New England Forest Rally canceled after competitor dies in crash
A competitor died in a single-car crash Friday night in the final state of the first day of the New England Forest Rally.
NEWRY, Maine – A competitor died in a single-car crash Friday night in the final state of the first day of the New England Forest Rally.
Erin Kelly, 47, of Marshall, Virginia, was co-driver in a car driven by her long-time driver and rally partner, TJ Pullen, 41, of Northwood, New Hampshire. No information was available on whether Pullen was injured.
The American Rally Association announced this morning that the second day of the race was canceled. Kelly’s death was the first in the New England Forest Rally, which has run in western Maine and eastern New Hampshire since 1991.
“Our focus right now is on Erin, TJ, and their families,” Preston Osborn, ARA Series director said in a news release. “Erin was an accomplished co-driver and a well-loved member of our rally community. We send our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and our competitors and fans.”
The accident happened at about 7 p.m. on South Arm Road, Township C, near Lower Richardson Lake, in northern Oxford County, about 30 miles north of the Sunday River Ski Area, where the two-day event is based.
The car apparently failed to negotiate a left-hand turn and lost control, hitting a tree on the passenger side, according to an Oxford County Sheriff Department news release.
Kelly and Pullen were wearing helmets and restraining devices at the time of the crash, according to the release. The department, Maine State Police, Med-Care Ambulance and Andover Fire Department responded to the crash scene.
The Pullen team is based in Northfield, New Hampshire. In road rally racing, two-person teams compete in stages driven on tote and backroads. The co-driver navigates for the driver. While it takes place on dirt and gravel roads, the cars often reach speeds of up to 80 mph.
The race is both a national and regional event for the ARA. This weekend’s race featured 61 teams from across the U.S. and Canada.
Today’s race stages were to take place in the Errol, New Hampshire, area.
Kelly on her Facebook page said she’d been with Team Pullen since 2015. The team won the 2018 ARA East Regional NA4WD championship.
