New England Forest Rally
Encyclopedia
The New England Forest Rally is a performance rally
event in New Hampshire
and Maine
, United States
. Originally known as the Maine Forest Rally, it first appeared in 1991 as a winter rally. In the past, the event was part of the SCCA ProRally
schedule, now it is a Rally America
sanctioned event.
The event is held mainly on logging roads with some of the longest stages on the Rally America schedule. As the event is held during July, the road conditions are often dry and dusty.
In 1994 the Maine Summer Rally was added. The event ran as a 60% National/Divisional and as a full National event starting in 1995. In 1996 an in-town spectator stage was added to the summer event to the delight of the spectators. The most recent in-town stages, held at the Mexico Recreation Area, have featured a 1 meter high man-made jump.
At its peak, the Maine Forest Rally had the highest number of starting cars in the SCCA ProRally series. The 2001 event, with 121 National and ClubRally starting teams, broke the 111 car starting record held by the 2000 Maine Forest Rally. As a bellwether of the event's success, it was voted the SCCA's ProRally of the Year in 1992 and again in 2001.
In 2007, the name of the event was changed to the New England Forest Rally to better reflect the continued growth of the event by expanding to include stages in the city of Berlin, New Hampshire
.
drive the late Carl Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth
to victory over 83 National and Divisional teams.
In 2007, freestyle motocross star turned rally driver Travis Pastrana
drove a Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STi to victory.
Ken Block
, co-founder of DC Shoe Co. and rally driver competes at the New England Forest Rally regularly.
John Buffum
, the most successful American-born rally driver ever, is a key organizer of the event, and in 2008, he drove his Group B
Audi Quattro
on the first stage of the event.
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
event in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally known as the Maine Forest Rally, it first appeared in 1991 as a winter rally. In the past, the event was part of the SCCA ProRally
SCCA ProRally
SCCA ProRally was an American rally racing series, run by the Sports Car Club of America from 1973 until 2004. The SCCA discontinued it for 2005, allowing Rally America to replace it, utilizing most of the same venues and existing infrastructure.-Rallies:...
schedule, now it is a Rally America
Rally America
The Rally America National Championship is 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...
sanctioned event.
The event is held mainly on logging roads with some of the longest stages on the Rally America schedule. As the event is held during July, the road conditions are often dry and dusty.
In 1994 the Maine Summer Rally was added. The event ran as a 60% National/Divisional and as a full National event starting in 1995. In 1996 an in-town spectator stage was added to the summer event to the delight of the spectators. The most recent in-town stages, held at the Mexico Recreation Area, have featured a 1 meter high man-made jump.
At its peak, the Maine Forest Rally had the highest number of starting cars in the SCCA ProRally series. The 2001 event, with 121 National and ClubRally starting teams, broke the 111 car starting record held by the 2000 Maine Forest Rally. As a bellwether of the event's success, it was voted the SCCA's ProRally of the Year in 1992 and again in 2001.
In 2007, the name of the event was changed to the New England Forest Rally to better reflect the continued growth of the event by expanding to include stages in the city of Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest...
.
Notable competitors
The 1999 event saw 1984 World Rally Champion Stig BlomqvistStig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...
drive the late Carl Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
to victory over 83 National and Divisional teams.
In 2007, freestyle motocross star turned rally driver Travis Pastrana
Travis Pastrana
Travis Alan Pastrana is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus with some of his friends...
drove a Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STi to victory.
Ken Block
Ken Block (rally driver)
Ken Block is a professional rally driver with the Monster World Rally Team. Block is also one of the co-founders and recently appointed Chief Brand Officer of DC Shoes...
, co-founder of DC Shoe Co. and rally driver competes at the New England Forest Rally regularly.
John Buffum
John Buffum
John Buffum is the most successful U.S. rally driver ever, winning 11 national titles and 117 national championship events....
, the most successful American-born rally driver ever, is a key organizer of the event, and in 2008, he drove his Group B
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...
Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...
on the first stage of the event.
Past winners
| Year | Driver / Navigator | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Niall McShea / Marshall Clarke | Mitsubishi Evolution |
| 2007 | Travis Pastrana / Christian Bjorn Edstrom | Subaru Impreza WRX STi |
| 2006 | Ramana Lagemann / Michael Fennell | Ford Escort Cosworth |