Huge Field Set to Take on Tour De Forest Rally
- masonrunkel
- Oct 2
- 9 min read
Shelton, Wash. (Oct. 1, 2025) ~ The American Rally Association (ARA) West Region Championship returns to the scenic, wooded roads of the Pacific Northwest for the beloved Tour de Forest (TDF) Rally on October 4.
Hosted in Shelton, Washington — also home to the dual ARA National/Regional Olympus Rally in April — Tour de Forest traces its roots back to the late 1970s, when it was first organized by the Rainier Auto Sports Club. The rally quickly grew to national prominence but fell off the calendar after the 1983 event. Revived in 2018 on some of the same classic roads, also shared with the Olympus Rally, the event has since become a favorite among regional competitors.
This year, organizers, Painted Pony Promotions, will welcome a 44-car field for the compact, one-day rally, covering 34.6 stage miles across four special stages. Tour de Forest’s schedule is unique in that it combines recce (“reconnaissance” performed in passenger vehicles at slow speeds) and competition on the same day, making it a more compact, budget-friendly and accessible event for the region’s large grassroots rallying community.
On Saturday, October 4, teams will begin recce at 7:30 a.m. Competition kicks off at 1:00 p.m. with runs of “The Dirty Cowbell” and “Jackpot” before service at Stillwater Industrial Park. Teams then repeat both stages in the afternoon, with the rally scheduled to wrap up just before 5:00 p.m.
Redd Takes on Miller in R5 vs Subaru Battle
In what’s likely to be the battle for the overall win, the Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) entry of Steven Redd and Dylan Hooker, driving a Ford Fiesta R5, will take on reigning ARA West Regional Champion Andy Miller and co-driver Mitch Meadows in their 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Miller’s car has been converted to a Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) entry with an EZ30R engine, but is still expected to have the pace to compete with the Redd/Hooker Ford.
While Redd and Hooker are entering only their second rally in the Fiesta, they’ve already shown promise, taking third in the RC2 class at the Oregon Trail Rally national event back in May and finishing sixth overall.
Meanwhile, Miller has four years of experience with his Subaru and has never finished off the class podium in it. His consistent pace has earned him an overall podium in each of the past ten rallies he has entered. Despite that consistency, Miller has never won the Tour de Forest Rally, finishing fifth, third, and second over the past three years.
Not only will Miller face stiff competition for the overall win, but also for a class victory in NA4WD.
Cooper Anderson and Ethan Curtis return to Tour de Forest after debuting a new build at Olympus Rally earlier this year. Their six-cylinder–swapped 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX retired from that event but showed promising pace. Having also finished third overall at TDF in 2024, the pair are eager to prove themselves with the rebuilt car this weekend.
“Coop and I are looking forward to giving the top a shake with our freshly rebuilt H6 Impreza,” Curtis said. “At Olympus, some massive issues with the electronics led us to completely stripping, re-wiring, and installing an entirely different ECU system in the car.
“Thankfully, tuning, shakedown, and testing have gone much smoother than our debut of the new car earlier this year, which ended in a DNF. We’re going to be giving it maximum effort to show our competitors we still mean business!”
Also fighting for NA4WD honors — and capable of placing on the overall podium — are Josh Gierman and Gavin Bowen. Though this will be their first Tour de Forest entry, the pair brings strong form with five podiums at the nearby Olympus and Oregon Trail Rallies.
Other NA4WD entries include Michael Honn and Colin Katagiri in a 2005 Subaru Impreza, Ben and Ken Burt in a 1996 Subaru Impreza, and DirtFish instructors Jack Harrison and Eric Schofhauser in a 1996 Subaru Impreza.
While O4WD doesn’t award its own class podium (only recognizing overall winners), Redd and Hooker will still have competition from proven entries such as the 2013 Subaru Crosstrek of Andrew Reavis and Anthony Campbell, the 1997 Subaru Impreza WRX of Sean Dorrough and Andrea Lauria, and the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution of Wolfgang Hoeck and Jeremy Agostino.
