Croys Claim First Career Victory at Prescott Rally
- masonrunkel
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
(Prescott Valley, Ariz., April 1, 2026) ~ Fritz and Brooke Croy battled through dust, survived attrition, and bested tight competition to claim their first overall rally victory at the Prescott Rally, the second round of the American Rally Association (ARA) West Regional Championship, held March 27–28.
Piloting their Normally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS, the pair topped a 25-car field across 125 miles of competition and 13 stages, mastering Prescott’s fast, rutted desert roads in the event’s first-ever springtime running.
The rally once again required a mix of high-speed commitment and technical precision from competitors, while offering approachability and accessibility to fans with spectator-friendly stages and Parc Exposés in Prescott Valley, where the community was able to see the cars up close and meet the crews.
The Croys’ victory marks a major milestone in just their fourth rally start, placing them among a prestigious list of Prescott Rally winners that includes names like Paul Choiniere, Rod Millen, and Mark Lovell.
Tight Fight for Overall Honors Across Four-Wheel-Drive Classes
The 2026 Prescott Rally kicked off Friday, March 27, following a Parc Exposé in Prescott Valley, with the 11.32-mile “Penske Pass” opening the action. Jordan Patrick O’Connell and Anthony Campbell immediately set the pace, taking a 15.2-second lead in their Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) 2005 Subaru Impreza STi.
Their rally unraveled quickly, however. An off on SS2 caused significant front-right damage, dropping them out of contention. After repairs, the pair returned to continue the rally as a Non-Competitive Entry (NCE).
With O’Connell sidelined, Arto and Mary Ylikangas moved from third to first on SS2, edging Fritz and Brooke Croy by 3.2 seconds in their Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX. The lead continued to change hands on SS3, where Phil Clarke and Michelle Miller moved to the top in their 2003 Subaru WRX.
By SS4, a fourth contender emerged as Chris and Lori O’Driscoll joined the fight in their 2003 Subaru WRX. The intensity of the battle was clear heading into the first service, where O’Driscoll and Croy were tied for the overall lead after more than 45 miles of competition.
After the second loop, Fritz and Brooke Croy’s Subaru—nicknamed Sally—held the overall lead at the end of Friday, with Clarke and O’Driscoll both within 43 seconds heading into Saturday’s final five stages.
Clarke briefly took over the lead early Saturday, but retired on the third stage of the day, leaving the Croys free to manage their pace and extend their advantage. A commanding performance on the 20.6-mile “Perkins View” stage, where they won by 1 minute, 45 seconds and sealed their first overall victory in dominant fashion.
They were joined on the NA4WD class podium by Sean Spring and Justin McBee in their 2002 Subaru Forester, and Albert Goad and Loren Bench in their 2005 Subaru 2.5RS.
Second overall and first in the L4WD class went to Arto and Mary Ylikangas, who continued to adapt to their newly converted Subaru after moving from O4WD to L4WD for 2026.
“We started really strong but felt we were losing power after stages three and four,” Arto said. “We worked on the car all night and were back to full power for Saturday. Fritz and Brooke were in absolutely top form all weekend and didn’t put a foot wrong, so we’re very happy to come away with the class win.”
While they faced early pressure from both Clarke and O’Driscoll, retirements for O’Driscoll on SS9 and Clarke on SS11 left the Ylikangas with a commanding margin of more than eight minutes by the finish. Jonathan Myers and Jeremy Agostino finished second in L4WD in their 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX, with Julian Zamora and Alex Larrinua completing the class podium in their 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX.
Although O4WD does not award a standalone podium, the top-finishing car in the class was the 1992 Eagle Talon of Jim Balat and Evren Kolas, who were the only O4WD team to reach the finish.
Veatch Puts Two-Wheel-Drive on the Podium
Prescott Rally organizing committee member James Veatch III, alongside co-driver Jenna Cooper, delivered their strongest result yet at the event, placing third overall and winning the Open Two-Wheel-Drive class in their 1992 Lexus SC400.
The pair controlled the class from start to finish, winning every O2WD stage while steadily climbing the overall standings. Starting 10th after SS1, their consistent pace and clean run saw them rise through the field to secure an overall podium finish and class victory by the end of the rally.
“After four events dealing with tire issues, we finally got the right setup on the Lexus—and we didn’t lose a single tire all weekend,” Veatch said. “That consistency made a huge difference for us. Between a great crew, solid notes, and being a little tail-happy with the car, it all came together for the class win and third overall.”
“We came back to service a couple times needing tie rod or radiator fan repairs, and David Greenwood of Findlay Subaru and his guys absolutely killed the repairs. It was like playing a WRC video game, choosing too many repair items and hoping you made it under the service time allotment.
“Jenna was stellar on the notes and that really came in clutch for the 20-mile stage. The dust hung a little bit, which made visibility pretty tough, but trusting in the notes she was reading was able to give us the third fastest time on that stage.”
The only other finisher in O2WD was the 1985 Toyota Corolla of Brian Maskrey and Tyler Swartz.
In Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD), James Besing and Travis Harrell delivered a commanding performance in their 1995 Honda Civic Si.
On Friday, they traded stage wins with Philip Mickleborough and Nikita Latman’s 2002 Ford Focus SVT. Although the Ford claimed four stage wins to the Honda’s three, Besing maintained the overall lead and carried a 30-second advantage into Saturday.
“We found a pace we were confident with early on day one and kept it consistent, but Phil and Nikita brought us a really strong fight and had it within two seconds by the end of the day,” Besing said.
On Saturday, the Civic crew found another level, steadily extending their advantage to nearly five and a half minutes by the finish to secure the class victory and sixth overall.
“On day two we found another gear, pushed hard in the morning, and were able to build a gap,” Besing added. “From there, we managed the final stage and brought it home.”
“Our goal this year was to find improvement over last, and we made major gains,” Harrell said. “We were running stages 15, 20, 30 seconds—and even a full minute—faster than last year in some cases. We think the switch to 15-inch Speedline wheels and MRF tires played a big part in that, so we were stoked to bring home the win.”
Mickleborough and Latman finished second in class, while Jennifer and Terry Stonecipher completed the podium in their 1987 Volkswagen Golf GTI.
To see the event images gallery, visit: https://www.apexiel.com/event/prescott-rally-walg5SRvom?tab=content
The ARA West Regional Championship continues next month at the Olympus Super Regional Rally, April 17–19, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the WRC round with more than 200 stage miles alongside the Kubota Olympus Rally, Round Three of the ARA National Championship.
Complete Prescott Rally results: https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/event-results
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
