Press Notes
By Andy Schupack
Andrew_Schupack@comuserve.com
MEDIA_ALERT
Event: Maine Forest Winter PRO Rally - Round #10 and the final event for
the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship. Race cars from around
the country will compete at high speeds through the paper forest
roads in Southern Maine, specifically the closed forest roads
through the Mead Paper Company and the Seven Islands Land Company
logging forests.
When: Friday - Saturday, December 5 - 6, 1997
Schedule_-_Friday
Friday, December 5th
10:00am - 3:00pm - Competitor Registration - Madison Hotel
10:00am - 3:00pm - Tech inspection - AutoTech Garage, Rumford
3:00pm - Parc Expose - downtown Rumford
4:00pm - Start, Maine Forest Winter Rally - downtown
9:00pm - Finish, day 1, Maine Forest Winter Rally -
Oquossoc.
Saturday, October 18th
7:15am - 8:00am - Divisional Registration and Tech - Madison
9:00am - Start, day 2, Maine Forest Winter Rally -
Madison
2:30pm - Finish, Maine Forest Winter Rally - Madison
6:00pm - Posting of national and divisional results,
Eagles Hall - downtown Rumford.
6:45pm - Buffet dinner starts - Eagles Hall
7:45pm - Awards - Maine Forest Winter Rally and year-end
Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rally Headquarters: Madison's Hotel, Route #2 East, Rumford, Maine 04276
(800) 258-5278 or (207) 364-7973.
Duration: 108 stage miles, 315 total miles, 8 stages.
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America,
administered by the SCCA PRO Rally Board, and sponsored nationally
by Michelin Tire Company. Presented by the New England Region of
the Sports Car Club of America with the assistance of the Blue
Mountain Region of the SCCA. Friday's night divisional, the Mead
Rally, is a co-efficient 2 event, as is Saturday's event, the Seven
Islands Rally.
National TV Coverage:
ESPN2 will broadcast the Maine Forest Winter Rally on Saturday,
December 27, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (repeat on Monday,
December 29, at 1:00 AM Eastern Time).
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at the
Madison starting December 3 PM. Organizer John Buffum, 11-
time national rally champion, 1997 champion Paul Choiniere,
and Maine's own Carl Merrill - from Ogunquit - are all
available for interviews.
Expected Top National Entries: Paul Choiniere - recently clinched his
sixth straight nationa championship - will be trying to clinch the
manufacturers title as well - in his '97 Hyundai Tiburon; Carl Merrill,
with '97 updated Ford Escort Cosworth, produces more than 400 hp; Sam
Bryan, factory-supplied Group 5 Saab 900 turbo, has won four events in
class; Bruce Newey, Toyota Celica, currently leads Group 5; Richard Losee,
rookie, leads class in a Group 2 VW GTI; Pete Lahm, in a vintage 1968
Datsun 510 - will fight for Group 2 championship; Steve Gingras, in a PGT
Mitsubishi Eclipse will challenge Cal Landau, '95 Production GT champion,
in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, for the season championship; Tad Ohtake, '95
Production champion, in a new Ford Escort ZX2 and Al Kauwaheima, in a Dodge
Neon, will fight for that class title.
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and
video crews onto the course during the daylight part
of the rally on Saturday. Anyone requiring supplied photos or
video should contact Andy Schupack in the press room starting
December 4. Rally cars going through mud, over yumps and rough
terrain, and sliding at high speed through tight turns provide
exciting visuals.
Media Info: We will provide phone-ins on event information,
driver interviews, and results. We will fax
stories and agate Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We have B-roll available for TV. The press room is be located
in the Madison Hotel in Rumford, Maine.
Contact: Andy Schupack - Michelin PRO Rally Championship
media liaison:
(207) 369-0403, 12/4 - 12/7 - 3:00 PM
(401) 739-5677, before 12/4 and after
12/7 -3:00 PM
# # #
HOW PRO RALLY
WORKS: Each team is made up of a driver and a co-driver (or
navigator), and the exact course is kept secret until just
before the event -- differing from World Rally, where practice
is allowed. The cars start at one minute intervals and race
against the clock over 8 - 25 stages (or closed-road courses)
which range in length from four to 25 miles. Speeds of more
than 120 miles-per-hour can be reached on the long straight-
aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times
winning the event.
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
MICHELIN PRO RALLY REACHES QUARTER-CENTURY MARK WITH ESPN2 EVENT
IN MAINE; ALL TITLES BY ONE UP FOR GRABS IN SEASON FINALE
RUMFORD, Maine -- The Michelin PRO Rally Championship completes 25 years
of racing in the United States with the sixth running of the Maine Forest
Winter PRO Rally in Rumford December 5 - 6, 1997.
