NEWBERRY, MI — Arrangements have just been finalized between NASA Rally Sport and the Magnum Opus Rally, held on the Upper Peninsula, to work together for the upcoming racing season. The excitement is building and racers are already signing up for the rally.

'It's going to be a great rally,' said Anders Green of NASA Rally Sport. 'Tim Maskus has been working very hard to get things in motion up there. I've been working with some of his team already and it's obvious that they are dedicated rally fanatics. They are very capable and have jumped right on board with the training tools that NRS provides. I'm really looking forward to getting to spend some time up north and meeting a lot of new drivers and navigators.'

Magnum Opus will take place on April 20 this year. At just twelve weeks away, the rally is approaching quickly and many racers are well in to the off season garage sessions to rebuild, refresh, and strengthen their rally cars. Registration is open and the preliminary documentation is just about to be published.

'We're so fortunate to be able to rally in a place with so much history,' said Tim Maskus, the event chairman. 'One of the stages we'll be running this year is from the infamous 1974 World Rally Championship Press On Regardless rally. Imagine getting to race the shadows of such legends as Sandro Munari in the Lancia Stratos or Marku Alen in the Fiat 124 Abarth!'

The event itself, where the entire race takes place on a single day, with a leisurely registration and technical inspection scheduled the day prior, matches the NASA Rally Sport philosophy of optimizing the events for the enjoyment of the racers and volunteers. As for the course, the roads were selected by Bill Westrick, who travels the country inspecting rally roads of all kinds while generating the precise rally road descriptions known as Jemba notes. 'I've seen plenty of the rally roads that the United States has to offer,' said Westrick, 'and the new course we've put together this year is going to be a treat for the drivers.'

NASA Rally Sport, the grassroots rally sanctioning body in the US, focuses on competitor fun and providing support for rally organizers. Providing tools, technology, and systems to the organizers, racers, and fans to increase their enjoyment of rally is a core mission of NASA Rally Sport. Making sure that rally remains a sustainable and affordable passion for the drivers and organizers, and building the family of racers and volunteers that make rally happen goes hand in hand with that mission.

The event is sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport: http://www.nasarallysport.com/

More information for the event is available on: http://www.magnumopusrally.com/