Press Releases

Press Release 8 - CHARLES SHERRILL WINS SANDBLAST RALLY IN MITSUBISHI EVO 4
Press Release 7 - ELY WINS OVERALL AT SANDBLAST RALLYMOTO(TM), EMBRO WINS DAKAR CLASS
Press Release 6 - LARGEST STAGE RALLY IN AMERICA STARTS THIS WEEKEND
Press Release 5 - DAKAR RIDER JAMES EMBRO ANNOUNCES NEW BUSINESS AT SANDBLAST RALLY
Press Release 4 - AFTER DAKAR CANCELLATION, USA-BASED SANDBLAST RALLY OFFERS FREE ENTRY
Press Release 3 - ATLANTIC RALLYMOTO(tm) CUP IS WORLD'S FIRST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MOTORCYCLES
Press Release 2 - EARLY ENTRIES POINT TO STRONG YEAR FOR NEWLY FORMED ATLANTIC RALLY CUP
Press Release 1 - SANDBLAST RALLY RETURNS TO SOUTH CAROLINA IN 2008

Press Release 8

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, February 15, 2008

CHARLES SHERRILL WINS SANDBLAST RALLY IN MITSUBISHI EVO 4

NASA Rally Sport sanctioned Sandblast Rally took place in Cheraw, SC
Dimiters rolls on last stage dashing second place hopes
Sorensen roars into top 10 with 2WD Saab

Charles Sherrill and codriver Brian O'Neal have a long history with the Sandblast Rally but until this weekend that has never included winning the event. The former organizer of the event has spent plenty of time on these roads, but never at the speeds generated this time around.

Sherrill quickly made his mark on the first stage, putting eightteen seconds on second place Martin Donnelly and Steven Duffy. Third place Otis Dimiters and Dominic Jozwiak were a little off the pace getting started, but upped their game after the second stage.

The middle of the day saw Dimiters reel in Donnelly and eventually take second place on the leader board. Misfortune struck on the very last stage when Dimiters rolled his car on a square right turn. Several minutes were lost, and with Donnelly's clean run, Dimiters dropped back to third in the final standings.

Ivor Wigham and Jeff Hagan placed fourth overall, a result notable in that while he has been involved in rally continuously for a very long time, it has been six years since he has competed. Another fantastic drive was Luke Sorensen and John Iden in a Saab 99. The "Swedish Mafia" pushed their way into the top ten in their two wheel drive vehicle, which is no small feat considering the sandy conditions at the event. That honor was shared by Burak Tuglu and Mustafa Samli who clearly showed that driving skill can make up for horsepower as they brought their Ford Focus to nineth overall.

"We had a great rally this year." reported event organizer Anders Green. "We're actually straining under the popularity. When you're talking about moving over eighty teams, each on a different schedule, to the precision of seconds, over 600 square miles of closed racing roads, that gets to be a handful. But everyone had a fantastic time and if you're measuring by smiles, this rally is huge!"

The cars are still holding off the motorcycles, with the top car beating the top bike by about a minute and a half. The fastest bike would have taken second overall if the standings were combined, so the speeds are amazingly close.

"We've had an amazing response to the event." continued Green. "We already over 2000 photos on SandblastRally.com. We had volunteers come out from the local community, and also from far, far away to help us put on the event. There's no way we could make this happen without the support from the towns of Cherew, Patrick, and Chesterfield."

Note to editors:
Sandblast Rally is the first event of the Atlantic Rally Cup (cars) and Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup (motorcycles)
The ARC has events in SC, TN, WV, and NY
The event is sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport
More information is available at SandblastRally.com

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 7

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, February 15, 2008

ELY WINS OVERALL AT SANDBLAST RALLYMOTO(TM), EMBRO WINS DAKAR CLASS

NASA Rally Sport sanctioned Sandblast Rally took place in Cheraw, SC
Over 80 car and motorcycle teams
Dakar bikes fascinate crowd

Motorcycle riders returned to the town of Cheraw in Chesterfield County this past weekend to begin the first step toward claiming the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup. Having spent last year learning the terrain and nature of this new style of racing, the riders were ready to get their game faces on for serious competition.

