The TRV Stewardship Council announces that the Overmountain
Rally Tennessee 2024 is bringing top-level American Rally
Association (ARA) competitors to an inaugural event in the
mountainous eastern region of the Tennessee River Valley. This new
round of national competition will take to the gravel roads of
Tennessee's only national forest for
two days of high skill driving and opportunities for spectators to
mingle with nationally known drivers.
NORRIS,
Tenn., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --
Organizers for the Overmountain Rally Tennessee are bringing this
round of the ARA National Series to the gravel roads of the
Cherokee National Forest's Watauga and Unaka districts and the
forest gateway communities of Johnson
City and Newport, TN. The
event takes its name from the Overmountain Men, frontier
militiamen, who crossed the mountains along rugged mountain paths
and forded rivers to fight the British at the battle of Kings
Mountain, a decisive Revolutionary War victory for American
Patriots.
Organizers are anticipating both national
and regional competitors to descend on this community for a full
day of events to begin with a meet and greet line-up of the
competitor cars and closing out the day with head-to-head Super
Special Stage at the newly renovated Newport Speedway.
While Rally Racing in European countries dates back to the first
Monte Carlo Rally in 1911, professional rally racing in
the United States began only about
50 years ago. The ARA competitive events are stage rally racing,
which tests the competitor's endurance, pace versus the clock, and
navigational prowess. The Overmountain Rally Tennessee competitors
will be challenged by the gravel forest roads, rocks, and dust on
lands that hold the history of rugged frontiers and the people who
shaped the future history of these communities. The competition
vehicles are specially prepared street vehicles with modifications
for safety and durability.
Competition is split over two days with Day 1 being held in
Cocke County, TN on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Organizers are
anticipating both national and regional competitors to descend on
this community for a full day of events to begin with a meet and
greet line-up of the competitor cars and closing out the day with
head-to-head Super Special Stage at the newly renovated Newport
Speedway. Day 2 of the rally will be based out of Johnson City, a city already afforded several
years of hosting the ARA East Regional Championship, with the
official rally finish and podiums in Downtown on Sunday evening.
Fans will be able to mingle with the drivers, like action sports
icon Travis Pastrana and mountain
biking star Brandon Semenuk, before
the start of the rally on both days.
"I think this new event has great potential for us. There is a
lot of interest in this type of race for our local people as well
as for visitors to our beautiful county. We also look forward to
the positive economic impact these events will have in our
community." Said Cocke County Mayor Rob
Mathis.
Another benefit for the county and the neighboring public land
according to event organizer Dave
Matheson is the improvements of the gravel roads in the
Cherokee National Forest.
"The rally's relationship with the National Forest Service is
great. They have supported our expansion from a small rally on a
single paved road in 2019 to a multi-day gravel event worthy of
promotion to the ARA National Series in 2023. In the past 3 years,
the rally has funded nearly $20,000
back into the roads we use for competition. With the event growing
and more competitors expected, we anticipate to be over
$100,000 of total contribution by
2029. The positive impacts we make on the public gravel road system
are substantial." said Matheson.
"It is exciting to see this type of event being organized in
gateway communities," said TRV Stewardship Council spokesperson,
Julie Graham. "Attracting national
events is a challenge for many rural communities. Having an event
like this that brings national attention to these smaller cities
and balances the conservation of public lands is a win-win."
The Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council, a 501 c3
nonprofit, serves as the steering committee and editorial board for
the Geotourism MapGuide website. It is comprised of volunteers from
a seven-state region. The Council's efforts are made possible
through the generous support of the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA).
Media Contact
Julie Graham, TRV Stewardship
Council, 8655850811, exploretrv@gmail.com,
https://www.trvstewardshipcouncil.org/mission/
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SOURCE TRV Stewardship Council