Bemidji, MN — Only 3 weeks removed from the drama of X Games 14, top competitors are returning to traditional rallying this weekend in northern Minnesota.

X Games 14 Gold Medalist Travis Pastrana puts his Rally America National Championship points lead on the line as the season resumes with the Ojibwe Forests Rally near Bemidji. The championship battle is tight with Andrew Comrie-Picard chasing Pastrana from only 10 points back and Ken Block an additional 5 points in arrears.

Amy BeberVanzo’s season took a big upswing with a PGT class win at the New England Forest Rally last month and BeberVanzo is looking to gain on current PGT points leader, Pat Moro. Rally spectators at the Ojibwe Rally will also be able witness the skills of Doug Shepherd, regarded as the fastest 2wd rally driver in North America.

Thursday, August 21st, the Ojibwe Forests Rally will feature a “Cowboy” Kenny Bartram freestyle motocross exhibition at the Bemidji Speedway beginning at 7:00pm (all times CDT). Tickets are $7. Sponsoring the exhibition will be Coca-Cola and The Corner Bar of Bemidji, who will host a rally car driver’s autograph session after the show, which will include Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. Bartram, a two-time X Games gold medalist in motorcycles events, has been participating in the Rally America Series since being named 2006 “Rookie of the Year”.

Friday, August 22nd, the rally will begin with a “superspecial” at the Bemidji Speedway beginning at 4:00pm. This annual fan favorite will showcase all the rally competitors on a stage where spectators can see the action from start to finish from the grandstands. Admission is free. After the superspecial the competitors will transit to the traditional forest stages.

The rally restarts on Saturday, August 23rd, with the rally cars on display at Northwest Technical College from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Spectators can watch the rally action in the woods from designated spectator areas on Friday and Saturday. Spectator instructions are in spectator guides available at the locations above, the Bemidji Visitors Center, or on www.ojibweforestrally.com. The service areas in Akeley and Osage are also open to the public free-of-charge, where fans can meet the competitors and see service crews work magic to keep their cars in running in top form.