Forestburgh, New York -- With just three weeks to go, auto rallyists are sending in their entry forms and preparing their cars for Rally New York 2004. The event will start and finish in Monticello, New York on Saturday, April 17.

So far 35 teams have entered, with others expected to enter shortly. Among those expected is Seamus Burke (in a Mitsubishi Lancer), who won the first two rounds of the Eastern States Rally Championship, the Sandblast Rally (in South Carolina) and Rally Tennessee. John Drislane (Mitsubishi Lancer), the 2002 Rally New York winner, is also planning to attend.

This week NASA Rally Sport, the rally division of the National Auto Sport Association, announced that they reached an agreement for the Sandblast Rally and Rally New York to be filmed for television broadcast in the United States. More details will be available shortly.

The rally's economic impact on the Catskill region is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It will bring 80 to 100 competitors, their service crews, the troop of officials, and hundreds of spectators to the area.

Rally New York has the full support of the town boards of Forestburgh, Lumberland and Colchester, Sullivan County Visitors Association, Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Sullivan County and Delaware County Sheriff's Departments, New York State Police, Lumberland Constabulary, Downsville Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, Mobile Medic EMS, and Southern Catskill Amateur Radio System.