Forestburgh, New York -- On Saturday, April 17, 2004, auto enthusiasts from the U.S. and abroad will converge on Monticello, New York (90 miles from New York City) for "Rally New York."

The rally will be 315 miles long, over roads in Sullivan and Delaware Counties, including the towns of Forestburg, Lumberland and Colchester. Of this, 75 miles will be races against the clock on roads temporarily closed to the public. (Rallyists call them "special stages.") These tests will be linked by 240 miles of public roads, on which rallyists must drive in regular traffic and obey all state traffic laws. The start and finish will be at Mr. Willy's restaurant in Monticello.

Each car will carry two people, a driver and a navigator. Most teams will also have service crews to perform repairs or routine service on the cars between sections of the rally. The cars are generally compact sedans such as Dodge Neons, Subaru Imprezas and Mitsubishi Lancers.

Rally New York is part of the 2004 Eastern States Rally Championship organized by the National Auto Sports Association (NASA). It is recognized by the Sullivan County Visitors Association and the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

Spectators are welcome. Crowd control at spectator points is handled by trained safety marshals.

Information on the rally, including maps of the route for spectators, can be found at the rally's web site, RallyNewYork.com. Members of the press may contact Tom Barker, Publicity Officer, at ThomasVBarker@netscape.net or call 203-229-0718 for more information.