Block and Quintero Headline Multiple Razor-thin Championship Fights as ARA Takes on Ojibwe
- masonrunkel
- 11 minutes ago
- 13 min read
(Bemidji, Minn., August 26, 2026) — The 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship heads to northern Minnesota for the Ojibwe Forests Rally, August 28–29. Round six of the eight-stop American Rally National tour will feature the largest Ojibwe field since 2021 as 48 teams take on two days of fast, flowing, sandy-based forest roads around the Northwoods, four hours northwest of Minneapolis.
Overall ARA National Championship leader Lia Block with Block House Racing and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team’s (TGR-WRT) Seth Quintero arrive separated by just two points, with both drivers taking on Ojibwe for the first time in their careers. The pair had originally been set to face eight-time Ojibwe winner Travis Pastrana in Subaru Motorsports USA’s (SMSUSA) Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) Subaru WRX ARA25, but Pastrana was forced to withdraw from the event following a leg injury sustained during practice for the Nitro Circus event in Annapolis, Maryland.
With LN4-class championship leader Mark Piatkowski not entered and second-place Travis Pastrana now also absent from Ojibwe, Irish rallyist Aoife Raftery and Pacific Northwest-based competitor Madelyn Tabor enter the weekend with a major opportunity to take control of the class, which combines Limited Four-wheel-drive (L4WD) and Naturally-aspirated Four-wheel-drive (NA4) machinery.
Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) is set to be an all-out battle of the titans as the championship’s top five are currently separated by just four points, with many more capable of taking over the top spot with a win at Ojibwe.
Often compared in character to Rally Finland, Ojibwe combines blind crests, sweeping corners, jumps, elevation changes, and narrow tree-lined sections that reward commitment while punishing mistakes. Conditions can also change quickly with weather and repeat passes, making the event a test of pace-note precision, adaptability, and confidence.
This year’s route has already been adjusted to accommodate the 48-car entry, organizers noting that the original Friday itinerary was risking a long delay if dust spacing became necessary. The revised itinerary now challenges National competitors with 125.30 stage miles across 16 stages on Friday and Saturday, while Regional competitors are scheduled for 117.44 stage miles, skipping the National-only ARA Power Stage.
The rally begins Friday at 10:50 a.m. with two loops of “Crossroads” and “Steamboat,” split by service at Pioneer Farms, before finishing with two spectator-friendly Super Special Stages at Soo Pass Ranch at 6:04 and 7:07 p.m.
Saturday’s competition begins at 11:14 a.m. with a loop of “Anchor Matson,” “Sawmill Lake,” “Height o’ Land,” and “Otterkill,” followed by service and a repeat of the same loop. The second running of “Otterkill” will serve as the National-only ARA Power Stage, awarding extra points to the top finishers. The rally ends with two runs of another short Super Special Stage at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, where teams will put on a show for fans before podium ceremonies.
Block and Quintero Enter Ojibwe Separated by Two Points
For the first time this season, young rivals Lia Block and Seth Quintero enter an ARA National Championship round with almost no room separating them. Block carries a scant two-point advantage into Ojibwe after salvaging second overall and maximum Power Stage points at last month’s Rally Colorado, while Quintero arrives with the momentum of two consecutive victories in the TGR-WRT GR Corolla Rally RC2.
Both will face an additional challenge this weekend as they make their Ojibwe debuts. Block will rely on the experience of co-driver Alex Gelsomino in the Rockstar Energy-backed Block House Racing Hyundai i20 N Rally2, while Quintero and co-driver Topi Luhtinen will look to extend their streak of three consecutive podiums, including wins at Southern Ohio Forest Rally and Rally Colorado.
Pastrana was expected to be a spoiler amongst the championship leaders as he and the SMSUSA team had elected to park the L4WD Subaru that they have campaigned all season and pull out the “Big Gun” O4WD-class WRX ARA25 in pursuit of a record ninth overall win at Ojibwe. But the extreme sports superstar will instead be recovering from leg surgery following his accident. .
Additional RC2-class entries include Javier Olivares and Leah Brisset in the Element Rallysport Ford Fiesta Rally2, along with Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and co-driver Michael Hordijk in a Mitsubishi Mirage.
The ARA STRYKER Challenge has three entries for Ojibwe: Rally Ready’s Dave Carapetyan and co-driver Stefan Trajkov, STRYKER co-founder Cole Powelson and co-driver Michael Gilbey, and Block House Racing’s Lucy Block with co-driver Aris Mantopoulos.
“I am excited to drive at Ojibwe this year,” Lucy Block said. “With three Blocks on the stages, we have a lot to look forward to.
