Vivian Campbell begins his 2026 ARA season against fierce competition and with limited seat time in the new Mitsubishi Mirage R4. The team heads for the 100 Acre Wood Rally for the second round of the ARA National Championship.

The pressure was on in Missouri. With 68 competitors and 9 RC2 entrants of the highest caliber. The team was eager to get on with the event after successful testing in Kentucky.

Shakedown was a challenging course with a mix of tight corners leading into high speed sections with a few jumps. The biggest hurdle was a massive water crossing that caught Viv and Michael out. Water splashes can be tricky and usually require quite a bit of testing and development. The Mirage was short on water crossing practice and upon entering the water the windshield was entirely engulfed. Exiting blind, Viv was not able to negotiate the hard right corner that immediately followed and ended up head on into a tree at the corner exit. Not what you’re hoping for before the start of a water splash filled event.

This ment the fine crew at Thompson Racing Fabrication had their work cutout for them that evening. A great deal of effort went in to replacing parts and manipulating the car back into something resembling its original form. At the commencement of the witching hour the Mirage emerged ready for battle again.

Day One begins with a reasonable pace by the team. Viv unleashes the Mirage on some of Missouri’s fastest stages. Pace quickens throughout the day but stage closures make race time limited.

Despite the incredibly dusty conditions Viv and Michael send the legendary Cattle Guard jump to the delight of fans, ending the last stage of the evening on a high note.

With consistent improvement and extending seat time being the goals of the weekend, the pace continued to increase and so did the hurdles. The famed water crossings of Missouri live up to their full potential and prove to be quite the formidable foe. Stage 7 caught out the well prepared manufacturer entred Toyota of Seth Quintero. The Corolla had entered a large water splash at full tilt and the force of the water had damaged the front of their car. With the car limping but drivable they parked at the outside of a corner immediately following the crossing to retire the car.

This water crossing was uncanny in its resemblance to the crossing in shakedown. When Viv entered the water splash following Quintero, it was an instant replay. Water engulfed the windshield and refused to clear until it was too late. This time the tree had been replaced by a Toyota. The impact was low speed but enough damage was done to retire the Mirage from competition.

Check out the full ReCap video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Hih2ZhUA7U8

Thanks to all the volunteers and supporters of the 100 Acre Wood Rally Thank you to Thompson Racing Fabrication, Innovative Tuning, Michelin Tires, Stilo Helmets for the continued support.