Mark Ely, on an Aprilia 5.5 did not disappoint his fans as he smoked through the stages winning the overall by over a minute. This was not an easy win for him, as Mike Gilkey on a KTM 950 Adventure was only seconds behind him each stage. The lead grew slowly as the day wore on and the conditions punished the riders. The final stage, run in darkenss with huge lights blazing, saw Ely cement his victory with a sixteen second victory over Gilkey.

An amazing surprise for the spectators was the appearance of several genuine Dakar motorcycles and riders. James Embro of JJE Racing and outfitter THE RACE SHOP in Georgia assembled a team of three Dakar bikes. The rally was very proud to have these connection to world famous Dakar event on the starting line.

Nerves were pretty high at the start of the race, as the Dakar riders were given priority seeding and started at the front. There was plenty of discussion under the Red Bull arch at the start about who would ultimately be faster and the suitability of the Dakar bikes for the conditions. Embro proved to be a force to be reconned with on his KTM 660 Rallye. "The first couple stages I took it easy since to see what the conditions were like. After the first service I decided to go for it." The result was a fourth overall in his first participation with NASA Rally Sport's RallyMoto(tm) program.

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 6

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, February 4, 2008

LARGEST STAGE RALLY IN AMERICA STARTS THIS WEEKEND

NASA Rally Sport sanctioned Sandblast Rally starts February 9 in Cheraw, SC
Over 80 car and motorcycle teams
Dakar riders also entered
In-field audio reporting planned

Sandblast Rally will be sending the first racers out of the starting gate this weekend, on Saturday February 9th. The annual stage rally event, based in Cheraw, South Carolina, will be storming into the Sand Hills State Forest in the early morning. The rest of the day will see cars and motorcycles blasting down the closed roads at full speed.

The rally, which has been running in the area since 1992, has grown quickly over the last several years. With over eighty teams entered, the rally is easily larger than any other stage rally in America. Last year saw 40% growth, and this year the entrants are up 30% over 2007.

"NASA Rally Sport's program for motorcycles, which we call RallyMoto(tm), has really exploded" reported event organizer Anders Green. "Last year was the first year that we invited the bikes to join us, and the response has been fantastic. We're also getting some volunteers coming from the bike community, which is fantastic."

Over thirty rally cars are registered for the event, which would be a healthy field all by itself. The local towns of Cheraw, Patrick, and Chesterfield are home to plenty of race fans, with the proximity to NASCAR tracks having a heavy influence. Wendell Perdue, Mayor of Patrick, is rumored to be considering building a car to enter next year's event.

New this year will be the partnership with RallyRaidio.net. This group was at the forefront of providing audio reporting from competitors in the field during this year's Dakar registration, and they were the source for most of the quoted material in media worldwide. The team at RallyRaidio is excited because broadcasting a domestic event parallels their interest in helping further to increase the level of exposure for privateers competing in motorcycle competition.

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 5

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, February 2, 2008

DAKAR RIDER JAMES EMBRO ANNOUNCES NEW BUSINESS AT SANDBLAST RALLY

Dakar rider James Embro enters Sandblast Rally in Cheraw, SC
Embro is opening a new racing shop in Norcross, GA
Embro will be carrying Husaberg motorcycles

Following the cancellation of this year's Dakar in Africa, the organizers of the Sandblast Rally sent out word that riders were welcome to compete here in the states. Dakar rider James Embro decided that the opportunity to run so close to home was too good to pass up. Sandblast Rally is in Cheraw, SC, only about six hours from Embro's base of operations in Norcross, GA.

"I'm excited that James is coming up from Georgia" reported event organizer Anders Green. "He's bringing some of his teammates and a variety of honest-to-goodness Dakar bikes. Just to have this machinery around and on display will be fantastic. Usually these exotic bikes are either doing training in the deserts of the west or competing in Africa, so having them out in public on the East Coast will be a real treat for the fans and fellow competitors."