“My approach to the event is very easygoing. With the development of the new class and the Can-Am Maverick XRC as a STRYKER, I am on stages to test the vehicle and finish the rally having a lot of fun.
“For Block House Racing, finish is goal number one. Lia is looking to keep her championship lead intact with her first entry in Ojibwe Forests Rally. I have no doubt that she can do that. Mika is in training and is very excited to get more miles of stages. We are in full swing here preparing for the event.”
Raftery and Tabor Aim for LN4 Championship Lead
With LN4-class Championship leader Piatkowski and second-placed Pastrana not competing this weekend, third-place Aoife Raftery and fourth-place Madelyn Tabor are both ready to fight for the top spot in the championship as they chase valuable points heading into the final few rounds of the season.
Not that the points lead would be an unearned windfall for either team. Raftery has taken multiple class podiums this season, including a win at Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR), and sits only five points off the lead heading into Ojibwe.
Raftery will again be joined by Hannah McKillop in the DirtFish Women in Motorsport-backed 2021 Ford Fiesta Rally3 they have campaigned all season.
Tabor, co-driven this weekend by Naila Deen, also stands a strong chance of taking the championship lead. The Tabor Racing Team Ford Fiesta Rally3 EVO has earned multiple class podiums this year and has consistently shown strong pace on stage.
“I'm really excited for this year's Ojibwe,” Tabor said. “I've competed at this event three times, so I’m excited to go for my fourth. This event will be a little different, with Sophia (McKee) unfortunately missing this round with reindeer duties — she owns reindeer! — but I'm happy to have Naila Deen as my navigator for this event.
“The Fiesta Rally3 just got a mid-season refresh from Steven Redd Racing, so we should have a great car on our hands, crewed again by Tabor Racing Team.”
The wrench in either team’s plans could be class newcomer Richo Healey and co-driver Michelle Miller, the 2024 Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) National champions. They enter their third event in the Eagle Rock Racing (ERR) Ford Fiesta Rally3 EVO and are arriving with momentum after winning LN4 last time out at the brutally attritional Rally Colorado.
“Ojibwe has generally been a pretty good event for us,” Healey said. “We got our first class win here in the regional rally in 2023 and have had a pretty strong run since.
“I’m really excited to see how the Rally3 Ford feels on these roads, and after Colorado it will be nice to be able to take my eyes off the temps a bit more.”
While the battle is expected to be between the Rally3s at Ojibwe, additional pressure will come from Mykola Pysklyvets and Roman Romanchuk’s 2015 Subaru WRX STI, Eliza Coleman and Ryan Scott’s 2005 Subaru Impreza, and the MINI USA and John Cooper Works Race Team MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 of Luis Perocarpi and Carlos Schrunder.
Nine Points Separate Top Five O2WD Entries
An 11-car O2WD field is set to take on Ojibwe this weekend, and seven of those entries are capable of leaving Minnesota with the championship lead. After an unpredictable season that has seen many of the class’s top runners suffer retirements, offs, mechanical failures, and/or other costly time losses, consistency and flat-out pace have balanced out after five rounds to create the tightest championship battle in the series.
Stellantis Rally Cup North America competitor Danny Shalev and co-driver Glen Ray lead the O2WD championship chase in their Argonaut Motor Club Peugeot 208 Rally4 with 48 points. Open exclusively to Peugeot 208 Rally4 crews competing across selected ARA and Canadian Rally Championship events, the Stellantis Rally Cup is a competition within a competition, offering cash awards, development support, and a pathway toward FIA-level competition.
Just two points behind Shalev sits Nicholas Tippman, who enters with co-driver Mitch Meadows in his 2019 Ford Fiesta ST. Both Shalev and Tippman have three podiums to their names this season, but Tippman brings upgrades to Ojibwe that he hopes will make the difference.
“I'll finally have a motor and turbo package ready to make me competitive in this class!” Tippman said. “So we are bringing out the big guns for what's hopefully a strong finish for this season.
“Ojibwe wasn't originally on my calendar this year, so I've had to tag in some extra help. TRF will be managing my car, and Mitch Meadows will be co-driving for me again.”
One point behind Tippman with 45 points, Michael Hooper remains a name competitors fear and respect, as the experienced rallyist enters Ojibwe with Michael Farrow co-driving the River City Rally (RCR) Lexus IS350.
“It’s kind of a big event for us, working with Standard Energy to get Matt Nykanen back in,” Hooper said. “We’re super stoked to be competing with him, and this is also a home rally for Mike Farrow, so he’ll be looking for a good result at one of his favorite events.
