Shillington, Pennsylvania -- Even though it’s been almost two months since Rocky Road Racing last competed, they haven’t been simply resting on their laurels. In that time the team has been hard at work shoehorning the engine and drive train from a recently acquired Subaru WRX into their Steve Moyer Subaru, KAM Specialties sponsored 1996 Subaru Impreza rally car in preparation for the Maine Forest Rally, Friday and Saturday August 1-2.

According to team owner and driver Don Kennedy "I realized that we had reached the limit in the Production GT class with the old engine, so we decided that if we were going to step up things, switching to the Open class was the only way to go." Other than safety equipment, teams are severely restricted as to what modifications they can make to a stock vehicle when competing in the Production and Production GT classes. "Now that we’ve made the jump to Open, there are a lot more possibilities."

Whereas the old engine was normally aspirated, the new one is turbo charged, and puts out almost 100 more horse-power than the old one. Add to the mix that, due to a lingering injury from being rear-ended in his street car, regular navigator Keith Kennedy will be sitting out in favor of Malcom Swann, and Don will be very busy learning to adjust this weekend. "Malcom is a top notch navigator" stated Keith. "He’s used to riding in a turbo-charged, four wheel drive car, and he regularly finishes in the top 10 in Canada, so I’m sure it won’t take long for them to mesh."

The team has also had some help from RalliSpec along the way. Crew Chief Matt Kennedy relates that "with all the hours we spent in the garage working on just the mechanicals, we decided to let the experts handle the electronics . " So rather than trying to splice together the two cars wiring harnesses, the Rocky Road Racing team shipped the car of to New Jersey for the critical step. "We also purchased some software that’ll allow us to keep a close eye on just exactly what’s going on."

The rally itself will certainly put the entire car to the test. The rough logging roads on which the teams compete are notoriously packed with rocks that can be as large a basketball, but can also be as wide and straight as a highway at times. However, with the car’s proven Subaru durability, and the new, more powerful engine, the team is confident that they can make a good showing.

The Maine Forest Rally starts Friday at Noon in downtown Rumford, Maine, with all the cars on display. You can also find out more information and follow all of the action at the event’s official web site: http://MaineForestRally.com. Or check out www.RallyRacingNews.com, www.Rally-America.com, or www.SpecialStage.com for event updates and other rally information. After the event you can see photographs and read about Rocky Road Racing’s exploits by checking their site: www.RockyRoadRacing.com

Contact:
Matt Kennedy
Rocky Road Racing
matt@RockyRoadRacing.com
www.RockyRoadRacing.com