RALLY US · HISTORY
Built by the community:
America's rally story
From precision road rallies on Michigan logging trails to
the World Rally Championship's return in 2027, the sport
has always belonged to the people who kept showing up.
allying in America has grown enormously over the last 80 years. At the same time, thesport's DNA remains just the same.
R
This sport has always been about the best drivers, co-drivers and cars taking on the best-
organized events, east to west and north to south. In the beginning, the challenge wasn't all
about outright speed. The so-called Time Speed Distance (TSD) events were about precision
driving.
Crews incurred penalty points if they didn't average the right speed across a prescribed
distance, or if they were caught out by deceptive navigation and missed a hidden
checkpoint. Through the mid-1950s, this was the format for events like the Continental
Divide Rally, the Appalachian Rally and the Ohio 24 National Rally. But it was arguably in
Michigan, a few years earlier, where the foundations were laid.
It was on the logging roads of the Upper Peninsula that one of America's oldest rallies was born. The Press on Regardless Rally ran for the first time in 1949, as a TSD event with 24 cars.
1964–1973
From road rallies to special stages
One of the key changes in rallying came with the shift from TSD events to stage-based
competition, which was proving popular and fueling the sport's development in Europe
with classics such as Rallye Monte-Carlo and Finland's 1000 Lakes Rally (the Jyväskylän
Suurajot, or Jyväskylä Grand Prix, as it was better known).
Chrysler's decision to enter three Plymouth Valiants in the 1964 Monte was another
milestone moment. Gene Henderson and Scott Harvey crewed one of the cars and returned
across the Atlantic with the ambition to elevate the performance side of American rallying.
The pair helped establish the MONY Rally Series, including European-style stage events in
Michigan, Ohio and New York, with the Press on Regardless Rally at its heart. The
importance of the Detroit-based POR cannot be overstated. It became a stage rally in 1969
and was the event that guaranteed the United States a place on the very first FIA World Rally
Championship calendar in 1973.
In the same year, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned the 1973 Pro Rally
National Championship.
In just a quarter of a century, American rallying had been born and had developed quickly
enough to land a round of the world's biggest rally championship.
1986–1988
The Olympus years
And that was just the beginning. Stateside, the sport kept growing, with key figures like
John Buffum, statistically the most successful driver in American rallying history, helping
build a wider understanding of it.
Buffum won 11 national titles in his career, and his stepson Paul Choiniere continued the
dynasty, landing the family a further eight championships.
Arguably Buffum's biggest moment came with America's return to the World Rally
Championship at the Olympus Rally, based in the Pacific Northwest, in 1986. As Finnish
legends Markku Alén and Juha Kankkunen battled for that year's world title, Buffum joined
them on the podium with an astonishing third place in his Audi Quattro Sport. Choiniere
joined him in the top 10, finishing 10th overall in his production-based Audi 4000 Quattro.
Washington state hosted the world's best rally drivers for two more years before the WRC
left the United States after 1988.
1989–2016
The community keeps it going
The WRC might have moved on, but the boundless enthusiasm of volunteers, officials,
organizers, crews and, of course, fans from across the country ensured rallying continued
to prosper.
In 2004, Rally America took over sanctioning of the sport, working hand in glove with
ESPN's X Games and rallying royalty like Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and Colin McRae, all of
whom helped push rallying further into the mainstream.
Travis Pastrana has always been a favorite with American rally fans.
PHOTO : SUBARU
While Plymouth, Chrysler, Ford and Chevrolet, more often than not fitted with V8 engines,
dominated the early days of rallying in America, Audi, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru
bridged the generations.
Subaru of America's commitment has been one of the pillars of the sport, with the Impreza
a staple on events coast to coast, week in and week out.
2017–TODAY
A new generation
The current American Rally Association National Championship was established in 2017
and has continued the work of promoting the sport across the country. Canadian mountain
bike star Brandon Semenuk realized his ambition of becoming a Subaru factory driver in
the ARA, and went on to win four back-to-back titles before taking on the wider world's
stages.
Toyota, Mini and Peugeot are among the other frontline manufacturers to join the ARA
recently. Toyota's development of the GR Corolla Rally RC2 has been one of the talking
points of this season, with WRC stars Jari-Matti Latvala and Ott Tänak winning the Olympus
and Overmountain rounds respectively.
Toyota's arrival has been something of a sensation in this year's ARA.
PHOTO : TOYOTA
The news of America's return to the WRC after 39 years away is the start of another fascinating chapter in the sport's history and it's one that simply wouldn't have been possible without the
commitment, dedication and drive of an outstanding American
rally community.
Full event details Tuesday, Oct. 27