Ten talking points from the Southern Ohio Forest Rally

Ten talking points from the Southern Ohio Forest Rally

Photos by: Matt Berry

1. Seth Quintero

Seth Quintero secured his first American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship victory at the Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR). Alongside co-driver Topi Luhtinen, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver endured a mechanical issue on Saturday that forced him to run stages 13 and 14 in one gear, Quintero managed his pace to protect his lead, taking a 9.4-second victory.

2. Block leads title race

Lia Block and Alex Gelsomino took the overall National Championship lead after a Saturday fightback in their Hyundai i20 N Rally2. After losing time on Friday Block won several stages on Saturday, including the Power Stage. She cut Quintero’s 45-second advantage down to 9.4 seconds to secure second overall and move into the points lead heading to Colorado.

3 Gary McElhinney

Donegal co-driver was on pace note duty for debutant Mika Block in a Ford Fiesta R2T. McEllihinny, who has years of US rallying experience, guided the Blockhouse Racing driver through his first rally. A broken driveshaft on Friday ended their run.

4. PCRS Rallysport support

Irish preparation outfit PCRS Rallysport was on hand in Ohio to provide technical support for multiple crews. The team managed the service operations for championship leaders Lia Block and Alex Gelsomino. PCRS Rallysport also ran the identical Hyundai i20 N Rally2 for Patrick Gruszka and Florian Barral, who held second overall on Thursday before crashing out on Friday’s fifth stage.

5. Burke / Brady win 2WD

Seamus Burke and Martin Brady took the Open 2WD victory in their 1977 Ford Escort Mk2 after a high-attrition weekend. The veteran crew kept a steady pace while their main rivals ran into trouble. Long-time class leaders Michael Hooper (Lexus) and Matthew Nykanen (BMW) both suffered broken axles.

6. Dillon on regional podium

Co-driver Dillon McKenna secured an overall podium position on the SOFR Super Regional Rally. Navigating for Tom Mayer in a Limited 4WD 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX, McKenna finished second overall by the end of the 185-kilometre event.

7. UL student Betsy Nguyen wins class

University of Limerick student Betsy Nguyen secured a class win in the regional category. Co-driving for Ryan Pryzbylkowski in a 2001 Subaru Impreza “3.0RS”, Nguyen guided the crew to victory in the Naturally Aspirated 4WD (NA4WD) class. The pair finished in fourth place overall in the regional event.

8. Appearance of Mexican champion

The event featured multi-time Mexican National Champion Ricardo Cordero and co-driver Marco Hernandez, who finished third overall in a Citroën C3 R5. Reigning Mexican teenage champion Carlos García also made his US debut in a Škoda Fabia R5 Evo, setting top-three stage times before a brief retirement on stage three. Cordero indicated both drivers plan to contest future US rounds.

9. Pastrana absence for White House stunt

Championship leader Travis Pastrana missed the event due to a prior commitment in Washington D.C. The action sports icon sat out the Ohio round to perform Moto X  backflips on the lawn of the White House. The absence cost Pastrana his spot at the top of the leaderboard, as he scored no points and dropped to fourth overall in the standings.

10. A quick look ahead to Colorado

The ARA National Championship has produced four different winners in four events. With Lia Block now leading on 53 points ahead of Quintero on 47, the series moves to next month’s Rally Colorado.

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