Southern Ohio Forest Rally Brings ARA Season into the Summer

June 9, 2025

Chillicothe, OH – The 2025 American Rally Association (ARA) season heads to Ohio for the June 12-14 Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR). Three-time defending ARA champion Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams look to continue their 2025 win streak in the Open 4-Wheel Drive (O4WD) class as they chase a fourth overall championship victory. Meanwhile in the Limited 4-Wheel Drive (L4WD) class, extreme sports legend and Subaru Motorsports USA driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino aim to pick up after a class-leading Oregon Trail Rally that also put them on the podium.

As is tradition, the 2025 SOFR will kick off Thursday evening in downtown Chillicothe’s Yoctangee Park with a pair of street stages that are hugely popular with spectators. Saturday and Sunday’s stages take to the woods nearby. Tricky stage layouts, a mix of tight gravel and tarmac surfaces, and elevation changes all wait to challenge drivers.

“It's a technical rally that demands sharp focus start to finish,” says Brandon Semenuk. "Knowing where to cut and by how much can make all the difference at a rally like SOFR.”

"Super fun event,” says Travis Pastrana, “I’ve always enjoyed SOFR.” He and Gelsomino not only won the L4WD class at the Oregon Trail Rally but ended up third overall. Always looking for improvement, their WRX ARA25L comes to SOFR with a new wing from Subaru Tecnica International (STI). Pastrana looks forward to “starting with a packed house at the super special stage.” He also knows the difficulties of the event, noting how stages become “technical but fast in places on day 2 with lots of culverts and cliffs. Day 3 has always been my favorite with flowing stages with a lot of crests, jumps and linked corners!"

The Southern Ohio Forest Rally is always an important and exciting moment in the American rallying year. It represents the beginning of the ARA season’s second half and is the last event before a month-long summer break in the ARA calendar. Keep up with events during the June 12-14 event by following Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.

Name: Southern Ohio Forest Rally

DATES: 6/12/25 – 6/14/25
HOST TOWNS: Chillicothe, Portsmouth, Vinton County, Ohio
TIME ZONE: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4)
NEAREST INTL AIRPORT: Rickenbacker Intl Airport (LCK)
WEATHER: Partly cloudy skies. (Thur) Mostly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms (Fri) Scattered thunderstorms (Sat) Low 65F High 83F. Humid.
Sunset 8:58pm EDT.

2025 Southern Ohio Forest Rally Stage Info

Total distance: 251.68 miles
Number of stages: 20
Stage distance: 113.18 miles
Stage surfaces: Gravel with some paved sections.
Longest stage: 10.12 miles (SS4 & 8 Pink Pony Club)
Highest Elevation: 1,246 ft
Recce: Open
Service Park: Portsmouth West HS (Fri) & Vinton County HS (Sat)
Official Start:  7:46pm on Thursday
Superspecials: 2 (SS1 & SS2)
Power Stage: SS18
Stages in darkness: None

About Subaru Motorsports USA

Subaru Motorsports USA is directed by Subaru of America, Inc., managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by MOTUL, Yokohama Tires, R53 Suspension, Triple-R Lights, DirtFish Rally School, and Sparco USA. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports.

Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.