“We were determined to bring our overall speeds up during this rally and I am very pleased to see that we obtained our goal,” explained the crew chief Doug Nagy from Streetwise Motorsports www.streetwiseparts.com. “This specific rally is quite demanding for the whole team. The race starts with night stages and the visibility is often limited by the standing dust in the desert. The huge exposures (drops next to the roads on the sides of the mountain) are quite unsettling for most drivers and this will reduce the overall speeds. The long 21-mile stages on Saturday morning are demanding for the drivers and it will be difficult to focus through the longer stages. This is approximately twice the length of a typical stage here on the west coast. ”
“The long straights might be the fastest here on the west coast. We, for example, obtained speeds of 93 mph on loose gravel!” continued the co-driver John Dillon. “This team is a true pleasure to work with and I am impressed to see how quickly Katianna is improving as a driver. Also, because we can fully trust the quality work of Doug and the crew, Katianna and I can fully focus on our jobs within the team. We were lucky to have Steve McNaughton, Ken Shaver, Jon Coltrane and Ralph Kosmides (a former national rally champion) turning wrenches with Doug when we needed help replacing a wheel bearing. They are a big part of our success.”
“We, the whole team, were hoping for slight rain for Friday night to keep the dust down in the darkness and sunshine for Saturday,” mentioned Katianna. ”Luckily the weather man granted our wishes and we had a wonderful weekend at Prescott Rally 2011.” PikaSports campaigns a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX built and prepared by Streetwise Motorsports (www.streetwiseparts.com). Lights are provided by Anzo USA (www.anzousa.com). PikaSports races in partnership with the Widget Rally Team www.widgetracing.com. Photos courtesy of Motorsports Memories www.motorsportmemories.com

Golden Valley, MN, September 22, 2011 – Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning and Rally promotion organization in the United States, announced today the seamless transition of ownership to Vermont business professional, Bill Fogg. Fogg has twenty-five years of entrepreneurial success in distribution, manufacturing, software development, telecommunications and marketing. Fogg is also a founding partner in a business development company that invests in a number of technology start-up businesses.

Managing Director, J. B. Niday, will continue in his long-standing role along with Mike Hurst, Rally America’s Competition Director, Paul Giblin, Rally America’s Director of Business Development, and Ananda Siverts, the organization’s Marketing Director. The Rally America staff, new and old, is also quick to acknowledge the founder of Rally America, Doug Havir, for his many contributions to the development of the Rally America National Championship Series.

“First, I want to express my appreciation to Doug Havir for establishing and building Rally America,” said J.B. Niday, “Bill Fogg and his team bring great, new talents and resources to Rally America, as well as fresh ideas and perspectives.”

Fogg has been working with Rally America personnel as well as professionals from other companies to assist in planning for the expansion of Rally America’s reach into homes around the globe. “I want to expose as many people as possible to Rally and turn them into rabid fans,” said Fogg, “Rally America is in a unique position to put Rally and Rallycross in front of the mainstream public.” Fogg believes that Rally America’s future success will be built on the vision and depth of its management team and a history of producing safe and exciting Rally events.

As part of that vision, social networking, live streaming, and online video channel development will be enhanced or launched during the 2012 season. “I have spoken with top performers in the sport, team owners, sponsors and manufacturers, and they all agree that now is the time to bring Rally and Rallycross to the masses,” Fogg said.

Fogg first attended a rally three years ago with his sons Jon and Tom when long-time friend and Rally driver Chris Putzier suggested they give it a try. “We had no idea what to expect at the New England Forest Rally in 2009 but we had a great time, it was a wonderful family experience with the boys and an exciting introduction to the sport of Rally,” said Fogg. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to put my years of business experience and entrepreneurial spirit to work for Rally America.”

The 2012 Rally America National Championship Series schedule has been created in partnership with local Rally event organizers. In the upcoming season, Rally America will make the series more accessible and build more excitement for fans, sponsors, drivers, and teams.

For 2012, the six Rally events will stretch from coast to coast and are scheduled to run through September. Rally America organizers have moved the Seattle, Washington-based Olympus Rally to September from April and have pushed back the Portland, Oregon-based Oregon Trail Rally by a few weeks to allow more time between it and the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA in early June. This new National Championship schedule for 2012 accomplishes two goals. First, it extends the Rally season into the fall, and secondly, it eliminates the compacting of half the Championship into less than two months. Rally America is in the process of evaluating the addition of a seventh National Championship Series event in 2013.

