Barefoot Racing

Mitsubishi Canada backed brothers, Jan & Jody Zedril of Manitoba have been fans of off-road motorsport as long as they can remember and began racking-up titles the moment they set foot on the rally scene. We grew-up riding off-road, have been racing Motocross since 1987“We grew-up riding off-road, have been racing Motocross since 1987 and with the step from Motocross to Rally being an extremely natural progression, all of that previous experience is paying dividends in our rally career.”

To familiarize themselves with all facets of the sport, the pair volunteered at as many rallies as possible from 2003 to 2006 and immediately thereafter purchased a rallycar. Their inaugural event was Sno*Drift in January 2007 and have since complied an impressive list of wins, resulting in Canadian, U.S. Rally America and North American championship titles. Ironically, when they first started, the were simply attending rallies for the adventure, not necessarily to win. “Our goal was simply to finish every event, making sure not to incur a single penalty in the process, and if we were in the hunt towards the end of an event, that was just a bonus.”

Their inaugural event was Sno*Drift in January 2007

Nevertheless, with a great deal of experience now under their belt, the duo has taken the gloves off so to speak. With their previous Production class car now in Group2 trim, they are taking a different approach and are turning-up the heat event by event. “From here on, we are expecting a great deal of ourselves and our car and are looking for respectable times on every single stage. At the same time, we hope never to repeat the crash that we experienced at the 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally, but, decent stage times do not just magically appear by themselves. As a result, we are willing to push the limits while attempting to minimize sustained damages along the way.”

When asked what they like most about rally, despite what people may think, they are not speed junkies. simply being associated with everyone at each and every event is a great feeling.They agreed whole heartedly that it was the rally lifestyle itself, the downright challenge, the associated outdoor adventure and all of the travelling that comes along with it that makes it so appealing to them. “It’s truly an experience like no other and we are honored to represent the sport and it is an extreme privilege to participate in it.” One of the other aspects of the sport that the brothers like is how accessible and down-to-earth all rally competitors are… “Being able to rub shoulders with past and present champions is very cool and simply being associated with everyone at each and every event (competitors, media, officials, organizers, volunteers, fans/spectators) is a great feeling.”

The only other thing they would like to accomplish in life is to compete in the Dakar Rally one day, which is their ultimate goal and basically an extension of what they are already excelling at. “There is nothing else… rally is it for us and is all we have a desire for. It’s something we’ve dreamed about doing for as long as we can remember.”

all of that previous experience is paying dividends in our rally career

our lives are centered on rally indefinitelyAn interesting thing to note is that Jody happens to be the only rally competitor in all of North America that uses a wheelchair to get around the service areas. Ironically, his injury is the reason they are rallying today, as it put them both on a path which changed their careers. Our lives were centered on Motocross and there wasn’t room for much else. The injury opened up the doors for us and now our lives are centered on rally indefinitely.”

Rally On - Jan & Jody Zedril