The Rally America National Championship was the national championship of rallying events in the United States. The inaugural season was in 2005. Rally America was also the name given to the organization that sanctioned the championship, was briefly rebranded to RallyCar in July 2010, then reverted to Rally America the following year.

History Rally America was founded in 2002 by CPD Rally Team owner Doug Havir, who provided scoring and reporting services to the Sports Car Club of America's ProRally Championship. The two companies worked in tandem until the end of the 2004 season, when the SCCA withdrew its involvement in U.S. stage rallying. The SCCA then made the decision to sell all commercial and sanctioning rights to Rally America.

In 2005, the inaugural Rally America National Championship was run, incorporating most of the events previously sanctioned by the SCCA. In 2011, Vermont businessman Bill Fogg took over ownership of Rally America from Havir.

With the foundation of the American Rally Association and its National Championship, most of the factory support, top drivers and rally promoters migrated to the new series for the 2017 season. In 2019, Rally America stopped sanctioning rally events and briefly became a media organization with the stated goal of promoting rallying in the United States before pausing all social media posts and shutting down its official website.

Rallies previously associated with Rally America

Race Years involved with Rally America Colorado 2005–2009, 2017–2018 Lake Superior Rally 2005–2009, 2013–2018 Rally Wyoming 2017 Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race 2014 New England Forest Rally 2007–2016 Ojibwe Forests Rally 2005–2009, 2013–2016 Olympus Rally 2007–2012, 2015–2016 Oregon Trail Rally 2005–2016 Pikes Peak Int'l Hill Climb 2005 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood 2006–2018 Sno*Drift 2005–2018 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally 2005–2016 Wild West Rally 2006

Champions Season Champion Car 2005 Patrick Richard Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2006 Travis Pastrana Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2007 Travis Pastrana Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2008 Travis Pastrana Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2009 Travis Pastrana Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2010 Antoine L'Estage Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X 2011 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2012 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2013 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2014 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2015 David Higgins Subaru WRX STi 2016 David HigginsSubaru WRX STi 2017 Arkadiusz GruszkaMitsubishi Mirage R5 2018 Dave BrownSubaru 2.5 RS

Event winners

+DriversDriverTotal1 David Higgins 262 Travis Pastrana 193 Ken Block 164 Antoine L'Estage 95 Patrick Richard 46 Andrew Comrie-Picard 3 Andrew Pinker 38 Dave Brown 2 Ramana Lagemann 2 Stig Blomqvist 211 Burke Seamus 1 Fetela Piotr 1 Stephan Verdier 1 Paul Choiniere 1 Travis Hanson 1 Niall McShea 1 Matt Iorio 1

+ManufacturersConstructorTotal1 Subaru 672 Mitsubishi 133 Ford 84 Hyundai 3

+CarsCarTotal1 Subaru Impreza WRX 672 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 133 Ford Fiesta 74 Hyundai Tiburon 35 Ford Escort Cosworth 15 Subaru Impreza 1

Points The points are awarded based on final position, as well as achieving a point for starting the race and one point for finishing the race. Thus, finishing a race will automatically earn the driver three points: one for starting, one for finishing, and one for coming in 10th+ place. Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th+ Points 20 15 12 10 8 6 4 3 2 1

Manufacturers

Rally America did not maintain manufacturer scoring or provide recognition for vehicle successes. Most cars are selected by their drivers or teams with the vast majority being entered without any special involvement by their manufacturers.

Subaru

Subaru was an integral part of Rally America from its inception. The Subaru WRX STi version of the Impreza vehicle, had already become the most numerous competitive rally car in North America. Subaru became a sponsor of the series and many prizes and other incentives were provided by the company both for rally in general, and Subaru driving teams in particular. A fully stocked parts truck was dispatched to all national events, offering Subaru teams unique access to parts and expertise on scene. There were discounts on parts for teams using Subaru Rally Team USA parts.

Mitsubishi Mitsubishi was Subaru's primary competitor in North America, with its Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series of cars. In the hands of competitive drivers, the Evo proved a challenge to the larger quantity of WRXs, often edging into top three finishes.

Ford Ford Motor Company has had a long history in rallying item rallycross both World Rally Championship and in North America. Ford made a unique appearance in American rallying at the 2009 X Games. Driven by Tanner Foust, Ken Block and Brian Deegan, three open-class Ford Fiestas were dominant (two of the three claimed podium positions) throughout the weekend. Block, the eventual winner, praised the car, while Foust has said he would like to see a factory-backed Ford Racing team competing regularly in Rally America. For 2010, Ford announced that they would be sponsoring a Fiesta in Rally America and the X-Games.

Volkswagen

While not often contending for top overall spots they were utilized by competitors for contesting the two-wheel-drive championships and for beginners. The Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Beetle mainly had appearances in Rally America events.

Scion The Scion Rally xD debuted in the two-wheel-drive category at the 2010 Oregon Trail Rally with Christopher Duplessis at the wheel. In 2011, Duplessis switched to a Ford, and the Scion xD was piloted by Andrew Comrie-Picard.

Groups In 2009, Rally America narrowed down the number of championships. The regional rallies have many categories split into two events, such as 2 Wheel Drive being split into a separate championship for Group 2 and Group 5, as well as the addition of an Open Light. A list of the full rules can be seen at the Rally America website.

Open The engine is turbo charged and must be based on a production engine with the power being limited by the use of an inlet restrictor. The body must be recognizable as the original car. There is a minimum weight also enforced dependent on the engine.

Open Lite 2.5L or less naturally aspirated 4WD production vehicles with no minimum weight. Like the open class the body must be recognizable as the original car.

Super Production The chassis generation must match the appearance and modifications of the car. Thus, one can take a chassis from a 2006 Subaru WRX and put a 2003 WRX shell around it, but all parts must be allowable for a 2003 WRX. Engine displacement cannot be more than 2.6 liter with multipliers, and a limiter is placed on any forced induction system. A minimum weight is also enforced. Many other parts can be replaced, as long as they are an option from the manufacturer.

2 Wheel Drive These are based on the old FIA Group 5 and Group 2 standards. Both are limited on weight, displacement, and must be based on cars with a production of 1000 per year. Power may be sent to either the rear wheels or the front wheels.

References

External links

Rally America Videos