Rally America has finally released the official 2013 event schedule with a number of significant changes, most notably, the omission.
Olympus, a rally based out of Washington State (and former WRC round, 1986-1988) chose to withdraw from the Rally America Championship Series this year. The event will return to a Spring run date in 2013 with an as-yet-unnamed sanctioning body. The 2012 event in the Fall had severe fire hazard restrictions. Olympus is also rumored to be seeking to return to the World Rally Championship calendar. No word yet if the FIA will be sending observers this time around, but a WRC round near Seattle? Yes, please!
“Olympus Rally would like to thank Rally America for the past years of partnership, For 2013 Olympus had decided to go another direction and won’t be a part of their 2013 schedule. Little Creek Casino will be our headquarters and Green Diamond has agreed to letting us rally on the same great roads that we used last year, just not so dusty as we will be in the spring of 2013. Stay tuned for more info coming soon!”
Making a return to the Rally America Championship for 2013 are the Ojibwe Forest Rally and Lake Superior Performance Rally. Both of these have been staples of the Championship in the past, but were dropped from the 2012 calendar.
In terms of competition we could see the return of Ken Block to the Rally America Championship. He will likely bring a Claymore to a knife fight with his “Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle,” a Ford Fiesta that is said to be the most expensive rally car ever built. (Yes, even more expensive than Sébastian Loeb’s Citroën.) Other top teams likely to take part in the Championship include Antoine L’Estage in the Rockstar Energy Mitsubishi EVO and, of course, a return of David Higgins to defend his 2013 national title for the Subaru Rally Team USA. The rest of the Subaru Puma Rally Team (Mirra, Isachsen, Lasek) are expected to be busy fighting Ford in the Global Rallycross Series.
| EVENT | LOCATION | DATES |
| Sno*Drift Rally | Atlanta, MI | January 25-26, 2013 |
| Rally in the 100 Acre Wood | Salem, MO | February 22-23, 2013 |
| Oregon Trail Rally | Portland, OR | May 3-5, 2013 |
| Susquehannock Trail Rally | Wellsboro, PA | May 31-June 1, 2013 |
| New England Forest Rally | Newry, ME | July 26-27, 2013 |
| Ojibwe Forests Rally | Detroit Lakes, MN | August 23-24, 2013 |
| Lake Superior Performance Rally | Houghton, MI | October 18-19, 2013 |
If you don’t see an event near you, be sure to also check out the NASA Rallysport calendar for even more rally action in 2013!
Can you cover some of the Canadian rallies? At least the schedule for the 2013 year. Thanks
I was really hoping to go to the olympus rally this year, but it will be worth the wait for WRC! Maybe I’ll check out the oregon trail rally instead.