The 2012 Rally America National Championship Series dates and locations are as follows:

The company also announced it was reverting back to its original name Rally America, Inc.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, MN, Rally America, Inc. sanctions the premier performance Rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2012, Rally America will be conducting six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Seattle, Washington to Newry, Maine. Rally America competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. More information about the Rally America National Championship Series and the sport of Rally can be found at www.rally-america.com and videos can viewed at www.youtube.com/rallyamericaseries.

“I am pleased how well this car handles and flies over the jumps”, said the co-driver Bret Norgaard. “The Streetwise crew really built a solid rally car and it is a pleasure to work with the whole PikaSports team. The enthusiasm in this team is just captivating.”

“As Gorman is known as one of the roughest races in the California Rally Series, I am very pleased that we finished the race. And this well.” commented the crew chief Doug Nagy. ”The rough conditions are not harsh only on the car but also exhausting for the driver and co-driver. Especially the tight and twisty roads after the sunset and in the end of a long day are strenuous.”

PikaSports campaigns a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX built and prepared by Streetwise Motorsports (www.streetwiseparts.com ). Lights are provided by Anzo USA ( www.anzousa.com ). Photos
courtesy of Castle Island Photography.

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (June 27, 2011) – Despite an abbreviated race schedule, Streetwise Motorsports and Lauchlin O’Sullivan have managed to clinch one 2011 rallycross championship and are tied for the lead in another. Thanks to a strong performance at the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) “Last Chance” event June 17 – 18 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, O’Sullivan and Streetwise will go down in history as the year’s Two-Wheel-Drive (2WD) Limited Class Champions. Meanwhile, at the midpoint of the season, O’Sullivan and Streetwise are tied with Cody Crane of Milwaukie, OR, at the top of the U.S. Rallycross Championship 2WD Limited class points standing.

“We entered the Global RallyCross Championship and RallyCar’s U.S. Rallycross Championship to showcase our team’s ability to be successful even when time and other resources are limited,” said Streetwise principal Doug Nagy, a veteran team manager and crew chief who has led professional sports car efforts at Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, among many others. “We’ve achieved that by winning our class championship in Global RallyCross, but we’d love to put an exclamation point on our 2011 season by winning the U.S. Rallycross title.”

The inaugural GRC season included three events: “The Revolution” at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (CA), March 25 – 26; “Twin Peaks” at Old Mill Rally Park in Seattle, April 15 – 16; and “Last Chance” at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, CO, June 17 – 18. Streetwise contested the first event, building a 1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16 in just two weeks and then overcoming a race-day engine failure to win 2WD Limited and finish third overall in 2WD.

The team missed the second event due to budgetary constraints but then rebounded at the “Last Chance” round – so named because it was the last opportunity to win points to secure an invitation to participate in the prestigious X Games 17 in Los Angeles, July 31. Again winning the 2WD Limited class, O’Sullivan and Streetwise secured the 2011 class championship and wrapped up sixth place in 2WD overall.

Points scored in two of the three 2011 GRC events also count towards the U.S. Rallycross Championship, which runs its remaining three events in conjunction with The Off Road Championship (TORC): Bark River (MI) International Raceway, Aug. 13 -14; Crandon (WI) International Off Road Raceway, Sep. 4 – 5; Chicagoland Speedway (Joliet, IL), Sep 15.

“We’re hoping to be able to put together a program to finish out the U.S. Rallycross season and have a shot at that second title,” said Nagy. “But even if we don’t make it this year, being part of the inaugural Global RallyCross Championship was a great experience. We proved that we know how to win, and we were a part of the launch of a brand-new form of motorsport in this country – one that I think has a bright future. I’m proud of Lauchlin and the rest of the team for what we were able to accomplish together. We’re looking forward to continuing our involvement – and our success – in rallycross, whether this year or next.”

Based in Orange County, CA, Streetwise Motorsports specializes in high-performance automotive projects, including rally, rallycross, off-road racing, drifting and road racing. Streetwise offers professional-grade performance parts at www.streetwiseparts.com.

Lauchlin Crossing the Finish Line