(BURLINGTON, Vt., December 4, 2025) ~ The calendar year is winding down, but the Rally Year is already in the offing. Barely a month after the final event of the 2025 American Rally Association (ARA) season, the 2026 American Rally season is about to launch with a rare double-header weekend featuring two rallies held more than 1,900 miles apart.

In Tehachapi, California, The Ridge Rally expands to a two-day Super Regional format, running December 6–7, while the Nemadji Trail Winter Rally in Duquette, Minnesota opens the season on December 6 and will mark the second ARA outing for LAP Motorsport and the fledgling MINI USA rally program. Together, the two events bring 45 total teams to the stages for 174 combined high-speed competition miles—from the wide-open desert roads of California to the snow-covered forests of northern Minnesota.

SoCal’s Ridge Rally Expands

With roots tracing back to the mid-1990s and the original Gorman Ridge Rally, the modern iteration of California’s wide-open desert event enters its fourth year on the American Rally Association calendar, having upgraded from a Regional rally in 2024 to a Super Regional in 2025.

Hosted in Kern County and organized by Rodnoc Racing, LLC, Ridge features an impressive140 stage miles across varied terrain, 4,000 feet of elevation change, and sweeping desert landscapes throughout Jawbone Canyon, Kelso Valley, and the Piute Mountain region.

With 31 teams entered, the two-day rally will tackle a four-stage loop. Late rains forced modifications to the itinerary; “Onyx North,” “Sorrell Peak Climb”, "Sorrell Peak East", and “Onyx South”—run multiple times across Saturday and Sunday for a total of 14 stages.

Organizers Take to the Stages in O2WD

While rally organizers are often deeply involved in the sport, Rodnoc Racing takes it a step further as Ridge Rally Assistant Chairman James Veatch III, co-driven by Jenna Cooper, brings his Open Two-Wheel Drive (O2WD) Lexus SC400 onto the Ridge stages for the first time.

““When Chairman Ryan Bakeman and I first started putting this event together, I told him that the year I get the Lexus up and running, we'd be racing Ridge. This year is that year, but as one of the organizers, it was a bit of a dance to help with event preparations while staying off the roads to avoid an unfair advantage as a competitor,” said Veatch.

“As always, a personal goal is simply to finish, but we're looking for redemption from the Prescott Rally against the Carvallo brothers. Stage two in Prescott left us chasing time after entering a control zone with a flat tire. Out of 14 stages, we took 10 of them against the brothers, and we’re looking to do that again. O2WD looks stacked with really fast drivers, but the brothers are the target.

The Carvallo brothers Veatch referenced, Benji and Gerardo, return in their 1989 BMW 325i to challenge the Lexus, but a seven-car O2WD field featuring the Subaru EJ-swapped Mazda RX-7 of Jason Angell and Maribel Plaza, the 1995 BMW E36 of Jonathan Compton and Brie Moore, and the 1985 Toyota Corolla of Brian Maskrey and Tyler Swartz promise stiff competition across the board.

“It's my first time doing Ridge,” Angell explained. “But the car's been a rally car since just before I was born, or at least, the shell has -- the internals have mostly all been swapped since. 

“It did a couple stints in Southern California, and even ended up in Mexico for a couple years. I've only been doing stage rally for about a year, and we've never been this far up the O2WD order before.

“Our first time running in the desert heat is going to be tricky, but I’m looking forward to a change of pace from the dense trees of the Pacific Northwest racing we're used to. We're really just looking to keep it on the road in one piece, but it's hard not to dream about a first podium!”

In the three-car Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) class, first on the road will be Eric Frentress, saying goodbye to his 1994 Toyota Celica with its new owner Geoff Budd navigating.

“Ridge will be my last rally in this car. It will be the first event for my co-driver Geoff Budd, who is buying the car from me after the event and will be driving it in 2026. I'm excited to have one last go in the car and hand it off to someone just getting into the sport.

“He wanted to crew for me, but I figured he would learn the most from watching how the car can be driven and get a better feel for what he is buying than being on the sidelines. He has some great plans for the car, so I'm happy it's going to a good home with a new and excited driver.”

Limited Four-Wheel-Drive Entry Expands Two-Fold, Puts up Fight Against NA4WD

Growing from last year’s three-car entry, the seven-car Limited Four-Wheel Drive (L4WD) class is expected to deliver a standout battle as both new and experienced competitors take on the two-day Ridge Rally.

