21 Jul Championship Bids in Open 4WD and Restricted Open 4WD Classes Heat Up – New England Forest Rally Preview

Article originally written for American Rally Association here.

Newry, Maine (July 21, 2017)

The 2017 New England Forest Rally represents the potential deciding round of the inaugural American Rally Association National Championship. David Higgins and Craig Drew come into the event leading the overall championship by 10 points over Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Travis Pastrana and Robbie Durant.

Two weeks ago, at Mt. Washington, Higgins and Pastrana directed competed against each other in 600HP hillclimb-spec monsters. A non-ARA points paying event, Climb to the Clouds was important confidence booster for Pastrana. After setting the fastest times on both days of practice, Pastrana took to the full Mt. Washington Auto Road and shattered the old record time up the mountain by 25 seconds; setting a blistering time of 5:44.72s and besting his mentor David Higgins. Pastrana needs to channel that winning energy into this weekend, he needs to place higher than Higgins at NEFR to keep his championship hopes alive.

David Higgins has a mixed history with New England. The overall championship leader has won here three times in his rally history, once in 2003, and then back to back in 2014 and 2015; this is one of the few rallies where Higgins has finished runner up as often as he’s won. Last year, Higgins and Drew were forced to retire from the lead after an upper suspension mount fractured and sent a front strut through the hood of their car. This year, the pair faces a hard charging Travis Pastrana, also a three-time NEFR winner. If Higgins wins this weekend he secures the championship. This battle should be fun to watch.

Barry McKenna and Leon Jordan are back with a freshly fixed and newly wrapped Ford Fiesta S2000 Turbo. At STPR the pair reached an important milestone, their first outright stage win in ARA competition. The pair bested both Travis Pastrana and David Higgins on the treacherous Asaph stage, a twisting deep forest stage road on the STPR’s second day. McKenna and Jordan also experienced their first heavy impact after clipping a tree on the exit of a high-speed corner. Fortunately for the Irish drivers, the damage was mostly cosmetic and the car was easily repaired.

Two weeks ago, McKenna and Jordan sharpened their skills in a fast Fiesta with an impromptu trip to the famed roads of Wales. The pair competed at the Nicky Grist Stages in a rented Fiesta R5, finishing sixth overall in a field stacked with strong entries. The success in the British Isles gave the McKenna Motorsports team a much needed confidence boost. They should be quick this weekend.

The battle for the Restricted Open 4WD championship heats up at the New England Forest Rally. RO4WD championship leaders Travis Nease and Krista Skucas return to American Rally Association competition after skipping last month’s Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally. Directly challenging them for the championship lead this weekend are Jeff Seehorn and Karen Jankowski.

Last time we saw them in ARA competition, Nease and Skucas had persevered a challenging Olympus Rally to win the RO4WD class, their first American Rally Association win. The pair skipped STPR to focus on several local events in the northwest and Canada to mixed success. This year marks Nease’s first NEFR, how the traditionally conservative driver will cope with new roads should be interesting to watch. Fortunately for the team, Skucas has run here several times before.

Jeff Seehorn and Karen Jankowski current sit 8 points back from Nease and Skucas in the RO4WD championship. Fresh off a win at STPR, the pair will be looking to close the points gap and put them in a favorable position for Ojibwe. NEFR represents an anniversary of sorts for the Seehorn Rally Team, here in 2015 the two competed together for the first time. In a field stacked with talent the pair drove a competitive rally, running on the podium before and impact with one of New England’s boulders ended their weekend. This year they come to NEFR with more experience and the thought of securing vital championship points.

Photo Credit: Peter Lapinski (Top, 4), Matt Kalish (1), Wyatt Knox (2), Chris Daley (3)

About American Rally Association (ARA)

We are a member driven organization dedicated to the sport of stage rally by providing a transparent and inclusive sanctioning body. A 501 (c)(3) non-profit, ARA is lead by elected and appointed board members who deliver a framework for safety, competition, promotion, and educational forums for all aspects of the sport. The common goal of our members, volunteers, and organization is a thriving stage rally program in America.