The Results are in  - Sunday, May 18, 2008
The cars are starting to arrive from the final stage, a fan friendly, 1 mile super special stage.

For the first time this weekend, it seems the leader board in the Oregon Trail Rally has not changed since the last service. The leader board is as follows:

Overall
Car 199 Pastrana/Ringer 1:49:19.1
Car 20 ACP/Goldfarb 1:52:53.0 +03:33.9
Car 39 Jardevall/Trowbridge 1:57:37.9 +08:18.8
Car 59 Moro/Rossey 1:58:03.3 +08:44.2
Car 116 Conley/Conley 2:02:00.3 +11:14.2

PGT
Car 59 Moro/Rossey 1:58:03.3 +08:44.2

G5
Car 188 Havas/Pollard 2:04:17.5 +13:31.4

G2
Hoche-Mong/Bradnt 2:10:50.1 +20:04.0

Quotes from the some of the top teams

Car 59 - "We were just trying to run a clean rally...It is hard to stay on the notes here...We just want to stay on the road" stated co-driver Mike Rossey in the later stages of the race. Their strategy obviously paid off.

Car 39 - "Yesterday, Carl was saying 'I am too old for this', but his experience, wisdom, and steady perseverance paid off...when was the last time two mitsubishis were on the podium together?" stated co-driver Amity Trowbridge.

The leaderboard for the Trails End Regional Rally is as follows:

Car 207 Hintz/Hintz 38:54.0
Car 649 Crane/Grahn 39:54.8
Car 215 Thomas/Bohn 40:49.0

Congrats to Car 207 Hintz/Hintz and Car 215 driver Jamie Thomas - it has been more than a year since the Hintz brothers had rallied together and it has been more than a year since Thomas competed.

Thomas and Bohn "grenaded" their transmission on the super special, but it held together enough to get to the finish.

With the results final and the stories posted, we will sign off. Please check back daily for news stories and be sure to follow closely when we arrive in lovely Wellsboro, PA on June 6-7, 2008.

Monster Energy car swap  - Sunday, May 18, 2008
Monster Energy teammates Ken Block and Dave Mirra both crashed out of the Oregon Trail Rally on Day 2, but opted to return on Sunday to enjoy the regional portion – without scoring points.

But the two friends kept things interesting by arranging a car swap. Block signed his top-spec Open class car over to Mirra on Sunday with a grin. An inscription on the hood read:

“Congrats Dave, it’s graduation day… here’s your new car.”

Mirra has been cutting his teeth in a lower-spec car, and is expected to make the move to a more competitive vehicle at the next championship round.

Block’s Subaru Rally Team USA vehicle could be considered one of the two most competitive cars on the continent. It was carefully built and meticulously maintained by the best mechanics in the series, has been lightened to close to the legal minimum weight, puts out some 320 horsepower, 400 ft-lb of torque, and features all the best rally technology, including a dog-engagement transmission and a turbocharger.

Mirra’s starter car, meanwhile, is something a little different; there is nothing fancy about it. The engine is naturally aspirated and puts out about 160 hp, and similar torque. The gearbox is a standard six-speed set up. It’s a perfect beginner car, but for someone with Block’s talent and experience, it’s something closer to a toy.

The aim of the game on Sunday was for Mirra to put all that new technology to the test and start taking stage wins from Block. Early efforts were strong, and the exercise offers a good preview of the kinds of times we’ll be able to expect from Mirra when he moves up to a competitive vehicle later this season.

Maxattack results and updates  - Sunday, May 18, 2008
With only one stage completed, the leaderboard has some big changes.

#70 Duplessis/Wagner is off course on SS12, moving the remaining cars all up and taking the pressure off of the #188 car in the lead. #649 Crane/Grahn set a blistering pace and overtook the #31 car and are within striking distance of #591.