“After lots of mechanical challenges earlier in the year at Olympus, I would like to experience the roads again while focusing on getting to the finish,” Hoeck said. “My crew would love to see that as well. The car is awesome, but not the youngest anymore, much like myself, so seeing the finish would be great.
“Olympus and TDF are the only events I know that offer recce videos so far. They are extremely helpful to prepare for the actual recce by giving a first look at the stages. The roads are fast in some places and then again very technical. Overall, the atmosphere at Shelton is always awesome.”
The final four-wheel-drive class, Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) will see last year’s TDF class winners and 2024 L4WD season champions, Phil Clarke and Kendra Tym, facing some stiff competition from seven competitors.
Robert Shibao and Dillon McKenna’s 2002 Subaru WRX will start behind them on the road, and are expected to carry similar pace on the stages, but a threat to them both will be the Ford Fiesta Rally3 of Nolan Abell and Leah Brisset.
Abell has spent time both behind the wheel and reading pace notes in various cars, but TDF will be his first event in the Rally3, which has proven to be a strong contender in the class in the right hands.
Other entries include Jonathan Myers and John Vinti’s 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX, as well as family members Kristen and Janice Tabor, sharing a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX.
Kristen Tabor is excited to be back for her first rally since a back surgery in 2023, which prevented her from driving in competition. After two years of performing as the Tabor family’s service chief, she’s making her first attempt back at stage rally.
“Since I have a device in my back, I’ve been really careful about planning to get back in the car and making sure to protect my spine and core as much as possible,” she said. “There was a time when I didn’t think I’d be able to get back in the car and drive, so understandably, we’ve been easing back into this.
“We did the RallyCross fest this past July at DirtFish as an early test to see how it would feel as the device is right where you press back in the seat while shifting. It went well, so here we are at Tour! My hope is to be able to run Olympus next year, or Oregon Trail.”
The L4WD class also includes a few newcomers in Drew Coley and Chad Holloway, who will be rallying in a 2007 Impreza WRX.
“This started with a dream of driving a rally car,” Coley said. “It got real when I went to DirtFish in 2018. Since then, I’ve gone back to DirtFish and completed all classes offered. I was hooked and found it was the most fun you can have legally.”
While having a 2021 WRX built by Primitive Racing, Coley has purchased this log-booked 2007 Subaru to drive in the meantime.
“This is my first event, and I’m very excited to be involved in rally, which I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. We made it, and now let’s see if we can finish it. I have a lot of people to thank for helping me get to this event, so they know what this means to me.”
Battle of the Spouses in L2WD
Spouses Michelle and Chris Miller are no strangers to sharing a car, but at this year’s Tour de Forest they’ll be competing head-to-head in the Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) class. Chris Miller once again teams up with Crystina Coats in the 501c Rally Team Scion FR-S, a car that has topped the L2WD podium in three of their last four outings together.
Michelle Miller, meanwhile, will still be co-driving, but not in her husband’s car, nor in her usual seat alongside Richo Healey in the National Championship. Instead, she joins first-time rallyist and long-time road racer Michele Abbate in a 2015 Subaru BRZ.
Abbate brings a wealth of tarmac racing experience, ranging from NASCAR to Trans-Am to Miatas, but Tour de Forest will mark her first official rally.
"I am so excited to make my ARA rally debut at Tour de Forest this year,” Abbate said. “I would not be here without the unwavering support from DirtFish and their Women in Motorsport program, and I am beyond honored to be representing them.
“I’m looking forward to the new-to-me challenges of rally and excited to see how much my racing experience applies to this event! With over ten years of road racing experience, I couldn’t be more proud to align with DirtFish and show they are making a difference in growing the sport of rally!"
With this friendly rivalry, the 501c Rally Team is preparing for a fight as they head into the rally, aiming to secure the L2WD West Regional Championship.
