Rallying Across America: ARA Spring Double-Header Features Oregon Trail and Headwaters
- masonrunkel
- 2 minutes ago
- 10 min read
(BURLINGTON, Vt. May 15, 2026) — The American Rally Association (ARA) hosts its first double-header weekend of the 2026 season, with the Oregon Trail Rally (OTR) in Goldendale, Washington, and Dufur, Oregon (May 16–17), and the Headwaters Rally in Walker, Minnesota (May 16), taking place more than 1,500 miles apart.
Running as part of the ARA Western and Central Regional Championships, respectively, the two events highlight the nationwide footprint of ARA and its ongoing efforts to make stage rally accessible to grassroots competitors everywhere.
In total, 67 cars will take on more than 130 miles of stage action across 22 stages between the two events, as two of the ARA’s tight-knit communities compete separately but simultaneously.
Oregon Trail Offers Rare Tarmac-Heavy Itinerary
One of the most storied events on the ARA calendar, OTR dates back to 1984. Notable past winners include John Buffum, Paul Choiniere, Ken Block, and current ARA National Championship leader Travis Pastrana.
For 2026, OTR transitions from a National round to a Super Regional as the event organizing committee rebuilds, with the goal of returning to the National Championship in 2027.
The rally primarily features high-speed gravel stages winding through the steep hills of the picturesque Columbia Gorge, with Mount Hood providing a dramatic backdrop.
This year’s itinerary also includes two full tarmac loops forthe first time since 2022—and they are the only full tarmac loops currently on the ARA schedule. The surface change challenges competitors to adapt both driving style and car preparation and setup.
The 2026 itinerary spans more than 95 competition miles across two days and 16 stages, with 53 crews set to take on the event.
Competition begins Saturday morning with a Parc Exposé at 8:00 a.m. in Goldendale, followed by a ceremonial start at 8:30 a.m. The first car tackles SS1, “Maryhill,” just before 9:00 a.m. in full tarmac specification, before heading into the second tarmac special stage, the high-speed “Goodnoe Hills.”
After a service to adjust car setups for gravel, competitors head to “Oak Flat Reverse,” followed by the 1,700-foot descent of “Dalles Mountain Down.” A second service allows teams to switch back to tarmac settings for another run of “Maryhill” and “Goodnoe,” and then one more service and the second running of “Oak Flat Reverse” and “Dalles Mountain Down” complete Saturday’s stages.
Sunday begins with a Parc Exposé in Dufur at 8:00 a.m., followed by a ceremonial start at 9:00 a.m. The first car heads into “Boyd Loop Very Short,” featuring the well-known “Boyd Jump,” just after 9:30 a.m., before continuing through “Shadowbuck,” “Nagle’s Revenge,” and “Starveout.”
After a midday service, crews repeat the loop before returning to downtown Dufur for the awards ceremony Sunday evening.
Factory and Home-Brew Cars Clash for Overall
The 2026 Oregon Trail Rally entry list features one of the most diverse fields seen at an ARA Super Regional event this season, with high-end RC2-class and Rally3 machinery competing directly against hometown, garage-built Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) and Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) entries for the overall victory.
Leading the field, two-time L4WD champions Javier Olivares and KJ Miller are strong contenders for the overall win in their Element Rallysport Ford Fiesta Rally2. Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and co-driver Michael Hordijk also enter in the RC2 class as they continue to develop their Mitsubishi Mirage.
Back on stage for the first time since 2017, DirtFish’s Brenten Kelley hops behind the wheel of a Steven Redd Racing Ford Fiesta R5, trading stage-end interviews for on-stage RC2-class action with Stefan Trajkov as his co-pilot.
A pair of Ford Fiesta Rally3s headline the L4WD contingent, with Georgie Megennis and Michael Szewczyk returning for their third rally together, while Madelyn Tabor and Sophie McKee bring their Steven Redd Racing Ford Fiesta to Oregon following their strongest showing yet at Olympus Rally.
Drew Coley and Chad Holloway arrive with momentum after class victories at both Olympus Rally and the Wild West Rally Sprint in their 2007 Subaru WRX. Among the remaining L4WD entries, Eric Fretress and Ethan Curtis stand out as they step up from their Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) Toyota Celica into a 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for their first L4WD outing.
The 10-car NA4WD field presents a major challenge to the factory-built machines. Two-time reigning Western Regional champion Andy Miller returns in his EZ30-swapped 2005 Subaru WRX STI after competing at the National level for the first time at last month’s Kubota Olympus Rally.
Olympus Regional Rally overall winners Josh Gierman and Gavin Bowen also enter OTR as contenders, carrying strong momentum in their 2000 Subaru Impreza “3.0RS.”
Additional NA4WD entries include Jeffery Olmstead and Serena Nelson (2000 Subaru Impreza), Michael Honn and Colin Katagiri (2005 Subaru Impreza), and Ben Burt and Noah Smith (1996 Subaru Impreza).