1. #188 Havas/Pollard 1:35:53.0
2. #42 Burmeister/Westrick 1:39:01.0
3. #591 Cizmas/Himes 1:40:27.7
4. #649 Crane/Grahn 1:41:09.7
5. #31 Hoche-Mong/Brandt 1:41:10.9
6. #295 Buren/Buren 1:43:40.1
7. #439 Ankeny/Kraushaar 1:47:49.8

#42 Burmeister/Westrick slowed down after seeing the #70 car off. Burmeister says that it’s hard to stay on the right line and that the downhill sections are like ice. The team is up to 2nd place, but said that they don’t want to see anyone go out like that.

#591 Cizmas/Himes are fighting understeer problems and a lack of power. Cizmas would like to thank Honda for producing a distributor for the #649 car.

#31 Hoche-Mong/Brandt would like to thank Jake for putting this program together.

#649 Crane/Grahn lost 15 seconds on SS12 after overshooting a junction and a stall on a tight hairpin. Crane says that seeing all the cars off doesn’t affect him, and that he’s pushing to gain another spot.

#295 Buren/Buren is happy just to be here and are now driving to finish. They are over 2 minutes back of 5th place and will need some car problems ahead of them to move up.

#439 Ankeny/Kraushaar is having intermittent brake issues and losing all pedal travel. They plan to work on it during service.

#742 Crane/Nielsen are having issues getting used to the new gear ratios and handling setup in their Toyota Corolla GT-S.

#695 Gross/Young would like to thank their sponsers Full Tilt Off Road Equipment, and Action Van Suspension.

#491 Stevens/Stevens are having a hard time getting into a rhythm with cars off all over.

#466 Gottlieb/Rustigan have slowed down and are focused on finishing with all the other cars off.

#692 Barnes/Crawford went off on SS12 after a missed call. Sweep has pulled out the vehicle and they plan on continuing for seat time.

#33 Angell/Zurschmeide have no spare rims remaining and had to patch a broken rim with epoxy at the last service. They report that the car is running better all the time. Angell would like to thank his crew for keeping him on the road and everyone else that helped get him here.

MaxAttack! results and updates  - Sunday, May 18, 2008
With the cancellation of 2 stages today, there are some close battles throughout the field and not many miles to make up time. After Saturday’s stages, the standings are:
1. #188 Havas/Pollard 1:23:16.0
2. #70 Duplessis/Wagner 1:25:06.5
3. #42 Burmeister/Westrick 1:25:57.9
4. #591 Cizmas/Himes 1:27:22.2
5. #31 Hoche-Mong/Brandt 127:51.1
6. #649 Crane/Grahn 1:28:32.7
7. #295 Buren/Buren 1:30:34.5

#188 Havas/Pollard had a fuel delivery problem during the last few stages. The car is repaired and set to go for today. Havas is looking to maintain is lead over the #70 car, but don’t look for him to back off much in the Day 3 Creations Honda Civic.

#70 Duplessis/Wagner are starting to work better as a team, but had some car issues late in the day. The wheel studs pulled loose, and they were only able to secure their tire with one lugnut. They didn’t loose any time on stage, but had to stop frequently and tighten the tire. They checked in late and received a 2:30 penalty. The crew repaired the Dodge SRT 4 and they are set to go today. They would like to thank Team O Neil Rally School for their support.

#649 Crane/Grahn lost 3 minutes on SS9 with distributor failure. They were able to make it back to service and make repairs. The team has fresh tires, their Honda CRX is fixed, and they are looking to move back up. Cody says, “ It’s on today!”

#692 Barnes/Crawford had to be pulled out by sweep on SS9. Barnes says that they over rotated the Nissan Sentra SER on a long left corner, spun around and nosed down off the road into the ditch. The team is back today to compete in the regional competition.

#491 Stevens/Stevens received a 2 minute penalty for an early start on SS1. Jim’s crew doesn’t know how that happened because he’s late for everything else. They are looking forward to getting out today and taking their 90 hp Suzuki Swift and flailing it around.

#439 Ankeny/Kraushaar are still fighting heat related misfires on their historic Saab 96. They have replaced a leaking slave cylinder with a spare that doesn’t leak quite as bad.

