November 11th 2009

Keith Jackson and Marra Estep Crowned USRC Open AWD Champions
DirtyImpreza.com Rally Team / Jackson Rally takes 4th at International Rally NY
Aliso Viejo, CA – After overcoming the odds on many fronts, Keith Jackson and
Marra Estep were awarded the title of 2009 United States Rally Championship
(USRC) Open All Wheel Drive Champions. They finished 4th overall at the last
stop on the USRC calendar, International Rally New York. Even when up against
experienced rally teams, including an ex-World Rally Championship driver and
co-driver pair from Finland, the team held their own in the face of some of the
wettest and most challenging conditions of the season.
The weather was only one part of this event’s overall difficulty. As a result of the
logistical challenge of getting to the east coast, the team had to rely on an
abbreviated service crew without having any of the usual volunteers available to
help with service intervals. Fortunately, the Broken Motorsports team was willing
to lend a hand when we needed it the most. The car hit a stump on day two and
caused damage to the passenger side rear knuckle which was almost identical to
the rally ending impact suffered at Prescott Rally a few weeks earlier. When
asked if driver Keith Jackson had flashbacks to the incident in Prescott he
remarked:
“Flashback is an understatement, I just about flipped out. I said to Kyle ‘We are
going to finish this race, we must fix this.’ The help from Billy and Team from
Broken Motorsports was essential for getting us back on the road.”
Determined not to give in without a fight, the service volunteers led by crew chief
Kyle Jackson set to work disassembling the knuckle and fabricating a temporary
solution. Kyle had this to say about the frantic repairs that were performed in the
rain:
“Once the knuckle was off the car we struggled to get the cast to weld. After
playing with the welder settings it welded like a charm. With the new gussets on it
was just what we needed to get us back on the road”.
Continuing on in the slippery, rain soaked roads, Mother Nature was insistent in
making things as difficult as possible. Many of the teams were forced to retire
due to damage caused by unfortunate trips off of the road. With Marra delivering
the pace notes, Keith kept his cool and got the Subaru Impreza WRX STi across
the finish line without any further incidents. The win was truly a team effort that
3227 City Lights Drive 􀂃 Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 􀂃 Phone: 949-294-3355 􀂃
reached deep within the DirtyImpreza.com community. Fund raising efforts that
started a month before the rally raised well over a thousand dollars to help offset
the large financial burden of traveling across the entire US. Contributing parties
were rewarded with prizes, an entry into our sweepstakes drawing, and a picture
of their own Subaru on the rally car as it raced through the forest of New York!
The grand prize drawing for our sweepstakes is December 7th, so there is still
time to enter. For more information about how to enter visit
http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/sweepstakes. All proceeds go to paying off the cost
of running International Rally New York.
The 2009 racing season took the team in many different directions and
developed into a very productive and rewarding campaign. When asked to sum
up the entire season in one word, co-driver Marra Estep said that the experience
was “phenomenal”! The team is looking forward to more racing in 2010, so be
sure to keep an eye out for the DirtyImpreza.com Rally Team partnered with
Jackson Rally. Our commitment to rally runs deep, so be sure to look for us on
stage throughout the upcoming year.
About DirtyImpreza.com:
Based out of Aliso Viejo, CA., DirtyImpreza.com is the fastest growing Subaru
Impreza specific off-road and rally website in North America. The
DirtyImpreza.com Rally Team (DIRT) is involved in grassroots racing from rally
cross to stage rally competition. For more information about DirtyImpreza.com
and DIRT, visit DirtyImpreza.com or email
About JacksonRally:
Located in Temecula, CA, JacksonRally has been in the fabrication business for
over 10 years with the last 3 years specializing in building and racing rally cars.
JacksonRally has a strong passion for off-road Subarus from its very own Rally
Team to the infamous “Battle Wagon”, for more information about JacksonRally,
please email us at