Two-time ARA National L4WD and Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel Drive (NA4WD) combined class (LN4) co-driver champion KJ Miller is already one to watch behind the wheel of his own L4WD Subaru Impreza WRX. He and co-driver Sara Nonack will be pushing for the overall win, but the depth of competition within the class alone will make that a tall order.

Robert Shibao and Dillon McKenna and Scott and Elizabeth Crouch will both contend in their 2002 Subaru WRXs, and either team could threaten for the victory. Another 2002 WRX joins the class as Arto and Mary Ylikangas move from Open Four-Wheel Drive (O4WD) into L4WD for 2026.

“We are running the 2026 season as an L4WD car instead of O4WD,” Arto Ylikangas confirmed. “The choice came down to wanting to participate in the Western Regional L4WD championship. Also, we didn't really have anything on the car that excluded it from running in L4WD. We're hoping to see some more competition in the new class.

“As you can imagine, we’re still buzzing after our overall win at the Prescott Rally and are hoping to keep the momentum going for Ridge. There are a lot of fast teams registered and it isn't going to be easy, but we are hoping to race for an overall podium.

“We're looking forward to continuing our race against Charles Watson and Ben Triplett, and also Rob Shibao and Dillon McKenna. Ridge Rally is our hometown race, and we love the roads. They're really fast and demand driver commitment. Last year we had good pace, but a puncture on stage 4 pretty much took us down to 17th overall. We were able to climb back to 7th overall and snag a class podium, so we know we have good pace here.

“A lot of our friends from Rodnoc RallyX volunteer for this race, and we always have fun seeing them. We're also excited to start our next season racing ARA rally and are hoping to start on the right foot.”

Also looking to prove themselves, Jordan O’Connell and Anthony Campbell will take the Donut Motorsport 2005 Impreza WRX back to the L4WD stages for the first time since Olympus Rally in 2024.

“We were motivated to compete at Ridge Rally this year primarily because of the fast open roads and to kick off our 2026 California Rally Series Championship run,” O’Connell said. “Our main goal for the weekend is to drive our own race, but a step on the podium would be a nice season opener!”

The NA4WD field is also seven cars strong, with multiple entries capable of taking the win. Trenton Koury and Matt Michell have faced some added challenges while preparing their 2001 Subaru Impreza, as Koury recently welcomed a new child into the world.

“My wife and I just had our first baby in October,” Koury said. “We are very excited to bring a future gearhead into the world and share this amazing motorsport with her! With that said, rally prep has been a challenge.

“Delivery delays on suspension rebuild kits have hit us, so we’re doing our best to make sure we have our struts sorted in time. The spare motor has been swapped in after our head-gasket-blowing motor took us out of competition at this year’s Olympus Rally.

“A few more bits have been added to the car: a new 5-speed 4.44 setup with matching Cusco rear and front diffs, and Starlink so we can livestream!

“I’m very excited to get back in the seat and battle with everyone again! There is just no other feeling like trading stage times with your closest competitors! The recent rains may have changed the surface a bit from last year, so we will update our notes as necessary.”

“Last year Trent and I finished first in class and second overall,” Michell added. “We’ll be pushing hard to claim the top spot this year. The field is tough with some really fast teams, but we’ll be giving it everything we can.

“We really enjoy the open-desert nature of Ridge. With far fewer trees than a forest rally, it really gives us the confidence to charge hard into the turns.

“It’s always great battling against Rob and Dillon—it makes for some great competition. KJ and Sara are very fast, so overcoming them will be a real challenge. And with this year being a two-day rally, anything can happen.”

Also excited to return to the stages, husband-and-wife pair Fritz and Brooke Croy will be taking on their third stage rally in their 2002 Subaru Impreza.

“We were incredibly fortunate to win the free entry, and we’re really excited to take on Ridge Rally for the first time,” Fritz Croy said. “It’s an event we’ve watched from a distance for a while, so getting the chance to finally compete there feels cool.

“This will be our third rally together as a husband-and-wife driver/co-driver team, and each event has helped us get more comfortable with our roles and rhythm in the car. Rally definitely tests your communication and trust, and we’ve learned a lot about how to work together under pressure. That partnership has become one of the best parts of the sport for us.”

Other NA4WD entries include the 2005 Subaru Impreza of Albert Goad and Loren Bench, the 2002 Subaru Impreza of James Pain and Mathew Lozano, and the 1988 Audi 80 of Christoph and Manuel Steinhagen.

Rounding out the four-wheel-drive classes, O4WD features eight entries, including the 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA of Matt Johnson and Nicky Zannis, the 2010 Subaru WRX STI of Charles Watson and Ben Triplett, and the 2004 Subaru WRX of Brett and Hunter Livingston.

