Thousand Oaks, California -- A new rally racing series, the Western States Rally Championship (WSRC), has been formed and will launch in time for the 2003 racing season. According to their charter, the WSRC is "dedicated to rally competitors that are interested in running western state rallies beyond their home region, but do not have the time or resources to run a national or professional championship."

The organizers of all ten western performance rallies on the current calendar have pledged their support for the new championship. The series will be governed by a board consisting of the organizers and five additional volunteers. John Dillon was selected unanimously to serve as series Chairman. Other non-organizer officers are Wolfgang Hoeck, Webmaster; Trevor Donison, Pointskeeper; Bruce Tabor, Secretary/Treasurer; and Kristen Tabor, Competitor Liason.

All or most of these rallies are club-level events sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Steve Johnson, president of the SCCA, applauds the efforts of the WSRC team. "The SCCA is fully committed to the growth of ClubRally in the U.S. The Western States Championship gives our club racers a chance to race outside of their local area without having to commit to a full professional season. I see this series as a way to grow our sport at the grass roots level."

"Rally racing has grown dramatically in the last few years," noted the new Chairman. "Thanks to video games and vastly improved coverage of the World Rally Championship, people are discovering the thrill of our sport. Even more importantly, they're recognizing that they can actively participate at the local level without a huge outlay of funds." He points out that the WSRC is focused on those local competitors who want to move up a step but can't afford to run a full national or professional series.

Donison elaborated, saying "Our series fosters head-to-head competition at a level between the local or regional championships and the national and professional level championships."

The series consists of selected "coefficient 3" rallies in the western states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona. (A rally's "coefficient" describes the length and difficulty of an event. A coefficient 3 rally is one step below a professional level U.S. event.) The selection of events will be done with an attempt to equalize the impact on both northern and southern competitors. "We're still working out the details and the schedule," reports Dillon, "but we will have the calendar finalized by the end of October."

Because the series was developed specifically for the competitors, all costs for administering the series will be paid by sponsors and organizers. "We're operating on a miniscule budget," reported Bruce Tabor, who will manage the series funds. "Our racers have so many other expenses that we don't want to add one more to their plate."

As details are finalized, information will be posted on the series website. The website address will be announced soon. "We expect this series to be a great success," said Dillon. "Everyone is looking forward to the 2003 season."