ARA Announces Full 2027 Calendar with 23 Events Across 12 States
[Burlington, VT., Nov 13, 2026] – From the desert mountains of Southern California to the snow-covered forests of northern Michigan, the American Rally Association (ARA) will bring stage rally competition to 12 states in 2027, with a full calendar of 23 events showcasing the geographic and cultural diversity of American rallying.
The schedule features eight National Championship rallies—each accompanied by a concurrent Super Regional—two standalone Super Regionals, eight Regional rallies, and five RallySprints. Together, the events span four championships—national plus three regional championships, East, Central, and West—providing competition opportunities for crews at every level of the sport.
Beyond its geographic reach, the ARA schedule reflects the variety of challenges unique to American rallying. Competitors can expect frozen winter roads flanked by deep snowbanks, high-speed gravel logging roads, tight and twisty forest tracks, rugged and rock-strewn mountain passes. And all of it happens rain or shine, day and, often, night.
Culturally, ARA host towns from the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest to the hills and hollows of the Great Smoky Mountains are as diverse and distinct as they could be, with each community having its own history, heritage, cuisine, and rally traditions. Nevertheless, all share common traits: a love of outdoor fun and adventure and the thrill of high-speed competition.
Alongside ARA's 23-event calendar, the previously announced return of the FIA World Rally Championship to Tennessee further highlights the growing prominence of rallying in the United States, setting the stage for a landmark year for the sport.
America’s Only National Stage Rally Championship
ARA’s 2027 National Championship will again feature eight events, starting with Northern Michigan’s Sno*Drift Rally, February 5-6, but for the first time, the tour will extend into November as the Boone Forest Rally—based in the foothills of Appalachia midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Knoxville, Tennessee—steps up to National status, serving as the new ARA season finale, November 12-13.
Oregon Trail Rally, which spans the Oregon-Washington border, approximately 90 minutes east of Portland, returns to its traditional May date (May 14-16) as round four of the series after using 2026 to rebuild its organizing committee and event infrastructure.
Other national tour stops include yearly favorites: Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Salem & Potosi, Mo., Mar. 12-13), Olympus Rally (Shelton, Wash., Apr. 17-18), Southern Ohio Forest Rally (Chilicothe & Portsmouth, Ohio, June 10-12), Rally Colorado (Rangely, Colo., July 24-25), and the Lake Superior Performance Rally (Marquette, Mich., Oct. 8-9).
Late summer will see the return of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to American soil for the first time in nearly 40 years. With the American Rally community, including ARA officials, event organizers, and experienced rally competitors and volunteers from across the country lending their attention and support to the WRC’s Hankook Rally US in late August, Overmountain Rally Tennessee will go on hiatus for 2027.
From the Desert to the Forest, West Regional Championship Spans Four States
The seven-round 2027 ARA West Regional Championship stretches from the Mojave Desert to the damp forests of the Olympic Peninsula, with stops in Colorado and Oregon along the way.
Kicking off with the Ridge Rally in Tehachapi, California, approximately 90 minutes north of Los Angeles, the season starts with one of the most distinctive desert rallies on the calendar, as teams navigate dramatic elevation changes and a mixture of flat-out roads and technical mountain switchbacks. Formerly held in December, the event moves to January 9–10 to kick off the 2026 West Regional Championship.
Following Ridge Rally is the Wild West Rally on the gravel roads near Raymond, Washington, February 28, returning to their more traditional format as a Regional round after running as a RallySprint in 2026.
From there, crews move deeper into the Southwest as Arizona hosts the Prescott Rally March 20–21. Based in Prescott Valley, approximately 100 miles north of Phoenix, the historic event retains its spring date as competitors battle through the dusty mountain roads of central Arizona.
The first Super Regional round of the West Championship takes place alongside the National Championship as ARA returns to the mountain logging roads and unpredictable conditions of the Olympus Rally on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, southwest of Seattle, April 17–18.
Oregon Trail Rally regains its National Championship status for 2027, offering another concurrent Super Regional round to West competitors through the rolling hills and open farmland surrounding Goldendale, Washington, and Dufur, Oregon, approximately 90 minutes east of Portland, May 14–16.
Returning once more to the high desert, Rally Colorado offers another Super Regional alongside round six of the National Championship, July 24–25. Based in Rangely, Colorado, near the Utah border, competitors will tackle the rocky, high-altitude roads that produced high attrition rates and dramatic battles during the event's National Championship debut in 2026.
Finally, the ARA West Regional Championship returns to the logging roads surrounding Shelton, Washington, southwest of Seattle, for the one-day regional Tour de Forest Rally on October 3, closing out the seven-round season.
Seven Central Rounds Build Unpredictable Regional Championship
Spanning three states, the seven-round 2027 ARA Central Regional Championship takes competitors from the fast gravel roads of Missouri's Ozark Mountains to the sandy forests and unpredictable winter conditions of the Upper Midwest.
Beginning in December 2026 with the Nemadji Trail Winter Rally, competitors can get a jump start on the 2027 season with the single-day regional event near Duquette, Minnesota, south of Duluth, on December 5. Nemadji offers a unique winter challenge, with frozen gravel, snow, and ice often combining to create unpredictable conditions.
From there, the championship heads south to the eastern Ozarks of Missouri, southwest of St. Louis, for the high-speed, wide-open roads of the Mark Twain National Forest. The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, March 12–13, is round three of the ARA National Championship and offers a concurrent Central Region Super Regional, allowing local competitors a shot at one of the fastest events on the ARA calendar.