#446 Imai/Stonecipher lost 34 minutes when their fuel system pressurized and they ran out of gas. Luckily, it was at a spectator spot. They were able to siphon fuel from a spectators car and continue on. The Suzuki Swift made it back 30 miles back to service on 4 cups on gas.

#33 Angell/Zurschmeide have replaced their distributor on the Alfa Romeo and are fighting on today and looking to move up.

#261 Beck/Hahn are back today for the regional race. The team rolled their Ford Focus twice on SS5 when they went into a corner too fast and the back end of the car slid off the road.
Beck stayed on the throttle and tried to pull it out, but hit loose gravel, sending the car over.

#592 Cizmas/Himes say the stages are really rough and remind them of stages around home. The team is siting in 4th in MaxAttack! competition, trying to hold off the #31 car and chase down the leaders in their E85 powered Volkswagon GTI

#42 Burmeister/Westrick are starting to mesh as a team and are sitting in the 3rd position. They are mainting their pace and driving a smart rally in the Mazdaspeed3.

#31 Hoche-Mong/Brandt have had to adjust their driving style for the stages. The rough stages are wearing tires fast on their Volkswagon GTI, so Hoche-Mong has had to adjust braking points and drive cleaner, but slower line. They are set up with new tires for today and are looking to catch the #591 car.

# 295 Buren/Buren stopped on SS9 after passing the #649 car without an OK sign. The #649 car then passed by and they were fighting dust for the remainder of the stage. They have been fighting boost problems throughout the weekend, but according to their crew are set to go for today in their converted RWD Subaru Impreza.

#214 Meyers/ Mckenna are having fun in their Volkswagon GTI. They report some visibility issues on SS10 with the setting sun and lingering dust.

#466 Gottlieb/Rustigan lost 40 minutes on SS9 when they went off in their Toyota Corolla FX-16 and were high centered. The team encourages everyone to check out their website RedRocketRally.com, which includes in car footage of their crash at the Olympus Rally.

#695 Gross/Young say the stages are really slippery with loose gravel and marble sized rocks. They are driving a consistent race in their Toyota Corolla and are looking to move up in MaxAttack! competition.

#477 Conley/Tycer are fighting high engine temps and not pushing as hard to keep it cool. They report lingering dust and baby head sized rocks on the fast stages.

Who is coming back for more today???  - Sunday, May 18, 2008
With all the attrition and troubles that befell a lot of teams yesterday, it has been a constant process of trying to determine not only which teams will be running, but also will they be changing cars and/or co-drivers.

Car 40 Mirra/Kihurani went off yesterday. The team had hoped to gain more gravel experience and come home with a "clean" car. Fortunately, there was no damage, but they were unable to continue. They have re-entered the Trails End Rally today to gain additional seat time; the interesting part is that they will be driving Ken Block's car. "We are planning to have Dave drive Ken's car starting at STPR, so we thought it would be helpful to have him get some seat time here" stated team's Clint Fast.

Car 43 Block/Gelsomino have had two off's this weekend. After a problem with their light pod on Friday night, they hit a rock. Yesterday, they went off on an early stage. Like Mirra, there was no damage, but were unable to continue. If you notice that Block will be starting in the 9th position today, it is because he will be driving Mirra's Subaru, which is has markedly less "good bits and power" than the car Ken is accustomed to.

Car 2 Pinker/Durant replaced an oil line last night. They have determined that was the cause of their DNF on SS7 yesterday. They have changed the turbo as a precautionary measure. They will be continuing on in the Trails End Rally today.

Car 34 Foust/Beavis, who were still running throughout yesterday despite engine issues, have changed their turbo as a precautionary measure. It seems their engine issues are related to a stuck injector.

Car 614 Wiktorczyk/Slocum had lost second and third gear in their transmission. So, despite sitting 6th after SS10 last evening, their future in this event was questionable. Apparently, they have found a replacement and will be continuing on.

