Stage Captain.

Matthew Flaisig

Team: Cowbell Rally (@cowbellrally)

Matthew Flaisig first connected with Oregon Trail Rally in 2009 or 2010 as a spectator, and by 2011 he had stepped into volunteering as a spectator marshal. What keeps him coming back is his love for the sport itself—the cars, the people, the roads, and the scenery—and the sense of belonging that comes from being part of the rally community.

At a rally, the stage captain is responsible for overseeing the operation of a specific stage. This includes coordinating volunteers, managing safety positions, communicating with timing, radio, and safety crews, and ensuring the stage is set up and run according to plan. The stage captain serves as the primary point of contact for the stage, helping address issues as they arise and keeping the event moving safely and on schedule.

In Matthew's own words

"It wasn’t OTR but was Doo Wops 2008. I was in high school and my friend Cody was telling me about how his grandpa helped put on these car races and hung out with Travis Pastrana. This really peaked my interest always liked cars and like watching Travis on x games and his nitro videos."

"A few months later he asked me if I wanted to come out to a rally and volunteer. I said sure."

"Turns out the rally was a day after I got my license. My first drive on my own was to my friends house to get in his car so we could go to this rally. We drove out to the coast and met at the start of the stage 'Blue Slough rd'."

"There we met his grandpa and grandma. His grandpa turns out to be Ron Barker. A NW rally legend, the Clerk of the Course for 40+ years in the NW. We get placed at one of the chicanes and was given a paper and a clipboard. We were ask to record if they hit one of the chicane elements and was told more importantly score them 1 out of 10 on how they managed the chicane. After this I was hooked!"

"I then figured out all I could and how to see more. My next rally was Olympus 2009."

"Now to come full circle I have had the honor of taking on the roll of clerk of the course for the Olympus Rally. Huge shoes to fill! Got to always thank Ron and Steve McQuaid for trusting me to take on this roll."

Profession

Commercial Casework Project Engineer

Motivation

"To bring the sport of rally to everyone! Be with the rally family and try to grow the family further. Also to seeing those familiar faces and talk the language of rally." - Matthew

---

For more stories in Face of OTR 2025: https://www.apexiel.com/user/thread/7JF4Cwpb6jm7reUlVbH0