“The crew has absolutely hammered out the work to get all three cars ready, including replacing the roof after our Olympus roll and re-prepping Rich’s (Richo Healy’s) old car so Matt and [co-driver] Will [Ross] could be in the fight.
“We’ll be on the tried-and-true Hoosiers, with Matt on Pirellis, so it’ll be great to get real-world data stage by stage and see where the differences are.”
Just one further point behind Hooper with 44, Andy Cowan and Tiago Lourenco enter in their 1990 Volkswagen Jetta VR6, while multi-time champion Seamus Burke brings 39 points to Ojibwe with Martin Brady co-driving his Mk2 Ford Escort.
After a massive, car-totaling crash at Rally Colorado in his E36 BMW, Matthew Nykanen and William Ross are already back and ready to fight, this time in an RCR Lexus IS350. With 25 points, Nykanen still has a chance at the championship, but Ojibwe will be vital to keeping those hopes alive.
Dark horses include the Ford Fiesta R2T of Block House Racing’s Mika Block and Gary McElhinney as Block enters his first National event, along with the 1972 Tuthill Porsche 911 of Jared Della Valle and Grzegorz Dorman.
“This will be Jared’s stage debut in the U.S.,” Dorman said. “He’s heard great things about the event and its roads from Barry McKenna, so he decided it was time to give it a try. For the whole team, this is essentially a test run.”
Della Valle’s only previous rally experience came in the East African Safari Classic Rally in the same Tuthill-built Porsche, while Ojibwe also marks Dorman’s return to the co-driver’s seat after a four-year hiatus. Helping guide the effort will be 10-time American rally champion David Higgins, who joins the team as driver coach for the weekend.
“Our main goal is definitely to get faster and more comfortable as the weekend progresses,” Dorman added. “We have zero rigid expectations. We’re just here to have fun, learn the roads, and run a clean rally.”
The Porsche itself also carries plenty of history. Built by Tuthill Porsche in the United Kingdom and previously campaigned in the East African Safari Classic Rally, it wears a livery inspired by the factory Porsche 911 driven by Polish rally legends Sobiesław Zasada and Marian Bień to fifth overall on the 1971 Safari Rally.
Bringing a long history of rallying with him, Steve Rowlands enters his first Ojibwe Forests Rally after earning his first ARA class podium last time out at Boone Forest Rally. He once again brings Boyd Smith as co-driver in his 2001 BMW 330i.
“I started rallying back in 1978 in England and Wales, and later did events in Scotland and the Isle of Man,” Rowlands said. “After eighteen years involved mainly in track racing, I was always thinking about and missing rallying as a burning passion.
“Twelve months ago, I entered Boone in my BMW E46, which was a blast from the past. It has been a long road of tweaking and changing the car to make it better, along with finding an awesome navigator in Boyd Smith who understands my British humor. I’m very excited to be coming to Ojibwe, as I feel my car is more dialed in than it has ever been.”
Also joining the huge O2WD field are David and Drew Quillen in the MINI USA/John Cooper Works Race Team 2025 MINI Cooper JCW, following their first National podium together at Rally Colorado, and Stellantis Cup competitors William Tung and Michael Szewczyk in their Argonaut Motor Club 2025 Peugeot 208 Rally4.
The L2WD class battle will also be worth watching at Ojibwe. Henry Tabor and Dylan Hooker enter leading the class with 68 points in their 2015 Ford Fiesta ST. Ryan McGrath and Crystina Coats trail by eight points in their RCR 2007 Lexus IS250, while John Barnett and Lucas Laeser’s 2008 Lexus IS250 sits third with 58 points. Stepan Kravets and Jeremy Agostino also remain in the fight with their 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, while Mike Erickson and Danny Norkus take the Weird Beard 2000 BMW 323i to Ojibwe to complete the field.
“Lady of the Lake” Seeks Redemption at Ojibwe
Alongside the National Ojibwe Forests Rally, a Central Region Super Regional round will run across the same two-day event, following the full National itinerary minus the National-only Power Stage. That leaves Regional competitors with a 15-stage, 117.44-mile competition among 18 entered teams.
With two rounds remaining in the Central Regional Championship after Ojibwe, teams hoping for a shot at the title will be pushing hard to gain as many points as possible heading into the closing rounds.
One car expected to be a fan favorite has no championship points at all, however, as KJ Miller and Morgan Ward bring the L4WD “Lady of the Lake” 2004 Subaru WRX STI back to Ojibwe for a chance at her redemption.