After an early CV joint issue and a subsequent restart, Car 394 Lockhart/Lockhart was flat towed off SS10. They are on track to continue again today.

With the unusually hot days we have had here, several drivers and/or co-drivers have had heat related issues. Some, like Kyle Sarasin, were able to continue (after a precautionary trip to the hospital); however, some like Car 366 co-driver Joy Flack, did not. She was replaced yesterday with Car 251 co-driver Randee Hahn after that car rolled and was unable to continue. Car 690 co-driver Dennis Hotson was replaced with Don Flag. Sarasin, Flack, and Hotson will all continue today in their respective cars.

Newest Addition to Rally America Family  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
Kristi and Johnny Parker have had a boy!

Nathan Reid was born at 12:44pm May 8, 2008.

Nathan weighed in at 7lbs 6oz and measured 20 1/2 inches.

What happened to Matthew Johnson...  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
As previously reported, Car 46 Johnson/Wimpey went off on SS6. "This is the slowest roll ever..." stated driver Matthew Johnson.

"Normally this is a event (wet, etc) that is good on soft compound tires. Unfortunately, that is what we brought. We did not realize how bad it would be until midway through the stage. It was feeling awesome, but I was working too hard. I think I was closer to edge than I thought.

I was at 98% instead of the 92 to 93 percent where I intended to be. With the open class car, we are running closer to the edge...I have plenty to learn in open class, for sure, unfortunately, this is not the place to do it."

Saturday MaxAttack! results and updates  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
After stage 8, the MaxAttack! standings are:
1. #70 Duplessis/ Wagner 51:42
2. #188 Havas/ Pollard 51:47
3. #649 Crane/Grahn 53:27
4. #42 Burmeister/Westrick 53:44
5. #591 Cizmas/ Himes 54:20
6. #692 Barnes/Crawford 54:26
7. #31 Hoche-Mong/ Brandt 55:04

#240 Blakely/Pinter out on SS5 with transmission failure. The team is trying to source a replacement and race tomorrow’s regional race.

#394 Lockhart/ Lockhart out on SS5 with halfshaft failure. Their service crew made the repairs, and they are running the remaining stages for seat time and to break in their new car.

#214 Meyers/ McKenna had an issue with a loose steering wheel on SS7. They dropped 30 seconds per stage after the repair and are looking to move up.

#742 Crane/Nielsen were towed into service after SS7. The ignition coil failed, and the car stalled. They have made repairs and are returning for seat time.

#188 Havas/Pollard were concerned with some questionable notes. They aren’t concerned with stage times at this time, Havas says he’ll run 100% and everything will work itself out.

#70 Duplessis/Wagner had issues on SS7 with tire wear. They have the car on the lowest boost setting and burnt their tires up.

#42 Burmeister/ Westrick are having brake fade issues. There is also some new battle scars on the front of Mazdaspeed3 after running wide on a tight right hand corner and hitting a culvert. They were able to restart the car, back out and continue.

#591 Cizmas/Himes are getting used to the technical roads and dropping time on each stage. Dave says the haybales used to deter ditch hooking are actually rocks, and they might have some alignment issues to deal with.

#31 Hoche-Mong/ Brandt are having brake fade issues. They plan to change out the brake pads to a hotter compound to deal with the fast downhills into the tight corners.

#692 Barnes/Crawford say that they’re running at 80% right now and plan on maintaining their pace. Barnes says that there are cars off everywhere out there.

#649 Crane/Grahn are really happy with the new car. Crane says that the car is set up som nice that it’s driving itself. The team is sitting in 3rd place in the MaxAttack! standings.
#295 Buren/Buren got a penalty for a late service check out. They had to change out the rear struts and are pleased with the change. They plan on changing out the fronts at the next service. They are having boost problems and exhaust leak problems, but are pressing on and plan on moving up.

#439 Ankeny/Kraushaar ran well on SS5, but had the misfire return on SS6. They think that the problem is heat related and are working on it at every service.

