Jeremiah Johnson | Litter Media

Presented By McDonald’s, I’m Lovin’ It!

The Southern Ohio Forest Rally takes to the roads, backroads and trails of the Scioto River Valley the weekend of June 11th-12th.

This is year five of the Southern Ohio Forest Rally and represents the 4th leg of the American Rally Association National Series.

Drivers have come to the area from 36 states, 58 cities and several countries, according to SOFR Director Jeremiah Johnson. He says the cars have the body of a normal road-ready vehicle, only will have upgraded engines and suspension systems that turn them into high-powered vehicles to tackle trails on mostly off-road courses, rain or shine.

The Friday Parc Expose gets things started in Yoctangee Park, giving spectators an opportunity to meet with drivers and collect autographs and memorabilia between 4pm-6pm. The the rally kicks off at 6pm. in the opening stage in Yoctangee Park, before heading south into Scioto Trails State Park.

Most of the spectator opportunities for the rally on Saturday, will take place in Scioto County, but can been seen traveling south through Pike County along the way.

Cars will traverse down U.S. Route 23 to Waverly, exit onto State Route 104, then south to State Route 73 before turning onto Big Spruce, Little Bear Road, then Pond Creek and Bear Creek Road into the horse camp.

In Scioto County they will travel along U.S. Route 52 west out of Portsmouth, State Route 125 and Pond Lick Road.

The Saturday Service Location will be at Portsmouth West High School between noon-6pm.

You can also follow the action online at AmericanRallyAssociation.org and SouthernOhioForestRally.com as well as through their Facebook and Twitter social media.

Presented by Hometown-Motors, Inc.

Like most other sports, the American Rally Association’s 2020 schedule was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Just national rally event was held six months ago. Each passing week saw another event drop from the schedule, including the Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR).

Event Chairman Jeremiah Johnson told Litter Media the event was moved from its usual May dates to June of 2020, then the pandemic hit and there was uncertainty for the remainder of the ARA national schedule.

Then as the country began to re-open, there was a glimmer of hope for the SOFR, however, due to health restrictions, the event was forced to be held without spectators for the first time.

The event will be run Saturday, July 18th at an undisclosed location. Johnson says fans can follow along on race day digitally through video updates on the SOFR Facebook page and the ARA website.