Nemadji Trail Winter Rally Races Through Winter Forests

While their West Coast counterparts carve through the desert mountains, 13 teams will take on the wintery forests of Duquette, Minnesota, at the one-day Nemadji Trail Winter Rally on December 6.

The four-stage, two-loop rally covers 33 competitive miles and leaves teams little margin for error, as the tight itinerary offers few opportunities to claw back time after a mistake.

The action begins at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday following morning recce. The first two stages form an out-and-back loop of the “Nemadji Trail” stage, followed by a 20-minute service at the Duquette General Store. Competitors will then repeat the same loop to close out the event. An awards ceremony will take place at the Duquette Community Center at 6:30 p.m.

Despite the small field, competition is expected to be fierce. Previous winners of Nemadji Trail and the nearby Headwaters Rally are in attendance, along with newcomers from LAP Motorsports—bringing their new two-car MINI program as MINI USA continues its “Rally-Curious” exploration of American Rally. The team made their debut last month at the Show-Me Rally in Missouri

Team owner and driver Luis Perocarpi is expected to excel on the often-snowy roads of Nemadji in the team’s L4WD John Cooper Works (JCW) MINI Countryman, while his son Cristian Perocarpi campaigns the O2WD JCW MINI Cooper 2-door hardtop.

“We are very excited about our new rally program,” Perocarpi said. “We’ve been road racing MINIs professionally for ten years, where we earned four manufacturers’ championships and two drivers’ championships.

“Personally, I believe the brand should’ve been rallying. The classic MINI was born in 1959 and dominated the Monte Carlo Rally in the ’60s, so I think ARA is where we should be racing. My intention is to enter the 2026 National Championship.

“We have lots of experience in off-road and rally raid but not stage rally, so entering a couple of rallies this year is very important—we have a lot to learn!

“We finished putting the cars together right up until we had to show up for the Show-Me Rally technical inspection the evening before the start. It was a huge effort from our team that ended up better than expected.

“We have brake and damper upgrades in the works, but they won’t be ready for the Nemadji Trail Rally. The cars will continue to be completely OE spec other than safety items and tires.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather; it looks like there will be snow. The temperature will be in the low 20s, so I expect it to be quite hard and icy. That’s great—it’s an opportunity to learn something new.”

While many eyes will be on the MINIs, the Minnesota locals are back in force as they tackle their home winter rally.

Back-to-back winner and reigning Nemadji champion Silas Himes returns in his L4WD 2008 Subaru WRX STI, this time co-driven by Guinevere Himes, chased by two-time L4WD Central Regional Champions James Randall and Andrew Rausch in the TrAck BrAtZ Rally L4WD 2015 Subaru WRX.

Peter Farrow and Jackson Sedivy will also be pushing for the top after podiums at the Missouri Ozark Rally and Ojibwe Forests Regional Rally earlier this year.

“Nemadji is a fun kickstart to the race season, and certainly a switch from the summer heat of Headwaters and Ojibwe,” Farrow said.

“The fresh snow falling this week adds a great wrinkle. It will be frigid in the days leading up to the rally, so the track will be solidly in winter form. We’ll be ready with snow and rally tires, making that decision after recce.

“Last year certainly had its share of carnage—six cars went off in the first loop. Fresh snow and ice will be a good test.

“Last year’s Nemadji was Jackson’s first rally. He’s quickly become a solid crewmate, and we have a blast in the bugeye. He’s unshakable calling notes, and I’ve sure tested his nerves a few times!

“The Ojibwe Forests Rally group puts on great rallies. Thanks to everyone that helped bring it about. We’ll try to give them a show.”

On the NA4WD side, 2024 NA4WD Central Regional Champions Aidan and John Hicks return in their Dirty Urban Racing Team 1996 Subaru Impreza. Connor Himes and Elliot Prusi will be close behind in their 2001 Subaru Impreza, while Matt and Jackie James’ 2006 Subaru Impreza and Colin Gleason and Marc Gutenberger’s 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS round out the six-car field.

In two-wheel-drive, Cristian Perocarpi’s MINI Cooper JCW will go head-to-head with Josh Nykanen and Charlotte Himes’ 1987 Volkswagen Golf GTI as the two O2WD entries.

Nino Ortega and Michael Goldenstein compete as the lone L2WD entry in their 1986 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Follow the action live on the ARA social media channels and on ara-rally.com.

~Mason Runkel for the ARA