On Aug. 1-2, 2026, SCCA’s Lake Superior Region hosted its first RallyCross Divisional Challenge in Houghton, MI. The event saw 46 drivers, with spectators on hand to take in the action. The event included drivers from Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, with representation from Milwaukee Region, Detroit Region, and Ohio Valley Region. The End of Earth Rallycross Challenge, as it was dubbed, was featured prominently in the community, even including a special feature on local TV6 news channel.
You can check out that news report by clicking here.
The event began with a welcome party held on Friday, July 31, at a local restaurant. Drivers received event information and filled out registration paperwork all while enjoying free appetizers and pizza. Following that, many people returned to the on-site campground to prepare for the event. During this time, however, a short and intense thunderstorm interrupted preparations and thoroughly soaked the course.
Setting the Scene
Come Saturday morning, heavy fog had set in, and the course was riddled with puddles from the prior night’s thunderstorm. Following the class inspection and drivers’ meeting, a half hour delay was needed for the fog to lift, which meant the action couldn’t begin until 10 a.m.
Heat 1 drivers from the Prepared All Wheel Drive, Stock All Wheel Drive, Modified Rear Wheel Drive, Prepared Rear Wheel Drive, and Prepared Front Wheel Drive classes ran first. Heat 2 included Stock Front Wheel Drive, Modified All Wheel Drive, UTV Sport, UTV Max, and Modified Front Wheel Drive. A short lunch break ensued, and in the afternoon both heats saw drivers tackling three more laps for a total of six runs on Saturday.
The Saturday course was long and technically challenging, with runs averaging around 80 seconds. The course was primarily gravel but included a mix of sandy patches and featured terrain changes and a 180-degree turn.
The day’s activities wrapped around 5:30 p.m., and soon after was a barbecue featuring chicken, homemade cheese brats, pulled pork, and corn on the cob, all prepared by Brian Stemen.
Sunday brought four more runs, starting an hour earlier than the prior day, and wrapping shortly after lunch. With Sunday also came a different feel, with the sunny and sandy course leading to dust clouds. Rain or dust, everything stayed under control thanks to the hard work of Chris Woodry, who provided grading of the track with his personal backhoe throughout the weekend whenever the course needed maintenance.
Beyond the spectators, a drone pilot from Milwaukee Region was in attendance, providing aerial videography. Live viewing of the drone footage via monitor was also available in the spectator area.
The Action
A lot was happening on course throughout the weekend.
In Stock All Wheel Drive, Josh Armantrout’s 2024 Toyota Corolla hit a few cones but managed to win SA with a solid lead. Meanwhile, Ben Deschane ran well in a 2006 Mini Cooper S and took first place in Stock Front.
Prepared saw Doug Banyai in his 2000 Ford Focus drive with precision in PF, hitting no cones and taking first place with a 38-second lead. In Prepared Rear, Adam Lacy put his 1986 Ford Mustang GT in the lead, hitting no cones and taking a five-second lead. Then in Prepared All, Max Sutton won first place in a 1996 Subaru Legacy.
Modified Front had Tim Palosaari out front in a 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V – not your average car. Even less of an average car was the one Chris Endres drove to victory in Mod Rear: a 1969 Lotus Europa. The Lotus was also fast, beating out Brian Stemen and his 1983 Mazda RX-7 by 43 seconds. Then in Mod All, Brad Legris put his 2023 Toyota GR Corolla on the top step, followed by Ben Kieranen in a 1990 Eagle Talon – this 17-driver class was one to watch.
UTV Sport and UTV Max classes were small, but the drivers still put on a show. The two UTV drivers, Pete Bates in a 2019 Yamaha YXZ1000R and Zash Schmaedeke in a 2023 Can-Am X3 RR, threw up lots of dirt as they sped around the track.
Making it Happen
This event would not have been possible without the planning of Event Chair Jonathon Nagel, Series Chair Kyle West, Chief of Timing & Scoring Adam Lacy, and Chief of Novice and Safety Eli Goethel.
The Region was also very thankful for the help of Trevor Hallberg, Douglas Banyai, and Jon Bergeron for help with course design and building, with a special shout-out to Milwaukee Region’s Joe Tierrien and Josh Armantrout.
A big thank you is also needed for the drivers and spectators who came out.
Next Up: National Championship
The next event on everyone’s mind is the Oct. 16-18, 2026, SCCA RallyCross National Championship Presented by Bingham Equipment Company at the Camp Verde Equestrian Center just north of Phoenix, AZ.
Here’s everything you need to know about that:
