Rally America has come to the northwest for the Oregon Trail Rally. That means rally cars in Portland and in The Gorge!!!
I am a big fan of Rally – before my sense of self-preservation became somewhat developed, I spent some time as a Pro Rally co-driver. Rally is hard – it’s fast, it’s pure, it rewards good preparation, and penalizes poor judgement and carelessness. You should check it out.
One thing that is difficult about rally (from a spectators point of view) is seeing the action, but the promoters of Oregon Trail have ably addressed this. Friday, they will be at PIR (Portland International Raceway – a Portland City Park) for a series of what we used to call “Super Specials” – Special stages that purposely take place in a public area. It’s pretty cool.
On Saturday the cars will come out to Hood River, and then Dufur, for another group of special stages (in the woods) and some great opportunities to view the cars in service at both Odell and Dufur.
Link to the spectator guide – my favorites:
- At PIR you can see the cars at speed with some great viewing opportunities.
- At the Hood River Fairgrounds in Odell, the teams will have settled in and you will be able to look at cars and talk to crews.