Sandblast Rally is going to be the debut of James Embro's new venture, THE RACE SHOP. "It makes perfect sense, really." said Embro. "We're going to specialize in Husaberg motorcycles, from sales, service, and parts all the way up to putting together adveture and training rides. High performance bikes showing what they can do at an actual full-on, full-speed rally is a natural."

THE RACE SHOP will be having their Grand Opening just two weeks after the rally. On Friday February 22 and Saturday February 23, the new facility will be open from 10am till 8pm. The shop is located at 5666 Duford Highway in Norcross, Georgia, where Duford crosses Mitchell Street. More information and directions are available by calling 678-739-2091.

There are very few places in the world where motorcycles can compete in a rally format. Last year NASA Rally Sport created RallyMoto(tm). RallyMoto(tm) is NASA Rally Sport's trademarked program that allows motorcycles to battle each other in a stage rally format. Racing sections, called 'special stages', are linked by untimed 'transits'. Each racer starts the stage on at a time; there are no mass starts. The events which offer the RallyMoto(tm) program do so in conjunction with rally cars.

Sandblast organizer Green thinks the new facility will do well. "Rally, in any of its variations, is a difficult sport. The logistics, planning, and training are very different from a sprint event like motocross. So when you look at the experience of someone like James, who's done Dakar, Baja, Best in the Desert, that kind of history makes all the difference. You just can't replace having that experience and I think it's cool that we'll have an East Coast source for that."

Note to editors:
Sandblast Rally is part of the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup
RallyMoto(tm) is a trademarked program of NASA Rally Sport
More information on the event is available at SandblastRally.com
More information on NASA Rally Sport is available at NASARallySport.com

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 4

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, January 4, 2008

AFTER DAKAR CANCELLATION, USA-BASED SANDBLAST RALLY OFFERS FREE ENTRY

Famous Dakar rally canceled
Organizers of American rally offer free entry to Dakar riders
Sandblast Rally is February 9 2008 in South Carolina, USA

It was announced today by ASO, the group that organizes the world famous Dakar rally, that due to safety concerns for the competitors, the rally would be canceled. Reaction from clearly shocked competitors quickly spread throughout the globe.

Many of the competitors were standing in line at registration and technical inspection when all activity stopped. RallyRaidio.net quickly posted phone conversations of competitors reporting in from the field. Johan Street, a contender for the overall win, reported that "all, all of the competitors around here are in shock. It's just unbelievable."

News of the Dakar decision reached Anders Green, organizer of the Sandblast Rally, at approximately 10am EST. Within two hours, an announcement was made that free entry to Sandblast would be awarded to any motorcycle competitor who had been registered at Dakar.

'No other rally has the huge scope that Dakar does' said Green. 'There's nothing that comes close to three weeks racing across the deserts of Africa. We're not trying to compare our event to Dakar. My heart really goes out to those guys, and I couldn't just stand around and be sad about it. I had to do something, so I figured, hey, we've got sand, if coming and racing here could take the sting out of the cancellation, it was my sporting obligation to let them as long as we had room.'

Wilson von Kessler, close to the RallyMoto(tm) program, commented, 'What's happening with Dakar is very unfortunate. I'm sure that next year Dakar will be back in force, and until then NASA Rally Sport has a whole series of rallies for motorcycles to run.' The Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup covers a wide variety of terrain and locations on the east coast of the United States.

Note to editors:
RallyMoto(tm) is a trademarked program of NASA Rally Sport
More information is available at RallyMoto.com
More information on NASA Rally Sport is available at NASARallySport.com

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 3

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, December 14, 2007

ATLANTIC RALLYMOTO(tm) CUP IS WORLD'S FIRST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MOTORCYCLES

Motorcycles compete in a traditional stage rally format similar to WRC
KTM, BMW, Aprilia bikes will be seen on stage
Number of entrants expected to double during 2008
Schedule for next year announced

NASA Rally Sport is proud to announce that 2008 will be the inaugural season of the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup. This first-of-its-kind championship pits man and bike against a wide variety of surfaces and conditions in a traditional stage rally format.