At the 2022 event, the Lady of the Lake, then known as the Fat Yellow Pig because of its livery, was piloted by Mark Williams and Steven Harrell when it went off on the famous land bridge section of the “Height O’ Land” stage and ended up half-submerged in Shuckhart Lake.
Miller, a National L4WD champion co-driver, later purchased the car and has put thousands hours of work into learning it mechanically, rebuilding it, and driving it on stage in preparation for national competition. Now, he enters his longest rally as a driver yet, bringing the Lady of the Lake back to Ojibwe for the first time since its/her incident.
He has already proven capable of podiums behind the wheel, along with RallySprint wins, and will be one to watch for the overall Regional victory.
Photo by Steven Garcia
He’ll have tight competition for the top spot from Canadian rallyists Ryan Kelly and Christopher Vereshagin in their O4WD 1998 Subaru Impreza. Ojibwe will be their first rally in Open class and second with the ARA, but the pair already have three Production class victories in five Canadian Rally Championship outings.
Several familiar names in the ARA Central Region will be fighting hard for those top regional spots. In L4WD alone, six competitors will be looking to take the top spot from Miller, including Central Regional Championship leader Peter Farrow and co-driver Jackson Sedivy, who finished first in class and second overall at Ojibwe in 2025.
“My goal, like every race, is to drive better than I have before,” Farrow said. “We're coming off of a wild race at Boone Forest Rally, where we blew a shock on SS6. It coated the turbo with oil, and we finished the stage with smoke pouring out of the hood.
“We managed to get back to service and swap it out, salvaging a class podium finish against a great field. Jackson and I are looking forward to coming back to Ojibwe. Repeating last year's double champagne finish will take a little help from the field, but we'll be driving as fast as we can.”
Just behind them in class last year, Scott and Elizabeth Crouch are aiming to keep their spot on the podium in 2026.
“2025 Ojibwe was our best finish ever,” Crouch said. “We finished fourth overall in Regional and second in our class.
“We were set to finish on the overall Regional podium going into the final Super Special. We had an 11-second lead on the #769 car of Andy Cowan and John Vinti. We just needed to finish stage 20 with no mistakes. Unfortunately, I missed a turn — lesson to self: do proper recce on the short special stages — and we gave up our lead to Andy and missed third place by 0.02 seconds.
“Love the roads at Ojibwe and hope to match our result from last year and keep our 2026 100% finish streak intact.”
Other L4WD entries include James Randall and Andrew Rausch’s 2015 Subaru WRX, Joshua and
Danielle Kemp’s 2004 Subaru WRX, and Joseph and Chris Schafer, who are entering their second event in their 2003 Subaru WRX.
“The car was built great, as proven by the first event,” Joseph Schafer said. “My brother and I continue to work on our ability to effectively work as a team. We also got our first sponsor, Nip N Tuck Performance in Orem, Utah.”
In NA4WD, four teams are entered, and the frontrunners stand a chance at winning overall. Steve and Katherine Gingras lead the entry in their 1994 Subaru “3.0RS,” while Richard and Greg Donovan follow in their 1997 Subaru Impreza. Tyler Matalas and Dustin Sharkozy’s 1995 Subaru Impreza LX and Matt and Jackie James’ 2006 Subaru Impreza round out the NA4WD class entry.
O2WD will be a strange fight between the rear-wheel-drive-converted 1998 Subaru Impreza of Travis Mattonen and Anikka Nykanen, and the 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle of Doug Leibman and Kevin Schatz.
Finally, in L2WD, it’s a three-way battle led by Matthew and Richard Shinn’s 2002 Ford Focus.
Brie Lucio returns after winning the 2025 Headwaters Rally—an earlier Central Region Championship round held on some of the same roads as Ojibwe—in her 2017 Ford Fiesta, but with a new co-driver in Cindi Carlson as her regular co-driver Tim Kohlmann gets married.
“First, I am so ecstatic to extend my congratulations to Tim Kohlmann and his lovely fiancée, Taylor,” Lucio said. “Much love and I wish them a fabulous wedding day!
“In his stead, I am very happy to be teaming up with Cindi Carlson. I am determined to finish this rally strong since I DNF’ed last year at Ojibwe, and my racing opportunities have not shaken out how I wanted since then.
“We will be hitting the stages with high focus, more wisdom than the last one, and visions of flying through the finish at Sanford Center!”
Gregory Haley and Max Sutton round out the L2WD field in their 1994 Volkswagen Golf.
Ojibwe Forests Rally kicks off August 28 in Bemidji, Minnesota. Follow the action live on the ARA social media channels and on ara-rally.com.
To see images for Ojibwe Forests Rally - visit the 2026 Ojibwe Forests Rally on Apexiel
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
