Local racer takes first in Maine Rally

Tingwu Song of Erie and Martin Brady of Galway, Ireland, compete in the The New England Forest Rally on July 17, 2015, in their 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.

Special to the Times-Call

Driver Tingwu Song of Erie and co-driver Martin Brady of Galway, Ireland, successfully piloted their 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 to a first place finish in the Maine Rally, the regional competition that is a part of the two-day New England Forest Rally.

Their finish time was 28 minutes, 47.1 seconds. The New England Forest Rally, which took place July 17, 2015, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. It has established itself as one of the premier rally racing events in North America and is the sixth of eight rounds in the 2015 Rally America National Championship.

Connell Racing, as the duo calls itself, is a partnership between the two for racing in the U.S. at Rally America events. Song is a former championship driver of BaiLing rally team in his native country, China, while Brady has been competing and winning rallies and championships in Ireland for over 15 years. Together, the duo has won several Rally America regional events, including a regional championship in 2013.

This is Brady's fifth time competing in the New England Forest Rally and the third time partnering with Song in Maine and New Hampshire. Supporting the team is JRD Atlanta and Laeng Works. The former is responsible for the development of the team's new Mitsubishi Evo 9, which made its debut at this year's Maine Rally. According to Song, JRD Atlanta was able build a car customized to the team's engineering excellence, and his preferences.

While rally racing is their passion, it is not their profession. Song, 34, is a student, and Brady, 36, is a homemaker.

"They are not only good competitors, they are great ambassadors of the sport of rally. I can't tell you how many people I meet that learn about rally from them. I'm really glad the local boys had a strong finish," commented Tim O'Neil, chairman of the New England Forest Rally and owner of Team O'Neil Rally School in Dalton, NH.

Team O'Neil is widely recognized within the rally racing community as one of the most successful motorsports brands in the industry. It has dominated the two-wheel drive Rally America Championship for nearly a decade. In addition to the Team O'Neil/Ford Performance Motorsports division, the Rally School has been teaching advanced driving techniques to race champions from almost every motorsports discipline, military and security personnel, and the general public since 1997. It is considered the premier rally racing school in the United States.

The 25th anniversary running of the New England Forest Rally, July 17-18, featured 100-plus stage miles over two days of competition. For more information, go to rally-america.com.