The 2007 season saw the creation of this sport, and response was incredible from both the competitors and the manufacturers. "I was pretty amazed", said Anders Green, organizer of the very first rally offering competitors the chance to compete in the RallyMoto(tm) program. "Basically, the sport went from 'didn't exist' to 'I'm sorry, we're full, I can put you on a waiting list' in about six weeks. And when BMW decided to make Sandblast Rally the North American debut for their X-Challenge bike I realized that this idea really had some legs."

RallyMoto(tm) is NASA Rally Sport's trademarked program that allows motorcycles to battle each other in a stage rally format. Racing sections, called 'special stages', are linked by untimed 'transits'. Each racer starts the stage on at a time; there are no mass starts. Because the bikes have to transit between the special stages on public roads, all of the bikes have to be street legal, registered, and insured, just like the rally cars. This translates to dual sport bikes being the ideal candidate. The events which offer the RallyMoto(tm) program do so in conjunction with rally cars.

While there are other events that offer point-to-point competition for motorcycles, the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup is the world's only series that does so in a rally format. The closest comparisons would be rally-raid events, of which the most famous is the Dakar, which do not take place on closed roads and generally requires traveling to Africa or the Middle East to compete in. On the North American continent there is the Baja 1000, which also does not use closed roads. The Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup offers competitors and manufacturers a unique opportunity to race and promote within the United States.

Recapping last year, we saw the first ever RallyMoto(tm) event, then the first event to offer racing on tarmac, and then the first event to offer night rallying to motorcycles. There was no series in the first year of the RallyMoto(tm) program, indeed, there wasn't even a consistent class structure from one event to the next. Wilson von Kessler said "We really had no idea what kind of machinery was going to show up, so it was hard to write those rules. It turns out our competitors have a great rally spirit and we adapted to these things and just kept plugging along. Everyone knew that the first year we had to concentrate on keeping everyone safe and educating our riders about just how rally works. Even though car rally has a 100 year history, the terms and concepts had a completely separate evolution on the bike side."

Competitors will visit four states ranging up and down the east coast of the United States. Conditions will include sand, gravel, and tarmac to truly test the team's abilities on all surfaces. One event, Rally West Virginia, will be offer the RallyMoto(tm) program for the first time in 2008, while the remaining events saw motorcycles in 2007. The events and their dates are:

Sandblast Rally � Cheraw, SC, USA � February 9
Rally Tennessee � Linden, TN, USA � March 24
Rally West Virginia � Elkins, WV, USA � August 2
Black River Stages � Harrisville, NY, USA � September 27

Note to editors:
RallyMoto(tm) is a trademarked program of NASA Rally Sport
More information is available at RallyMoto.com
More information on NASA Rally Sport is available at NASARallySport.com

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

For Immediate Release � Raleigh, North Carolina, January 4, 2008

EARLY ENTRIES POINT TO STRONG YEAR FOR NEWLY FORMED ATLANTIC RALLY CUP

Atlantic Rally Cup replaces Eastern States Rally Championship
First event in the series will likely have a waiting list
2008 schedule announced

The Atlantic Rally Cup is off to a quick start. The inaugural event, Sandblast Rally, had fifteen percent of the available slots taken during the first forty eight hours of entries being open. Last year saw Sandblast Rally at capacity as well, and this trend looks to continue.

Renamed for the 2008 season, the Atlantic Rally Cup replaces the Eastern States Rally Championship. All of the events participating in the Cup are sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport. Competitors will visit a now-familiar set of four states ranging up and down the east coast of the United States. Conditions will include sand, gravel, and tarmac to truly test the team's abilities on all surfaces. The events and their dates are:

Rally Tennessee, NASA Rally Sport's only tarmac event on the east coast, will screech into town on Labor Day this year. Combined with host town Linden's local festival and graduation ceremonies, the whole county should be alive with excitement that weekend. With the event headquarters, spectating areas, and service parcs being just a short drive from heavily populated Nashville, the town has been increasing its infrastructure in anticipation, with a new hotel opening just next to the headquarters.