In the championship battle, Arto Ylikangas is not entered at OTR, opening the door for second-placed Charles Watson to take over the points lead. Watson and co-driver Ben Triplett enter in their Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, but the fight is far from straightforward. Gierman trails Watson by just two points, while a strong result from Andrew Reavis and Anthony Campbell in their O4WD 2013 Subaru Crosstrek could also move them into the championship lead.
Other notable O4WD entries include Sean Dorrough and Lewis Praed (1997 Subaru Impreza WRX), Ryan Bouffioux and Steven Winnat (2002 Subaru Impreza WRX), and Zach Lord and Garrett Larson (2001 Subaru Impreza).
24 Two-Wheel-Drive Cars Ready to Tear Up OTR
As always in the Pacific Northwest, the Limited and Open Two-Wheel-Drive classes (L2WD and O2WD) arrive in force, tying for the largest groups in the rally with 12 entries each.
Leading the O2WD field, are reigning OTR Regional O2WD winners John Hill and Jake Blattner in their 1968 Ford Escort. Also contenting for the class win are
Julien Sebot and Steven Harrell in their Ford Fiesta Rally4, who were the fastest O2WD finishers on the car’s debut at Olympus Rally last month.
The class also features a wide variety of machinery, including Pat Darrow and Don Burress’ 1981 Volvo 242, Brian Donnelly and Katie Burns’ 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, and longtime rallyist and former OTR chair Karen Jankowski, who returns with co-driver Jeff Snowden in their 2000 Dodge Neon SRT4.
“In 2006 I started my rally journey at Oregon Trail Rally as a co-driver,” Jankowski said. “After completing a rally school, my plan was to drive, but one of the instructors needed a co-driver, so I said yes. Twenty years and over 150 rallies later, I’ve organized events and now serve as an ARA steward—you can safely say I love this sport.
“Jeff and I previously served as chair and Clerk of the Course for OTR together. His lifelong dream was to race, and last year I helped make that happen. He returns as my co-driver, but this time it’s his first time competing at OTR while it’s my 17th. Our team goal is to have fun and finish, but my personal goal is to reach the O2WD podium.”
In L2WD, the father-son battle between Mark and Henry Tabor continues as they each campaign Ford Fiesta STs, co-driven by Kathryn Hansen and Leah Brissett, respectively, on their home stages.
Sage Van Tilburg and Julia Majors’ 2014 Subaru BRZ are expected to be their primary challengers, while DirtFish’s Josie Rimmer and Michelle Miller could emerge as sleeper contenders in their 2015 BRZ.
“I haven't driven since a major surgery in March, 2024 - and let me tell you... It's been too long watching everyone else have all the fun!” Rimmer said. “The DirtFish Women in Motorsport Initiative has truly taken off over the last few years, and I'm just so grateful to be enjoying some time in the driver's seat this weekend with Michelle in the silly seat.
“The plan is quite simple for me this weekend; take it one corner at a time and push myself to find more speed. With very little driving time over the last two years, I'm just looking to compete with myself.”
Tabor-Family Homecoming
While the Tabor family is no stranger to any ARA entry list, OTR holds the special title of their hometown rally, just 90 minutes from home, with a long history for the family, having first competed at the event 28 years ago.
“OTR is our family's home event, as well as the first stage rally event we competed in back in 1998,” Mark Tabor explained. “I have competed in every OTR since then, with the exception of 2012, where I was the volunteer coordinator and Sign Master (and Henry was my helper at age 7).
“Brother Matt was the chair for over 10 years, which meant the rally was organized out of our office from around 2000 to 2013 and the entire family helped behind the scenes, even when the rest of us were competing in the event.
“Both kids, Madelyn & Henry, have attended this event nearly every year since birth.”
Even after 220 starts, Mark’s goal at OTR in 2026 is to gain even more seat time, and enjoy, “some of the best roads in the country.”
“Oregon Trail is one of my favorite events, and not just because it's an hour and a half from where I live,” Henry added.
“I'm looking forward to the all-tarmac loop of stages. We need more tarmac stages in America. I hope it begins a trend of more events seeking tarmac stages.
“Coming off the rollover at Olympus, I'm just hoping for a clean race with no issues to build some confidence again. I've got a different co-driver this race, and I'm hoping we both learn something new that will improve our crafts going forward.”
While all three Tabors compete in Ford Fiestas, Madelyn’s is the only Rally3. Coming off a strong performance at Olympus Rally, she’s ready to further develop her skills in the car on roads she’s familiar with.
“I'm really looking forward to Oregon Trail Rally this year with Krista Skucas as my co-driver,” she said. “We both separately DNF'ed last year's event, so we are both on the look-out for some sweet redemption.
“After a successful Olympus debuting the 2025 Ford Fiesta Rally3, I'm excited to continue developing the car, and Oregon Trail is the perfect place.”
