Just who is Nick Bukky, and why did he choose a Honda Fit of all vehicles to get started in Stage Rally? We talk about that and one of the newest regional events on the ARA calendar, the Boone Forest Rally. Then Mike and Geoff talk about some of their autumnal exploits and cancelled rallies. We hope you enjoy this cricket filled round of our virtual rally pub.
This is our Al Dantes Jr. Memorial episode. Al was a friend to all of us in the rally community, and a guest on this podcast several times in the past. I hope these stories from Bryce Proseus, Shanti Witt, and Ryan and Heather George give you all a small glimpse of just how special this big guy was. He may be gone, but his legacy will continue long into the future.
In this episode we chatted with 17 year old Henry Tabor, one of the first recipients of the 43 Institute Flat Out 43ver Tribute Award. For those that may not have heard the name Henry Tabor, he's a young talent from here in the Pacific Northwest with a strong family history in rallying of which 3 generations are still competing today. We chatted with Henry about his successes in both rallying and circuit racing as well as the accident that put his racing aspirations on hiatus. The episode is a l...
In this episode Geoff and I talk with Jacob Despain of Black Hole Rally Team. Jacob tells us how he and his dad got started in rallying and about their come from behind win at Rally Colorado. Then Geoff and I chat about some items in the rallying news including "Fuel Gate" and rally safety procedures. Also, Geoff got a new mic and doesn't sound like his in a deep dark hole anymore, so put down that wrench, grab a tasty beverage, and join us at the virtual rally pub we call the RallyCast podcast....
Welcome back! It's a brand new episode of the RallyCast and a hopeful look forward to a consistent structure of new content ahead. Sit down, pour a cup of coffee or a glass of beer, and join us as we talk about a plethora of topics. From restrictors to podiums, to some incredible performances we've seen this season, the new episode is a return of your favorite rally podcast with Mike at the helm and a new voice from casual rally driver and full time internet comedian, Geoff Sandvoss from Canada....
This is the first of several episodes we're doing for a post LSPR / ARA championship series. To kick it off we're chatting with one of the most competitive national classes that doesn't get much attention, and that's the Limited 2WD class. Driving mostly stock machinery, L2WD is more about consistency and maintaining momentum than it is about power or top speeds. Since ARA combined their class with Open 2WD for event podiums a couple years ago, it's been rare to see L2WD competitors spraying cha...
In this episode recorded back in September we chatted with Myron Georgakopoulos and Alison LaRoza who's dramatic finish at STPR was one of our favorite Press on Regardless stories of the season. Myron's newer to the stage rally scene but the Georgakopoulos name isn't. Myron tells us about growing up around rally and his dad's influence leading to him rebuilding the family car and getting it back on the stages. We also talk about the love hate relationship with some of STPRs stages, how much the ...
In this episode we chatted with Gabe Jacobsohn and Colin Schulz of Flying Finish RallySport. Coming from humble rally beginnings first as fans, then volunteers, to working on cars and competing themselves, they've learned a lot about the sport of rallying from just about every aspect. They're applying that experience to make products available through their Rally.Build brand so new and existing rallyists get all the stuff necessary to pass tech inspection with flying colors. We also get into a b...
In this episode we caught up with Derek James soon after his class win at NEFR in July. We talked about how he got started in rallying, sibling rivalries with his brother Matt, being a mechanic and driver, and his work with his alma mater to get young people hands-on involved in rallying. Oh, and we also reviewed the 2022 New England Forest Rally. You can follow Derek James and his James World Rally Team (JWRT) on these social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesworldrallyt...
In this episode recorded back in July, we chatted with young co-driver KJ Miller after his high flying class victory at Rally Baie-des-Chaleurs. We asked about what got KJ interested in motorsports, events he's competed in so far, and what his goals are for the future. With KJ being a bit of a social media master, we also asked about how to get more young people interested in rally. The Oregon Trail Rally YouTube video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMqtJJMWflo Follow KJ Mill...