This tenth and final round of the Sports Car Club of America-sanctioned
Michelin PRO Rally Championship will be telecast on ESPN2 on a delayed
basis, with airdates scheduled for Saturday, December 27 (1:00 PM EST) and
Monday, December 29 (1:00 AM EST). In all, Replica Productions, of
Cambridge, Mass., produced six ESPN2 PRO Rally shows in 1997, and hopes to
increase that to eight next year.
Paul Choiniere, of Shelburne, Vermont, has clinched the 1997 national
championship for the sixth year in a row in their Hyundai Tiburon, but he
and co-driver Jeff Becker still have some unfinished business as
the Korean manufacturer has not yet clinched the manufacturers title.
Challenging Choiniere will be the Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort
Cosworth, winner of the Maine Summer event in 1996, and the Frank
Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2 - a Canadian entry - and four-time
winners of the Rumford event.
The most recent Sprongl victory was this past July, when the Sprongls
poured a mixture of flour and Coke over a slipping clutch plate to
preserve an 18-second win.
In a PRO Rally, each team consists of a driver and a co-driver (or
navigator), and the exact course is kept secret until just before the
event - different from World Rally, where practice is allowed. The cars
start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 6 - 15
stages which range in length from four to 25 miles. Most of the rallies
include night stages, making it necessary for competitors to adjust their
driving style. Speeds of more than 120 miles-per-hour could be reached on
long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times
winning the event.
Besides the fastest, overall competitors, there are less exotic cars
running in different classes which allow less modifications. The cars
mentioned above are all highly-modified racers - many 4WD and
turbocharged, while various Production classes allow very few changes to
the stock vehicles driven on the street. All PRO Rally cars have safety
equipment including aircraft-style safety harnesses, roll cages, and fire
extinguishers.
In some of the other classes, Sam Bryan is the favorite in his factory-
sponsored, Group 5 class Saab 900 turbo even though he trails Toyota
driver Bruce Newey by 1.8 points.
The Group 5 class, the two-wheel-drive version of the Open class (cars
over 2.4-liters adjusted displacement, but with open engine, transmission
and suspension options), are not quite as fast as the Open cars, but will
finish well overall in this event.
Newey, originally from rally-rich New Zealand, but now living in Atlanta,
Georgia, in his Toyota Celica is having his best season ever, but needs to
finish ahead of Bryan to win his second national championship.
The other top contenders are in the Production GT class, which allows
turbocharging and four-wheel-drive, but limited suspension and almost no
engine modifications. Although Oregon's Lee Shadbolt leads the class by a
point, he rolled his Subaru Impreza in Prescott in October, and its out of
the title chase. That leaves a Mitsubishi Eclipse - 1995 PGT champions
Cal Landau/Eric Marcus - and an Eagle Talon - the Act II Popcorn entry of
Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick - to slug it out for the title.
Group 2 - modified 2WD cars with displacements less than 2.4 liters -
might be the best battle of the weekend as Arizona's Pete Lahm - who lead
the class for most of the season in his 1968 Datsun 510 - will try to
overcome rookie Richard Losee - a PRO Rally rookie - who took the points
lead with his first class win last month in Michigan.
Finally, the Production class, in which vehicles must be completely stock
except for the roll bar and safety equipment, finds Michigan's Al
Kaumeheiwa, fresh off a victory in Minnesota in his Dodge Neon, trying to
overcome 1995 champion Tad Ohtake, who scored an impressive win in
Michigan in October.
This year's Maine Rally will begin on Friday evening, December 5, in
downtown Rumford with a display of cars at 3:00 PM. Fans can meet the
drivers and look at the cars, as well as obtain a rally program with entry
lists and spectator area maps. The cars will be flagged off at 4:00 PM
for the start of the Friday night racing action. The event picks up again
Saturday morning, December 6, at the Madison Hotel on Route #2 in Rumford,
with the cars going on display at 8:00 AM and being flagged off
at 9:00 AM.
As always, all rally activities are free and open to the public.
The Michelin PRO Rally Championship is not only a contest of who is the
best driver on forest roads, at high speed in the middle of the night, but
also a competition between car preparers and manufacturers. He or she
whose car is sturdily built and who can avoid damaging off-course
excursions into trees or ditches, stands a chance of winning.
