News Stories
Classifieds
Shop
TV Guide
LinksInternational Rally New York - 22-23 Oct 11
Posted: October 26, 2011 4:32 PM - 5470 Hits
Round 6 - 2011 United States Rally Championship
- Gottlieb/Gager Win International Rally New York as Favorites Fail
- Results
- Unseeded List of Entries
- Rally New York, Ltd. opens entry for International Rally New York 2011 with added roads and a new Saturday – Sunday schedule
- Regulations / Details
Gottlieb/Gager Win International Rally New York as Favorites Fail
Posted: October 26, 2011 4:32 PM
The up-and-coming rally team of Matt Gottlieb and Austin Gager (Subaru
Impreza WRX) took advantage of breakages by the favorites, as well as
their own speed, to win International Rally New York 2011. This should
be a popular win in the Catskill Mountain region of New York State
where the rally is held. Both are locals who ran their first national
rally at the spring Rally New York USA in 2009.
Gottlieb/Gager ran in the top five on the first leg, as the more
veteran entries of Martin Donnelly/Brendan McCabe (Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo, from Ireland) and Michael Reilly/Josh Benthien (Ford Focus turbo,
from Maine) raced for the lead. But the Reilly/Benthien car suffered a
broken transmission casing on the first afternoon, and Donnelly/McCabe
went out with unspecified mechanical problems on the second day. (For
Reilly, this must have been especially disappointing, because this was
the first time that his 2 wheel drive Ford was among the theoretically
faster 4 wheel drive leaders.) Gottlieb then had to cope with an
engine problem, which robbed the Subaru of power at the top end in the
closing miles.
Alvin Fong/Billy Madison (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) achieved what many can
only dream about – placing second in their first national rally. They
were 2-3/4 minutes ahead of the more veteran Niall Johnson/Daniela
Manago (Subaru Impreza WRX). Those two teams also finished first and
second in the Production All Wheel Drive class. Fong’s team, in order
to keep him focused on finishing, had not told him where he stood in
the rally. He didn’t find out that he was the runner-up until the
staff of a checkpoint broke the news just before the end.
With Reilly/Benthien out early, the local father/son team of Tom and
Brian Barton (Mazda 323) looked set to take home the rally’s 2 Wheel
Drive category. But wheel bearing or axle problems late in the second
day allowed the novice team of J. Tyler Rohrer/Dane Hylan to take home
the top 2WD prize ahead of the Bartons. (This was the second rally for
Rohrer. It was the first for Hylen, who just a few weeks ago was
flying helicopters for the U. S. Army in Afghanistan.)
Mechanical failures did not prevent the 2011 United States Rally Championship
leaders from taking home top honors. In the All Wheel Drive category,
Mitchell Williams/Alix Hakala (Audi 80) came into this final series
event with a huge lead. They went out of the rally on the first
special stage with a flat tire and broken wheel, but the points for
starting the rally put them over the top. Likewise, the husband/wife
team of Chris and Lori O’Driscoll (Subaru Impreza WRX) were near the
top of the standings, went out with clutch failure here, but placed
second in the AWD points race. Similarly, in the 2 Wheel Drive
championship, Michael Reilly/Josh Benthien were sidelined early, but
claimed the season title. Eric Potts/Steve Case (Ford Focus) were
second, despite a poor finish in International Rally New York due to
contacting a tree.
United States Rally Championship contenders will now have the winter to rebuild,
before gathering again in the Catskills for Rally New York USA next April.
Rally New York, Ltd. opens entry for International Rally New York 2011 with added roads and a new Saturday – Sunday schedule
Posted: September 2, 2011 3:31 PM
Entry is now open for all-gravel International Rally New York scheduled for October 22 – 23 , 2011. Rally program, online entry, printable entry forms, itinerary, supplementary regulations, lodging information, printable order form for course notes (can also be ordered online) and printable poster are available at www.RallyNewYork.net/irny2011.html. Early entry ends on September 23 and regular entry will close on October 7. Entries will close on October 21.
The International Rally New York is the final round of the 2011 United States Rally Championship. Each day of the rally is a separate round of the New York Rally Championship – Thunder 102 Cup sponsored by Tearoff Guys and presented by Thunder 102 Rally Radio.
Top six teams in each category from the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division of the United States Rally Championship will compete for the top spots in the Championship. All teams from the Pacific Division, regardless of their standing in the Division, will receive free entry.
An additional prize fund guarantees that each team in top 30 percent of all finishers, including at least one production car and one two-wheel-drive car, will be awarded prize money.
Robert Cella, a retired engineer and a radio operator at Rally New York events for many years, will again sponsor three selected teams. Teams should submit their requests for sponsorship to rally registrar after submitting their entry. This is the eighth Rally New York event in a row when competitors become beneficiaries of Mr. Cella’s awe-inspiring generosity.
Teams can test on some of the stages to be used by the International Rally New York during the Autumn Rallysprint on September 10. The roads have been refurbished for this purpose. At the Rallysprint, Midwest Sheet Metal will raffle off a free entry for the International Rally New York.
The compact schedule calls for registration and scrutineering at excellent Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, NY and optional two-pass reconnaissance in Thompson (Monticello) and Narrowsburg, all on Friday afternoon. On Saturday and Sunday, the rally will be based at the exciting Keowa Rally Village in Narrowsburg,
including the overnight Parc Ferme on Saturday night. Three night special stages will be run on Saturday night.
The rally consists of 100 miles of special stages in Narrowsburgh and new special stages in Thompson (Monticello), which will increase the variety of stages in comparison to previous years. The roads, some of them purpose-built for the rally, are being refurbished for the event. The rally will start on Saturday before lunch and will end on Sunday in mid-afternoon. The Ceremonial Finish will be followed by the year-end awards ceremony for the 2011 United States Rally Championship.
Hundreds of participants, spectators and fans will gather for two days at the exciting Keowa Rally Village located on the 12,500-acre privately-owned and gated Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in Narrowsburg, NY with spectator parking, the main spectator area, lodging and camping, and a service park with a vendor area next to it.
The rally takes place in spectacular southern Catskill Mountains of New York only 90 miles northwest of New York City. It is conducted according to the international FIA regulations with two-pass reconnaissance and pace notes.
The United States Rally Championship is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. This is the seventh season of the new Championship structure that minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the National Championship
Upcoming