ARA National Championship Gets Gritty on the Sandy Roads of the Ojibwe Forest
- masonrunkel
- 12 minutes ago
- 9 min read
(Detroit Lakes, MN. August 20, 2025) ~ After a long mid-summer break during the month of July, the American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship Presented by Kubota heads to the Land of 10,000 Lakes August 21–23 for the round six of the 2025 season, the Ojibwe Forests Rally.
The sand-based gravel roads of Ojibwe have been a cornerstone of U.S. rallying since the event’s inception in 1980, as a Time-Speed-Distance competition. In 1986, it joined the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) ProRally Championship for the first time, and rally icon-in-the-making John Buffum triumphed over legends like Rod Millen, Doug Shepherd, and Paul Choiniere in his Audi Quattro.
This year, 35 competitors will add to the event’s storied history, tackling 142 stage miles over 20 stages across three days in Minnesota’s Northwoods, near the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River.
The event kicks off Thursday night at the Soo Pass Ranch with the “Rock, Roll, and Rally Super Special,” where live music and rally action share the spotlight. Following Parc Expose, competitors will take two passes through the half-mile “Soo Pass” stage while fans enjoy live entertainment on the main stage.
Friday, the forest stages begin at 1 p.m., with competitors tackling “Refuge,” “Crossroads,” “Steamboat” and “Spur” before a service in Itasca. From there, teams set out for a second loop of the same stages at 5:40 p.m., finishing for the day at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s action begins at 10 a.m. with the “Otterkill,” “Kanten Trail,” “Height o’ Land” and “Anchor Mattson” stages, which are then repeated after service in Itasca. National competitors return to “Otterkill” one last time for the extra-points-paying Power Stage before rejoining the regional competitors at the new “Bemidji Street Stage Super Special” to end the rally with a 0.62-mile stage in front of fans at the Stanford Center.
RC2-Class Highlighted with Strong Entry
As has been the case for many of 2025’s events, the ever-growing RC2 class will shine once again at Ojibwe, as this year’s entry comprises 25% of all national competitors and is the largest the rally has seen since the class was introduced in ARA competition in 2020.
Conner Martell’s Martell Racing 2C Compétition Škoda Fabia Rally2 will return after a win just a few weeks ago at the Super Regional Boone Forest Rally in McKee, Kentucky. Despite beginning the season in an open-class Subaru WRX, Martell and co-driver Alex Gelsomino are committed to the Škoda for the remainder of the 2025 season and aim to land their first national overall podium with the car at Ojibwe.
Also fresh off a fast run in Kentucky, the Green APU entry of Patrick Gruszka continues his RC2 Championship push at Ojibwe in his Hyundai i20 R5 with co-driver John Hall at his side. Currently leading in the RC2 points over Ryan Booth, Gruszka is looking forward to his first Ojibwe Forests Rally since 2022.
“It’s the first time I’m back at the Ojibwe Forest Rally since 2022 in the Mirage,” Gruszka said, “so it’s exciting to tackle the roads once again. I’m excited to also jump back in the car with Mr. Hall to keep progressing as a driver and continue to have fun and learn. Overall, I’m just embracing this season and having some fun alongside my teammate Alastair [Scully]. Coming from the Boone Forest Rally after a month break, I’m hoping to keep gaining some speed!”
As mentioned by Gruszka, Green APU teammate Alastair Scully will also be competing in an i20 R5 with co-driver Stefan Trajkov at his side.
Javier Olivares and KJ Miller will also be looking for their second class win of the season after taking gold in the RC2 class at the Oregon Trail Rally earlier this year. Despite not having run the full calendar to this point, their Ford Fiesta Rally2 will remain a threat at Ojibwe.
Finally, the RC COMPETITION Audi A1 Maxx Rally of Roberto Yglesias and David Ma will round out the RC2 class at Ojibwe.
While the RC2 class will battle each other for the class win, they’ll also be competing with the championship leaders for the overall victory. Subaru Motorsports USA’s (SMSUSA) Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams make their first appearance on stage since the Southern Ohio Forest Rally back in mid-June, where they placed 17th in the national field after an off halfway through the second day forced them to retire and rejoin on day three.