Headwaters Celebrates 30th Anniversary
First run in 1996, the Walker, Minnesota-based Headwaters Rally celebrates 30 years since its inaugural running this weekend, as 14 competitors from the tight-knit ARA Central Regional Championship community take on 37 stage miles across six stages in a one-day event. The rally uses many of the same roads as the ARA National Ojibwe Forests Rally, including the famous Crossroads Jump.
The rally begins Saturday, May 16, with a Parc Exposé at Chase on the Lake at 1:00 p.m., followed by a ceremonial start at 2:00 p.m.
The first car will start SS1, “Steamboat,” at 2:22 p.m., before continuing to “Kabekona” and “Spur 2.” A single service break prepares crews for a second pass through the same stages before returning to Chase on the Lake for awards at approximately 6:30 p.m.
One of the clear favorites for the overall win is the father-daughter pairing of Steve and Katie Gingras in their NA4WD 1994 Subaru “3.0RS.” While not first on the road, Steve Gingras won the inaugural Headwaters Rally in 1996 and again in 1997.
They will face strong competition in class from Aidan and John Hicks’ 1996 Subaru Impreza, winners of the 2025 Ojibwe Forests Super Regional Rally, as well as Tyler Matalas and Dustin Sharkozy’s 1995 Subaru Impreza LX, and Matt and Jackie James’ 2006 Subaru Impreza.
The fight for the overall win will extend beyond a single class. In L4WD, James Randall and Andrew Rausch return in their 2015 Subaru Impreza WRX STI after earning a podium at the event in 2024.
The five-car class also includes the 2025 ARA Central Regional L4WD champions, RallyDog Racing, led by Robert Dupree and co-driver Kevin Dobrowolski in their 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse, known as “Uncle Iroh.”
“2026 is a reset year for Team RallyDog Racing,” Dupree said. “Having busted our butts to achieve the 2025 Central Regional Championship in the L4WD class, we decided to change a few things and make improvements that we hope will keep us competitive in the second half of 2026 and into 2027.
“Our car, ‘Uncle Iroh’ is a storied rally veteran in both USA and Canada. Competing since 1991, Iroh is very close to running his 100th rally with Headwaters 2026 being race number 98. The main mission now is to hit that major milestone!”
With cage updates, a new suspension setup, new tire sensors, and cooling system refinements, Uncle Iroh enters Headwaters with the goal of passing tech and finishing without incident, made more difficult by the fact Dupree and Dobrowolski are their own service crew.
“With the suspension changes this will be our first real usage since we have no place to test. We’ll discover all the new behaviors of the car live on stage whatever they might be on the results-spectrum from: Brilliant to Horrific. So this is both exciting and scary at the same time; which tends to be a core tenet of rally.”
Another L4WD bringing car improvements to Headwaters will be the 2004 Subaru WRX of Jason Cook and Margaret Tu.
“I have been chasing a low-boost issue since our DNF at LSPR last year,” Cook said. “This is not my area of expertise, so thank you to everyone who offered advice and recommendations. The car is definitely better now, though it is probably still down on power.
“We are historically slower competitors, but we made solid progress last year finding more speed and hope to continue that trend, even with the remaining boost issue.
“We love Headwaters as a compact event with plenty of recce time to build notes and settle back into the rally rhythm, especially since it is the first event of the season for many of us. The move to Walker has been good and engages with the community. It is also a low-stress rally and a great excuse to go play with cars in the woods with friends.”
Heading up the two-wheel-drive contingent, Sisu Posse Racing’s Levi and Griffin Johnson bring their 1987 BMW 325i back to Headwaters for another shot at an overall win after landing on the overall podium at the event twice.
“We've had mixed history with results at Headwaters,” Levi said. “We've won our class twice, but also turned our car into a banana two years ago after a suspension failure over the Crossroads Jump.
“I'd really like to actually get some championship points in this event, we've been plagued with mechanicals at the past three events.
The threats to Levi’s points chances include the 1987 Volkswagen Golf GTI of Josh Nykanen, co-driven by his brother, 2025 ARA Ken Block Rookie of the Year Matthew Nykanen, as well as Travis Mattonen and Anikka Nykanen’s (wife to Matthew) 1998 Subaru Impreza, which, “must have lost a few axles,” Levi said, as it will also be competing in O2WD.
“It kind of screwed up all my plans for easy points,” Levi added.
“My strategy right now is to finish, some points are better than no points... But I love close racing and trading seconds with these guys. I guess we'll just have to see how heavy my right foot is feeling come race day.”
While they don’t have their own podium, the O4WD class also features Corey and Zane Morris in their 2014 Subaru WRX STi, and Daryl Bergen and Lorelai Payeur in their 2011 Subaru STi.
Follow the action live on the ARA social media channels and on ara-rally.com.
~Mason Runkel for the ARA