UNOH Students Team Up with American Rally Association

Posted on Monday, July 22, 2024

#36 BMW of FH Motorsports at the Southern Ohio Forest Rally

Written by Contributing Columnist Jonah Werbelow.  Photos courtesy of Jonah Werbelow.

UNOH teamed up with the American Rally Association to send interested students to the Southern Ohio Forest Rally, a three-day event covering three towns: Chillicothe, Shawnee State Forest, and Zaleski State Forest. 

Rally is a form of motorsports in which two people pilot a car through narrow roads, gravel and dirt, logging trials, and mountain passes as fast as possible. With UNOH's involvement in NASCAR, Monster Jam, Formula Drift, and dirt track racing, it was time to add rally to the list of opportunities for students. 

During the Southern Ohio Forest Rally, students filled various roles, including tech support, crowd control, vehicle recovery, and media coverage. A few students even had the opportunity to work directly with a team wrenching on rally cars. 

The #36 BMW E36 M3 of FH Motorsport welcomed students to help with their efforts at the Southern Ohio Forest Rally. Day one saw the crew of the FH motorsports BMW in high spirits. The first stage in Chillicothe, Ohio, would end close to the service park.

Unfortunately, on the last part of the stage, the car cracked the oil pan after a hard landing from a jump, forcing FH Motorsport to endure an all-nighter to pull the engine and swap out the M3’s oil pan. On day 2, the rally moved to the Shawnee National Forest. The overnight work was worth it for FH Motorsport, as they led their class throughout the second day.

Day 3 was the final day of the Southern Ohio Forest Rally. Disaster struck on day three for the #36 HF Motorsport after a shifter linkage failure crippled the car. The crew limped the car to the finish line, but their lead was lost. 

Racing isn't just about winning. It's the thrill of the battle, hunting for an advantage, and trying everything to win. And sometimes, it all slips away, but at the end of the day, that's racing. 

Category: Campus & Community, Applied Technologies

Keywords: American Rally Association, Southern Ohio Forest Rally