Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast

My guest this week on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast is Justin Storie, part-time chef and part-time author. Justin is currently helping with our rally crew cookbook project but also writing a book about Toyota’s rally history. We talk about the WRC, cooking, music, and more.

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Hello everyone. This episode is just me giving some updates as to what I have been up to the past month since my last episode. It's called the Amazing update because it was amazing, but mostly because I say amazing a lot.

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This week my guest is Alex McCrady, Climb to the Clouds committee member and Sports Car Club of New Hampshire’s Vice President and Activities Director.

Alex gives us some insight on the SCCNH and some behind the scenes of the Climb. Alex will also be competing at the Climb as Mike Pettengill’s co-driver in a 1982 Volvo 242 Turbo. He also talks about his experience with gravel trials, rallycross, and of course hillclimbing.

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This week’s guest on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast is Cory Grunwald, creator of the Rally Time Card App.

We talk about Cory’s first rally experience spectating at the Olympus Rally back in 2008. From there he slowly got into co-driving then driving in the past couple of years. He talks about his BWM 318 rally build and finally, his Rally Time Card App.

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This week’s guests on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast are Erik and Clarissa Votipka of Hot Hatch Racing. Based in Missouri, they started off as spectators, then volunteered at 100 Acre Wood and soon progressed into rally cross and stage rally.

We discuss how they started off with purchasing a car and eventually ending up with their current “Blueberry.” They also explain their racing philosophy of keeping costs low while still being competitive and having fun.

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This week on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast, I have a nice casual conversion with Scott Crouch, owner and general manager of Flatirons Subaru in Boulder, Colorado. Scott shares his journey into rally, starting in 2003 when Tanner Foust introduced him to the sport after working together at a dealership. Scott and Tanner competed together for several years before Tanner moved on to X Games and other opportunities.

Scott’s rally career covers both driving and co-driving. We discuss Scott's participation in Pikes Peak Hill Climb where he competes in the time attack division and hosting an Oz Rally Pro class at his dealership.

Scott also discusses Flatirons Tuning, which sells performance Subaru parts and about his collection of vintage Subarus including a 1984 GL Wagon that was the inspiration for Travis Pastrana's Family Huckster.

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I’ve talked a lot about rally cross on this podcast over the last year and a half and how it’s a gateway into stage rally.

Well, finally, I believe it now. My guests this week are RJ Ridgway and Ryan Symancek. We chat about the why and the how-to. I’ve included our discussion before we got started because I feel it is good for you to hear. I left the conversation pretty much unedited.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. I also hope that you can get a chance to experience rally cross if you haven’t already.

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This week, my guests are Zach Arnold and Jack Cuezze, both in their second year studying mechanical engineering at Oregon State University and co-founders of the Oregon State University Rally Club. Zach shares his family's connection to rally. His grandfather was involved in the sport, fueling Zach's lifelong passion for cars. Jack revealed that his father's enthusiasm for automobiles drew him into rally as well—he drove a WRX throughout high school and even attended a class at DirtFish after graduating from high school.

Zach and Jack talk about how they got started in rally, which began with volunteering at Olympus and by making some questionable financial decisions.

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Welcome. This week on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast, my guest is Greg Wilcox. Greg is an avid hillclimb competitor as well as part of the 2026 Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds organizing committee.

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Here is my collection of interviews and tidbits from my trip to Olympus for the ARA National event back in April.

Going to start off with the main reason I was there and that was to hang out with and observe the crew of Screech Owl Garage.

I was invited by Screech Owl founder Daniel Quarto to come out to Olympus back in March. Daniel offered to cover my room and board for the weekend. Little did I know it would involve some fantastic food and being woken up in the middle of the night by some very tired, sleep deprived mechanics.

Screech Owl helped maintain the vehicles of four different rally teams throughout the weekend. I was impressed as to how Daniel handles his crew. He has a background in youth leadership and martial arts. Those experiences lend themselves in keeping a great chemistry going, especially through such a long, tiring weekend at a rally.

The crew comes from many backgrounds as you will hear in the interviews and despite the stress of maintaining four different cars, they all worked together very well. As a result, the teams they support, feel more at ease and feel more confident with their cars.

Screech Owl Garage is more than just a crew but a family.

Perhaps the best story to come out of my experience was the fact that the crew swapped the engine out of Josh Gierman and Gavin Bowen’s 2000 Subaru Impreza in the middle of Saturday night with an engine that came from about 2 hours away. Josh and Gavin then went on through Sunday’s stages to bring home 8thoverall and a podium finish in the regional 4WD class.