Tires play an important part in a winning rally effort. They must be
equally reliable on many driving surfaces; the asphalt of the transit
roads that rallyists traverse to get to the competition stages, as well as
varying conditions on the competition stages themselves. Stages, many of
which are unpaved, can change from sandy to clay to gravel in the space of
a few hundred feet. Sometimes rain will turn a perfectly ordinary dirt
road into a quagmire within minutes.
Most of the top competitors will be using specially constructed Michelin
Pilot High Performance XGT Rally tires, which not only come in various
compounds for different road surfaces, but have rugged carcass and
sidewall designs to resist puncturing under the stressful rally
conditions. The tire company sponsors the Sports Car Club of America-
sanctioned series to promote one of the fastest growing motorsports in the
country as well as its Pilot line of street tires.
Michelin, which brought the radial tire to the world more than 50 years
ago, is the world's largest tire company. It has 19 plants in North
America and produces tires to fit every type of vehicle, from bicycles to
the Space Shuttle.
The 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship consists of ten events, and is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America. The 1997 Maine Forest Winter PRO Rally is presented by
the New England Region of the Sports Car Club of America, with assistance
from the Blue Mountain Region.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 4, 1997, 5:00PM
Press Notes #1
1. Welcome to the 1997 Maine Forest Rally which will begin tomorrow,
December 5, in downtown Rumford, Maine. This is the 10th time many
of these cars have challenged the logging roads of the Mead and
Seven Islands Paper Companies - the 6th time in winter.
The weather this year is expected to be milder than in the past,
with no snow in sight. Daytime highs on Friday and Saturday are
predicted to be mid-to-high thirties and lows Friday night should be
in the low twenties. Unlike most of the previous winter rallies,
clear skies are anticipated.
Snow has been a factor, though, as the local area received more than
a foot of frozen precipitation last weekend. Complicating that was
the appearance of snowmobilers on some of the stages, packing the
snow to ice. Rally organizer, John Buffum, after checking the
roads earlier this week, decided to cancel some stages and add
others. The Mead Paper Company contributed half the cost to have a
grader groom the remaining stages, so some of the stages will be run
on dirt.
2. The recent release of the 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
schedule indicates that this is the last winter rally for Maine
until at least 1999. The national PRO Rally Board began last year
to move the year-end banquet to different geographic locations, so
for 1998, the series will end with the Lake Superior Rally in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
3. Speaking of the 1998 schedule, one change has already come to light.
The SNO*DRIFT Rally, scheduled for February, 1998, will once again
be a coefficient 3 rally. The latest word from the Detroit Region
is that they were concerned about gaining access to enough roads to
be able to host a full national rally. Also, Henry Joy IV found
that he would not be able to commit the time necessary to organize
the rally, and he has been replaced by Mike Bodnar. Bodnar will be
assisted by CENDiv Rally Steward, Bruce Weinman. The divisional
runoffs will take place at SNO*DRIFT as previously announced.
4. Television coverage for this year's Maine Forest Rally is being
produced by Replica Productions. Broadcast dates on ESPN2 are
December 27, 1997, at 1:00PM, and December 29, 1997, at 1:00AM.
Doug Plumer, executive producer for Replica, recently announced the
company's intention to cover the entire seven-event national season
for 1998. Replica Productions is actively seeking on-the-air
sponsors for those televised events.
