Event Story

-We've just heard that Blake Lind and Joel Pacello's Toyota Corolla was the first MaxAttack! casualty of 2011. They are up against the "Maximum Permitted Lateness" (MPL) limit and are now just trying to get straight to service. They'll run tomorrow's regional rally after some repairs, but missing a stage takes them out of MaxAttack! contention for the weekend. Best of luck getting it repaired guys, and enjoy your day tomorrow!

-The cars left Parc Expose starting at 9am, and do Palix 1 stage for their first test. The stage is 5.6 miles long, and they have a service immediately after. We'll be looking for reports from that service to get some early impressions. The same stage is re-run (Palix 2) right after the 30 minute service.

Pre-rally quotes from some MaxAttackers from Parc Expose:

-Andrew Comrie Picard (ACP)- Scion xD- "...cautiously optimistic." (Quoted last night while aiming lamp pod.)

-Dillon Van Way- Ford Fiesta- "We are shooting for first overall!"

-Kristen Tabor- Acura RSX-S- "I'm looking forward to running these roads with notes for the first time after running these roads 4 years on only route book."

-Wyatt Knox- Mazda Mazdaspeed3- "We need to podium, but we are going for the win!"

-The drama starts early at Olympus. Last night, a fire broke out in the service rig of Brian McGuire and Jennifer Kraus. A quick thinking person in the parking lot grabbed a fire extinguisher, broke the window, and got the fire under control before the fire department arrived. Luckily, all the spares and tools for the #419 BMW 325i are safe, and the rig isn't too badly scorched. Let's hope the rest of the rally goes smoothly for the pair after a close call!

With ground reporters at Ocean Shores, WA relaying feeds back to MaxAttack! headquarters in Bentheim, MI, welcome to the NEWS thread for the MaxAttack! event at Olympus Rally 2011.

This event is the first round of the 2011 MaxAttack! Rally Series presented by Danza del Sol Winery. The MaxAttack! series is a shootout style championship that pits the best 2WD rally drivers and cars from across North America against each other to see who is the fastest team on gravel. 

LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RRRRUMMMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!

That's right, we are on the cusp of another season of ditch to ditch, high revving, road scorching 2WD rally action!

Once again, I'd like to thank Danza del Sol Winery, for supporting yet another wild and competitive season as they help bring you the 2011 MaxAttack! Rally Series presented by Danza del Sol.

With over twenty two-wheel-drive rally cars entered, a classic battle shapes up for the $5,000 event prize fund and valuable points towards the Jake Himes Cup

21 two-wheel-drive rally cars battled over the challenging Lake Superior Performance Rally stages on the scenic Upper Peninsula of Michigan; O’Sullivan/Wagner win Jake Himes Cup

Here are some photos, courtesy of Jerry Winker at ComicOzzie.com, of MaxAttack! action at the 2010 Lake Superior Performance Rally. We are starting with photos from the shakedown and will keep adding more as they come in, so keep checking back. You can click on the slideshow to see all the individual photos.