2020 Southern Ohio Forest Rally Preview
Name: 2020 Southern Ohio Forest Rally
DATES: 7/18/20 – 7/19/20
HOST TOWNS: Chillicothe, OH.
TIME ZONE: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4)
NEAREST MAJOR AIRPORT: John Glenn Columbus Intl Airport (CMH)
WEATHER: Hot. Humid. Partly cloudy with a high of 92ºF and a low of 70ºF. Around 80% humidity.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE RALLY
Live Updates: Subaru Motorsports USA Instagram
Live Tracking: ARA Web
ARA Mobile Phone Apps: iOS / Android
General Info: Southern Ohio Forest Rally
Southern Ohio Forest Rally Edition
Rally is back! After nine months away, Subaru Motorsports USA finally returns to the woods at this weekend’s Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR), the second event of the revised 2020 American Rally Association (ARA) national calendar. Five-time national champion Travis Pastrana will kick off his full-time return to the team alongside new teammate and rising star Brandon Semenuk. With Robbie Durant unable to travel from the UK due to Covid-19 restrictions, Pastrana will be reunited with 2014 co-driver Chrissie Beavis; Semenuk will pair with longtime co-driver John Hall. The Canadian duo will need to get up to speed quickly in the WRX STI VT20r, but with SOFR new to the national series this year and Pastrana having no previous experience on these Ohio forest stages, the playing field will be level.
Southern Ohio has adopted an updated format that will also bring unique challenges: the event will run for a single night and entirely in the dark, beginning Saturday evening and wrapping up in the early morning hours on Sunday. With night stages a relative rarity on the ARA calendar, rallying in the darkness should provide plenty of drama. Although no spectators will be permitted at this rally, fans can catch all the action by following the team’s Instagram stories or via Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook.
QUOTES FROM THE DRIVERS
Travis Pastrana #199 Subaru WRX STI: “Couldn’t be more excited to get my rally season kicked off! It’s been a while since I’ve been in the car and we’ve had to make changes to our team because of the current travel restrictions. Chrissie agreed to jump in with me last second and hopefully we can pick up where we left off five years ago. Neither of us have done this rally but the long twisty stages should be a good fit for my driving style!”
Brandon Semenuk #180 Subaru WRX STI: “It’s been a long wait and a lot of anticipation–I’m excited to finally tackle my first event in the Subaru WRX STI! Ohio looks like a great area for rally and a worthy addition to the ARA championship. With a strong field of cars expected to show up, John and I are preparing for an all-night fight.”
2020 Southern Ohio Forest Rally Stage Info
Total distance: 212.97 miles
Number of stages: 6
Stage distance: 85.80 miles
Stage surfaces: Gravel with legs of tarmac
Longest stage: 16.38 miles (SS1 / SS3 / SS5)
Recce: Open
Service Park: Scioto County Fairground
Official Start: 7:00PM
Superspecials: None
Spectating: Not allowed
Stages in darkness: Yes (SS2-SS6)
