Skip to main content

Press Release

Official 2006 Rally Tennessee Preview - Competitors Come From Across the US for Pavement Rally

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Knoxville, TN (August 19, 2006)

Rally Tennessee, round three of the United States Rally Championship (USRC) and the penultimate round of the 2006 Eastern States Rally Championship (ESRC), will take place on September 2 & 3 on the paved roads of Perry County, TN.

The ESRC is the most competitive regional stage rally championship in the US with events ranging from New York to South Carolina and include just as broad a range of road surfaces like sand, gravel and pavement. Stage rally drivers are considered the best in the world.
Rally Tennessee has attracted some of fastest drivers in the sport including Seamus Burke, Charlie Donnelly, Daniel O’Brien, Blake Yoon and Wolfgang Hoeck. This years event will be closely fought with 2005 winner Charlie Donnelly fighting it out with Seamus Burke on the tough but fast roads near Linden, TN.
2005 runner up and 2005 ESRC champion Danny O’Brien, in a Subaru WRX Sti will be looking a his standard consistent run, always looking to pounce on the lead when the leaders DNF.

Look for shots as well by Patrick Farrell and Bernard Farrell also Charlie Donnelly in his new Mitsubishi Evo VIII will be battling Scott Gardner and Constantine Montopoulas in their Audi Quattro. The 2005 Super Stock champions Emilio Arce and Sarah Gardescu are always in the fight and could be the in the fight at the finish.

In the two wheel drive classes, the late minute entry of 2005 two wheel drive champion Mark Lawrence in his Chris Havas powered VW Golf should provide very close competition with multi-time two wheel drive champion Randy Bailey of Soddy Daisy, TN. Chasing these two teams will be Virginian brothers Josh and Jeremy Wimpey in their VW Golf GTI and North Carolina’s Andrew Frick, along with Simon Wright in the US/UK Racing VW Golf GTI will be looking for mistake by the other drivers to maintain his lead in the Modified 2 class.

Promoter John Shirley is excited about this new event. "We would like to thank the Randolph County CVB help in organizing this event and the West Virginia Motorsports Council’s initiation to run our event in West Virginia. We've got a field of 30 cars and we've got 58 special stage miles that are both fast and technical," he commented. "The rally should prove to be a real battle, with some excellently matched drivers, and excellent road conditions."

ESRC Series Coordinator Dr. Kendall Russell of Rally Promotions, LLC, added, "With the large, international field that Rally West Virginia has attracted, you're going to see some of the best racing this side of the Atlantic."

The 2006 running of the Rally West Virginia is sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport, organized by Rally Promotions LLC., and constitutes Round Three of the ESRC, coordinated by Rally Promotions, LLC. For more information, visit www.rallywestvirginia.net, www.nasarallysport.com, or contact Wilson von Kessler at wilson@nasarallysport.com.