Back for Ojibwe in their Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) Subaru WRX ARA25, the duo is looking to lock up the championship with a win and maximum Power Stage points, which would put them just out of reach of the second-place team of Martell and Gelsomino heading into the final two rounds.
Also aiming to do battle for the overall podium is SMSUSA’s Travis Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino. The pair are returning from a class-leading outing at the July 19-20 Super Regional Rally Colorado in their Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) Subaru WRX ARA25L, which they debuted at the Olympus Rally earlier this year.
Their pace in the Limited car rivals top RC2 competitors, making them a clear podium threat. Entered in the Limited and Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (LN4) class, Pastrana and Gelsomino are the favorites to win, but will face stiff competition for the class podium.
Rallycross star Georgie Megennis returns after her U.S. stage rally debut at May’s Oregon Trail Rally, where she piloted her Ford Fiesta Rally3 to a third-place overall finish in her first rally in the car. Once again driving alongside Michael Szewczyk, she’s back for more stage rally experience in Minnesota.
Canadian Vincent Trudel also returns to ARA stages for the first time since 2024’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, this time with Glen Ray in the passenger seat of his 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI L4WD car.
Competition from Madelyn Tabor and Sophia McKee, and Stephen and Katie Gingras will also contribute to the LN4 podium battle at Ojibwe.
LN4 Runner Up Switched to Two-Wheel-Drive
Despite currently holding second place in the LN4 Championship, Sean Donnelly and Zach Pfell will switch to an Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) class Argonaut Motor Club Peugeot 208 Rally4 for Ojibwe.
The Peugeot has already seen success on U.S. stages this year, taking one-off class wins in the hands of Calle Carlberg at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood and Sean Johnston at Olympus, as well as additional success in Canada. Now, Renault Clio Rally3 regulars Donnelly and Pfeil move behind the wheel of the Peugeot to try to add to the car’s record of success.
Their competition will be tough, as many top O2WD championship competitors make up the rest of the entry for the class.
Multi-time National Champion Seamus Burke and Gary McElhinney also return in their MkII Ford Escort, looking to claim their first win of the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, Matthew Nykanen and Lars Anderson make their return to competition after being absent for the past two rounds but still sitting second in the class ranking, just six points behind class championship leader Michael Hooper.
2024 L2WD champions Richo Healey and Michelle Miller also return to Ojibwe, hoping to take their Lexus IS350 to the top.
“We're super excited going into Ojibwe,” said Healey. “Boone [Forest Rally] gave us a good opportunity to get more comfortable in the car and experiment with some new things. The weekend was a bit of a mixed bag for us, but looking at the times, when we were on, we were pretty on.
“Unfortunately, Hooper not coming out means we won't be able to use him as a benchmark—but with Nykanen returning, Seamus hopefully having sorted out his car drama, and Donnelly joining in the [Peugeot] 208—the National O2WD battle is shaping up to be pretty awesome.”
In the Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) class, it’s once again expected to be a battle between father Mark Tabor, co-driven by Kathryn Hansen, and son Henry Tabor, co-driven by Dylan Hooker, for the win. The two Tabors are tied for second in the points championship with 59 apiece, making Ojibwe an important battleground as the season winds down.
“Henry has more success at Ojibwe than I probably do,” Mark said, “though I’ve done it seven or eight times, and he’s done it once. But there are no team orders for how we compete next weekend.
“Our only rule between us is that we both must take care of the equipment, with limited time until Overmountain Rally Tennessee [in September].”
“Ojibwe is a special event for me, as it's the event where I scored my maiden National podium in 2024, and my first podium after my horrific Road America crash in 2023,” Henry added. “I'm hoping to capitalize on the competition in National L2 and score a maiden rally win, beating my dad to the top step.
“Winning an event in a rally has been a dream since I can remember. Growing up watching my dad rally in America has sparked such a mission to follow in his footsteps, and Ojibwe could be the place it happens.
