NASA Rally Sport recently announced the 2C – 2WD Challenge for the 2015 season, and first up is Idaho! The Idaho Rally is no stranger to having 2WD cars on the podium, and the competition will be strong. Offering a chance at a significant cash prize, 2C is what grassroots rally competitors are looking for. The 2WD Challenge is presented by Team O’Neil Rally School and Streetwise Motorsports, who believe learning to push the limits of 2WD rally cars is the best path to future success in the sport.

If you’ve been involved in rally and off road motorsports, a couple big names pop out on the 2WD entry list. Ramana Lagemann has over 50 rallies to his career, and once drove a factory ride for Subaru USA. Lagemann will be looking to have fun at his first Idaho Rally, but he will also be driving for a win. Campaigning a well prepped BMW e36 M3, he could surprise the large AWD field.

Class winner at the 2014 Baja 1000, Ryan Millen has set his sights on rally, and is looking to get a solid start with his new Toyota RAV4. This will be the first event for his team, this car, and we’ll find out quickly if he can get it all dialed in for an attack on 2C.

Hot off his 2015 High Desert Trails win, Markus Saarinen has been a force in 2WD. With lots of Northwest driving experience, this Southwest competitor will be setting fast times on the Idaho stages. Driving a FWD naturally aspirated Mini Cooper to it’s absolute limit is what 2C loves!

A local favorite, Dave Clark will be campaigning his Merkur XR4Ti and will definitely be looking for a podium finish in class! We cannot guarantee that any pink flamingos won’t be harmed on stage when Dave’s around, but we can guarantee a rear wheel drive crowd favorite when Dave gets to the limit in the spectator areas.

The 2C story may be down in the middle of the pack with a wild selection of vehicles going for the top spots and looking to take home some cash. Larry Clark will be in his 1985 Toyota Celica, John Hill in a 1967 Ford Cortina, Erik Christiansen in an underrepresented this year VW Golf, Elijah Fillman-Sullivan driving a BMW 325is, Bruce Tabor in the family owned Nissan Sentra SE-R, Jason Bailey will have a 2014 Scion FRS, Christopher Conrad will be back out with his 1967 Volvo 122, Derek Knight will be in a Volvo 242, and Henry Gillow-Wiles will be campaigning his Honda Civic.

Some new drivers will be taking to the stages, and we love to see them in 2WD! James Rimmer will be in his Subaru BRZ, Eric LaVance will be driving his well prepped Camaro for the first time, Ryan McLaughlin will be out in an Acura Integra, and a last minute entry from John Coyne in a Toyota Corolla.

With over 15 2WD starters, the 2C payout will be: 1st $500 – 2nd $300 – 3rd $150 – 4th $50 – 5th $30. The payout goes up as more drivers battle! And there’s nothing better than the sweet sweet taste of your favorite brew paid for with rally winnings.

Watch for some great 2WD competition. Follow live scores and text for the Idaho Rally at http://rallydata.com. On Twitter @NASARallySport #2WDRally #IdahoRally and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NASARallySport. Looking to learn to drive at the limit in a 2WD car? Go to the Team O’Neil Rally School at http://www.teamoneil.com. Looking to build a 2WD car? Talk to Streetwise Motorsports at http://streetwiseparts.com.