PRESCOTT, AZ — United States Rally Championship, Inc. honored the United States Rally Champions for the 2012 Championship season that concluded a month ago with the final round at Prescott, Arizona. 162 competitors participated in the 2012 United States Rally Championship. The participation has increased by twenty-three percent from the 2011 season with 131 competitors and was slightly higher than the participation during the 2010 season.

Joseph Burke is the 2012 United States Rally Champion – Driver in the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) Championship. Joseph Burke with Alex Kihurani codriving won the tarmac Rally New York USA and placed second after a roll at the gravel final round at Prescott Rally. Joseph is the son of the 2006 and 2007 United States Rally Champion Seamus Burke.

The second place in AWD goes to Alvin Fong who also won the AWD Production Cup title. Alvin went through the season with three different codrivers but ended the season with Billy Machin with whom he started in 2011. Fong and Machin burst onto the rallying scene in 2011 when they placed narrowly second at their first rally ever – the 2011 International Rally New York. The third place in AWD belongs to Ryan Gates.

Mara Estep is the 2012 United States Rally Champion – Codriver in the AWD Championship. This is the third Championship title for Mara. She won the same title in 2009 and 2010. The second place goes to the experienced and sometime World Rally Championship competitor Alex “Rally Brat” Kihurani. Ryan Hegel, the codriver for Ryan Gates, finished third.

John Black with Lori Stone codriving are the 2012 United States Rally Champions in the Two-Wheel-Drive (2WD) Championship. They also won the top honors in the 2WD Production Cup with a wide margin. John Black was the runner-up in the 2010 2WD United States Rally Championship.

Michel Hoche-Mong ended up second in the 2WD Championship. Only a DNF at the final round at Prescott prevented Michel from clinching the Championship. Donal Crooke, who did not compete at the final round, finished third in the 2WD Championship.

In the 2WD Codriver Championship behind Lori Stone, the second place goes to Noel Joyce and Jimmy Brandt finished third. None of the two gentlemen competed at the final round.

Alvin Fong is the winner of the AWD Production Cup Driver title. Paul Willemsen is second and Ryan Gates is third.

Among the AWD Production Cup Codrivers, the title goes to Ryan Hagel with Amber Stacy second and Kathryn Hansen third.

John Black is the winner of the 2WD Production Cup Driver title. This is an improvement on his two successive second places in the 2010 Championship and the 2011 Championship. Siddharth Sareen finished second. Deke Williams and Chris Rosner share the third place.

In the 2WD Production Cup Codriver competition, Lori Stone is the winner. Lori took the second place last year and was third in the 2010 Championship. Timothy Oliver and Arin Hovsepain share the second place, and Robert Lynch and Victoria Rosner share the fourth place.

The United States Rally Championship wishes to thank all those who participated in the 2012 Championship season. Complete results of the 2012 United States Rally Championship, the final points standings, more information and contacts can be found at www.usrallychampionship.com.