Sandblast Rally

Sandblast Rally is a rally racing event for both cars and motorcycles. The event takes place in the towns of Chesterfield, Cheraw and Patrick, South Carolina, USA. Recently, the events have been held February of each year. The 2008 event was the largest rally in the United States.

Sandblast Rally logo

Unusual Attributes

The rally takes place within the Sand Hills State Forest, part of the Sandhills region of the Carolinas. Traditionally, rallies take place on closed tarmac or gravel roads. Sandblast rally roads are almost entirely sand. Some of the roads are compacted by heavy trucks, some of the more infrequently used roads are quite soft. This presents an unusual challenge to rally cars, as the constant drag of the sand increases the wear and drag on the transmissions. The driving technique is also different from other rallies, as the soft sand on the side of the road can be similar to a snowbank, while the braking ability exceeds that of tarmac with slick tires.

History

Long named “Sandhills Sandblast” after the region, the event was first organized by Greg Healey in the early nineties. In only the second year of running, the event was tapped to become part of the SCCA ProRally national championship. Healey moved north to Pennsylvania in the mid-nineties and the rally lay dormant for several years. These first rallies differed from the current setup in that they started at noon and ran well into the night, using three or four stages run in complete darkness.

In 2001 Charles Sherrill resurrected the event and ran similar stages as before. One of the busiest years was 2003 when the event ran twice in one year, spring and fall. The fall event was the first event sanctioned by the newly formed NASA Rally Sport organization.

The summer of 2005 saw Sherrill looking west and thinking of starting another rally. Thus the reigns of the rally were passed to the current organizer, Anders Green. The official rally name was simplified to “Sandblast Rally” at that time.

The February 2007 event saw the introduction of motorcycles as part of NASA Rally Sport's new RallyMoto program.

Past winners
Year Driver & Codriver Make Motorcycle Model
2020 Klim Fedoff and Boyd Smith[1] Mitsubishi Evo IX Bill Conger[1] KTM 450XC
2019 Martin Donnelly and Brian Doherty[2] Ford Fiesta Randy Richardson[2] Husqvarna 701 Enduro
2018 Eric Wages and Sarah Montplaisir[3] Subaru Impreza STi Bobby Wooldridge[3] Husaberg FE 570
2017 Ruben Cuenca and Ramiro Arevalo[4] Subaru Impreza STi Bill Conger[4] Aprilla RXV 5.5
2016 Patrick Brennan and Aaron Crescenti[5] Mitsubishi Evo IX Bobby Wooldridge[5] Husaberg FE 570
2015 Gary Donoghue and Kieran McElhinney[6] Mitsubishi Evo Bill Conger[6] Aprilla RXV 5.5
2014 Eric Wages and Sarah Montplaisir[7] Subaru Impreza STi Devon Mahon[7] KTM 530 EXC
2013 Jason Smith and Jared Lantzy[8] Subaru Impreza Michael Gilkey[8] KTM 950 Adventure S
2012 Michael Reilly and Joshua Benthien[9] Ford Escort Cosworth Bill Conger[10] Aprilla RXV 5.5
2011 Charles Sherill and Wilson Von Kessler[11] Mitsubishi Evo IV Aaron Gibson[11] KTM 690R
2010 Eduardo Bancalari and Jay Mauney[12] Subaru Impreza WRX Bill Conger[12] Aprilla RXV 5.5
2009 Eduardo Bancalari and Jay Mauney[13] Subaru Impreza WRX Michael Gilkey[13] KTM 950 SE
2008 Charles Sherrill and Brian O'Neal[14] Mitsubishi Evo IV Mark Ely[14] Aprilla RXV 5.5
2007 Celcus Donnelly and Noel Gallagher[15] Mitsubishi Evo VIII Mark Ely[16] Honda XR 640 SP
2006 Seamus Burke and Brian Sharkey[17] Mitsubishi Evo VIII
2005 Seamus Burke and Charles Bradley[18] Mitsubishi Evo VIII
2004 Seamus Burke and Charles Bradley[19] Mitsubishi Evo VIII
2003 (Fall) Seamus Burke and Brian Sharkey Mitsubishi Evo VI
2003 (Spring) Seamus Burke and Emma Burke Mitsubishi Evo VIII
2002 John Drislane and Ronan Burke Mitsubishi Evo IV
2001 Thomas Lawless and Cathal McCaire Mitsubishi Evo IV
1996 Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra
1995 Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker Audi Coupe S2
1994 Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker Audi Coupe S2

References
  1. "2020 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  2. "2019 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  3. "2018 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  4. "2017 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  5. "2016 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  6. "2015 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  7. "2014 Sandblast Rally". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  8. "2013 Sandblast Rally Entry List". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  9. "2012 Sandblast Rally - NASA Rally Sport". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  10. "2012 Sandblast Rally - NASA Rally Sport". www.nasarallysport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  11. 2011 Sandblast Rally Official Results
  12. 2010 Sandblast Rally Official Results Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  13. 2009 Sandblast Rally Official Results Archived 2009-05-02 at the Wayback Machine
  14. 2008 Sandblast Rally Official Results Archived 2009-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
  15. 2007 Sandblast Rally Official Results (Car Rally)
  16. 2007 Sandblast Rally Official Results (RallyMoto)
  17. 2006 Official Results
  18. 2005 Official Results
  19. 2004 Official Results

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