When you think Rally, you probably think of anything from the snow of Sweden to the sandy Argentinean stages, or glamorous and beautiful locations like Monte Carlo and Sardinia? Do far-away lands like New Zealand and Japan come to mind? How about the red rock canyons of the Arizona forest, or the high desert as it climbs to the Sierras? Well, fuel up the car, load the sundries and champagne – we’re off to a rally!

Rally in the United States has been around just as long as it has everywhere else. We weren’t racing to casinos necessarily, just up to the top of mountains. As all night rallies across the globe started adding more and more ‘Specials’ the sport evolved here, just as it did in Europe. From a time-speed-distance category, into a series of flat out, race as fast as you can, closed Special Stages; and from “blind” route-book-only events to reconnaissance and computer generated stage notes, we’ve kept up.

The California Rally Series, which started in 1975, has been helping to run events and a meaningful championship from day one. Don’t think one or two events in California, think six events from Idaho to Arizona. Don’t think of it as “a regional series,” think about it as the largest concentration of rallyists in the US, and by region, think about an area the size of France.

Amateur does not mean slow. Grassroots competitors usually have more heart, and do more with a smaller checkbook then some ‘National’ teams. Local rallies are won and lost by seconds, and a typical one day event will cover over 60 miles of racing. How about the excitement? Here’s an old VW Golf being driven in absolute maximum fury to win Group 2 (CRS-2) at last year’s High Desert Trails Rally. When Van Brocklin and Secviar cross the finish line they take the lead in Group 2 and set the second fastest time on the stage overall! Of course, when I said ‘cross the finish line’ I failed to mention that it was the entire car tumbling 8 times after making a mistake on the last corner. This IS rally!