98-Car Field to Celebrate Group B History at Kubota Olympus Rally

(Shelton, Wash. April 13, 2026) — The third round of the 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship will be on the hallowed grounds of the Kubota Olympus Rally, where nearly 100 total competitors will take on almost 200 miles of mountain switchbacks and logging roads, April 17–19.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its 1986 World Rally Championship (WRC) running, famously the final event of the Group B Era, Olympus returns as the longest rally in ARA history. The 198-mile, three-day itinerary will push both drivers and machines to their limits.

The 37-car National entry list includes National champions from the USA, Mexico, and Canada, World Rally Championship (WRC) legends, a record 12 RC2 entries, and 17 FIA-homologated cars, further highlighting the championship’s rapid growth on the global stage.

Kubota continues its support of the ARA, adding title sponsor of the landmark event to its 2026 American Rally program. The rally blends Olympus’ historic WRC roots with the demands of modern ARA competition, featuring a ceremonial start at Toyota of Olympia and the return of several iconic roads from the Group B Era. At the same time, modern challenges such as the relentless “Wildcat” stage remain central to the rally’s identity.

From high-elevation mountain passes to flat-out forest straights, Olympus offers some of the most demanding roads in American rallying, often compared to classic Welsh and British stages, with unpredictable rain and dense fog adding to the challenge.

Competition begins Friday, April 17 with a 3:30 p.m. ceremonial start following a 2:00 p.m. Parc Exposé at Toyota of Olympia. Crews will then head straight into action, tackling “Taylor Towne” before the rally’s first major test, the daunting 18.48-mile “Wildcat” stage. A service splits two identical loops, with the second run taking place in darkness.

Saturday features a Parc Exposé in downtown Shelton from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., followed by stages at “Dayton,” “Stillwater,” and the 25.86-mile “Nahwatzel Meadows,” once again running late into the night.

The rally concludes Sunday with 57 miles of stages across “Kuhnle,” “Schafer,” and “Deckerville 43,” before “Mason Lake,” a staple of the Group B era, serves as the Power Stage, awarding bonus championship points to the top finishers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing Expands Effort with Jari-Matti Latvala Entry at Olympus

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) continues its expansion into American Rally with a second entry at Olympus, as team principal and 18-time WRC winner Jari-Matti Latvala joins the event behind the wheel of the Toyota GR Corolla Rally RC2.

Latvala’s entry marks his first competitive start in the United States, adding further intrigue to an already stacked field as fans look ahead to his performance on Washington’s demanding stages. He will be co-driven by Tuukka Shemeikka.

The move comes as part of Toyota’s broader development program for the GR Corolla Rally RC2, which showed promising pace in its debut at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood last month.

“It’s going to be really interesting to see for my first time competing in America,” Latvala told DirtFish. “I did five tests last year, but to do the rally – this is new. I want to see how is everything? How are the fans, the roads, everything?”

Toyota technical director Tom Fowler emphasized the long-term focus of the program.

“It’s important to note this isn’t a car where we’re going into America in a ‘yee-haa’ fashion looking to show everyone what we can do,” he told DirtFish. “This is about developing a car for customers in a cost-effective fashion.”

Meanwhile, Toyota’s primary driver Seth Quintero continues his exploration from the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) to stage rally in his second ARA start, with additional support from Latvala throughout the event weekend.

“And for Seth, of course, I support and try to help him.” Latvala told DirtFish. “We will do a test before the event, so I’ll try to make sure the setup is good for him also to start the rally and also give him some tips.”

Reigning Champions Clash in Stacked RC2 Class

In addition to Toyota’s growing presence, Olympus has attracted a stacked RC2 field headlined by four-time reigning ARA National Champions Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams, as well as the reigning Canadian and former Mexican National Champion driver pairing of Ricardo Cordero and Marco Hernandez.

Semenuk returns to ARA competition for a one-off appearance in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 as he continues to pursue a European-based program in 2026.

“To have a driver of Jari-Matti’s caliber on this side of the Atlantic isn’t something that happens every day,” Semenuk told DirtFish. “Competing against him would be a fantastic opportunity to understand where my pace is without making a big trip overseas… The guy’s a legend and clearly still a very capable driver. I’d love to race him.”

Following a victory in their most recent ARA appearance at the 2025 Oregon Trail Rally, Cordero and Hernandez return in their Citroën C3 Rally2.

“It was very important for me to be here,” Cordero said. “It’s the closest thing we have to a WRC-level event on U.S. soil, especially now with a WRC star in the field.

