NEWRY, MAINE — Round 6 of the Rally America National Championship series heads to the Northern woods of Maine and New Hampshire for the New England Forest Rally (NEFR) on July 17th and 18th. Two regional events — the “Drive Your Future Rally” presented by the National Guard and the “I Can’t Drive 55” Rally — are attracting over 30 new and veteran regional competitors ready to battle it out for a top finishing spot.

What makes this a can’t-be-missed event? Is it the quintessential northeastern setting of clear lakes, pristine mountains, and moose filled marshes? Or is it the challenging roads—wide enough to accommodate massive logging trucks, but peppered with dangerous rocks and ruts that can be costly if not carefully avoided? Maybe it’s a combination of both, but one thing for sure is that the Northeast is a hotbed for producing rally champions.

Local rally driver and six time rally champion, Chris Duplessis, 22, may know these roads best. He feels that growing up in rural Maine has enabled his driving career because, “honestly there’s not a whole lot to do but drive cars on back roads. It just seems like there is tons of time to practice.” This extra “practice” has lead Chris to Group 2 National Championships in 2007 and 2008. His has also swept the Group 2 Eastern Regional Championship in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Also in 2007, he won Two-Wheel Driver Overall.

Before Chris started winning races he was involved with rally as a marshal at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb and Maine Forest Rally—now NEFR. It was at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb that Chris met Tim O’Neil, the owner of Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton, NH. His race career took off once he completed his first rally school at only twelve-years-old and now ten years later he’s a driving instructor teaching others how to maneuver behind the wheel.

When Chris looks back over his young racing career he says that New England is “different than any other place because there are summer rallies where it’s hot, dry, and dusty and then there are winter rallies on hard packed snow and ice. Well it is a lot like Michigan; they have both. We don’t have any down time. There is always a different surface to drive on. It’s like living in two separate places, which is kinda awesome.”

One of Chris’s students, Gary Wiggin, will be competing at NEFR and Chris thinks, “It’s great to see more people join the sport. Hey, someday he might even be kicking my ass.” This event will mark the second time that Gary has ever raced in a rally. His first experience was a month ago at STPR in Pennsylvania where Chris was actually his co-driver.

Exposing people to the sport of rally seems to be what the Northeast is all about. Many national rally teams and interests are based in the New England area. Colchester, VT is home to Vermont SportsCar, the factory-backed Subaru Rally Team USA who is helping grow the sport by introducing cross-over athletes, such as Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra. Libra Racing operates a Mitsubishi Evolution X for Tanner Foust and Antoine L’Estage is based in the Burlington, VT area. Vermont is also the home of rally blogger, Bill Lockwood. Usually Bill can be found driving around the country in his camper towing his Ford Fiesta as a self-proclaimed rally groupie ready to reel in a new potential rally junkie.

Another newbie who has succumbed to the sport is Andrew Paine from Berlin, NH. He’s only sixteen and is hoping to drive in his Group 2 1995 Dodge Neon consistently through the stages at his first rally event ever.

Veteran competitor, Bill Bacon, from Chelmsford, Massachusetts has the ability to sneak in and steal tops spots at races he enters. With the ultimate family-run rally team he pushes top competitors to the brink with his incredible car handling skills and willingness to hit top-speed, making him the man to watch. Bill is use to taking risks considering that he works as a fire fighter, which translated into success when he took 4th place in last year’s NEFR.

Drivers, such as Wyatt Knox, Alan Moody, Michael Doucette, and John Cassidy represent the heart of regional rallying in the northeast and are ready to dominate the scene. They consistently have the fans cheering around every hairpin going all out and pushing their cars to the limits; all while still being cautious enough so their service crews won’t have to pull an all-nighter. Wyatt will be driving a Group 5 Mazda and when he’s not racing he can be found at the Team O’Neil Rally School, where he will show you how to smoothly handle your car in any situation.

Tim Penasack and Travis Hanson, a previous X Games competitor, are NH contenders competing at the National level. Both are drivers that are sure to send dust clouds into the tall pines as they maneuver their Super Production Class Subaru’s with ease.

Between rally drivers, schools, factory teams, and bloggers; the northeast has got rally covered. But what makes this area so unique is the support system between all venues and everyone’s willingness to lend-a-helping-hand. The NEFR will be proof enough when it all goes down this coming weekend. Come out and watch it live or follow the results and live updates on-line at the official Rally America web site, www.rally-america.com.

About Rally America, Inc.:
Based in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2009, Rally America will conduct nine National Championship events at venues across the country, from Portland, Ore., to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street-legal rally cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow.

Additionally, through a partnership with the leading sports network regarding action sports, ESPN, qualifying Rally America drivers are invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the annual leading action-sport event that is broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. For more information, visit www.rally-america.com.