#562 Dondlinger/ Parps are out of the race with a broken transmission. They finished SS7, but had to stop on the transit.

#33 Angell/Zurschmeide are excited to finish their first day of rally on Friday. On SS7, their car stalled, but the team was able to continue with some creative repair work involving electrical tape, wrong sized tools, and their ignition system.

Updates from the stages  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
Oregon Trail Rally is known as a rally of attrition. As Matthew Johnson previously stated "this is not a place to be driving creatively - you are either on the line or out of control. "

Unfortunately, even Johnson's own sage advice to himself could not keep him from going off. Others that have suffered the same fate are as follows:

Car 43 Block/Gelsomino
Car 40 Mirra/Kihurani
Car 523 Hanson/Hanson
Car 466 Imai/Stonecipher
Car 251 Beck/Hahn
Car 742 Crane/Neilsen
Car 734 Ruston/Chute
Car 285 Goodwin/Taylor

Car 34 Foust/Beavis - motor is "wounded" but is still continuing
Car 207 Hintz/Hintz - lost header
Car 690 Bartram/Hotson has swapped out co-drivers because of heat related issues with co-driver Dennis Hotson.
Car 562 - Dondlinger/Parps - broken transmission

Satellite Woes in Vernonia, OR  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
We are currently in Vernonia, OR readying for the teams to arrive after completing the first two stages of the day.

Right now, we are having a signal quality problem with the satellite internet that allows us to upload stories and scores.

We are operating on a backup system until we are able to correct the primary. Until that time, scores will not be posted online in the results page. We will continue to update you here with the leaderboard and stories as they become available.

For those of you familiar with our prior satellite dish dilemmas, namely turning it into a 6 foot frisbee, that has NOT happened here (again). This is a temporary problem and will be solved as quick as we can. Thank you for your patience.

Friday MaxAttack! results and updates  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
After the first 4 spectator stages at the Portland International Raceway, the standings are:

1. Havas/Pollard 9:23
2. Duplessis/Wagner 9:40
3. Crane/Grahn 9:40
4. Burmeister/Westrick 9:55
5. Barnes/Crawford 10:03
6. Beck/Hahn 10: 07
7. Cizmas/Himes 10:08

# 420 Bendt/Tokstad had to be towed out of stage 2 with electrical problems and are out of MaxAttack! competition. The team hopes to fix the problem tonight and continue in the regional competition tomorrow.

# 439 Ankeny/Kraushaar are having a misfire problem with their new engine. They think that it’s heat related and plan on fixing it tonight. They finished today further down than they had hoped, but are still in the running.

#155 Conley/Rudolph had a scare on SS1 when they thought their clutch was slipping. The were relieved to find out that their SRT 4 had too much power for the cold gravel tires on asphalt.

# 70 Duplessis/Wagner had the same opinion of their SRT 4. They couldn’t put power down without wheelspin.

#591 Cizmas/Himes has an engine hesitation around 5k RPM, but aren’t concerned about it with the coming gravel stages.

#295 Buren/Buren had some pre-race drama with electrical problems. They fixed the car with minimal time to spare and haven’t had any issues other than running on fumes on SS4.

#258 Dahl/Dahl have had some electrical problems throughout tonight’s stages. A spark plug wire came loose on SS1 and they ran on 3 cylinders for two stages. On SS3, the auxilary lights blew a main fuse and caused them to stall just after the start. They lost several minutes, but were able to find the problem and continue.

#491 Stevens/Stevens lost time on SS1, when contact with a hard object bent the left front control arm. They have replaced the part and are still in the battle.

#562 Dondlinger/Parps are getting used to a rented car. They had intercom issues on SS1, but Dave’s voice was up to the task.

#649 Crane/Grahn are having a great time and don’t have any issues to report. Grahn says,”Cody doesn’t say much, his car does the talking.”

#251 Beck/Hahn are concerned with their transmission. The team has spare parts close by if needed. Other than a spinout on SS3, they haven’t had any other issues.