Screech Owl’s story deserves so much more than just a bunch of sound bites edited together. Their story is truly amazing. Hope to have several of the teams they supported as well as Daniel himself on the podcast soon and work on an article about the crew as well.

I not only want to thank Daniel and the Screech Owl Garage family for their support, I also want to thank Mitch Meadows of MeLe Design Firm and MeLe Media, Gregory Wilcox, Lorne of Frozen Motion Pictures, and all the other wonderful people that helped support my trip to this year’s Olympus Rally.

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This week’s guest is Brian McMahon, a photographer and former rally driver. He began his career shooting night rallies like Press On Regardless, unaware of how the film would turn out. Later, he competed in TSD and stage rallies, starting with a ’69 Camaro before switching to a Datsun. Brian also shares how rally fans have diverse backgrounds and often engage in interesting conversations in the woods.

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My guest this week is David Weiman.

David started rallying during the mid-1960s, quickly developing his skills and passion for the sport. In 1970, he achieved a significant milestone by winning a national Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rally.

During the interview, David discusses the history and significance of the "Press on Regardless" rally event. He shares insights into the early years of stage rallying, describing the challenges and excitement of the sport during its formative period.

David recounts his experiences competing against notable rally figures such as John Buffum and Tom Grimshaw, among others.

David also delves into his involvement with the Space Shuttle Program, providing an opportunity for a deep dive into his technical and scientific interests.

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This week on Rallying in America: The Recce Podcast, I welcome rally drivers and brothers, Ryan and James Pryzbylkowski of Vilko Motorsports. We cover a lot of topics including what it’s like to have a two-car rally team, ice racing, hill climbs and more. We even talk Steak-Umm.

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This week’s episode is a special one for me. My guest is Rusty Campbell. You may not have heard of him, but he was one of the original organizers of the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally. He helped with the inaugural run in 1977 and for the next 15 plus years.

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My guest this week is rally driver Steve Bis. Steve talks about his 22-year journey in rally racing, starting with his first rally at Rally Colorado in the early 2000s.

Steve details his recent acquisition of his 2013 Ford Fiesta N5 rally car and his preparation for the upcoming Rally in the 100 Acre Wood this week in Missouri.

We discussed Steve's plans to compete nationally and sponsorship opportunities. We also talk about the camaraderie and unique experiences within the rally community.

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This week Mark Huebbe joins me. We cover his early mechanical experience with his father's airplane projects, his progression from autocross to rallycross in Subarus, and his entry into stage rally in 2007.

Mark shares how he and his brother “restored” a Volkswagen Beetle and competed at multiple events, including WRC Mexico where they won their class.

We also discuss running a bakery, an ice cream business, and how bittersweet it was selling the Beetle not too long ago.

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Welcome. This week, we are joined by Preston Osborne, who serves as the Series Manager for the American Rally Association (ARA).

We begin our conversation by exploring Preston’s background, including how he first got involved in the world of rally racing. The discussion also touches on the history of O.D.D. Racing, providing additional insight into Preston’s journey.

Our talk continues with Preston detailing his path to becoming the Series Director for the ARA. He shares the experiences and decisions that led to his current role within the organization.

The primary focus of our discussion centers on the American Rally Association itself, its recent growth, and future prospects. We cover a wide range of topics. Enjoy.

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Mark Utecht’s journey into motorsports began in Minnesota, where he worked next to a racetrack. One day, he heard the distinctive sound of cars participating in an autocross event. Captivated by the excitement, Mark decided to take the afternoon off work. He borrowed his girlfriend’s Dodge Omni and entered his very first autocross, marking the start of his involvement in competitive driving.

Several years after his initial autocross experience, Mark attended a beer party. During the event, someone encouraged him, saying, “you need to be rallying.” This advice sparked Mark’s interest in rally and set him on a new path within the motorsports community.

I learn about Mark’s rally career and we even talk whiskey for beginners.

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This week’s guest is DirtFish instructor, rally driver, and co-driver, Michelle Miller.

Michelle shares that her struggle with insomnia was the unexpected spark that ignited her passion for rally. During sleepless nights, she found herself watching SpeedVision, where her fascination with rally grew. This interest inspired her to try auto cross, allowing her to gain hands-on experience. Over time, her dedication and growing enthusiasm led her to meet someone from DirtFish and that connection opened the door to new opportunities for a professional path in instruction.

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Rob Bohn and Rupert Berrington join me for a conversation about Rally Colorado. We cover their backgrounds and how they became involved as organizers of the event. Our discussion also touches on experiences like being hit in the head, the rally's history, and its upcoming designation as an ARA National event in 2026.

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