NORTH COAST, Calif. – Performance rallying is a cross between the vehicle-pounding toughness of off-roading and the finesse driving skills needed for a road race such as Sonoma Raceway.

From noon to early evening on Saturday, Aug. 4, rally teams will be driving full-out in a race against the clock across the tight and twisty dirt forest roads of South Cow Mountain between Ukiah and Lakeport.

Teams, consisting of a driver and a co-driver will depart from the Tractor Supply store in Ukiah at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and drive to South Cow Mountain for the first of eight high-speed Special Stages.

The rally will traverse some 90 miles, including more than 45 miles of racing Stages.

All Special Stage roads are closed to the public by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Special Use Permit all day Friday, Aug. 3, and Saturday, Aug. 4.

While on public roads, competitors must observe all normal traffic laws. Each car will be inspected for safety and must be licensed and “street legal.”

The route will include two much needed breaks and pit-stops at the Lakeside Family Fun Center in Lakeport.

For viewing live rally action, a spectator area for the public has been set up on the Ukiah side of South Cow Mountain. The rally’s Web site has complete schedules and detailed driving instructions to this spectator area.

The public also is invited to view the racing cars and chat with the drivers in Ukiah at the Tractor Supply store between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Saturday and in Lakeport at the Lakeside Family Fun Center at 1:15 p.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.

Local support is being provided by Flowmaster exhaust systems, Parducci Wine Cellars, Mendocino Brewing Co., Hampton Inns, Comfort Inn & Suite, Les Schwab Tires, Tractor Supply Co. and the Lakeside Family Fun Center.

For more information, go to www.MendocinoRally.com .