Largest U.S. stage rally starts this weekend

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Eighty teams entered

The Sandblast Rally will be sending the first racers out of the starting gate this weekend, on Saturday February 9th. The annual stage rally event, based in Cheraw, South Carolina, will be storming into the Sand Hills State Forest in the early morning. The rest of the day will see cars and motorcycles blasting down the closed roads at full speed.

The NASA Rally Sport-sanctioned rally, which has been running in the area since 1992, has grown quickly over the last several years. With over eighty teams entered, the rally is easily larger than any other stage rally in America. Last year saw 40% growth, and this year the entrants are up 30% over 2007.

Over thirty rally cars are registered for the event, which would be a healthy field all by itself. The local towns of Cheraw, Patrick, and Chesterfield are home to plenty of race fans, with the proximity to NASCAR tracks having a heavy influence. Wendell Perdue, Mayor of Patrick, is rumored to be considering building a car to enter next year's event.

"NASA Rally Sport's program for motorcycles, which we call RallyMoto, has really exploded," reported event organizer Anders Green. "Last year was the first year that we invited the bikes to join us, and the response has been fantastic. We're also getting some volunteers coming from the bike community, which is fantastic."

The Sandblast Rally is the first event of the Atlantic Rally Cup (cars) and Atlantic RallyMoto Cup (motorcycles). The ARC has events in the states of South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virgina, and New York.

D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source NASA Rally Sport