WILLISTON, VT — Rally America announced today that it is adding the Manufacturers' National Championship to the 2013 Rally America National Championship, which begins at the season opener Sno*Drift Rally, in Atlanta, MI, on January 25-26. Overall, Super Production (SP), Two-Wheel Drive (2WD), and B-Spec Class teams will be eligible to compete in the battle of the brands.

The Manufacturers' National Championship will pit Rally America's most commonly found manufacturer brands, such as Honda, Scion, Subaru, Ford, and Mitsubishi, against one another. Every driver in the Overall, SP, 2WD, and B-Spec Class has a stake in the manufacturer's outcome as the top finishing car in each category wins that driver's brand a total of 22 points after each round.

"This creates even more excitement for the manufacturers, fans and teams this year," said Bill Fogg, Sr., President of Rally America, "The Manufacturers' National Championship heightens the participants already overflowing competitive emotions."

Rally America is also proud to announce the participating sponsors: Subaru of America, Inc., Ford Racing and Honda Performance Development, which are making this exciting new race competition open to all brands.

"The re-introduction of a manufacturer's title signals a positive development for Rally America and growth for the series. As a brand, Subaru is closely associated with rallying which has been a core component of our motorsport heritage," said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc.

Rally America will recognize the manufacturer with the highest accumulated points, in each class, at the season-ending Lake Superior Performance Rally on October 16-17 in Houghton, MI with a yet to be named Manufacturer's Trophy.

"Winning manufacturer championships is very important for Ford. Over the last few years we've seen the level of manufacturers, competition and competitors grow and we are excited Rally America is helping reignite the manufacturer rivalry in the sport," said Scott Denby, Marketing and Strategy Development Manager, Ford Racing, "There are many drivers who have chosen to race a Ford in the series and we are pleased this championship will allow a manufacturer to recognize every car that contributes throughout the season."

"Today's announcement is encouraging for the growth of rallying in North America, where many racers already compete using Honda products," said Marc Sours, Commercial Director, Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of American Honda. "The addition of the B-Spec category in the championship is particularly encouraging, as this is a great entry-level, cost-effective class. Interest in rally racing is growing, as evidenced by Microsoft's inclusion of the Honda Fit B-Spec Rally in their new Forza Horizon video game. We are pleased to offer the support of the Honda Racing Line program to Rally America competitors."

For more information please visit www.rally-america.com. Fans can easily track the national Manufacturers' National Championship points standings when the website is updated.

About Rally America, Inc.:
Based in Williston, VT, Rally America, Inc. sanctions the Rally America National Championship which consists of at least seven national-level events located at a variety of venues across the country, from Portland, Oregon to Newry, Maine. Top competitors in the Rally America National Championship reach speeds of well over 100 mph driving highly modified street cars such as Mitsubishi Evolutions, Subaru WRX STI's, Ford Fiestas and Scion XD's on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt, ice or snow.

For more information regarding Rally America's National Championship or the sport of performance rally, visit www.rally-america.com