Empire State Performance Rally (ESPR) took the cake again as one of the most difficult rallies to finish in North America. With 24 cars starting the event, only 10 of them finished. For the last two years, the common complaint was how rough the stages were, but this year, they could not use the same excuse. The organizers of the event spent many hours working on the stages to level out the big holes and rocks that were causing problems before. This allowed for a faster, safer, and more enjoyable rally.

So why didn't many of the competitors finish? Most of them were out because of powertrain failure.

• Engine: 4
• Transmission: 4
• Suspension: 2
• Off Stage: 2
• Electrical: 1
• Unknown: 1

Sources: NASA Rally Sport and walking around at service.

It was a little depressing seeing all of the cars having problems at service, and on top of that it was starting to rain. Regardless though, once I was back on stage spectating, you can still see that the event was very much alive.

Enjoy the video below from the event: