Jack Harrison hadn't rallied since a disappointing 2019 Tour de Forest Rally, but put that right last weekend
Words by Luke Barry
It’s a desire that’s tough to shake. A feeling you simply cannot replicate. Something that only ever makes sense when the revs are singing and you’re dancing between the trees.
Jack Harrison has the best job in the world, teaching students at DirtFish Rally School, and that enables him to get some of his fix.
But nothing beats the real thing. Nothing beats actually starting a rally and slaying demons from six years ago when you last gave it a go.
“We finished the rally!” beamed Jack at the finish of last weekend’s Tour de Forest. “We got fourth in class, but that wasn’t the purpose of coming out to this one.”
The purpose was to just get back rallying again after such a long time away. The last time Jack went up against the clock in the woods, coronavirus would’ve returned no results on a search engine.
Being co-driven by DirtFish colleague and good friend Eric Schofhauser in a 1995 Subaru Impreza was another important box-tick.
“He’s the man,” Jack said. “He’s the person you want in the car with you. If he wasn’t available this weekend, I wouldn’t have gone racing.”
Eric knew how much the weekend meant to Jack.
“We finished Tour de Forest after six years,” Eric explained. “It was back when we were in Karen the Volvo and we did all the recce, then about 100ft into stage one the wiring just fried itself. It became a ghost car with all the wiring, so it felt great to actually do the rally this time, and especially to see Jack [enjoy it].
“I know how much it means to him to have been basically through a six-year process trying to get back into it. From a friend’s standpoint it was really satisfying.
“It’s a very different way to do co-driving as a friend and doing it for fun per se as opposed to being hired,” Eric added. “Jack was the second guy I ever raced with so it was fun to get back into that.”
There was a brief scare during scrutineering when the Subaru developed an idle issue, but otherwise it was a fun, clean day of racing – even if getting back into the swing of making and listening to pacenotes was an “adjustment” for Jack.
The car that allowed Jack to get his revenge on the Tour de Forest: a 1995 Subaru Impreza
“When we did Tour [de Forest] last time in the Volvo we weren’t certain on the car so we were very conservative on the notes, so with this one we went out with as basic as we can, keep it conservative, and then after going through the second pass on stage three, it was noticeable we were onto something,” he said.
“It got more comfortable as we went through but the shorter stage was not our best.”
But did it matter? Absolutely not. Jack’s name was back on the side of a rally car again, and that’s all that matters.
The plan now? Eric offered a little hint.
“Three-day Olympus Rally next year….”
Watch this space.
Fellow DirtFish instructor Michael Honn got his Subaru into the top-six and onto the NA4WD podium
DirtFish instructor Michael Honn, along with co-driver Colin Katagiri, came home a fantastic sixth overall and third in the NA4WD class in his 2005 Subaru Impreza.
On just his second event in a new car, Honn had a “smooth event” on roads he described as “a perfect combo of technical bits and fast bits”.
The result also moved him to joint-second of the class championship in the ARA West Regional standings.
“Running the new car this year has come with its difficulties and at each event we’ve found something else that needs sorted, and Tour de Forest was no different,” Honn said.
“But the car felt its best yet after changes to the brakes, cam and crank gears, although we did have to battle some new electrical gremlins which left us in limp mode for the last stage of the weekend.
“It’s keeping us busy but that’s exactly what this season was for – getting comfortable being back out and getting the car dialed so we can just focus on the driving!”
Subject to fixing the car’s current wiring issues, Honn is hoping to contest the Mike Nagle Rally in November to see out the year.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: ARA, ARA 2025, Jack Harrison, Michael Honn, Tour de Forest Rally, Tour de Forest Rally 2025
Publish Date October 8, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/10/Q1hzlwad-1000021023-780x585.jpg October 8, 2025
Up Next
