Photo: blockwood

It's the end of a season and the end of an era at Rally America. Lake Superior Performance Rally is the last event on the 2009 Rally America National Championship calendar. For the last 5 years the 9th and final round of the Rally America Championship Series has played out in picturesque Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on October 16th and 17th. Peak fall colors will be in full force providing a striking backdrop to rally cars tackling the tough gravel roads and the famous Brockway Mountain Stage, a perennial favorite among some the nation's top rally drivers.

Leading up to LSPR, the 2009 Rally America Championship Series provided no shortage of memorable moments and LSPR promises to deliver even more spectacular stories. LSPR will see the return of many X Games superstars to the local area to compete for top honors and a final push for Championship points. At LSPR, the most notable stories are:

Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Travis Pastrana from Davidsonville, MD, mathematically won his 4th Rally America Championship in a row at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in late August. However, his competitive spirit will not allow him to take it easy at LSPR as he seeks his 6th overall win this season.

2nd and 3rd place overall is still up for grabs at LSPR. Ken Block, Andi Mancin, and Andrew Comrie-Picard (all X Games rally car racing competitors) will battle it out for the final two podium spots.

Only 20 points separate the top three drivers in the highly entertaining Super Production Class. 22 points awarded to first place will be all Jimmy Keeney, Pat Moro, and Piotr Wiktorczyk will need to secure the class win after a much deserved LSPR finish!

Subaru Rally Team USA driver, Ken Block from Rancho Sante Fe, CA, typically competes in the top Open Class. However, due to wrecking his open class car at Ojibwe Forests Rally in August he will compete in the Super Production Class car normally driven by Subaru Rally Team USA teammate and BMX legend, Dave Mirra. Ken used the same Super Production car at last month s event, Rally Colorado, and won three stages despite driving a less powerful car and before his rally ended in a mechanical failure. Expect Ken to repeat his success at LSPR considering he won this LSPR last year!

17-year-old, Dillon Van Way from Carencro, LA, in his first season as a national competitor showed enough talent and tenacity to be just 1 point away from winning his first-ever National 2 Wheel-Drive championship - he also has a crazy funny youtube page.

LSPR is one of the most revered rally events in the nation by competitors alike due to a great local organizing committee and extremely challenging roads. The mystique surrounding this event have been graced by many U.S. and international rally drivers, such as 11-time US rally champion John Buffum, Mark Lovell, Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and Mark Higgins.

The event is headquartered in Houghton, MI and competition will take place as far as Kenton and Copper Harbor. As the Fall season sets in over the Upper Peninsula, frigid Lake Superior temperatures have been known to bring unpredictable weather conditions ranging from rain, snow, and occasional sun breaks to complicate rally team strategies.Fans will be given the opportunity to meet the drivers and take pictures of the cars at the two Parc Exposes, which take place on Friday, October 16th at the Country Inn & Suites in Houghton, and on Saturday, October 17th in downtown Calumet. More information can be found on www.lsprorally.com or rally-america.com/events/2009/LSPR/.