“Our goal is to be on the podium. Beating Latvala will be very difficult.”

Adding to the deep talent pool of the RC2-class field, Lia Block returns in the Rockstar Energy–backed Hyundai i20 Rally2 looking to continue her progression against the sport’s top names.

Tom Williams and Ross Whittock also return to American Rally after leading much of Round Two, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, before a late-stage puncture dropped them from contention. Their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 is expected to be well suited to Olympus’ technical stages.

Also returning are the Green APU–backed Hyundai i20 Rally2 crews of Pat Gruszka and Florian Barral, along with teammates Alastair Scully and Stefan Trajkov, both showing strong pace earlier this season. ARA regular and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell continues his development in the Mitsubishi Mirage R4.

New additions to the class include a pair of Ford Fiesta R5s, the first piloted by Nolan Abell and Leah Brisset, and the second by Andrii Shevchenko, who brings over a decade of rally experience in Ukraine to his ARA debut, and his co-driver ARA regular Dylan Hooker.

While not part of the RC2 category, several Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) entries could factor into the overall fight. Matthew Dickinson and Chris Kremer return with their WRX STI–powered Subaru BRZ following a rebuild after their Ojibwe Forests Rally crash in 2024, and Lithuanian driver Martynas Samsonas and co-driver Ugnius Vainevicius make their first Olympus appearance in a Steven Redd Racing Subaru WRX STI supported by Vex Performance.

Subaru Leads Overall as LN4 Rivals Close In at Olympus

Subaru Motorsports USA’s (SMSUSA) Travis Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino enter the third round of the championship as the overall ARA National Championship leaders following an impressive performance against stiff competition on the wide-open roads of last month’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

The Vermont SportsCar-built Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) Subaru WRX ARA25L’s relatively long wheelbase and powerful 2.4L turbo boxer, combined with Pastrana and Gelsomino’s expertise, gave them a narrow edge over the Rally2-soaked field. Nevertheless, they’ll face a greater challenge on Olympus’ tight and winding roads, where lighter, more nimble cars are expected to have the advantage.

“Olympus is an extremely technical and fun rally,” Pastrana said. “It feels like a British Championship rally, with fog and rain likely.”

“This event always has some of the trickiest conditions in the USA,” Gelsomino added. “You never quite know what weather you’ll get. It’s the type of rally that tests everything—technical sections, fast sections, a huge mix of conditions.

“Travis and I go into this one leading the championship, but rallies like this don’t give you anything easy.”

In addition to the overall championship chase, their competition in the combined L4WD and Normally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) class, known as LN4, continues to challenge their hold on the class lead.

Just five points off the LN4 lead, Sno*Drift overall winner Mark Piatkowski and co-driver Sara Nonack enter Olympus behind the wheel of an NA4WD Steven Redd Racing H6-swapped 2011 Subaru Impreza, previously campaigned to an NA4WD Cup victory by Arek Bialobrzeski in 2023.

Three Rally3 machines will also be in contention for the top spot, as their smaller size and quick acceleration suit Olympus’ technical stages.

DirtFish Women in Motorsport driver Aoife Raftery continues her campaign in her Standard Motorsports Ford Fiesta Rally3 after finishing second in class at 100 Acre Wood. This time joined by Hannah McKillop, Raftery prepared for Olympus by competing in last weekend’s Severn Valley Stages in Wales.

Last year’s Ken Block 43VER award winners Madelyn Tabor and Sophia McKee return in a brand new Steven Redd Racing Ford Fiesta Rally3. After doubling their speed factor at Olympus in 2025, the pair will look to carry that momentum into a strong debut in the new car.

“Sophia and I are really excited to finally debut our Rally3 with Steven Redd Racing at Olympus!” Tabor said.

“We previously tested the car at DirtFish, and it’s such a blast to drive. The car performs exceptionally well on some of the more technical roads that Olympus has to offer, so I’m expecting it to be a good event for us.

“We are both excited to be part of what will be a historic event for Olympus and the ARA. Our big goals this year are to achieve a strong debut in the car and to finish.”

Roberto Yglesias also brings a Ford Fiesta Rally3 as he and co-driver Aris Mantopoulos continue to get to grips with the platform. With Olympus serving as a home event of sorts, and multiple ARA National class wins to his name—including a 2022 L2WD Olympus victory—he has the potential to impress.

Multi-time Olympus Regional Rally overall winners and two-time reigning ARA West Regional overall champions Andy Miller and Shaun Tracy move into a National entry for the first time in their EZ30R-swapped NA4WD 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

“We are excited to be a part of this event,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of history here, and I’m fortunate enough to be one of the few who get to race on these world-class roads.