#477 Conley/Tycer got lost on SS3 and took a detour around a camera man. They’re hoping for some good footage.

#188 Havas/Pollard are sitting in first place after day 1 with a 17 second lead over rival Chris Duplessis despite having a lesser powered car. Havas says, “ The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Duplessis is going down hard….although he still is a nice guy.

#42 Burmeister/Westrick had a blast on today’s stages turning up the boost and smoking tires for the crowd. They have a gearbox leak that they plan to fix tonight and are excited to hit the gravel tomorrow.

Flatirons Tuning Rally Team Car 429 Verdier/Crouch Starts 2008 with Back-to-Back Wins  - Saturday, May 17, 2008
After sitting out the first round of the 2008 Rally America National Championship, the Flatirons Tuning Rally Team got off to a dominating start to their 2008 campaign with back-to-back wins at the Rally in the 100-Acre Wood and the Olympus Rally.

The back-to-back class wins, as well as strong finishes overall, have put the Flatirons Tuning Rally Team in second place in the Production GT championship, as well as eighth in the Rally America National Championship overall points.

“In terms of the Championship we couldn’t be happier. To win in Missouri in such difficult conditions was fantastic, and to have the Flatirons Tuning Subaru Impreza WRX perform flawlessly and put us on the top step of the podium again at Olympus was perfect. To finish first in Production GT and take solid overall championship points at both events was exactly what we were looking for as we started 2008,” stated driver Stephan Verdier.

The success of 2008 comes on the heels of a tough 2007 season that saw the team win three rallies and fail to finish in four other events, forcing the team to re-evaluate its strategy before 2008. “In 2007 I think we were focused on too many different things and not focused enough on the individual rallies. For 2008, we are focusing more on one rally at a time and it is paying dividends. Obviously we would love to win a championship again and be invited to the X Games, but for 2008 we just want to go rallies and focus on having the best rally we can instead of constantly thinking about other things,” stated Verdier when talking about the teams plans for 2008.

With a relaxed focus and strong finishes the Flatirons Tuning Rally Team is in a strong position to secure one of the coveted invitations for the ESPN Summer X Games. “In 2006, we were one of the first teams to be invited to participate in the Summer X Games and in 2007 we just missed earning an invitation. Right now we are just focusing on doing the best we can at each rally and know that if we run the rallies we are capable of as a team we should be able to secure an invitation for the 2008 Summer X Games,” noted co-driver Scott Crouch about how the team is approaching the qualification process for an invitation to the X Games.

Two events remain before the mid-point in the 2008 Rally America National Championship schedule, as well as the expected awarding of invitations for the ESPN Summer X Games. It is expected that the top eight overall teams will qualify for an invitation to the ESPN Summer X Games in addition to up to four special invitees or last chance qualifier positions. Invited competitors will then participate in the ESPN Summer X Games Rally Car event in front of thousands of live spectators and millions home TV viewers on live national television between July 31 and August 2.

The 2008 Rally America National Championship consists of a series of nine events held in eight states coast to coast in the United States. Teams count their best seven finishes at the end of the season in a variety of different classes to determine class championships in addition to the Rally America National Champion which will be crowned based on overall points earned at each event.

Flatirons Tuning is based in Boulder, CO, and is an aftermarket performance and maintenance specialist as well as being home to the Flatirons Tuning Rally Team. In 2005 the team was Rally America Production GT National Champions and in 2006 and 2007 were early front runners before late season misfortunes ended their championship runs. The Flatirons Tuning team for 2008 consists of driver Stephan Verdier, co-driver Scott Crouch, and lead technician and performance specialist Jon Brouillet. In addition to support from Flatirons Tuning the Flatirons Tuning Rally Team is also supported by Global Collision, COBB Tuning, and Cusco.

The largest field in MaxAttack! History is set to start.  - Friday, May 16, 2008
Twenty four of the best 2 wheel drive teams in the country are racing for a piece of the $5,000 purse and points towards the Jake Himes cup.