If you're a dedicated rally fan like us, then you're probably an avid watcher of the Subaru Launch Control series. The series has always been well produced, beautifully shot, and brought out some of the great stories from the sharp end of the field. However, after 9 successful seasons it was time for a change. We chatted with Warwick Paterson of Formula Photographic and Chris Bowes of Bowes Media about what's going to be different in the new season and why.
In this episode we chat with Sam Albert, one of the fastest privateers in the ARA. Sam's always very open about and honest about his thoughts on the championship, so we decided to give him a call to discuss the upcoming ARA Open Class rules for 2023, how it might affect privateer drivers like him, and his goal of putting a Ferrari engine into his Subaru WRX STI. Yes, you heard that right. So grab a cold one and join us for another round at the virtual rally pub we call the RallyCast podcast....
This episode is another one that was temporarily lost due to technical issues. Back in March we talked in depth with Mark Piatkowski about what it was like transitioning from his NA4 Subaru that he works on mostly himself to a full blown homologated M-Sport Rally2 Ford Fiesta with all the bells and whistles at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.
This is a re-release of an episode from a couple months that had technical issues. We chatted with talked with Alex and Rhianon Gelsomino about their 100 Acre Wood experience, the current top level of competition this year and dodging wildlife. We also chatted with Leon Jordan of McKenna Motorsports about WRC cars and what makes theirs different from the Hyundai i20 used by Hoonigan. This was all recorded before the new ARA 2023 Open 4WD guidelines were released.
In this episode we chatted with one of American rallying's biggest advocates, Bryce Proseus. He tells us about how just going to see his first stage rally was an adventure in itself. The hook was set and it wasn't long before he wanted to get into co-driving which led to a dramatic barn hunt for a working motor having blown the original one in pre event test. But the adventures of Bryce Proseus certainly doesn't stop there. In one of his grandest adventures he chose to take his rallying experien...
This is a special episode in conjunction with Dirtfish and their celebration of Women in Motorsports. In this show your host took a bit of a backseat and let the guests drive the discussion on this important subject. Topics ranged from their personal experiences, ways we as a community can better support and encourage more women to be a part of our rally family, and some of the great things that Dirtfish is doing specifically to expand the coverage of women in our sport. Don’t forget the Dirtfis...
One of my favorite things at a rally is to get a quick word with competitors as soon as I can after they finished. You get some of that raw emotion of their success, whether that’s just getting to the finish or winning their class. Although I wasn’t physically at Sno*Drift, I called up several competitors to get their reactions from this year's unusually slick event, soon after they slid past the icy finish boards. You’ll hear from overall winner Mark Piatkowski, Regional Overall winner Ivo Drag...
In this episode we go to the very sharp end of the ARA field of competitors and chat with Subaru Motorsports USA's Travis Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino. Travis gives us a rather long medical list of why he had to miss Sno*Drift, even though he tried to convince his doctors he could still compete. Rhianon tells us about how much extra work she and Travis are doing to keep a competitive advantage as their closest competition switched to top level WRC machinery, and why her dad is both her biggest...
In Part 2 of our chat with ARA Competition Director Preston Osborn we move on from the recent rule changes and get into the future of ARA and what it’s goals are in both the short and long term.
A few weeks back we had a long call with ARA Competition Director Preston Osborn to talk about what’s new for the 2022 season. We had so much to talk about that we felt it best to split it into two episodes. So in this Part 1 we discussed what was learned over the 2021 season and he detailed the new rule changes for 2022 and the reasoning behind them. So grab a nice Sno*Drift chilled beverage from the virtual rally pub we call, the RallyCast.
Historic rallying has really taken off in recent years, but the one event on everyone’s bucket list is the East African Safari Classic. In this episode we talk with Andy Brown, the team principal of Tuthill Porsche, and co-driver Alex Gelsomino who will be competing alongside Ken Block in their first Safari Classic. We chat about the the cars, equipment, and preparation for this week long 5,000 kilometer event that starts February 10th. To get an idea of what the East African Safari Classic is l...
