"The word that keeps coming to my mind is finesse" said Ely, noting that the extreme variability of the conditions would keep a simple ‘full throttle’ approach from being successful. "The amount of dirt and gravel being pulled into these corners is intense."

Dave Swider, President of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America association indicated that the MOA is proud to be a part of Rally Tennessee. "Some of our members enjoyed competing in the Sandblast Rally which was the first NASA Rally Sport event to include motorcycles. We are proud to support Lina Racing as they work to include motos in more NASA and ESRC events. Rally Tennessee is a great opportunity to introduce our members to a different type of motorcycling as competitors, event volunteers and spectators and we thank Lina Racing for inviting us."

Richard Spicer, event organizer and Perry County resident, is also excited about the bikes attending this year’s event. "We’ve had lots of interest already in the motorcycles, and to be honest it’s been hard to restrain ourselves till the official decision was made. I think it’s fantastic that a whole new group of competitors and fans are going to experience the town of Linden and this beautiful part of Tennessee."

Similar to many tarmac events around the world, no novice riders will be able to compete. All competitors who raced at the Sandblast Rally will be allowed to enter, and any others who wish to fight for the crown must submit a racing resume to the event organizers. Green remarked "We’re looking for experienced and well rounded individuals. Both track and dirt experience is needed, because you’ll see both of those here. At this stage in the development of the series, safety has to come first, and racing on dirty tarmac is about as hairy as it gets."

Due to the late nature of the decision to allow riders, the early entry deadline has been extended exactly one week for motorcyclists only. Entry will open at 8 am on Monday April 9th. A maximum of 60 motorcycle competitors will be allowed to enter. Bulletins detailing the additional requirements for safety equipment and tires will be available on the web site, RallyTennessee.com.

Note to editors:

Rally Tennessee occurs in the town of Linden, in Perry County, Tennessee. The rally takes place on Saturday May 5th. Rally Tennessee is the third rally in the country to offer motorcycles the chance to compete in a traditional stage rally format, in NASA Rally Sport’s trademarked RallyMoto™ program. For cars, Rally Tennessee is part of the Eastern States Rally Championship and the United States Rally Championship.

For media support contact Anders Green.