Road rally, which often includes time-speed-distance rally (or TSD), became popular in the 1950s and 1960s in North America. (Fun fact: The Rallye Glenwood Springs is the longest continuously running classic car rally in North America. It’s been held annually since 1952.) However, its popularity has been waning, and many participants—and organizers—are aging out. However, there appears to be a comeback for road rally as new people discover this very approachable form of motorsport. In fact, we may be in the midst of a road rally revival.
Road Rally Is The Most Approachable Form of Motorsports
Almost without a doubt, road rally is the most approachable form of motorsports. In most cases, you don’t need a highly specialized vehicle. You can run most events in any street-legal car, truck, SUV, or even sometimes, a motorcycle. While there are special rallies, such as classic car events or rallies that take participants on dirt and gravel, many are very easy to enter.
Since road rallies are held on public roads and they’re at or below posted speed limits, you don’t need roll cages, helmets, or special racing licenses. This creates a very low barrier to entry, making it very accessible.
For example, we entered our first road rally in 2018 in a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage of all vehicles. With just 78 horsepower, we took third place in the novice class and immediately fell in love with road rally. We noticed, however, we were the youngest people there (in our 40s) at this Cascade Sports Car Club Geargrinders rally. This was a part of the club’s monthly rally series in the Portland, Oregon area.
The Alcan 5000 Rally: The Event That Changed Us
The monthly Geargrinders rallies were a lot of fun, and are a great way to spend the first half of a Saturday. However, we knew there were more grandiose events; rallies on much larger and longer scales. For example, I learned of the Alcan 5000 Rally while at Portland International Raceway in 2008. There, a gentleman with a Subaru Forester in a booth displayed the 5,000+ mile route. I was enamored with the idea of a group drive from Washington to Alaska. I took this idea and placed it on my automotive bucket list.
After the passing of my father, Jim, in 2014, I started prioritizing my bucket list. One of those items came to fruition in 2020 when we used our 1991 Mitsubishi Pajero and entered our first Alcan 5000 Rally, a winter iteration. After exhaustive preparation, we made it to the starting line to discover a cadre of other fringe lunatics willing to pay good money to drive over 5,000 miles on ice-covered roads in temperatures approaching -50°F (-45.5°C). But this was one hell of an adventure and competition. We were hooked.
The Alcan 5000 combined our love of travel, competition, cars, and camaraderie into one amazing thing. We weren’t rally voyeurs any longer, we were rallists. We’ve now done four Alcan 5000s, and are set to do a fifth in 2026. Nearly every year, there is a waiting list for the Alcan 5000, proving its popularity. We have also written a host of articles about it and made several videos, which have helped increase its visibility to others. In fact, at least several teams have entered or completed in this rally because of our coverage of it.
The 2025 iteration was chock-full of first-time rallists, and that says something: new people are coming into the sport.
More New People Entering, New Events happening
From the Cascade Geargrinders to the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon rallies, the Thunderbird Rally in Canada, or the biennial Nor’Wester Rally, we have noticed new faces and younger demographics entering. This is critical to the survival and growth of road rally. In the past, these events needed a small army of staff to man checkpoints, keep scores, and perform other event-related duties. However, many events have transitioned to GPS checkpoints, automatic scoring, and electronic timing, eliminating the need for large amounts of staff, which were required for these events. This reduction in required personnel can make these events easier to plan. Plus, the younger generations are keen to use smartphones and GPS-related devices vs pencil and paper for everything. No longer is this a motorsport only for people who did this in the 20th century. It’s become more modern and requires less math than in the past.
While perhaps some of the events are not as popular as in their heydays, a host of new events have popped up recently. For example, the ADV Cannonball Rally, a rally for motorcycle riders, had its inaugural event this year (I did a story on it for OVR Magazine).
Another new event, the Colorado Adventure Rally (CAR) will happen this July, 2026. This three-day event will be held mostly on pavement with some stages on well-maintained dirt roads. (This is a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned event.) In fact, there are a multitude of SCCA road rallies across the USA each year.
By the way, if you’re looking to keep up on the latest news from the road rally world, be sure to check out the Road Rally Enews Facebook page.
A Road Rally Revival
It’s quite possible that the combination of new blood and new events is leading to a bona fide road rally revival. And it’s not just in the U.S. In fact, road rally might be more popular in places like Europe or India than it is in North America.
We did the 2024 Baltic Sea Circle Rally in the electric German-market early 2024 Volkswagen ID. Buzz is pictured above. (This was before the USDM version was sold here.) While it wasn’t a TSD rally (it was a gimmick rally without timing), it was a complete blast. Run by Superlative Adventure Club, it took us through nine countries in 16 days (and about 5,000 miles), and we had to complete tasks and finish in Hamburg, Germany, within an hour-and-a-half window to officially finish.
The combination of approachability, competition, camaraderie, and car culture is alluring to many people. With easier scoring methods, thanks to apps and GPS, and the fact that it’s all on public roads makes road rally ripe for growth. We’re passionate about it.
If you’re curious about road rally, we highly encourage you to go try one. Most people are happy to help show you the ropes, teach you some tricks, and help you become part of the rally family. And “rally family” is a real thing.
The Next Generation
“It’s critically important for seasoned rallists and legacy organizations to work with the new or next generation of road rally competitors who want to help bring these organizations and competitions to the next generation. Their expertise would benefit from younger people’s willingness and desire to help modernize, improve, and expand road rally as a whole,” says my navigator, Mercedes Lilienthal. “There are so many long-time, established rally organizers and planners who can teach newcomers, and the newcomers can breathe new life into this sport.”
These competitions create bonds through shared experiences and community. And the tight-knit road rally community is looking to grow. Who knows? Maybe you’ll fall in love with it as we did.
Andy Lilienthal is an award-winning writer and has written professionally since 1999. He has over 13 years in the automotive aftermarket working at companies including Warn Industries, Bushwacker, and Lund International. Editorial works include writing and photography for off-road print magazines, to new-car reviews online. He’s a photographer with images in multiple magazines, blog sites, and The New York Times.
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