“We’re looking forward to the large field of cars and teams that generally don’t race on this side of the country. We have won overall regionally the last three years—this year, however, we have entered nationally looking to compete with new teams and a new level of competition.”

The MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 of the John Cooper Works Race Team, in partnership with LAP Motorsports, makes its West Coast debut in the hands of Luis Perocarpi and Carlos Schrunder. The mostly stock MINI continues to prove its capability on some of America’s most demanding stages as the team showcases the capability of their MINI USA-backed factory vehicles.

American 2WD Favorites Face Off with European Rally4s at Olympus

Last year at Olympus Rally, Stellantis made a statement by placing Team FJ Peugeot 208 Rally4 cars first and second on the podium at the hands of Sean Johnston and Mike Arsenault—the first time a front-wheel-drive car had taken the Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) class victory since 2017.

This year, two more Peugeot 208 Rally4s are entered as part of the Stellantis Rally Cup North America. Running in parallel with the Canadian Rally Championship (CRC), the Stellantis Cup offers a structured, prize-backed pathway into international rallying through a multi-event points format across North America.

Open exclusively to Peugeot 208 Rally4 competitors, the Stellantis Rally Cup North America provides cash awards, development support, and a potential pathway to FIA-level competition with support from Team FJ for infrastructure and logistics. Argonaut Motor Club and Team FJ, official affiliates of the Cup, support entrants by offering arrive-and-drive Peugeot 208 Rally4 rentals and technical assistance, lowering the barrier for drivers looking to compete without committing to full car ownership.

At Olympus, Daniel Shalev and Betsy Nguyen, along with William Tung and Michael Szewczyk, will represent the Peugeot contingent in Argonaut Motor Club-run 208s as they chase both Cup points and the O2WD class victory.

While the Rally4 entries will draw significant attention, they will face stiff competition from established American competitors in larger, more powerful rear-wheel-drive machinery.

Long-time rallyist and three-time O2WD National Championship runner-up Michael Hooper returns to the region he learned to drive in, piloting his River City Rally Lexus IS350 alongside co-driver Michael Farrow, aiming for a fourth class podium on Washington roads.

Richo Healey and Michelle Miller, the 2024 Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) National Champions and 2025 O2WD National runners-up, will campaign a different package this weekend, trading their usual Lexus IS350 for the Nordic Motorsports twin-turbo 2013 Subaru BRZ—the same chassis Lia Block used to secure her 2023 O2WD Championship.

“Olympus is such an iconic rally and this being a big round anniversary is unbelievably cool, although for me personally I'm more excited about 200+ stage miles,” Healy admitted.

“The opportunity to grow and develop, driving one of, if not the fastest O2WD car in the country is simply too good to pass up, especially given the length of the rally. While it's easy to tell yourself it's a marathon not a sprint, we will be looking for stage wins right out of the gate.”

2025 ARA Ken Block Rookie of the Year Matthew Nykanen also makes the trip west in his 1998 BMW 328i. After battling tire wear in his more powerful 2026 build at 100 Acre Wood, he will look to rebound and secure his second class victory of the season following his win at Sno*Drift.

The John Cooper Works Race Team continues its two-car effort with its O2WD MINI Cooper JCW, piloted by David Quillen, bringing the factory-backed MINI to Olympus for the first time.

In the L2WD class, Tim Wickberg and Matthew Trott return with their FA24-swapped 2016 Subaru BRZ for their second event with the car. After a class victory at the 2025 Prescott Rally, the team looks to build on that momentum at the same event where they claimed their first class win in 2020.

Father-and-son duo Mark and Henry Tabor also return to their home-state stages, with Jack Gillow-Wiles (alongside Henry) and Katheryn Hansen (alongside Mark) co-driving the pair of Ford Fiesta STs. Henry enters Olympus looking for back-to-back class victories following his win at 100 Acre Wood.

“Coming off a scrappy-but-successful 100 Acre Wood, car 210 is ready for a return to our home stages,” Henry said.

“The car has gone through some upgrades since it was last run, most notably the cooling system fix we've been chasing.

“I have a lot of great memories on these roads… and we’ve joined forces again this year looking for one spot better than last year.”

Rounding out the National L2WD field, Ryan McGrath and Glen Ray, along with John Barnett and Lucas Laeser, bring a pair of River City Rally Lexus IS250s, while Stephan and Bo Kravets enter in a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST.

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

~Mason Runkel for the ARA