22 Jun American Rally Association Partners with Subaru Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds to Sponsor Rally Classes

Article written for American Rally Association here.

Dalton, New Hampshire (June 22, 2017)

American Rally Association is happy to announce it will be partnering with the Mt. Washington Auto Road at this year’s Climb to the Clouds, July 6 – 9. ARA will be on-site sponsoring the Rally classes while also providing personnel, materiel, and media support to the event throughout the weekend.

“I am very excited to be working with the Mt. Washington Hillclimb this year,” said ARA President Tim O’Neil, “it’s an event that I have a close relationship with as a competitor, being in my backyard. I’m glad ARA can a be a part of this historic event.”

ARA will not have a direct role in competition as Climb to the Clouds is not a points paying event for the series. The 2017 Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, as it has been since 1990.

While there are classes for rally spec vehicles, the event will be held under traditional hillclimb rules. All drivers will be scored based on their best of two runs from Sunday, the final event day.

Situated on Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeastern United States, the Climb to the Clouds is America’s oldest motorsports event. First run in 1904, the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb takes place on the 7.6 mile long Mt. Washington Auto Road. Competitors race full bore up the narrow dirt and tarmac access road, in the process climbing nearly a mile up the mountain. One hundred fifty twisting corners that challenge driver skills and countless sharp exposures, their nerve.

Drivers from around the world have competed at Mt. Washington in the event’s 113 year history, each trying to achieve a record run up the mountain. Drivers such as “Cannonball” Baker, Carroll Shelby, ARA’s own Tim’ O’Neil, Frank Sprongl, and Paul Choiniere have set record times up Mt. Washington.

Most recently, the overall record has been fought over by Subaru Rally Team USA drivers David Higgins and Travis Pastrana. Pastrana set an unofficial time of 6 minutes 20.47 seconds up the mountain in 2010. The following year, Higgins broke that record by 9 seconds, driving the Auto Road in 6:11.54. In 2014, both drivers returned to Mt. Washington and had their closest battle to date. Higgins came out on top and, in the process, set the standing record on the Auto Road – 6 minutes 9.09 seconds.

“Having the unofficial record up the mountain in 2010 was one of my greatest accomplishments on four wheels,” said Pastrana, “Regaining the Mt. Washington Hillclimb record would be huge for me.”

This year, both drivers will break a three year hiatus and return to Mt. Washington in the middle of a closely contested ARA season. The two will compete in their Open class Subarus, fighting to be “King of the Hill” alongside 75 other hillclimb competitors. The 6 minute barrier is ready to be broken and there’s a strong chance of it happening this year.

The competition at Mt. Washington will be close, be sure to follow it on the Climb to the Clouds and the ARA Facebook pages. Detailed information on the event can be found on the Climb to the Clouds website.

Photo Credit: Mt. Washington Auto Road

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.