The championship returns to northern Minnesota for the Headwaters Rally on May 22. Based in Walker, near Leech Lake, the single-day regional event promises a compact but challenging itinerary through the Paul Bunyan State Forest, featuring technical gravel sections and flowing roads shared with the Ojibwe Forests Rally.
Missouri's Ozark Mountains welcome competitors back on July 10 for the Missouri Ozark Rally in Steelville, southwest of St. Louis. Utilizing roads familiar to competitors from the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, the one-day regional event affords another opportunity to tackle the region's fast, flowing gravel stages, including the famous Cattle Guard Jump.
The Ojibwe Forests Rally returns September 10–11, stepping back from National Championship status to become a standalone Super Regional event for 2027. Based in Bemidji, Minnesota, approximately four hours northwest of Minneapolis, the two-day rally challenges competitors with fast, sandy forest roads through Minnesota's Northwoods, offering one of the most distinctive driving experiences in American rallying.
The Lake Superior Performance Rally brings competitors to the colorful fall foliage of Michigan's Upper Peninsula for a Super Regional alongside round seven of the ARA National Championship, October 7–9. Based in Marquette, the event's unpredictable weather, technical forest stages, and demanding conditions have earned LSPR its reputation as “The oldest, meanest, toughest rally on the circuit.”
Finally, one more trip to the Show-Me State closes out the Central championship, as teams return to Potosi, Missouri, on November 6 for the one-day Show Me Rally. With the familiar high-speed gravel roads of the Mark Twain National Forest providing one final challenge, regional competitors will have their last opportunity to secure valuable championship points before the season concludes.
Nemadji Trails Winter Rally marks the beginning of the 2028 season on December 5, 2027.
Four-Round East Regional Championship Offers Demanding Forest Challenges
With no events shorter than two days, the four-round 2027 ARA East Regional Championship brings competitors from the frozen roads of Michigan to the hot summer forests of Ohio and Pennsylvania before concluding in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky.
Beginning February 5–6 with the traditional ARA National Championship season opener, Sno*Drift, the East Championship challenges competitors on the snow- and ice-covered roads surrounding Atlanta, Michigan, approximately three hours north of Detroit. One of the only snow and ice rallies in the world where studded tires are prohibited, Sno*Drift sees the lack of grip become the great equalizer across classes and competitors, regional and national.
From there, the East Championship heads to Chillicothe, Ohio, south of Columbus, for the three-day Southern Ohio Forest Rally, round five of the ARA National Championship, June 10–12. Mixing gravel and tarmac, the rally has quickly established itself as one of the National Championship's most technically demanding events since joining the calendar in 2020, with summer heat and sharp elevation changes through Ohio's Shawnee and Zaleski State Forests presenting unique challenges.
The Pennsylvania staple Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) joins as round three of the East Regional Championship, July 8–10. As a standalone Super Regional event, STPR offers some of the tightest and most technical forest roads on the calendar through Pennsylvania's Susquehannock and Tioga State Forests near Wellsboro, approximately two hours south of Rochester, New York. Rocky stages, blind crests, and the famous Waste Management Jump have made the event a favorite among competitors and spectators for nearly five decades.
Finally, the East Championship concludes alongside the newest addition to the ARA National Championship, the Boone Forest Rally, November 11–13. Based in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Kentucky, approximately halfway between Lexington and Knoxville, Tennessee, the rally moves from its traditional summer date to November as it steps up to become a National Championship round for the first time. Competitors will tackle the smooth, hard-packed gravel roads of the Daniel Boone National Forest as both championships reach their season finales.
RallySprints Expand Competition Opportunities
Five RallySprint events further expand the opportunities for competitors to experience stage rally in a shorter, more accessible format.
Four events will take place at the Rally Ranch in Dale, Texas, approximately 40 minutes from Austin. The Rally Ranch Classic opens the RallySprint schedule February 19-20, followed by Rally Austin on May 21-22, Lost Pines on October 22-23, and Do it for Dale on December 10-11.
The Pacific Northwest hosts the fifth event; the Mike Nagle RallySprint plans to return November 7, pending local event calendar confirmation, near St. Helens, Oregon, northwest of Portland, continuing the region's longstanding stage rally traditions.
2027 American Rally Association National Calendar
February 5-6 - Sno*Drift Rally
March 12-13 - Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
April 17-18 - Olympus Rally
May 14-16 - Oregon Trail Rally
June 10-12 - Southern Ohio Forest Rally
July 24-25 - Rally Colorado
October 7-9 - Lake Superior Performance Rally
November 11-13 - Boone Forest Rally
2027 American Rally Association East Region Calendar
February 5-6 - Sno*Drift Rally (Super Regional)
June 10-12 - Southern Ohio Forest Rally (Super Regional)
July 8-10 - Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (Super Regional)
November 11-13 - Boone Forest Rally (Super Regional)
2027 American Rally Association Central Region Calendar
December 5, 2026 - Nemadji Forest Rally
March 12-13 - Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (Super Regional)
May 22 - Headwaters Rally
July 10 - Missouri Ozark Rally
September 10-11 - Ojibwe Forests Rally (Super Regional)
October 7-9 - Lake Superior Performance Rally (Super Regional)
November 6 - Show-Me Rally
2027 American Rally Association West Region Calendar
January 9-10 - Ridge Rally
February 28 - Wild West Rally
March 20-21 - Prescott Rally
April 17-18 - Olympus Rally (Super Regional)
May 14-16 - Oregon Trail Rally (Super Regional)
July 24-25 - Rally Colorado (Super Regional)
October 3 - Tour de Forest Rally
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
