And the Winners are…
In a very close battle that saw several lead changes throughout the competition, Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom ultimately prevailed.
Challenging Pastrana througout the weekend were fellow team Subaru members Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino taking second place, as well as Canadians Antoine L’Estage and Natalie Richard taking third. Nashua New Hampshire’s own Bill Bacon and Peter Watt held an early lead on Friday and ultimately finished in fourth place.
In the eastern regional competition hometown hero Christopher Duplessis and co-driver Catherine Woods gave fans a terrific show by not only taking Friday night’s Drive Your Future rally, but keeping up a blistering pace again on Saturday, took the Berlin eastern regional as well. In doing so, Duplessis/Woods also won the MaxAttack! sub-series competition, which comes with a nice cash prize to boot! Impressively, Duplessis was driving his group 2 1990 VW GIi against the group 5 cars.
Overall it was a great weekend that saw a huge field of local and regional competitors take on the course and show everyone what rallying in New England is all about . Check back soon as NEFR will be bringing you more highlights and action from the weekend!

Saturday: Race Day 2
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temperature: 70s to 80s
Road Surface: Gravel

Day two of the New England Forest Rally culminated with another excellent one-two finish for Subaru Rally Team USA. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom seized the win after a close battle with Ken Block and Antoine L'Estage on the especially rough New England roads. The second day of competition found SRT USA's Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino in the lead by twenty seconds, but a fair portion of this lead vanished when they spun on the fifth stage of the day. Mere seconds separated the top three teams until the final two stages where a series of small problems scrubbed vital seconds off the standings of Block and L'Estage. With a punctured tire, Ken and Alex relinquished their first place standing to Travis and Christian while a power steering failure kept Canadian champs L'Estage and Richard off the heels of Block and Gelsomino. With the two Subaru Rally Team USA 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STIs at the finish celebration, the victorious Pastrana remarked, "It was a really exciting battle and we had a great challenge trying to keep up with Ken on the longer stages. We weren't the fastest here, but I'll take the win however I can get it."
In the Super Production Class, Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer were in the lead well in to the afternoon. They were holding fifth place overall when they discovered an oil leak that would inevitably lead to a DNF. Thus, they retired from the event in order to prevent further damage to their vehicle.
With X Games 15 rapidly approaching, SRT USA has their work cut out for them and will be busy re-prepping the cars and heading west to California. As in previous years, the event—scheduled for July 30th through August 1st—will take place in the Home Depot Center stadium in Los Angeles. Check back here at the end of the month for updates from LA.

Friday: Race Day 1
Weather: Sunny with some clouds
Temperature: 70s
Road Surface: Gravel

Under beautiful blue skies filled with puffy white clouds, hundreds of spectators gathered at the Sunday River ski resort to watch the start of Stage 1 at the New England Forest Rally. The stage was short, but the spectator point was at a gravel to tarmac transition. The change from billowing dust and flying pebbles to the screeching of tires on pavement was a dramatic sight which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Next, the rally headed to the Mexico Rec Park for another spectator stage and a service stop. Unfortunately, the organizers were forced to cancel stages 3 and 4, South Arm North and South. The rally cars returned to service and then set out for the running of Stage 5, the infamous Concord Pond road.
SRT USA's Ken Block had his heart set on beating the stage record he established last year. Not only did he beat the record, he demolished it by setting a time eight seconds faster than last year. What a great way to finish the first day of the rally! In addition to running a record-breaking lap, the #43 Subaru Impreza WRX STI won two of the three stages, putting Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino in the lead by over 10 seconds.
Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom also fared quite well and got so much air at one of the jumps on SS5 that they landed on their hind wheels first. With a performance like that, it is apparent that team #199 is going all out to keep up with teammates Ken and Alex.
Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer also had an excellent run today, finishing at 1st place in-class by a 13 second margin. This significant lead can be partially attributed to the in-class wins Mirra had on the first and last stages of the day.
The rally is just getting underway and with almost 80 stage miles tomorrow, there's no telling who is going to come out on top. With rain overnight, the dust may be kept at bay, but muddy roads could turn the rally into a slippery mess. Only when the champagne sprays at the finish ceremony will the winner of this rally be ordained.

Thursday: Recce & Shakedown
Weather: Overcast
Temperature: 60s
Road Surface: Gravel

Subaru Rally Team USA is in northern New England for the 2009 New England Forest Rally. This race is home to some of the roughest roads in the Rally America series. With their invitations secured for the X Games, SRT USA's focus at this event is centered on the Rally America National Championship. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom hold a strong lead, but teammates Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino are determined to steal this year's title. The duo are starting this event in high spirits after winning last month's Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, an event which had previously vexed them. In the Super Production Class, Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer continue to climb the ranks in pursuit of a place on the SP Championship podium.
The race starts tomorrow at Sunday River and includes a spectator stage at the Mexico Rec Park. Five stages will be run tomorrow, culminating at the infamous Concord Pond stage which is always a spectator favorite. Stay tuned for photos and a recap of the excellent action at this year's New England Forest Rally. 

