MICHELE ABBATE Makes Rally Debut at Tour de Forest After GT-1 & TA2 Success

September 3, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

MICHELE ABBATE is making the jump from circuit to stage racing at October’s Tour de Forest, trading her GT-1 and TA2 podium-winning skills for gravel roads in a DirtFish-liveried Subaru BRZ. The Las Vegas racer, who made history as the youngest woman to score a GT-1 podium and first woman on a TA2 podium, has been prepping with fellow DirtFish Women in Motorsport driver AOIFE RAFTERY and using simulator time to master pace notes.
She’ll have defending ARA National L2WD champion co-driver MICHELLE MILLER calling the shots from the passenger seat – a smart pairing since Miller knows Abbate’s driving style from their time together at DirtFish Rally School. The collaboration shows how the DirtFish WiM program creates genuine mentorship networks, with Raftery sharing rally insights while Miller provides the technical expertise for stage navigation.
What makes this debut special isn’t just another racer trying rally – it’s watching proven talent like Abbate openly embrace being vulnerable again. She’s using DiRT Rally simulators to practice co-driver calls and acknowledging this is “completely new” territory, showing that even badass circuit racers respect the unique demands of stage rallying. Program coordinator JOSIE RIMMER nailed it: this is about claiming space and showing other women that rally belongs to us too.