Martell Takes First National Victory as Pastrana & Cyr Clinch Titles and Women Dominate L4WD Podium at Overmountain Rally Tennessee
- masonrunkel
- 18 minutes ago
- 12 min read
(Newport, Tenn. – September 23, 2025) ~ Conner Martell scored his first American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship overall victory at Overmountain Rally Tennessee, September 19–21, driving the No. 21 2C Competition Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with Alex Gelsomino calling the notes.
The win came in the penultimate round of the 2025 ARA National Championship Presented by Kubota, in the pair’s fourth event with the RC2-class Škoda after campaigning the Kubota-backed Subaru WRX through the first half of the season.
Across 98 competitive miles and 16 stages in and around the Cherokee National Forest, Martell and Gelsomino conquered rapidly changing weather, the tightest, most technical roads on the calendar, and rocky surfaces that caused tire wear and overheating issues for many teams, to claim their first overall national victory together in the mountains of East Tennessee.
Meanwhile, extreme sports and rally super star, Travis Pastrana wrapped up the 2025 title for the combined Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD)/Normally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) Championship—known as LN4—in the Subaru Motorsports USA (SMSUSA) WRX ARA25L. And Chris Cyr, CEO of the Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton, New Hampshire, clinched the Limited Two-Wheel-Drive Class (L2WD) national championship, in his 2014 Ford Fiesta ST after a hard-fought battle.
In a dramatic demonstration of the integrated nature of American Rally, Pastrana shared the Overmountain L4WD podium with no less than five women, including his own co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino, second place finishing driver Irishwoman Aoife Raftery and her co-driver Hannah McKillop and third-place finishing Madelyn Tabor and co-driver Sophia McKee.
And speaking of drama, fans were also treated to two high-flying, tire-smoking doughnut-filled spectator stages at Newport Speedway, along with fierce battles across both the national and regional fields as crews fought each other—and the forest—all weekend.
Martell Dominates in First National Victory
With 2025 National Champions Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams absent from the Overmountain entry list, the Martell Racing crew knew this rally was the perfect opportunity to secure their first national win.
The RC2 field featured plenty of heavy hitters: Green APU teammates Patrick Gruszka and Florian Barral in the No. 243 Hyundai i20 R5, and Alastair Scully with Stefan Trajkov in the No. 191 i20 R5. Also in the mix were 2024 L4WD/NA4WD combined champions Javier Olivares and KJ Miller, stepping up to a Ford Fiesta Rally2, alongside a slate of strong Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) and L4WD contenders. Martell and Gelsomino wasted no time proving they were the crew to beat.
Friday night’s opener was the “Super Special Stage” at Newport Speedway, where teams went head-to-head around the oval track, complete with dirt jumps, which got a little extra shaping just before the start when Pastrana jumped in the seat of a Kubota Track Steer Loader to make some final adjustments. Not only did the No. 21 Škoda beat Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino in their L4WD Subaru Motorsports USA WRX ARA25L, but they topped the entire field by 3.9 seconds on the half-mile stage.
From there, the Škoda was unstoppable. On Saturday’s first loop, they won all but one stage, building a 52-second lead despite overheating and nearly destroying the front tires. Switching to a harder compound for the second loop, they swept the remaining stages and capped the day with another win in front of a packed crowd at the second spectator stage at Newport Speedway.
On Sunday, Martell and Gelsomino sealed the deal with victories on every stage, including a new record on “Big Clifty.” They then lowered their own record by another two seconds on the third pass, winning the Power Stage and an additional five championship points.
“Tennessee is over and done with — what a long weekend!” Martell said. “The car was incredible, and the team gave me a great package to work with. Tire choice was really tricky with the mix of rain, mud, dry sections, and rocky stages, but the car performed flawlessly all weekend. On one stage they ran last year, Big Clifty, we had a bit of a push on the second pass, and even had the rear wheels hanging off a cliff, but I was able to pull it back on.
“I was pushing for the stage record, and despite the off, we got it — then improved it by another two seconds. First Power Stage win, first national win — it doesn’t get much better than that!”
