August 14th was a beautiful Saturday morning in Alaska. The Kenai Peninsula was a ray of sunshine, and the roads were waiting to be traveled. The Kenai 350 Rally was begging to get started with drivers pouring in from all over the state, itching to put the pedal down and see the roads less traveled.
With a total of seven teams for the 1st ever Ojii-san Garage sponsored rally, the cruising was ready to begin. Drivers lined up at the Kenai O’Reilly’s parking lot, the starting point in Kenai, prepared to follow the Rallymasters Directions and start on the course. Drivers were staged 30 seconds apart and were all off shortly after 10 am.
The drivers had to navigate the less traveled, more scenic routes on the Peninsula, along shorelines, old highways, the Homer Spit, and even visiting a few monuments. With the 1st and 2nd drivers completing the course in 3 hours and 41 minutes, they were nothing but smiles from ear to ear at the finish. First to complete the course was Trevor Howard in his WRX STI. Second to finish and fastest completion of the day was Mason Cheeseman in his Nissan 370z, just seconds after Trevor. Still, with being released at the start 30 seconds behind the STI and fourth overall to start, he claimed the fastest of the day title.
The overall event winner went to Kenny Chapman in his Nissan 240sx as he finished three minutes behind Mason and Trevor but took the best hand in the final event by completing all checkpoints and winning the best poker hand. All other drivers finished respectfully and all with smiles. Overall the Kenai 350 Rally was a great success, and everyone involved had a great time. All are looking forward to next year and the 2nd Annual Kenai 350 Rally.