“I'm also excited for the Bemidji street stage. It's like our own Monaco, and the fan activation has me expecting a great return for the stage. The goal is to be there and put on a 2WD show for everyone!”
Also in L2WD, Scott Pedersen returns for his second rally after campaigning an IS250 at Boone Forest Rally, where he landed third in class. He will once again be co-driven by Ryan Scott. Also in their class and battling for the win, the Ford Fiesta ST of Nicholas and David Tippmann returns after their class podium in Ohio.
Central Region Championship Heats Up
Alongside the Ojibwe Forests National Rally, the Ojibwe Forests Super Regional Rally follows the same itinerary, minus the Power Stage, making for an exciting 134 miles for the 15 regional competitors entered.
Currently, three competitors are in a position to take the Central Region Championship points lead from the absent Ryan Rethy, with just three rounds remaining.
Currently second in the championship, Dustin Peterke and Robert Judge have impressed in their Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) 2000 Subaru Impreza in their debut season. After winning at the Headwaters Rally, which shares roads with Ojibwe, and taking second at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, the pair sit only three points off the lead, meaning a finish in the top half of the field could elevate them above leader Rethy. Other competitors, however, will be doing everything they can to make things difficult.
Fellow NA4WD competitors Aidan and John Hicks finished second in last year’s Ojibwe Forests Super Regional Rally, behind only Matthew Nykanen, who has moved up to the National Championship for 2025. They’ll be looking to take down Peterke and Judge for the overall victory in their 1996 Subaru Impreza.
Other NA4WD threats include Matt and Jackie James, Jack Nelson and Isaac Zink, and Richard and Greg Donovan, all driving an assortment of Subaru Imprezas.
The next threat for the championship lead is the L4WD Subaru Impreza of Peter Farrow and Jackson Sedivy. Farrow is currently just six points behind Peterke and easily within reach of the championship lead, but the competing Impreza of Scott and Elizabeth Crouch poses a threat with a higher speed factor, starting first on the road in the class.
Jason Cook and Margaret Tu will also be looking for the class win in their 2004 Subaru WRX.
The final competitors in contention for the championship lead are Levi and Griffin Johnson in their 1986 BMW 325. The duo won the O2WD class at Headwaters and took an overall podium on similar roads against a similar field. While they’re in contention to move into the overall championship lead, they’re even closer to the O2WD championship lead, just two points behind fellow competitors Scott Parrott and Shawn Silewski.
“Ojibwe is a unique event,” Levi explained. “An extreme mix of very fast and very slow and technical, tight roads with many cautions, as well as flat out wide! The road conditions vary dramatically between stages and are heavily affected by the competitors. Loose gravel is initially swept away, revealing some good grip, but later turns into deep ruts and berms. We expect our skidplate to get quite the workout.
“We placed 1st in class and 3rd overall at Headwaters a few months ago, which gave us some good insight into Ojibwe, as they utilize some of the same roads.
“I was also fortunate to attend a class at Dirtfish Rally School that was gifted to me as part of a prize package won at a previous event. It was a great opportunity to sharpen my skills in between events. My instructor, Michelle Miller, will be co-driving for another O2WD competitor, Richo Healey, and we hope to have some good racing between them and others in our class.
“Our main focus for this event will be running a fast and clean race to hopefully gain us enough points to put us in the lead of the O2WD class Central Regional Championship. It will be a balance between risk mitigation and keeping enough pace to stay ahead of others in our class. Only the race weekend will tell if our prep and plan pans out.”
In addition to the class-championship-leading Chevrolet S10 of Parrott and Silewski, the Johnsons will take on Joshua Nykanen and Corey Morris’ VW Golf GTI, Andrew Cowan and John Vinti’s VW Jetta VR6, and Drake Willis’ Ford Focus ZX3.
L2WD’s lone entrant is Brent Lucio’s Ford Fiesta ST, while O4WD’s sole team is the 1995 Subaru Impreza of Joshua and Danielle Kemp.
Follow the action live this weekend on the ARA social media channels and on ara-rally.com.
~Mason Runkle for the ARA
Media Contact:
Scott McKee