“Wow — what a feeling!” Gelsomino added. “Lots of emotions right now after the mistake at Ojibwe and coming back here to win the event. Sure, some of our usual competition wasn’t here, but we were. We showed up, did our job, and a big thanks to the team and everyone back at the shop. Conner did a fantastic job all weekend, and now it’s time to celebrate!”
With one round to go, the pair now sit second in the points, perfectly positioned to claim silver in the championship at next month’s season finale, the Lake Superior Performance Rally.
Pastrana Clinches LN4 Title, Raftery Gets First Podium
Just as their Subaru Motorsports USA teammates secured the overall national title one round earlier at Ojibwe Forests Rally, Travis Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino clinched the combined Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) and Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) National Championship — known as LN4 — at Overmountain.
The duo, who won the event outright in 2024 in an Open-class WRX, returned this year in their Limited-class Subaru WRX ARA25L. Despite competing more agile Rally3 cars better suited to the tight Tennessee roads, the larger Subaru ultimately prevailed.
Sean Donnelly and Zach Pfeil struck first in the Garage 126 Renault Clio Rally3, but Pastrana grabbed the lead on SS2. While Pastrana and Gelsomino soon made themselves comfortable out front, they couldn’t simply coast: Donnelly claimed SS5, and Aoife Raftery with Hannah McKillop topped both on SS8 in their Ford Fiesta Rally3.
After a retirement for Donnelly on SS11, Pastrana managed the gap to Raftery to take the class victory, second overall, and—most importantly—the LN4 championship.
“Hell of a day out here,” Pastrana said after the rally. “Tennessee is just an amazingly technical, twisty rally — a lot of carnage, a lot of attrition. Awesome to see the Rally3 cars and the Limited Four-Wheel Drive come in the same class and be so competitive.
“Aoife did absolutely amazing — she’s on the podium. Sean, a Marylander, was also in a Rally3, and they did phenomenal too. I think on the last stage yesterday, all three of us, on an eight-mile stage, were within half a second of each other. That was really, really cool.
“So glad to see how strong the competition is in this class, and how well this Limited Four-Wheel Drive car did. The Subaru team at Vermont SportsCar is absolutely amazing. Huge thanks to all the fans who came out. It was a long weekend. I’m super tired and super pumped.”
Right behind them, Raftery and McKillop delivered a breakthrough result, putting the DirtFish Women in Motorsport–backed Fiesta on the overall podium in third, and second in class. It marked their first-ever ARA podium in their debut rally with the car.
Madelyn Tabor and Sophia McKee rounded out the class podium in their Fiesta Rally3, securing their third LN4 podium of the year and ensuring that Pastrana was the lone male on the class podium at the end of the weekend.
Cyr Locks L2WD Championship After Epic Battle
The Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) battle once again delivered some of the event’s most exciting action, proving that the ARA’s closest-to-stock class—and one of its most accessible— can be every bit as thrilling as the front of the field.
Fresh off his first-ever class win at Ojibwe Forests Rally, Henry Tabor returned in his Ford Fiesta ST with co-driver Dylan Hooker. With championship leaders Chris Cyr and Glen Ray in the “Bearly Cyrious” Fiesta also in the field, the stage was set for a fierce fight in the mountains of Tennessee.
SS1 opened with a rare three-way tie for the class lead between Cyr/Ray, Tabor/Hooker, and Scott Pedersen with Ryan Scott in their 2008 Lexus IS250. By SS3, Cyr and Ray edged ahead, with Henry’s father, Mark Tabor, and Kathryn Hansen moving into second in their Fiesta, and Henry and Hooker holding third.
On SS4, Henry and Hooker surged into the lead, where they remained for the rest of Saturday, trading stage wins with Cyr and Ray throughout the day.
Sunday brought the turning point. Cyr finally moved ahead on SS14, setting up a showdown that came down to the rally’s Power Stage. The two Fiestas crossed the finish just two-tenths of a second apart on that stage, but Cyr’s consistency over the weekend secured the class victory by 24.5 seconds — and with it, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: his first ARA national rally championship.
