September 18-19, 2020

Show-Me Rally                                                October 2-3, 2020**

LSPR                                                               October 16-17, 2020               

Olympus Rally                                                 November 14, 2020

*Ohio Stay at Home order in effect until May 29. Final permitting to determine road usage to come after that time.

** “The intent of Show-Me Rally 2020 is to conduct a two-day National event on its scheduled date (first weekend in October) and is working through the logistical changes necessary to conduct a premier stage rally event that the 100AW Performance Rally Group is known for.”

“We are eager to return to Rallying and we are grateful for the determination and work put in by our event organizers in working with local officials for necessary approvals,” said ARA president Doug Shepard. “The ARA will return in an environment that will ensure safety for our competitors, fans and the host communities. Being able to put together a seven-race schedule is a great accomplishment and we can’t wait until July to get back to racing”.

Along with the completed Sno*Drift Rally, the 2020 ARA season will feature a seven-round national schedule. The championship has scheduled a midsummer return with SOFR in July. Ohio’s “Stay at Home” order is set to end on May 29, and event organizers are working on finalizing the proper permitting for the weekend of July 18.

“We have had great conversations with the forestry department, and have our sights set on running in mid-July,” said Jeremiah Johnson, SOFR event chair. “We are being mindful of the current restrictions and are confident in our ability to provide a premier, national championship e event this summer.”

The Rally in 100 Acre Wood Performance Rally Group is working to make the Show-Me Rally into a two-day national event on October 2-3. This move means the Show-Me Rally will not be scheduled as a separate regional in 2020.

Three events, Ojibwe, STPR and LSPR are currently on-track to remain on their scheduled dates. Each event is monitoring their local and state guidelines and are awaiting answers regarding road permits once state offices are reopened.

The Olympus Rally is being rescheduled for the fall, with a current date of November 14-15. Moving the rally means the Tour de Forest regional will be cancelled. Organizers have two dates with approved permitting, September 19 and November 14. This gives organizers the ability to be flexible if STPR is unable to run in September. They have currently scheduled a test day for September 19.

“Our goal from the moment we postponed the April event was to run a 2020 rally,” said Steve McQuaid, event chair for the Olympus Rally. “We have some flexibility on dates thanks to our opportunity to run on private roads. Unfortunately, to host the national we will have to cancel Tour de Forest, but we will bring that event back in 2021.”

Two national events on this year’s schedule that had been postponed have now been officially canceled. The New England Forest Rally will not be able to run due to on-going restrictions in Maine as well as feedback from local communities about running a safe event. Originally scheduled for the end of May, the Oregon Trail Rally has decided not to host a rally in 2020 due to permitting issues in the area.

As of this release, the ARA Regional Championship schedule will also have some changes. Tour de Forest and Show-Me Rally both are affected by the change in the national schedule. Headwaters in June is still working on permitting from the state of Minnesota. Rally Colorado, Rally Nevada and Nemadji Rally are still on track for their current dates. The Empire State Performance Rally in October, along with Idaho Rally International and Summer Sno*Drift have cancelled in recent days.

All ARA events are still dependent upon following all local and state restrictions, including business and group gatherings. Based upon the level of those restrictions, the ARA will run each event in conjunction with the guidelines laid out by the United States Auto Club for fan interactions and spectator areas, social distancing, registration and volunteer procedures.

For more information on the American Rally Association, presented by AMSOIL, go to www.americanrallyassociation.org or follow us on our social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.