AWARDS NEARLY $110,000 IN CASH AND PRODUCT PRIZES WILLISTON, VT — Officials with Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning body for stage rally competition in North America, announced today that their very popular National Championship Contingency Program awarded nearly $110,000 in cash and product prizes from Subaru of America, Ford Racing, Recaro USA, Hawk Performance Brakes, GrimmSpeed, Exedy Racing Clutches and DMack Tyres USA to both Regional and National competitors throughout the 2012 Rally America National Championship season which ran from January through September and included six events across the country from Washington state to Maine. The 2012 Rally America National Championship season kicked off in late January on the ice and snow-covered roads of the Sno*Drift Rally in Atlanta and Lewiston, Michigan and was followed a month later by the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Salem, Missouri in late February. After a 2-month hiatus, teams from across the United States, Canada and Australia made their way to the always-popular Oregon Trail Rally in May which was based in Portland and Dufur, Oregon before heading East across the country for the fast roads of the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania in early June. The always challenging New England Forest Rally took place in mid-July in the forests surrounding Newry, Maine and Errol, New Hampshire while the 6-event National Championship concluded in late September with the legendary Olympus Rally which was based in Olympia and Shelton, Washington. Leading the way in prize giving for the fifth consecutive year was Rally America's longtime sponsor Subaru of America with over $80,000 in contingency awards presented over the course of the 6-event 2012 National Championship. Based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Subaru of America presented former Belgian National Rally Champion David Sterckx of Los Angeles, California with a total of $16,500 in cash awards for his efforts in Rally America's Super Production class driving a 2012 Subaru WRX STI, while Ramana Lagemann from Somerville, Massachusetts claimed $14,000 in prize money for his two first place finishes in Pennsylvania and Maine driving his Dent Sport Garage-prepared 2011 Subaru WRX STI. Houghton, Michigan's Mason Moyle came in third on Subaru's 2012 win list with his Moyle Racing-backed 2011 Subaru WRX STI claiming $10,000 in cash prizes from Subaru of America. "Retaining the series title and finishing on the podium at every round of the 2012 Rally America National Championship, Subaru Rally Team USA enjoyed what can only be termed a dominant season," stated James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc., "As a company, we also recognize the importance of supporting the ranks of Subaru privateers. Since 2004, Subaru of America, Inc. has made available over $100k annually through the Subaru Contingency Funding Program and maintained its robust commitment in the growth and development of rally in the U.S." For the third year in a row, Ford Racing from Dearborn, Michigan also participated in Rally America's Contingency Program by presenting nearly $17,000 in cash awards to Ford drivers competing in both Rally America Regional and National Championship events. 2012 Rally America Two-Wheel-Drive (2WD) National Champion Chris Duplessis from Bethlehem, New Hampshire took home the lion's share of Ford's prize money by claiming $11,250 in Ford contingency funds as he posted his third Rally America 2WD National Championship in the past five years as well as four 2WD National class victories in 2012 which included the Sno-Drift Rally, Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally and the Olympus Rally. Duplessis' winnings also included a hefty $5,000 bonus for securing Ford Racing's first-ever National Championship anywhere in the world for the Ford Fiesta R2 rally car. In addition to Subaru of America and Ford Racing's cash award contingency programs, which when combined totaled nearly $97,000, the following sponsors awarded approximately $13,000 in cash prizes and product certificates to eighty Regional and National drivers from across the country during the 2012 National Championship season. These sponsors included RECARO USA ($5,000), Hawk Performance Brakes ($3,000), GrimmSpeed ($2,000), Exedy Racing Clutches ($1,500) and DMack Tyres USA ($1,400).
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