“Twenty-one years ago, I was at the Colorado Cog Rally in 2003, and I saw Jeff Zwart drive off the rally stage. I think it was due to an error in the supplied organizer notes. As a 16-year-old seeing that, I became addicted—to what rallies were, what rally cars are, and who does this crazy sport.
“I’ve spent my entire adult life wanting to become a rally champion, and that happened for me today. I have a hard time putting into words how much this means to me. Along the way I learned how to run businesses, became an owner and partner in Team O’Neil Rally School, and just put my whole life into wanting to be around rally. Being able to now call myself a rally champion is something I’ve been dreaming of for 21 years — it’s amazing.
“I can’t thank the Tabor family enough for putting up such a strong fight all year. This wasn’t a walk-away championship—we had to work hard at every event to get everything out of our car and our team. The amount of effort that Glenn, my co-driver, put in, and Thompson Racing Fabrication (TRF)… I just can’t thank them enough.
“I also have to thank Michelin, Hawk Performance brake pads, and Öhlins Suspension for being partners this year. And I can’t say all these thank-yous without mentioning Tim O’Neil, and the entire structure of my business and team that has supported me. It’s overwhelming.
“My wife and kids have been incredible. My kids actually designed the car, and my wife came up with the ‘Bearly Cyrious’ theme and design. There are so many people to thank.
“Tennessee is a tough event. Team O’Neil sponsored this rally because we think it’s one of the most challenging sets of roads you can find in America. To secure a championship here, at the event we support, is just an extra cherry on top.”
Despite finishing second, Tabor and Hooker were proud of what they considered their strongest performance yet.
“I’m extremely happy with finishing Overmountain,” Tabor said. “This is more than likely the most physically and mentally demanding rally I’ve ever taken part in, and to podium and be only 25 seconds off the win is a huge accomplishment for us. I definitely wanted more, and I think we could have had it, but Chris and Glen are the deserving winners and champions of the class.”
“I’m immensely proud of the drive Henry put in this weekend,” Hooker added. “We led three quarters of the event, fighting through overheating issues to hold onto the lead by seconds here and there. Chris and Glen mounted a hell of a last-minute assault to reel us in and take the lead on the last loop of stages, though.
“We did our best, including carrying two spares and slamming out a full unpracticed front tire swap on transit between SS14 and SS15 in about eight minutes, but sans hood Cyr brought the heat and eked past us at the last minute. It was an amazing battle, though, and his win was well deserved.”
Pedersen and Scott completed the L2WD podium in their Lexus IS250, taking third.
Johnston Takes Second Upset O2WD Win of 2025
After a standout performance at Olympus Rally in April, Sean Johnston and Alex Kihurani returned to the ARA field for the second time in 2025, once again driving a Team FJ Peugeot 208 Rally4 in the Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) class.
Joining them in another Team FJ 208, Mikael Arsenault and Matthieu Belhacene also posed a threat to the O2WD regulars, including championship contenders Michael Hooper, Seamus Burke, and Richo Healey.
Just like at Olympus, the Peugeots made their mark early. Arsenault jumped into the class lead after SS1, while Johnston moved into second by SS4. The pair held station until SS11, when Arsenault rolled and was forced to retire. That promoted Healey and co-driver Michelle Miller to second in their Lexus IS350, with Burke and partner Gary McElhinney slotting into third — where they finished the rally.
With two starts and two wins, Johnston and Kihurani capped off a short but highly successful 2025 season in the Peugeot.
“I’m happy to be at the finish of another tricky Overmountain Rally Tennessee,” Johnston said. “And with another class win as well! We love this event and the challenge that the roads here provide. Team FJ did a great job preparing the car, and our Peugeot 208 Rally4 performed well despite these stages being a super challenging profile for front-wheel-drive cars.
“In any case, we’re happy to secure a second O2WD win from two appearances this year, and I think we’ve shown the American rallying community what this car is capable of. That’s it for our program this year, but we can’t wait to come back and do some more rallying in the ARA next year!”
