Sandblast Rally is a rally racing event for both cars and motorcycles. The event takes place in the towns of Chesterfield, Cheraw and Patrick, South Carolina, USA. In later years the events have been held in February of each year. The 2008 event was the largest rally in the United States.
The rally takes place within the Sand Hills State Forest, part of the Sandhills region of the Carolinas. Most rallies are held on closed tarmac or gravel roads; sandblast rally roads are almost entirely sand. Some of the roads are compacted by heavy trucks, some of the more infrequently used roads are quite soft. This presents an unusual challenge to rally cars, as the constant drag of the sand increases the wear and drag on the transmissions. The driving technique is also different from other rallies, as the soft sand on the side of the road can be similar to a snowbank, while the braking ability exceeds that of tarmac with slick tires.
Long named "Sandhills Sandblast" after the region, the event was first organized by Greg Healey in the early 1990s. In the second year of running the event became part of the SCCA ProRally national championship. Healey moved to Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s and the rally lay dormant for several years. The first rallies started at noon and ran well into the night, with three or four stages run in complete darkness.
In 2001 Charles Sherrill resurrected the event, with similar stages. One of the busiest years was 2003 when the event ran twice in one year, spring and fall. The fall event was the first event sanctioned by the newly formed NASA Rally Sport organization.
In 2005 Anders Green became the organizer, and the official name became "Sandblast Rally".
In the February 2007 event motorcycles were introduced as part of NASA Rally Sport's new RallyMoto program.
| Year | Driver & Codriver | Make | Motorcycle | Model | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Klim Fedoff and Boyd Smith[1] | Mitsubishi Evo IX | Bill Conger | KTM 450XC | |
| 2019 | Martin Donnelly and Brian Doherty[2] | Ford Fiesta | Randy Richardson | Husqvarna 701 Enduro | |
| 2018 | Eric Wages and Sarah Montplaisir[3] | Subaru Impreza STi | Bobby Wooldridge | Husaberg FE 570 | |
| 2017 | Ruben Cuenca and Ramiro Arevalo[4] | Subaru Impreza STi | Bill Conger | Aprilla RXV 5.5 | |
| 2016 | Patrick Brennan and Aaron Crescenti[5] | Mitsubishi Evo IX | Bobby Wooldridge | Husaberg FE 570 | |
| 2015 | Gary Donoghue and Kieran McElhinney[6] | Mitsubishi Evo | Bill Conger | Aprilla RXV 5.5 | |
| 2014 | Eric Wages and Sarah Montplaisir[7] | Subaru Impreza STi | Devon Mahon | KTM 530 EXC | |
| 2013 | Jason Smith and Jared Lantzy[8] | Subaru Impreza | Michael Gilkey | KTM 950 Adventure S | |
| 2012 | Michael Reilly and Joshua Benthien[9] | Ford Escort Cosworth | Bill Conger[10] | Aprilla RXV 5.5 | |
| 2011 | Charles Sherill and Wilson Von Kessler[11] | Mitsubishi Evo IV | Aaron Gibson | KTM 690R | |
| 2010 | Eduardo Bancalari and Jay Mauney[12] | Subaru Impreza WRX | Bill Conger | Aprilla RXV 5.5 | |
| 2009 | Eduardo Bancalari and Jay Mauney[13] | Subaru Impreza WRX | Michael Gilkey | KTM 950 SE | |
| 2008 | Charles Sherrill and Brian O'Neal[14] | Mitsubishi Evo IV | Mark Ely | Aprilla RXV 5.5 | |
| 2007 | Celcus Donnelly and Noel Gallagher[15] | Mitsubishi Evo VIII | Mark Ely[16] | Honda XR 640 SP | |
| 2006 | Seamus Burke and Brian Sharkey[17] | Mitsubishi Evo VIII | |||
| 2005 | Seamus Burke and Charles Bradley[18] | Mitsubishi Evo VIII | |||
| 2004 | Seamus Burke and Charles Bradley[19] | Mitsubishi Evo VIII | |||
| 2003 (Fall) | Seamus Burke and Brian Sharkey | Mitsubishi Evo VI | |||
| 2003 (Spring) | Seamus Burke and Emma Burke | Mitsubishi Evo VIII | |||
| 2002 | John Drislane and Ronan Burke | Mitsubishi Evo IV | |||
| 2001 | Thomas Lawless and Cathal McCaire | Mitsubishi Evo IV | |||
| 1996 | Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker | Hyundai Elantra | |||
| 1995 | Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker | Audi Coupe S2 | |||
| 1994 | Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker | Audi Coupe S2 |