5 Cars You Wouldn't Expect to See Rally Racing

• February 15, 2014
• / Story By
  Randy Ly

The Rally America series kicked off their 2014 season in Atlanta, Michigan late January with the Sno*Drift rally. Among the many high-powered all-wheel drive Subarus and Mitsubishis were some interesting cars competing in the regional event. Many seasoned rally drivers will tell you that they did not start out with the newest STI or EVO. Instead, they would throw a rollcage in their oldest running vehicle and hit the dirt. In this article we take a look at some of the “oddball” cars that were out competing in the snow.

Mazda 323 GTX

If you have been fortunate enough to go spectate at Sno*Drift over the years, then Erik Zenz’s 1988 Mazda 323 GTX would be very familiar. With Dustin Masters in the co-driver seat, Zenz’s has driven this car to multiple open class victories in the regional series.

Volvo 242

One of the oldest cars competing at the rally, this 1980 Volvo 242 driven by Ian Topping with co-driver Jimmy Brandt proves that with a little modification, you can take your grandpa’s daily out on the stages.

Mitsubishi Plymouth Fire Arrow

Another classic from the 80’s driven by Steve Nowicki and Scott Rhudy, this 1980 Mitsubishi Plymouth Fire Arrow has long been one of the favorites of the regional competitors.

VW Golf GTI

Micah Nickelson and Tyler Ptacek take their VW Golf and slides it around a sharp turn while acknowledging the spectators.

Mini Cooper

For Markus and Alicia Saarinen, making the move from the Baja 1000 to stage rallying is one thing. Making the move to a Mini Cooper in the snow is a completely different experience.