Jacobsohn Takes Breakthrough Win in Overmountain Regional Rally
In a breakthrough performance, Gabe Jacobsohn and Jason Hack claimed their first-ever ARA Regional overall win after nearly a year away from competition in their L4WD 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Their drive not only topped the regional field but also would have placed them fifth overall had they entered the national event.
The Overmountain Regional Rally featured 88 competitive miles across 15 stages, mirroring the national itinerary except for the Power Stage, and delivered plenty of excitement for the 27 entries.
Tom Mayer and Dillon McKenna grabbed the early lead on SS1 in their 2002 Subaru WRX, but were quickly overtaken by Ryan Pryzbylkowski and Betsy Nguyen’s NA4WD 2001 Impreza. They traded blows with Jacobsohn and Hack until SS6, when the L4WD duo surged ahead and steadily built a gap, ultimately sealing the win on Sunday evening.
Jacobsohn and Hack also topped the L4WD class, with James Pryzbylkowski and Ethan Curtis finishing second in their 2004 Subaru WRX, and Mayer and McKenna taking third.
In NA4WD, Pryzbylkowski and Nguyen kept their pace to score their first-ever class win—and second overall in the rally.
The battle for third overall came down to the wire. Andrew Williamson and Julia Stewart’s 1993 Subaru Impreza edged out a three-way scrap for the final podium spot. Heading into the last stage, Camden Sheridan and Jeremy Frey’s 1999 Subaru Impreza held third by more than a minute over Jon Schrage and Nick Balzer’ 2007 Subaru Impreza and had just overtaken Williamson and Stewart, gapping them by 30 seconds.
But on the decisive 7.88-mile “Middle Road Down” stage, Williamson and Stewart put down the second-fastest time of the field, vaulting two positions to steal the final podium place — and second in NA4WD — by just 2.1 seconds over Schrage and Balzer, who themselves held off Sheridan and Frey by 3.2 seconds.
Nonack’s Take Fourth Consecutive Regional L2WD Championship
The L2WD ANY% Subaru BRZ of Chris and Sara Nonack delivered yet another stellar performance at Overmountain, earning their fifth consecutive class victory and fourth straight regional class title in the 2025 L2WD East Region Championship.
The BRZ faced strong competition from Corey McKenzie and Jason Smith’s 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R, Christopher Bersheim and Ethan Chuong’s 1991 Nissan 240SX, and Tevfik Peker and Jamie Beliveau’s 2019 Ford Fiesta. Despite battling for the lead through most of the rally, the Nonacks ultimately claimed the win.
Peker and Beliveau led the rally at the start, but the Nonacks took the lead on SS3. On SS4, McKenzie and Smith surged into first, trading stage wins with the Nonacks’ BRZ for much of the event, building a gap until a retirement on SS13 took them out of the rally and cleared the way for the Nonacks to secure the victory.
“We had nothing for Corey today on pace, so I’m bummed to see them out,” Chris said. “But we drove a great race and had a lot of fun.”
“This rally is a challenging test and has been one of our favorites since its inception,” Sara added. “Chris and I have been building upon every event this year, so it was really nice to also officially snag the Eastern L2WD Championship again!”
Bersheim and Chuong finished second in class in their 240SX, while Peker and Beliveau completed the podium in third.
In the O2WD class, the 1974 Ford Capri of Mike Hurst and Randall Short claimed the win in Tennessee. The pair began the rally in the lead but briefly lost it to Brian Katz and Matt Vaught’s 2006 Lexus IS350 on SS3, reclaiming it on the next stage and holding it for the remainder of the event.
“It was a big challenge for us,” Short said. “It’s really not what the car is set up for, but we wanted to challenge ourselves. Luckily, the car is really reliable and held up through the tough and rugged stages. Sadly, some other teams had some misfortune, which really helped pave the way for us. Sometimes luck plays into your hand!”
Second place in O2WD went to rally debutants Jack Pullen and Christian LaPrad in their 2015 Honda Civic LX, earning their first podium on their first rally, while Katz and Vaught rounded out the class podium in third.
Complete results: https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/event-results
The 2025 ARA National Championship Presented by Kubota will finish next month at Lake Superior Performance Rally in Marquette, Michigan, on October 17-18.
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
