Rally of the Tall Pines to use Old Hastings Road

At their meeting on Oct. 16, Limerick Township council gave their approval for the Rally of the Tall Pines to use Old Hastings Road within Limerick Township during their race on Nov. 25, as they have in other years. Ross Wood, Rally of the Tall Pines’ clerk of the course, comments on this year’s race.

Limerick council looked at Wood’s Sept. 18 letter to council as part of their agenda package for their Oct. 16 meeting. He was requesting to use Old Hastings Road again for the Rally of the Tall Pines on Nov. 25, running the stages of the race on the same portion of the road they’d used from 2004 to 2022; north and south of Hwy 620 to Murphy’s Corners. “We would run it again as two separate stages to avoid closing the road for the concentrated clump of houses in the 3.5-kilometre section north of Hwy. 620 and would not affect traffic on Hwy. 620. This year we would like to use both sections twice; northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening. We will forward the exact times when we have finalized the schedule,” he said in his letter.

Wood told Limerick in his letter that upon getting permission to use Old Hastings Road, they’d deliver a letter to property owners, as they do each year, with all the details. As it is a boundary road, they’ll also be seeking Wollaston Township’s permission. Wood said that Rally of the Tall Pines was willing to agree to the exact same terms as other years and would provide proof of their $5 million in insurance, with Limerick Township named as an insured party. He said they will also make every effort to support local businesses.

The Rally of the Tall Pines was first established in 1971 in Bramalea, Ontario, and this year is celebrating its 52nd anniversary. Now based in Bancroft, as it has been for the past 49 years, the Lincoln Electric Rally of the Tall Pines takes place each year in late November, and challenges drivers with dirt, snow and ice to test their driving abilities to the limit. It has become known as one of the best run rallies in North America, and according to eight-time Rally America champion David Higgins, it is the toughest one-day rally in North America. For the last 16 years, the organizers of the rally have honoured their Green Initiative Program, which donates a portion of the entry fee to the Bancroft Stewardship Council, which manages the local tree and shrub planting program.

Wood told Bancroft This Week that they are looking for more volunteers for the rally and that no experience is required. Interested parties can go to www.tallpinesrally.com and/or contact Wood at ross@tallpinesrally.com to become a volunteer. He also said that there are several top-level cars expected to enter the race this year. “I will have more on that probably within a week. Also, with the new tracking system, anyone with Internet access will be able to follow the competition in real time,” he says. “More coming on that also.”

Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times