Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Raleigh, North Carolina (November 17, 2013)
The 2013 Atlantic Rally Cup, presented by RallyPro at The FIRM, has run its course and the competition was fierce. This year's All Wheel Drive Atlantic Rally Cup has been the closest championship in the country in years. Kevin Allen with codriver Elizabeth Cordara and Colin Bombara with codriver Larry Pantzer finished the season both tied with 130 raw points. No rallies series in the past few decades has had an outcome as close as this, a true testament to the dogged determination of grassroots competition fueled by heart and love for the sport. In the final reckoning, Allen was awarded one extra point at the first level of the tie breaking procedure, earning him the top spot in his first full season of rally competition. Although Bombara didn't manage the championship win, he did finish the series with a career first at Black River Stages, his first overall victory at a rally.
Simon Wright, with son Kieran Wright as his copilot, took third in the All Wheel Drive championship, nipping at the heels of Allen and Bombara the entire season. Simon's season was an excellent debut of his first year in an all wheel drive car, recently having swapped to a Subaru Impreza from their trusty Ford Focus.
Two wheel drive began the year where it left off in 2013 with Kevin Turner and navigator Matt Rhoads charging out of the gate with a win at Sandblast Rally. Turner then took a podium spot at the Empire State Performance Rally and was well ahead in the points run. And then, something better than a rally victory showed up: Kevin's first child. The NASA Rally Sport family is now bigger by one. This was the opening that Erika Detota and Mary Warren, who had beaten Turner by just one place at Empire State Performance Rally, needed to start putting their stamp on the two wheel drive points lead. Winning Rally West Virginia, and then taking second at Black River Stages, Detota and Warren piled on the points and amassed the largest points total of both the All Wheel Drive and Two Wheel Drive series. This means she will run the coveted number one on the side of her rally car in 2014. Even though Turner and Rhoads sat out the end of the year, their early points were enough to capture second place in two wheel drive. Taking third in Two Wheel Drive was Gary DeMasi, running the crowd favorite Rally Ranger truck. DeMasi missed the opening round of the season, which put him just two points out of contention for second.
This year the entire championship was supported by RallyPro at The Firm. The RallyPro Performance Driving School is the only driving school in the country to deliver true rally-based driver training and technique on tarmac, gravel and dirt surfaces, offering an unmatched, thrilling and complete driving experience. Their school offers a wide array of performance driving classes, going well beyond rally-specific training, to include on and off road SUV driving and ATV riding. With a staff of rally drivers from North America and abroad serving as your personal in-car and classroom instructors, and a curriculum designed to maximize time behind the wheel.
NASA Rally Sport, the grassroots rally sanctioning body in the US, focuses on competitor fun and providing support for rally organizers. Providing tools, technology, and systems to the organizers, racers, and fans to increase their enjoyment of rally is a core mission of NASA Rally Sport. Making sure that rally remains a sustainable and affordable passion for the drivers and organizers while building the family of racers and volunteers that make rally happen goes hand in hand with that mission.
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FOR EDITORS:
Media Contact: Anders Green anders@NASARallySport.com 919.697.5282
The FIRM:
http://www.gorally.com/firm
Atlantic Rally Cup logo:
http://www.nasarallysport.com/graphics/ARC-logo-400x200.png
NASA Rally Sport logo:
http://www.nasarallysport.com/graphics/NASA-Rally-Sport-Logo-Square-500.png
