Steamboat Springs, CO — Ski Town USA will once again be host to one of the premier rally car racing events in the country. Rally Colorado, formerly known as the Colorado Cog Rally, is the 8th event out of 9 in the Rally America Series. Held in Steamboat Springs from September 11 - 14th, and commonly known by skiers for its “champagne powder” on the slopes, Rally Colorado will welcome the nation’s top rally teams fresh after the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Minnesota.

Subaru Rally Team USA, Travis Pastrana, extended his lead at Ojibwe and looks to cross the finish line in Colorado to defend his 2007 Rally America title. Only 11 points separates 2nd through 5th place in the overall standings, and both Ken Block and Andrew Pinker seek to gain ground over Andrew Comrie-Picard, who sits in the 2nd spot.

In its fourth year as part of the Rally America Series, the Northwest Colorado Rally is becoming known as one of America’s toughest rallies. The fast section of gravel roads and open areas combine to make this race a special destination for drivers and co-drivers. The wide-open course is particularly great for spectators to enjoy the fast-paced action with spectacular open viewing areas.

“The variety in the different racing stages is pretty significant,” said Jim Gill, event organizer of Rally Colorado. “We have everything from high speed to tight and technical that makes these courses so memorable.”

Rally fans will enjoy many opportunities to meet with the rally teams during the weekend. On Friday at 5:30pm, fans can watch rally videos and take photos at the Fan Festival on 5th and Lincoln, downtown Steamboat Springs. Fans will receive an added bonus at the “Miller Lite Video Fan Fest” on Saturday when the Ferrari Club of America – Rocky Mountain Region will showcase their cars with the rally teams. Festivities begin at 6:15pm at the same location as Friday’s festival.

After the fan festivals, fans are welcome to watch the rally from designated viewing areas. Instructions can be found at www.rallycolorado.org.

Members of the media can find out what it is like to speed down a two-mile stage in a rally car from 11:30am – 1:30pm at the “Miller Lite Media/Sponsor stage” on Friday. To reserve a media ride please refer to the contacts in this press release.

About 40 teams are expected to participate in Rally Colorado. Aiding the driver during the race is the co-driver who has precise course directions in a route book with instructions measured in hundredths of a mile.

Cars competing in the rally are street legal vehicles modified for safety. The cars are separated into six classes ranging from stock to highly modified. Cars popular in rally racing include makes such as Audi, Dodge, Mazda, Hyundai and Subaru.

More event information can be found at www.rallycolorado.org or www.rally-america.com. Information about press credentials can be found at rally-america.com .

Broadcast quality b-roll of Rally Colorado can be downloaded from an FTP site.
FTP address: ftp2.steamboatpilot.com
Username: advertiser
Password: up2steam!
The Quicktime file is called rallycoloraod.mov

Photos are also on the FTP in a folder called RallyPhotos.

Web links:
www.rallycolorado.org
www.rally-america.com
www.steamboat.com
www.steamboat-chamber.com

Contacts:
Matt Stensland
Rally Colorado Media Director
970-819-3645
mstensland@rallycolorado.org

Ananda Siverts
Rally America Marketing Director
206-302-8289
press@rally-america.com