#188 2007 Oregon Trail MaxAttack! winner Andrew Havas is racing the same car that he won in last year. He says that it was a push to get here, but the team made it work. Havas wanted to race as a tribute to Jake Himes, who had a huge influence on getting them out here last year.

#70 Chris Duplessis is about to start in a car that he’s driven for about 2 minutes. He has never raced here, but is excited to be at this technical race that he figures will be a perfect fit for his driving style.

#692 Some teams are making sacrifices to gain any advantage that they can. Peter Barnes and his team are sleeping in their trailer this weekend so that they can run on fresh tires everyday.

#562, #591 Dave Cizmas and Brian Dondlinger made a long tow from Wisconsin in order to run the Maxattack race. Brian says that it will be great to race against a deep field of 2wd cars and to see where he stands against some of the best west coast drivers.

#649 The team of Cody Crane and Jason Grahn said, “ This is going to be fun! This is our house!”

The MaxAttack! Triple Crown Rally Series Returns for a Second Season  - Friday, May 16, 2008
After a spectacularly successful debut season, the MaxAttack! Triple Crown Rally Series is ready to return for its second year. The series, which provides a significant prize fund and tangible marketing value for two-wheel-drive competitors, hopes to attract a greater number of competitors at each event, as well as entice participants in the entire three-race, nationwide championship.

While it is a new year, some things remain the same. After a long and thorough selection process, the Rallysports Group of America decided to return to the three events that comprised the successful inaugural series. “We have certainly had interest in the series from other rallies, but these three events are a known quantity, and satisfy our criteria for geographic location and timing of the events,” says RSGA managing director Eric Burmeister. “We will continue to look at events in 2008 and decide if expansion of the series or a change is in the best interest of competitors for next year.”

The three events for the 2008 MaxAttack! Triple Crown Rally series are:
Oregon Trail, May 16-18, Portland Ore.
Rally West Virginia, August 1-2, Elkins W Va.
Lake Superior Rally, October 17-18, Houghton Mich.

“We’d like to thank the three events and both sanctioning bodies involved,” says Burmeister. “I am proud that our series is one of the few bridges that exists between both Rally America and NASA. At the end of the day, we all just want to drive fast in the woods!”

There are, however, a few changes that have taken place for the 2008 MaxAttack! Triple Crown Series. Since one aim of the MaxAttack! series is to foster the growth of grassroots teams, it has been decided that participants will no longer be required to enter the national events at Oregon Trail and Lake Superior. Regional entries are now eligible for the biggest purse in two-wheel-drive rallying.

The prize payout has also been revised for 2008. The MaxAttack! Series will now pay out 5 places deep at each of the three rallies and offer a championship bonus for the winner of the Jake Himes Cup, the series champion. The payout for 2008 looks like this:

At each MaxAttack! round:

1st- $1,500.00
2nd- $1,200.00
3rd- $1000.00
4th- $800.00
5th- $500.00

In addition, the series champion and recipient of the Jake Himes Cup will receive a bonus of at least $1000.00. More details on this bonus will be forthcoming.

As many folks are aware, in 2007 the Rallysports Group of America lost one of its co-founders members, Jake Himes. The RSGA board needed a strong new member aligned with the goals of MaxAttack! to continue operations. It is pleased to have found a great ambassador in Ryan Johnson, and is happy to introduce him as the newest board member. Since becoming involved in rallying through friends like Jake, Johnson had participated in the sport as a marshal, co-driver, driver, car-builder, mechanic, and most recently, the on-the-ground registrar/media liaison for the MaxAttack! event at the 2007 Lake Superior Rally. Ryan will also be writing stories for the Max Attack teams here at the Oregon Trail Rally This weekend.

“I’m very happy to be working with the RSGA on MaxAttack!” said Johnson. “It is a great program that highlights some of the best battles and most interesting teams in American rallying. It also raises the bar and encourages those teams to improve their entire program.”

For more information, please visit www.max-attack.com.