BEMIDJI, MN — As the dust settles from X Games 15, teams are gearing up for the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Bemidji, Minnesota. This event is Round 7 of 9 in the Rally America Championship series. Watch it all go down on August 28th and 29th as teams aim to gain points as the season winds down.

This rally is a crowd pleaser every year. The picturesque backdrop of wooded forests and pristine lakes are marked with fast, smooth roads that competitors love. With only three rounds left in the season, top teams can’t afford to make mistakes. Subaru Rally Team USA (SRTUSA) and Monster Energy Drink driver Ken Block will be looking to over throw last year’s rally winner and fellow SRTUSA team member Travis Pastrana.

Currently, it appears that Travis may have another Overall National Championship well within reach, but the fight for second and third are just starting to heat up. Ken is presently second with NOS Energy Drink driver Andrew Comrie-Picard (ACP) only one point behind. In such a close race the last three events will prove to be the deciding factor in the outcome of the season.

Friday will be full of excitement, starting in the late afternoon with a Parc Expose at the Bemidji Speedway. This gives the fans the chance to meet the drivers and get autographs before they head out to run a “superspecial” stage where spectators can see the cars from start to finish. Later that night fans can watch the service crews in action at Akeley Service and then head to see the night stage where the glow of brake rotors and the gleam of headlights illuminate the dark forests.

The battle in the Super Production (SP) class will also add some heat to an already hot summer. Piotr Wiktorczyk will be hoping to increase his first place lead in the SP National Championship. Right behind him is Jimmy Keeney who’s also looking to gain points. Pat Moro is also looking for a late season charge. All three recently went to Los Angeles, CA to compete in X Games 15 Rally Car Racing.

The Group 2 National Championship has been dominated by Dillon VanWay in the beginning of the season and he currently sits comfortably with a 29 point lead, but in rally anything can happen. So, hopefully a strong finish at Ojibwe will give Dillon the opportunity he needs to pull away from the tough competition of John Conley and Chris Greenhouse.

Be sure to watch the two-wheel drive MaxAttack! Rally Series battle. Max Attack! Series is a separate event outside of the Rally America Championship and focuses strictly on 2-Wheel Drive competition. Max Attack! Drivers will compete not only for a podium finish, but a cash purse totaling $5,000. Ojibwe Forests Rally will be MaxAttack!’s Championship event where competitors have previously qualified in an East and West Coast round.

Lauchlin O’Sullivan took first place in MaxAttack! in Idaho and Chris Duplessis also took first place in MaxAttack! at the New England Forest. As East meets West it will be thrilling to see these two amazing drivers come head-to-head in this final round of MaxAttack! mayhem. Check out www.max-attack.com for more information and current standings.

With so many teams hoping to gain valuable championship points and with MaxAttack! money up for grabs, the Ojibwe Forests Rally is promising to be a crowd pleaser as teams will be going flat out all weekend. Additional information can be found in the free official spectator guides that will be available at the event.

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, Oregon 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.

Free official spectator guides will be available at the event or visit www.rally-america.com for more information and to view live updates.