The 2007 Sandblast Rally is only three weeks away, and preparations are well underway to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever before. 60 teams will take to the stages in mid-February, making this season’s rally one of the largest rallies in the country.
Covering more than 76 competitive miles, Sandblast Rally will feature nine stages including Sand Trap Reverse, one of the event’s trademark stages along with several driver-favorites including Campbell Lake and Hunter Pond.
Joining the field of competitors this year will be the RallyMotoâ„¢ drivers, adding a Dakar-like feel to the action on the South Carolina sand. 26 of the registered 60 entrants will contest the rally on specially modified motorcycles, very similar to the motorcycles which take to the desert in the Dakar Rally every year. The event marks the first time that a point-to-point rally will include motorcycles in the United States.
MAX BMW Motorsport will provide the field with half of the RallyMoto â„¢ competitors and will host the largest team contingency during the weekend.
Notable entries in the rally include Scott Gardner in his Audi S2 Quattro and Carrie Wilburn in her Subaru Impreza. Both drivers are returning to action after contesting the 2006 Sandblast Rally.
Sandblast Rally Chairman Anders Green is not only anxious for this year’s event, but is looking forward to the introduction of the RallyMoto™. “I’m very excited about the bikes adding a Dakar style to this rally. Our roads are much more sand than gravel, so I think that the riders will be getting a taste of what that incredible African event is like. The feedback I’m getting from the riders so far is that they’re very happy to have a place in America where they can learn about rally. Everyone is asking who’s going to win overall, bikes or cars. I can’t wait to find out myself! †he said.
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