McKenna-Jordan win 100 Acre Wood Rally in tight finish

In an incredibly close finish, the luck of the Irish was with the team of Barry McKenna and Leon Jordan as they overcame a late deficit to win the 100 Acre Wood Rally Saturday.

St. Patrick’s weekend was kind to the pair of Irish rallyists, who charged past Subaru drivers David Higgins and Craig Drew in the 14th stage of the 16-stage rally, then held on to top the team of Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston to win the overall trophy by 6.8 seconds.

McKenna Motorsport’s 2011 Ford Fiesta S2000 completed the 16 stages in 98 minutes, 37.9 seconds, just ahead of Solberg’s 2018 Subaru WRX at 98:44.7. Higgins’ Subaru WRX was third at 102:28.6.

The Subaru drivers are teammates at Subaru Motorsports USA. Higgins and Drew are defending American Rally Association champions.

Last year’s 100 Acre Wood winner, Piotr Fetela, was fourth in a 2017 Ford Fiesta Proto at 108.33.6. The finish maintained his standing as the current ARA points leader.

This winter’s most recent bout of rainy weather made for soaked road surfaces, big puddles and rough dried out sections throughout the course. This made the traditionally fast gravel roads of the 100 Acre Wood Rally tricky to drive. While 75 cars started the event, 35 succumbed to the challenging conditions.

Saturday saw the final stages of the rally that began Friday in Potosi and shifted to Salem and Dent County for its conclusion. Mileage is split evenly between 10 stages on Friday and six on Saturday.

At first, the Subarus had the advantage. Higgins and Drew won six of 10 stages Friday to take a 45-second lead by the end of the first day, while Solberg and Johnston took wins in three others.

Solberg ran into trouble Friday when he clipped a large rock that caused a tire blowout. McKenna and Jordan took advantage of Solberg’s struggles to finish Day 1 holding second place overall.

With Higgins holding first place, the battle between McKenna and Solberg continued throughout Saturday’s 63 stage miles. But on stage 14, an electrical issue forced Higgins to stop mid-stage for five minutes and McKenna surged into the lead.

Solberg kept the pressure on, trimming 15 seconds off his lead. McKenna nearly spun out on the final stage, but recovered quickly and crossed the finish line with a 6.8 second margin of victory.

The win is McKenna and Jordan’s first in the American Rally Association. While they’ve won stages at nearly every event and held multiple rally leads in the past, their best drives had been cut short by bad luck until the 100 Acre Wood Rally.

“We’re over the moon, we can’t believe it,” McKenna said at the awards ceremony Saturday night at The Dent County Commons. “We had a lot of misfortune last year so this is great.”

Solberg, a 17-year-old phenom and son of Subaru rally legend Petter Solberg, drew attention from the public and the rally media all weekend. He was pleased with his close second place finish.

“It was a great weekend overall,” he told the crowd. “Big thanks to all the fans. I’m surprised how many people came out to watch these stages and to support us. It’s an honor.”

The winners by class are as follows:

Overall-First place, Barry McKenna and Leon Jordan, 2011 Ford Fiesta; second, Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston, 2018 Subaru WRX; third, David Higgins and Craig Drew, 2018 Subaru WRX.

Limited 4WD-First, Paddy Brennan and Matt James, 2005 Mitsubishi Evo; second, Tim Rooney and Anthony Vohs, 2015 Subaru WRX; third, Adam Short and Rebecca Ruston, 2002 Subaru WRX.

Naturally Aspirated 4WD-First, Nathan and Marianna Usher, 2002 Subaru WRX wagon. second, Jeff Hueser and Dylan Stevens,2000 Subaru Impreza; third, Mike Engle and Ryan Scott, 2000 Subaru Impreza.

Open 2WD-First, Michael Hooper and Claudia Barbera, 2003 Lexus IS350,second,Seamus Burke and Dara Mullen.1977 Ford Escort; third, Eric Langbein and Jeremy Wimpey,1995 BMW 318 Ti.

Limited 2WD- First, Mike Erickson and Jacob Good, 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer, second, Daniel and Justin Yarborough,1987 VW Golf; third, Tracy Gardiner and Kubo Kordish, 2007 Toyota Yaris.

According to ARA, Stage Rally is a point-to-point race against the clock on any surface. Drivers and co-drivers work together in production-based vehicles to compete on closed public roads, called Special Stages. Day or night, teams tackle dirt, snow, gravel, or tarmac roads and obstacles like water crossings and huge jumps at incredible speeds.