In this episode we chat with William Petrow, the Marketing and Promotional director of the new US Rallysport Federation sanctioning body. We get into the nitty gritty about what holes this sanctioning body is designed to fill, the different car classes, and we also get a bit of an update of what’s new at the Broken Motorsports shop. I also drop in some of my thoughts from WRC Monte Carlo last weekend and what I think of the new Rally1 hybrid cars.
In this Episode we get to know Era Motorsports’ Kyle Tilley. If you haven’t met Kyle yet, I imagine you soon will. It's hard to imagine a man with this much of a passion for rallying had his first event at Ojibwe Forests Rally just last year. Although he drives everything from LMP2 sports cars at 200MPH and NASCAR Cup cars on circuits, it's rallying that Kyle loves most and is going all in for 2022.
In this episode we chat with Oregon Trail Rally clerk of the course AJ Rossiter. We talk about taking on being a clerk of the course and what it entails, why he’s set aside his helmet and set his sights higher, as well sharing some of our favorite moments from the final round of the ARA championship. You’ll also hear from some of the competitors in this episode that I caught at the end of the first running of the Maryhill Loops stage.
We often talk about the rally family, but in this episode the term is much more literal. We talked with Mark Piatkowski and his dad Andy Piatkowski about Mark's road to becoming the new LN4 combined class champion. We discussed his start in rallying, going from NA4 to Super Production and back to NA4, the value of wrenching on your own car, the challenges of getting to rallies across the country while also working a day job, and his decision to go from a regional to a national entry. So grab a c...
As most of you know, I’ve been around rallying for over a decade, but oddly it wasn’t until last month that I competed in my first ever TSD rally. Fellow Oregon Trail Rally organizer Mike Nagle wrangled me into joining him for the iconic Nor’Wester Auto Rally put on by the Rainier Auto Sports Club. Although I had a general understanding of TSDs, I had no idea just how challenging and enjoyable these regularity rallies could be. So in this episode we chatted with Ron Sorem, the Routemaster. We ta...
This is part 2 of our stories from the 2021 Ojibwe Forests Rally. After the event we caught up with Mark Piatkowski who explains his crazy 1.8 second win over Ele Bardha and his hopes for a national championship. We then chatted with co-driver Steven Harrell about his 3rd place in the hotly contested regional overall, as well as his earlier adventure in the desert with Ryan Millen. Finally we bring back co-driver and our former co-host Ian Holmes claimed his first regional Open 2WD class win at ...
This is Part 1 of our chats from the Ojibwe Forests Rally 2021, and in this episode we caught up with Stephen and Katie Gingras about their close fight for the regional overall, and we get a taste of what LSPR is going to look like. I also introduce you to Derek Johnson Love, a longtime supporter of Open Paddock, and now taking on a larger role behind the scenes to make the RallyCast sound better.
In this episode we chat with driver Dylan Gondyke. Dylan started out crewing, but that was short lived as once he saw stage rallying with his own eyes, he needed to do it himself. He tells us about learning AWD and crashing his co-driver’s car, his dramatic first event at NEFR 2019 that defined everything we love about the rally community, and how just two years later he and Ben Chuong are regularly fighting for regional podiums. You can follow Dylan Gondyk’s onboards and build videos here on Yo...
In this nearly two months late episode, I chatted with Danny Norkus who’s had a fantastic season so far including his first ever overall win at Colorado earlier this year with Travis Nease as well as a 2nd in class at SOFR with Chris Greenhouse. I also caught up with reigning Eastern Regional Limited 2WD class champion Santiago Iglesias right after his Southern Ohio win, and it turns out he's got quite the regional battle on his hands with a young Patrick Gruszka who’s currently leading the poin...