“The 501c Rally Team is excited to wrap up our season and hopefully the L2WD West Championship where it started, on the same roads as the Olympus Rally,” Chris Miller said. “We are also looking forward to a friendly battle with ‘The Michelles’ — a.k.a., my wife and Michele Abbate — as she hops into a BRZ and races her first stage rally. We wish them a great event.
“Looking forward to a great regional event and handing out $100 cash to the top finishing 2WD first-time team from the 2WD Sasquatch Fund.”
“[We] are up against Michelle and Michele in the L2WD class,” Coats added. “At Tour de Forest, Team 501c is hoping to secure the 2025 West Regional Championship in the class, while fending off a pro Trans-Am driver and a senior DirtFish instructor/amazing veteran co-driver. And it’s Miller vs. Miller: a friendly spousal competition between Chris and Michelle Miller.”
They’ll also face seven other L2WD entries, including Lucas Chalcraft and Cody Crawford in a 2010 VW Golf, and Matt Tabor and Denae Murphy in a 2006 Mazda 3.
The faster Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) class boasts a massive 16-car entry, making up more than a third of the entire field.
Among the highlights: the Datsun 1200 of Nick Wood, co-driven by frequent ARA National Championship competitor KJ Miller, will make its ARA debut. Wood, the 2022 Canadian 2WD champion, is known for pushing the historic car to its limits — and will no doubt do the same at Tour de Forest.
To win in his maiden appearance, he’ll have to fend off a strong lineup, including long-time rally veteran and last year’s class winner, Alex Jardevall and Chase Melcher in their 1993 Volvo 940.
"I'm really looking forward to TDF,” Jardevall said. “Racing in the Pacific Northwest feels like coming home. The roads are great, albeit a bit rough in places, and I might be biased since it’s where I learned to race and watched my dad compete. Even if this is more of a practice race for some, the goals stay the same: have fun, keep learning, and finish at the top.”
Other O2WD standouts include two-time West Regional Champions Julien Sebot and Steve Harrell in their Ford Fiesta, Sage Van Tilburg and Julia Majors in a 1994 BMW 325i, and DirtFish instructors Sean Edwards and Kendra Miller (no relation to Chris and Michelle Miller in L2WD) in their 1983 Volvo 240. They’ll be part of an unofficial “Volvo Cup” against two other Volvos in the field.
“If rally, then enter rally,” Kendra Miller joked. “At this point, missing a local rally is not an option. The FOMO I get just thinking about it is undeniable. TDF is such a great regional event. It’s short, quick, and always seems to have new roads. The organizers do a great job.
“This event will be a great shakedown, given all the new updates and upgrades Sean and crew have done to the Volvo. We’ll have our sights set on winning the ‘Volvo Cup’ for sure.
“Watching the recce videos, this is going to be a fast rally with lots of diverse driving, speedy sections that offer good flow as well as more technical routes.”
Jankowski Motorsports Brings Junior Awards to Tour de Forest
Jankowski Motorsports will continue to be a driving force in U.S. rally this weekend with a special competition in partnership with Friesen Group.
Long-time rally figure Karen Jankowski — a five-time national class champion and former Oregon Trail Rally chair — will leave her mark on the event through the Jankowski Motorsport Junior Awards, sponsored by Friesen Group.
The program is open to drivers and co-drivers age 25 and under, with cash prizes of $500 for first place, $250 for second, and $125 for third.
“When we teamed up with the Friesen Group last year we realized how passionate we all are about getting young people into rally. So now we are putting our money with our passion,” Jankowski said.
While Jankowski won’t be competing herself, her team will still be represented on the stages. The father-son duo of college freshman Johan Friesen and his father, John Friesen, will run their L2WD 1987 BMW 325i under the Jankowski Motorsport banner.
“My son and I started our rally racing journey at Tour de Forest, so this race has special meaning for us,” John said. “The sport of rally racing for a father-son team has been an incredible experience. Our goal is to continually increase our speed to get us on the podium rocking an old school ‘87 BMW 325i.”
Follow the action live on the ARA social media channels and on ara-rally.com.
~Mason Runkel for the ARA