RIDGECREST, CA — The United States Rally Championship (USRC) (www.usrallychampionship.com) continues on August 28 – 29 with the nineteenth running of the Gorman Ridge Rally (www.gormanridgerally.com) in Lebec, California.

In the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) category the California hot shoe Leon Styles is leading the entry list in a new Subaru with a new codriver Katianna Pihakari. Style’s last big success came in 2007 when he placed second at the USRC Prescott Rally in Arizona. Seeded third are Keith Jackson and Marra Estep in another Subaru who are currently leading the Pacific Division in the AWD category.

In the Two-Wheel-Drive (2WD) category and the second on the road are Bill Holmes and Sean Gallagher in a Ford F-150. Bill Holmes won this event in 2007 against a raft of lighter and more agile all-wheel-drive competitors. He is the 2007 United States Rally Champion in the 2WD category. Holmes is also an off-road racing champion and a former ProRally National Champion. Clay Harper and Johnathan Schiller in a Chevrolet PU are fourth on the road. Another entry of note is Alex Rademacher with Piers O’Hanlon in a 2WD Subaru. Rademacher is the current leader the 2WD Production Cup in the Pacific Division.

The current leaders will be facing plenty of competition on the rough mountain roads of the Gorman event. All racing is confined to special sections of closed roads located inside the Hungry Valley State Vehicle Recreation Area. After the Gorman Ridge Rally, the United States Rally Championship heads to the final round of the Pacific events at the Prescott Rally (www.prescottrally.com) in Arizona before the final round of the Championship at the International Rally New York (www.rallynewyork.com) in October.

Pacific Division teams are competing for coveted cash travel subsidies that will be awarded to top six teams in the Division. The total of $12,000 in subsidies will be distributed to Pacific Division teams to assist them with traveling to the final round of the United States Rally Championship in New York.

The United States Rally Championship is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. This is the third season of the new Championship structure that minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the Championship.