Press on Regardless Award – Southern Ohio Forest Rally Volunteers and Organizers

The phrase “press on regardless” has been the spirit of US rallying for years, and also as the name of the most infamous rally from the SCCA ProRally Calendar.

It’s a testament to the rallyists’ never ending push to finish the rally no matter what hardships they face. While there were plenty of mechanical issues that competitors pushed through this year, the greatest embodiment of the press on regardless spirit came from the organizers and volunteers of the Southern Ohio Forest Rally.

SOFR started off without a hitch for the evening stages on day one, but when day two came, the radio repeater that organizers had bought failed, and seemingly all hell broke loose.

While race control was unable to make contact with the stages, competitors were transited through a few stages and held at service while dozens of people worked frantically to fix the issue to allow the rally to continue as best as possible.

Considering the circumstances, as well as the humidity, heat, and scattered downpours, the organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job of getting as much rallying in as possible before the roads had to be returned to the public.

While there weren’t too many huge offs or mechanicals that stood out from the rest, a few honorable mentions I recall from the season include Texas Dave (Dave Carapetyan) rejoining day two of Ojibwe after a roll on day one, Paul Rowley suffering misfires while battling for second at LSPR but pulling through, and Mark Piatkowski losing third gear while trying to earn points at the same event.

If you have a favorite press on regardless moment from the season, feel free to let us know!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID COSSEBOOM

WORDS BY MASON RUNKEL

Original Post:

https://dirtfish.com/rally/ara/our-2021-ara-season-awards/