Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally was created by PMSC in 2002 to answer a call from Rally Sport Ontario. The sport had lost a couple of events and was in need of new events.
Peter Watt and Pete Gulliver, first organizers of GCFR, scouted possible locations. Several club and ORRC rallies had used Fire Access Road [the road used for GCFR] during the 1990’s. The organizers wished to use the 17 km length of Fire Access Road as a stage, however the road had fallen into disuse and as a result of funding cuts much of it was no longer maintained. However Jeff Parnell Contracting had opened a limestone Quarry 8kms in using Fire Access Road and an off shoot. This road is used to transport numerous loads of limestone daily has been and continues to be continually improved. Each year Parnell’s dumps many cubic yards of crushed stone on the road. They also level the roughest sections and smooth the corners which over the years has left us with a fantastic road to play on. Jeff Parnell is described by his Son as the ‘Ultimate gearhead’. While not into rallying Jeff has participated in Powerboat racing and currently sponsors and manages his son and daughters Sno-Cross careers. They compete for several months each year in Ontario, Quebec and Northern USA.
Finally in 2014 MNR granted GCFR permission to use the Forest trail continuation of Fire Access Road. AKA as Loom Lake Road.
Organizers for GCFR over the years, singular or combined, have been Peter Watt, Jeff Hagan, Rob Mackenzie, Pete Gulliver and Mike Van Rees. Do to a number of circumstances GCFR 2015 version was cancelled, a Rally Sprint the first in Ontario was held instead. HQ was moved to Parnell Quarry. For 2016 the rally rose like a Phoenix to become an event in both OPRC & ECRC with Peter Watt as organizer. Service / Rally HQ based at Parnell Quarry. While normally held the Saturday after the August holiday Monday date was moved to Early July hopefully to help both GCFR and Black Bear Rallies.
For those who have never driven GCFR we welcome you to compete on perhaps the fastest stage in Ontario. Since conception average stage speeds have risen from the mid 70’s KPH to over 98 KPH reflecting the continuous improvement on this road.