CRS press liason and CRS2 competitor Erik Christiansen has put together an article explaining the CRS classes for 2013, including the new Open Light class:

The California Rally Series is an overlay championship consisting of events in the southwest sanctioned by a variety of sanctioning bodies. Since different sanctioning bodies have differing class structures, the California Rally Series has our own five classes that are scored at every CRS event in order to create a meaningful regional championship. Below is a summary of the classes; please see the rulebook for complete details.

The Performance Stock class has been popular among CRS competitors since it was introduced almost twenty years ago with the goal of creating an economical “driver’s class.” This class is for two-wheel drive, normally aspirated four cylinder cars with limited modifications allowed. In an effort to control costs, P-Stock cars are also limited to vehicles with a Blue Book value of less than $4,000. Competitors are allowed certain modifications to the suspension, engine and drivetrain of the vehicle, however items such as the stock intake and exhaust manifolds, and brake systems retained. This creates a rule set that is easily enforced through visual inspection, but prevents competitors from building high-horsepower machines. Updated or backdated components within the same model body style are allowed, but not across different generations.

Two-wheel drive competitors looking for less restrictive rules fall into either CRS-2 or CRS-5. CRS-2 is consistently one of the most populated classes on almost every rally entry list. It consists of low-displacement cars such as VW Golfs and Honda Civics. Other than engine displacement, there are no restrictions on modifications, so brakes can be upgraded, suspension components modified and aftermarket exhaust headers are allowed (to name a few common modifications).

CRS-5 takes this open concept even further by removing the displacement limit, and is popular among high-horsepower two-wheel drive vehicles. This class usually has V-8 trucks and muscle cars, and high-horsepower turbo cars like the Dodge Neon SRT-4. CRS-5 competitors are typically in the hunt for an overall podium or even a win at many events.

New for 2013 is the CRS Open Lite class (which replaced the production based CRS-GT class). This class is geared for normally aspirated four-wheel drive cars, such as the iconic Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. These vehicles are growing in popularity and CRS Open Lite gives competitors a chance to race against each other without the expenses associated with a high-horsepower turbo engine.

Finally, the pinnacle of the CRS class structure is Open 4wd. This class has it all: four wheel drive, turbos and no limit on modifications. Typical Open 4wd cars include Subaru WRX STIs and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. These are the cars you typically find at the top of th leaderboard, setting stage record times at most events.

As a reminder, the California Rally Series is not a sanctioning body. The CRS classes described above are for the purpose of creating a meaningful regional championship. Each event on the CRS schedule will have a sanctioning body that has certain safety rules and regulations.

Please consult the appropriate rulebook (e.g. NASA Rallysport or Rally America) for safety requirements.

Hope to see you on the stages soon!

From Kristopher & Christine Marciniak
High Desert Trails Rally Organizers

40 years ago the High Desert Trails Rally took participants on a 12 hour long journey down to Mojave, all the way up to Lake Isabella, and back to Ridgecrest on dirt roads and trails. In the beautiful flowing desert scenery of the area, stage rallying grew in Southern California much like it did all over the world, first with Time Speed Distance (TSD) events and then endurance rallies covering hundreds of miles. Closed road "specials" were soon followed by performance stage rallies necessitating roll cages and safety equipment. Route following and map reading gave rise to pace notes, and by the 21st century computer generated stage notes, but the challenge of High Desert Trails remains the same: flat out racing in one of the toughest motorsports in the world.

Just as it was true in 1973: "Those looking to take up the challenge will need both a good driver and good navigator. You will need an accurate odometer and protective underpinning is strongly recommended." Rallying on the gorgeous roads of Kern County, the 2013 High Desert Trails Rally will be held on Saturday May 4th. This coefficient 3 (65+ mile) one day event maximizes new competitor fun while remaining a great challenge for experienced teams. Keeping with this theme, we are a blind rally with no reconnaissance, the exact route and stages will not be disclosed to the competitors until the organizer provided stage notes hit co-drivers hands.

High Desert Trails was often an early test for championship events, or it was part of a National Championship schedule. This year we are excited to be a qualifying round for the new NASA Rally Sport National Championship and the first round in the NASA Rally Sport Pacific Rally Cup! Podium spots in 2WD and 4WD will qualify competitors for the National Championship event to be held at this years Prescott Rally.

A first for USA rally in 2012, the High Desert Trails Power Stage drove the excitement all the way to the finish. This year the Power Stage returns as not only a great challenge that will be rewarded with champagne and bragging rights, but as a qualifier for the National Championship. Fastest 2WD and fastest 4WD competitor here will also instantly qualify for a spot to contest the title of National Champion!

The 40th Anniversary Celebration continues on Sunday May 5th at the Empire Fair Grounds, where it all began, with a rallycross event! Volunteers will be rewarded with a big discount for helping out the rally if they sign up to compete, and rally competitors are encouraged to attend for fans and friends! Check out our website for details: http://highdeserttrails.com

For the fifth consecutive year, Streetwise Motorsports is pleased to support the High Desert Trails Rally. Streetwise offers rally car preparation rental, service, and parts including Bilstein Motorsports Struts. They have over twenty years of experience racing and knows what it takes to win rallies and championships! http://streetwiseparts.com

HDT is round 1 of the California Rally Series Championship for 2013. As the premiere rally series in the southwest, and one of the biggest regional championships in the country, the California Rally Series provides an exciting, well run championship for competitors, plus support, equipment, and volunteers for the rally. High Desert Trails is proud to be sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport. NRS focuses on competitor fun and providing support for rally organizers. Providing tools to the racers, organizers, and fans to increase their enjoyment of rally is one of the core missions of the organization.

Please join us in the beautiful high desert!
Kristopher & Christine Marciniak
High Desert Trails Rally Organizers

High Desert Trails Website: http://highdeserttrails.com
California Rally Series: http://californiarallyseries.com
NASA Rally Sport: http://www.nasarallysport.com/