The youngest event on the calendar, Rally West Virginia, is the largest in scope of the series, spanning two days of gravel adventure through the hilly roads of the Appalachian mountains. Organizer Mark Bowers has reported that even more roads have been scouted in preparation for the coming season. Last year saw the arrival of the Max Attack! two wheel drive championship which saw fantastic levels of competition develop on the back roads.

Black River Stages is coming off a big year with the largest fields in its history this past season. Organizer Greg Healey said "2007 was a great year for Black River, and I think the event is really gaining some momentum with the competitors. The town is behind it one hundred percent, and that really comes out in the whole feel of the rally."

The Atlantic Rally Cup is the only rally series on the east coast of America offering competitors a varied mix of surfaces to prove their mettle. NASA Rally Sport offers its competitors a diversity of rally racing, from short sprints to multi-day events with reconnaissance.

Note to editors:
Sandblast Rally (sandblastrally.com) will take place in and around the towns of Cheraw, Patrick, and Chesterfield, South Carolina.
Series information available on NASARallySport.com.
NASA Rally Sport is a sanctioning body in America focused on the growth of the sport of rally.

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 2

SANDBLAST RALLY RETURNS TO SOUTH CAROLINA IN 2008

Sandblast Rally scheduled for February 9, 2008
Cheraw, Chesterfield, Patrick are hosts towns
Rally cars and rally bikes battle sandy conditions

Sandblast Rally is gearing up once again for the 2008 rally season. Returning to the Sand Hills State Forest for the twelfth, the event continues to grow, attracting more racers and spectators.

The competitors have come to love this event for its special conditions. Burak Tuglu, campaigning a Spec Ford Focus, said "It's tricky, because the sandy roads are pretty easy on the cars, damage wise, so we really push them. But a sandy rut can grab the car and hurl it off the road in a split second, so it's a balancing act."

The towns are happy to have the event returning to their area. Town of Patrick Mayor Wendell Purdue said in a phone interview "We love to have the rally come through and do their pit stop on Festival Field right here in Patrick, as it ties in with our Pinestraw Festival promotion."

Last year saw the introduction of a "Parc Expose" in downtown Chesterfield on Friday night. This allowed all comers to meet and mingle with the drivers and riders of the cars and bikes. Food and live music was also on hand, temporarily turning the main street into a motorsports and music festival.

The Sandblast Rally, sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport, is a racing event that takes place on closed roads throughout the Sand Hills State Forest. High horsepower all wheel drive vehicles blast through the woods at speeds over 120 miles per hour. The two wheel drive cars fight a very competitive battle, with driver skill coming to the forefront as they tackle the sandy roads, unique in condition within the Atlantic Rally Cup.

Motorcycles also compete at Sandblast Rally. Just like the cars, they are fully street legal, registered, and insured. This year is the first year that the bikes will be fighting for a season championship, so the racing is expected to be even tighter.

Spectating the race is possible at several spots throughout the forest. Information on tickets and locations is available via SandblastRally.com. The event is also looking for volunteers to help marshal the race. "The marshals get a great deal", says Green "because they are positioned right on the course. They'll see more of the race than I will! We try to take care of them as best we can, with free T-shirts, lunch, and inviting them to the awards banquet with all the drivers. There's a training discussion the night before where we go over everything they need to know, so there's no experience required." People wanting to volunteer can call 919.303.0218 or preferably email Anders Green at anders@pobox.com.

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com

Press Release 1

For Immediate Release - Raleigh, North Carolina, December 14, 2007

ATLANTIC RALLYMOTO(tm) CUP IS WORLD'S FIRST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MOTORCYCLES

Motorcycles compete in a traditional stage rally format similar to WRC
KTM, BMW, Aprilia bikes will be seen on stage
Number of entrants expected to double during 2008
Schedule for next year announced

Note to editors:
RallyMoto(tm) is a trademarked program of NASA Rally Sport
More information is available at RallyMoto.com
More information on NASA Rally Sport is available at NASARallySport.com

For media support contact Anders Green: +1 919 697 5282 anders@pobox.com