ARA O2WD Champ Shalev Earns Inaugural Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup at Charlevoix
La Malbaie, Quebec, November 2, 2026 — Danny Shalev and co-driver Glen Ray claimed the inaugural Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America championship following a second-place Cup finish at the Canadian Rally Championship's (CRC) Rallye de Charlevoix, October 30–November 1. The result secured the American duo their third championship title of 2026, adding to their American Rally Association (ARA) Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) Drivers' and Co-Drivers' titles.
The pair secured the championship by an 11-point margin in their Argonaut Motor Club Peugeot 208 Rally4, finishing behind Canadian rivals Vincent Lalande and Fabien Craen, who won the Cup classification at Charlevoix.
Shalev and Ray entered the double-points-paying Cup finale with a 21-point advantage over Lalande and Craen, carrying 122 points to their rivals' 101. The standings were determined by each crew's four highest-scoring regular-season results across all eligible ARA and CRC rounds, plus their performance at the double-points semifinal at the ARA's Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) in Marquette, Michigan, October 9-10.
With 30 points awarded for second place, plus additional bonuses for starting and finishing, Shalev and Ray secured the championship with 156 points to Lalande and Craen's 145.
Shalev made his ARA debut in 2026 at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, where he placed third in the National O2WD class. Glen Ray joined him for the first time at Southern Ohio Forest Rally, where the pair finished second in class and first among Stellantis Cup competitors, repeating the result at Rally Colorado.
The duo then went on a three-rally winning streak in O2WD, beginning at Ojibwe Forests Rally, where Shalev took the championship lead. Their second consecutive victory came at Overmountain Rally Tennessee, where Shalev secured the ARA O2WD Drivers' Championship, before completing the hat trick at the ARA season finale at LSPR, where Ray clinched the O2WD Co-Drivers' Championship.
“The year has been incredible, and doing close to a full season of ARA has definitely prepped me for competing in the final rounds of the Stellantis Cup,” said Shalev. “The atmosphere and hype surrounding the Cup at LSPR and Charlevoix is amazing, especially considering the future where there will be even more cars!
“Finishing second at Charlevoix was more than enough to secure the Stellantis Cup, keeping in line with the goal of staying clean! I'm happy with Glen's and my approach of building up speed and respecting the roads, which are very technical in places. Vincent Lalande continued to be a very good benchmark of how fast the roads can be driven, which was expected!
“And most importantly, Argonaut and the crew are responsible for the insanely reliable and consistent results this year!”
“Charlevoix went about 95% of how Danny and I had planned and prepared for,” said Ray. “We came in with a game plan of continuing to write great notes, executing clean stages the way he had all year, placing trust in our Argonaut team, trusting the strength and reliability of the Stellantis Peugeot 208, and having a great time. The Rallye de Charlevoix organizers, volunteers, and support from the community made the championship win that much more enjoyable, and I can’t thank them enough for that.
“It’s a great honor to be a part of the inaugural Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America. Jérôme Galpin has created an incredible championship that embodies the spirit of rally while showing the world not just the amazing capabilities of the vehicle, but the level of prowess from all the competitors.
“Personally, having won the ARA L2WD championship last year was an amazing high. Having won another championship with a different driver in O2WD this year AND the Stellantis Cup… I’m going to ride this high for a couple of weeks. Then, back at it preparing myself for whatever opportunities might arise next year, because complacency is the forerunner of mediocrity.”
Organized by Team FJ, the inaugural Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America brought together Peugeot 208 Rally4 competitors from the ARA and CRC in a single championship. The unique format allowed drivers to pursue the same title while competing on different sides of the border, with Lalande earning most of his regular-season points in Canada while Shalev competed predominantly in the United States. The pair met on just three occasions throughout the season, ARA’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, the ARA season-ending LSPR, and at the just-completed Rally de Charlevoix, which is round six of the eight-event CRC.
Supported by official tire partner Michelin, the Cup offered tire contingency awards to eligible competitors, alongside technical support and arrive-and-drive programs offered by Team FJ and Argonaut Motor Club.
For winning the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America, Shalev and Ray have the choice of competing in a national rally in a Citroën C3 Rally2 or a World Rally Championship (WRC) or European Rally Championship (ERC) event in a Peugeot 208 Rally4. The prizes also include a European Stellantis Motorsport factory visit, an opportunity to attend an official WRC2 team event and test day, and a Peugeot 208 Rally4 tarmac test.
The Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America returns for 2027 with the Opel Corsa Rally4 and Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF joining the Peugeot 208 Rally4 as eligible vehicles. Team FJ will continue its efforts to develop North American rally talent and create opportunities for drivers to advance into international competition.
For more information about the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America, including championship standings and regulations, visit Team FJ.
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
