2005 United States Rally Championship

Posted: January 31, 2006 10:45 AM

The 2005 United States Rally Champions Tom Lawless and Jason Gillespie as well as the organizers of USRC events were honored last night among USAC champions at the USAC Night of Champions and 50th Anniversary Celebration. The celebration was held at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Rollie Helmling, President of USAC, and Johnny Capels, Chairman of the Board, praised the past achievements and expressed confidence in the future of the United States Rally Championship in the association with USAC. Emcee Jack Arute, a well-known ABC TV pit lane announcer, introduced a number of special guests including the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford and the 1960 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Rathmann. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champions, sent videotaped messages of congratulations to all the USAC Champions."

The United States Rally Championship (USRC), America’s premier rally championship, consists of Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) internationally listed events sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) and presented by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). More information on the Championship is available at the series website at www.usrallychampionship.com.

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14/12/05
2005 USRC top three standings by class are as follows:

Pos Overall Driver
1 Tom Lawless
2 Matthew Iorio
3 Peter Workum

Pos Overall Co-Driver
1 Jason Gillespie
2 Ole Holter
3 Christine Beavis

Pos Open 4wd Drivers
1 Thomas Lawless
2 Peter Workum
3 Seamus Burke

Pos Open 4wd Co-Drivers
1 Jason Gillespie
2 Christine Beavis
3 Ole Holter

Pos Group N Driver
1 Ken Block
2 Sam Murray
3 Mathew Iorio

Pos Group N Co-Driver
1 Alex Gelsomino
2 Anton Cheetham
3 Ole Holter

Pos Open 2wd Driver
1 Craig Hollingsworth
2 Bruce Davis
3 Jimmy Keeney

Pos Open 2wd Co-Driver
1 Jason Grahn
2 Amity Trowbridge
3 Brian Moody

Pos Grand Touring Driver
1 Danny O'Brien
2 Cyril Kearney
3 Patrick Farrell

Pos Grand Touring Co-Driver
1 Stephen Duffy
2 Noel Gallagher
3 Kieran McElhinney

Pos Super Stock Driver
1 Emilo Arce
2 Stephan Verdie
3 Dennis Chizma

Pos Super Stock Co-Driver
1 Allan Walker
2 Craig Thrall
3 Andrew Cushman

Pos Stock Driver
1 Doug Robinson
2 Mike Masano
3 Eric Heitkamp (tied)
3 Tony Chavez (tied)

Pos Stock Co-Driver
1 Sue Robinson
2 Linda Masano
3 Andrew Jessup (tied)
3 Bret Robinson (tied) Full Points on:

• www.unitedstatesrallychampionship.com

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• 2006 United States Rally Championship

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13/09/05
United States Rally Championship: The Season So Far
International Rally New York 2005 (Sullivan County, New York, September 29-October 1) is the third event of four in the United States Rally Championship (USRC). The series is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), and presented by the National Auto Sports Association (NASA). The results of the previous events are as follows:

Cherokee Trails Rally, Chattanooga, Tennessee, March 19 –
Tom Lawless/Jason Gillespie, of Yonkers and Maspeth, N.Y., respectively (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) were clear winners from the Canadian/Californian team of Peter Workum/Christine Beavis (Subaru Impreza WRX). California’s Matt Iorio/Ole Holter (Subaru Impreza WRX) got the final spot on the podium. Two of the pre-event favorites were the Libra Racing team Hyundai Tiburons. One car was crewed by John Buffum/Mark Williams (Vermont’s semi-retired U.S. and North American champion, and Maryland’s veteran international navigator) and the other by Ireland’s Seamus Burke/Eddie Fries. But both went out early; Buffum’s car broke its suspension on the third special stage, and Burke rolled his on the fifth.

Subaru Rim of the World Rally, Lancaster, California, May 6-7
– Patrick and Natalie Richard (Subaru Impreza WRX) led the western round of the series from flag to flag. Patrick, the reigning Canadian and U.S. champion from Vancouver, B.C., and sister Natalie, from Quebec, finished five minutes ahead of the field – despite the fact that Patrick was forced to put ice on a sore wrist after every special stage.
It was appropriate that Subaru sponsored this event, as their Imprezas took the top six places, and a Legacy finished seventh. Runners-up were Matt Iorio/Ole Holter, from New Hampshire and California, respectively, followed by Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino, both from California.

Championship Standings
– Matt Iorio and Ole Holter lead the championship with a score of 58 points. “Cherokee Trails” winners Tom Lawless/Jason Gillespie (who missed the next round) are second with 36 points, tied with “Subaru Rim of the World” winners Pat Richard/Natalie Richard (who missed the season opener). Peter Workum/Christine Beavis are fourth with 35 points.

To Learn More – More information about the United States Rally Championship is available at www.unitedstatesrallychampionship.com. The series is televised by the Speed Channel (www.SpeedTV.com) cable television network, as part of the “Motorsport Mundial” program, and by web cast at www.revs.tv.

Full Points on:

• www.unitedstatesrallychampionship.com

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29/01/05
Each rally in the four event series will have an FIA Calendar listing. The Championship kicks off its 2005 season beginning with the Cherokee Trails International Rally in Cleveland, Tennessee in early March. The series races across the country to the Subaru Rim of the World International Rally in Lancaster California in May, returning to the east coast in September with the International Rally New York in Monticello, New York. The championship points will then be determined at the series finale in December at the Ramada Express International Rally in Laughlin, Nevada.

Each event is unique, and the geographic diversity of the championship accentuates this fact. The Cherokee Trails International Rally based in Cleveland, Tennessee, and approximately 22 hours from Atlanta, Georgia known by some as the ?Rally of a Thousand Turns? Cherokee features very smooth technical roads in the southern Appalachian mountains characterized by smooth gravel surfaces, which were driven by such notables as Janusz Kulig, Mark Lovell, Mark Higgins and David Higgins during previous editions of this event. The event is first in the United States Rally Championship, and the second event in the NASA Rally Sport Eastern States Rally Championship series.

The Subaru Rim of the World Rally, first organized in 1977, is the longest running event on the calendar. The event uses winding, dusty mountain stage roads in the Angeles National forest, northeast of Los Angeles. It is known as the ?Daytona 500? of US rally events and the technical roads and tight stage turns are a challenge for all who enter. The rally will include daily stadium competition on its Super Special stage at the Lancaster Fairgrounds.

The International Rally New York is headquartered in Monticello, New York, located only 90 miles northwest of New York City. The special stages are located in the spectacular southern Catskill Mountains. Monticello, New York is the center of a resort area with a wide range of excellent hospitality and lodging facilities and soon-to-be-coming casinos and new hotels.

The Ramada Express International Rally, based in Laughlin, Nevada debuted independently in the mid 1990s as America's first FIA listed rally in more than a decade. This challenging three-day competition includes the famous Grand Canyon Stage on the lands of the Hualapai Indian Tribe. It is a true endurance rally. The event will end with a Super Stage competition, and the awarding of the richest purse in American rally.

The Championship recognizes all FIA classes including A8 and WRC vehicles. Any registered competitor is eligible to win, regardless of nationality. Vehicle rentals and support can be facilitated through Ivan Orisek, the USRC International Liaison.

1. March 18-19 Cherokee Trails International Rally
2. May 5-6 Subaru Rim of the World Rally
3. Sept 30-Oct 1 International Rally New York
4. December 1-4 Ramada Express International Rally