Event Website

Top Rally Drivers from North America Headed to New England to Compete in the 2009 New England Forest Rally Round Six of the Rally America National Championship Series (Newry, Maine) – With the first five rally events of the 2009 Rally America National Championship in the record books already, the top Regional and National rally teams from across the United States and Canada will soon be making their way to the tiny resort village of Newry, Maine for the New England Forest Rally – home to the Sunday River Resort and round #6 of the 9‐event Rally America National Championship.
Thousands of spectators are expected for this two day event happening Friday and Saturday, July 17 & 18, 2009. As many as 45 or more top‐level rally teams are expected to be competing on some of the fastest gravel and forest roads in the country for top honors at this always‐popular rally event.
Sitting atop the Rally America National points championship right now and expected to be competing at this year’s New England Forest Rally is 3‐time Rally America Champion and Freestyle Motocross legend Travis Pastrana who drives for Subaru Rally Team USA – the factory‐backed rally team based in Colchester, Vermont. Along with his teammates Ken Block, co‐founder of DC Shoes USA, and X Games & BMX legend Dave Mirra, the Subaru rally team
will be looking for another overall rally victory at this year’s New England Forest Rally.
Closer to home, this year’s New England Forest Rally will feature a larger contingent of Regional teams from across the Northeastern United Sates and Eastern Canada. Confirmed entries are Maine’s own former regional champions Chris Duplessis, of Team O’Neil, and John Cassidy,of Last Ditch Racing, as well as New Hampshire’s Wyatt Nnox, also of Team O’Neil, coming off a big weekend winning both regional contests at the recent Susquehannock Trail Rally.
Many of these regional entrants will be competing for their share of $15,000 in prize money as the New England Forest Rally will be just one of three events in the United States that include the 3‐round MaxAttack!
Championship – a two wheel drive competition happening in addition to the national championship.
Although the New England Forest Rally will be contested over two days and 125 plus miles of gravel and forest stages for the National competitors, the Regional rally teams will compete on the very same roads as the National teams, but in two separate 1‐day Regional rally events run simultaneously with the National rally.
Friday’s Regional rally will be known as the “Drive Your Future Rally” presented by the National Guard and will be highlighted by a “Super Special” in the town of Mexico, Maine. Taking place at the Mexico Recreational Area located just off Rt. 17 in Mexico, spectators will be have the opportunity to watch their favorite rally driver or team complete an entire gravel rally stage, complete with a jump, from start to finish right in front of them. Fans will also have the chance for an up‐close look at the service crews as they take care of their rally cars at the Service Park which will also be based at the Mexico Recreation Area. As a special attraction for fans of all ages, National Guard units from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will be on hand at the Mexico Recreation Area with a large display of state‐of‐the‐art military vehicles to check out.
On Saturday, July 18, 2009, the rally action moves west along Route 2 to Coos County and the city of Berlin in Northern New Hampshire where rally teams will compete on a series of gravel and forest stages from Berlin north along the Androscoggin River to the sleepy village of Errol and beyond. A number of scenic spectator areas will be available along the competition stages where fans will be able to watch their favorite drivers compete. They will
also be treated to a “Super Special” in Berlin on Saturday morning where teams will test their skills on a half‐mile course that winds its way in and around the old Berlin paper mill site located on the north side of the city.
Also available throughout the 2‐day New England Forest Rally will be a number of spectator buses provided by the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine. The busses will depart from a variety of locations and take interested spectators out to the designated viewing areas along the rally course. Tickets for the spectator busses can be purchased the day of the event and will cost just $5.00 per person!
For ongoing live updates through out the New England Forest Rally visit the official Rally America web site at www.rally‐america.com or follow the action on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rally_america

For for more information regarding a detailed event schedule, lodging and an on‐line Spectator Guide, please visit
www.newenglandforestrally.com

About Rally:
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars,
real roads, real fast.” This all‐season motorsport sees drivers and their co‐drivers taking modified road cars to the
limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow‐covered
roads known as stages.
The 2009 Rally America National Championship series consists of nine exciting events that take place throughout
the United States in many different weather and road conditions. Top teams in the Rally America Championship
are also invited to compete in ESPN’s Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and
ESPN. Eight top teams have already been invited to this August’s contest. Among the marquees typically
represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.
More Information:
www.rally‐america.com or www.newenglandforestrally.com