Los Angeles – 2016 marks the twentieth annual rally school hosted by the California Rally Series. The school is an opportunity for people interested in performance rally and rallycross to get an introduction the sport, either in the driver or co-driver seat. On February 20^th in Ridgecrest, CA, forty-five students are set to participate in the day-long session that includes both classroom and field exercises with locally and nationally recognized competitors. Driving exercises take place in a controlled environment suitable for street cars – so long as they don’t mind getting dirty!

The California Rally Series started the rally school in 1997 as a way for people curious about rally to get a taste of the sport as well as some driving instruction on dirt surfaces. Car control sessions go through the basics of performance driving on limited slip surfaces, and include differences between front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive. As stage notes became more commonplace in rally in the United States, those techniques were added to the curriculum, as well as an in-car field practice session for nascent co-drivers. Meanwhile, as rallycross grew in popularity and matured into a sport of its own, a parallel session was added specifically focused on rallycross driving techniques.

In addition to driving and co-driving skills, there are seminars focused on the nuts and bolts of rally, for example team management and logistics, car preparation, and a complete what to expect at your first rally, including how rally controls work and emergency procedures. The full day really is a primer on everything you need to know to enter a rally. In fact, typically over half of each class will show up ready to compete in their own rally car at an event within two to four years.

A rallycross the following Sunday offer students the perfect opportunity to follow up on the lessons they learned. Held at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds in Ridgecrest, the rallycross will feature a course outlined with cones in large dirt parking lot, and is open to anyone (not just students) in almost any street car. Roll cages are not required, just helmets. Not only is it a great way for students to see how they measure up against their instructors from the day before, but the rallycross also counts for points in the 2016 California Rally Series Rallycross Championship.

The California Rally Series is the premier performance rally championship in the southwestern United States. The Series incorporates events from various sanctioning bodies in order to create a meaningful regional championship for its members. The Series celebrates more than 40 continuous years of performance rally, making it the longest running rally series in the United States. For more information on the California Rally Series Rally School check out http://crsrallyschool.com/. To learn more about the California Rally Series visit www.californiarallyseries.com and follow @crspress on twitter. 

The California Rally Series (CRS) is proud to announce the return of the large displacement, two-wheel drive class known as CRS-5 for the 2016 rally season. This class was put on hiatus after a period of low participation in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. However, the 2015 rally season saw a surge in vehicles that would have been eligible to compete in CRS-5, but were classified into Open class instead, where they were forced to compete against all-wheel drive cars. Recognizing the demand from competitors who want to race high-horsepower two-wheel drive cars and trucks, the CRS Board of Governors unanimously voted to reinstate the CRS-5 class for the upcoming 2016 season. The return of competition to CRS-5 promises to be a boon to spectators who enjoy watching powerful two-wheel drive cars and trucks getting sideways and throwing up big rooster tails!

CRS-5 is open to all two-wheel drive vehicles that are above the adjusted displacement limits of the CRS-2 class. Examples include large displacement engines such as V6 and V8 motors, as well as turbocharged four-cylinder vehicles. Modifications to stock vehicles are not limited so long as they remain two-wheel drive. Vehicles must also conform to all safety regulations of the sanctioning body governing the event.

As a further consequence of the return of CRS-5, Open class will once again be designated Open 4wd, and be limited to all wheel drive vehicles only.

The California Rally Series is the premier performance rally championship in the southwestern United States. The Series incorporates events from various sanctioning bodies in order to create a meaningful regional championship for its members. The Series celebrates more than 40 continuous years of performance rally, making it the longest running rally series in the United States. To learn more about the California Rally Series visit www.californiarallyseries.com and follow @crspress on twitter.