Rally in the 100 Acre Wood 2023 Preview

March 10, 2023

Hot off the heels of a victorious season opener at Sno*Drift last month, Subaru Motorsports USA heads to Missouri for the weekend of March 17-18 to take to the fast and flowing stages of the 100 Acre Wood Rally, where reigning champion Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams hope to push the #1 WRX STI to victory through the deep forest for the second consecutive year.

The long stages and extremely high speeds through the woods are sure to highlight regulation changes meant to bring this season’s O4WD class more in line with the RC2 class, which include a smaller restrictor and tapered back aerodynamics. With the fastest cars effectively dialed back, the field now competing for an overall win is bigger than ever – the racing is sure to be intense and exciting. But even if it could be anyone’s game in 2023, the return of rival Barry McKenna and co-driver Leon Jordan in the #97 Ford Fiesta WRC to challenge the #1 WRX STI will undoubtedly make for a battle on top of everyone’s highlight reel.

100 Acre Wood is a rough, fast, and technical rally, where most corners are taken in 5th or 6th gear. The more rutted stages are famous for breaking equipment. Though an absolute thrill ride to witness, refined pace notes are critical here, as one wrong move can easily make for an uncomfortable race ender. As the first gravel event of the season, it’s also the race that’s unofficially seen as the “real” start of the season; the stakes are just as real.

Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok for news and updates throughout the weekend as the 2023 rally season gets underway! Live tracking and timing is available via the RallySafe app on Apple or Android.

BRANDON SEMENUK: "100AW is like Christmas Day. After a long winter waiting for a gravel rally, it’s finally here! I’ve always enjoyed this event so hopefully Keaton and I can make it 2 wins in a row this year!"

KEATON WILLIAMS: "Always look forward to 100AW. Fast flowing roads with big camber/crests, always feeling like a rollercoaster! We’ve had a perfect start to the year. Let’s hope we can keep it up!"

NAME: Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
DATES: 3/17/2023 - 3/18/2023
HOST TOWNS: Potosi & Salem, Missouri
TIME ZONE: Central Daylight Time (UTC -5)
NEAREST MAJOR AIRPORT: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
WEATHER: Rain and snow showers possible on Friday. High near 49F. Low around 29F. Sunset 19:11.

2023 100 Acre Wood Stage Info

Total Distance: 361.26 miles
Number of stages: 17
Stage distance: 125.19 miles
Stage surfaces: Gravel
Longest stage: 10.84 miles (SS12 Loop Southern 5600)
Recce: Open
Service Parks: Twin Eagle (Fri) Dent Co Commons (Sat)
Official Start: 13:15 on Friday
Superspecial: No
Power Stage: SS17
Stages in darkness: Yes (SS17)