# # #
MAINE FOREST WINTER RALLY
Round 10 of the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
Preliminary Entry List and Start Order
December 4, 1997, 5:00 PM
Car# Driver/Hometown Co-Driver/Hometown Car/Class/Tires
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
2 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME Colchester, VT Michelin
13 Frank Sprongl Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2/Open
Mississauga, ONT Mississauga, ONT Michelin
14 Pat Ayer Robin Jones Audi Quattro/Open
Colchester, VT Vergennes, VT Michelin
11 Noel Lawlor Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra/Open
Manchester, VT Ardmore, PA Michelin
9 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclipse/P-GT
Coraopolis, PA Beaver Creek, OH Michelin
16 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mitsu. Eclipse/P-GT
Elk River, MN Orion, MI Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica/Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
900 Sam Bryan Rob Walden SAAB 900/Group 5
Kent, WA Shoreline, WA Michelin
18 Jon Nichols Mick Koch VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Baie d'Ulfe, PQ Nepean, ONT Michelin
19 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladsz Dodge Omni/Prod
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin
20 Richard Losee Provo, UT VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Provo, UT Salt Lake City, UT Michelin
22 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Michelin
66 Tad Ohtake Bob Martin Ford Escort/Prod
Louisville, KY Goodrich, MI Michelin
23 Keith Townsend Ross Wood Toyota Corolla/Open
Toronto, ONT Milton, ONT Michelin
44 Sakis Hadjiminas C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro/Open
Floral Park, NY Staten Island, NY Michelin
41 Jon Pizzagalli TBA Mitsu. Gallant/P-GT
Burlington, VT Michelin
40 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Arruda VW Corrado/Group 5
Somerville, MA Johnston, RI Michelin
25 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy/Open
Temple, PA Shillington, PA Bridgestone
26 Chris Havas Eric Tremblay VW Golf/Group 2
Richmond, VT StJean Chrysostone, PQ Michelin
27 Elizabeth Campbell Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI/Prod
Rutland, VT Nashua, NH Michelin
28 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift/Prod
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Michelin
24 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon/Prod
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI Michelin
15 Gergely Szabu Zoltan Kohler Pont. Grand Prix/Prod
Budapest, MUN Esztergum, HUN
38 Gail Truess Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX/Open
Brooklyn, MI Columbus, OH Michelin
42 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro/Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin
35 Jay Kowalik Scott Embree Honda Civic/Prod
Powell, OH Dublin, OH Michelin
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge PickUp/Prod
Saugeties, NY South Easton, MA BFG
30 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salomon Mitsu. Eclipse/P-GT
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin
31 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX/P-GT
Clifton Park, NJ Sterling, VA Michelin
39 Bill Dreigert Hishin Shim Mitsu. Gallant/P-GT
Richardson, TX Dallas, TX Michelin
32 Kendall Russell L. Mark Stone Dodge Shadow/P-GT
Knoxville, TN Bronxville, NY Michelin
34 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200SX/Group 2
Bryartown, PA Collegeville, PA Michelin
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit GTI/Group 2
Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA Hakkapelitta
37 Mark Cox Jim Gill VW Golf GTI/Prod
Steamboat Spr., CO Steamboat Spr., CO Bridgestone
# # #
1997 MEAD DIVISIONAL RALLY
Preliminary Entry List and Start Order
December 4, 1997, 10:00 AM
Car# Driver/Hometown Co-Driver/Hometown Car/Class/Tires
44 Sakis Hadjiminas C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro/O4
Floral Park, NY Staten Island, NY Michelin
40 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Arruda VW Corrado/O2
Somerville, MA Johnston, RI Michelin
25 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy/O2
Temple, PA Shillington, PA Bridgestone
26 Chris Havas Eric Tremblay VW Golf/U2
Richmond, VT StJean Chrysostone, PQ Michelin
27 Elizabeth Campbell Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI/U2
Rutland, VT Nashua, NH Michelin
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge PickUp/U2
Saugeties, NY South Easton, MA BFG
42 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro/O4
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin
30 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salomon Mitsu. Eclipse/O4
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin
31 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX/O4
Clifton Park, NJ Sterling, VA Michelin
34 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200SX/U2
Bryartown, PA Collegeville, PA Michelin
35 Jay Kowalik Scott Embree Honda Civic/U2
Powell, OH Dublin, OH Michelin
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit GTI/U2
Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA Hakkapelitta
37 Mark Cox Jim Gill VW Golf GTI/U2
Steamboat Spr., CO Steamboat Spr., CO Bridgestone
50 Gerry Brinkman Bob Barrall VW Golf GTI/U2
Freehold, NJ Bethlehem, PA
51 Ted Mendham Lise Mendham Nissan/U2
Lyndeboro, NH Lyndeboro, NH
52 S. Stepniewski Adam Pelc Audi Quattro/O4
Keansburg, PA Middle Village, NY
53 S. Olin-Dabrowski Greg Haymann Audi Quattro/O4
Pleasant Valley, NY Pawling, NY
54 Tom Lawless Sean Devine Eagle Talon/O4
Maspeth, NY Knoxville, TN
57 Chris Sandborn David Holroyd Audi Quattro/O4
Henniker, NH Brookline, NH
55 Robert Pao Scott Williams VW GTI/U2
Bridgewater, NJ New Brunswick, NJ
56 Paul Kelbel Damon Mayers VW GTI/U2
New York, NY Taunton, MA
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 4, 1997, 5:00PM
Press Notes #2
5. The 1997 season is drawing to a close. Only one class has been
clinched, so competition should be fierce on Maine's snowy stages.
Jeff Becker has taken his sixth co-driver championship and his
teammate, Paul Choiniere, clinched his seventh driver championship
last month at the Lake Superior Rally. The pair have competed this
year in the Libra Racing Hyundai Tiburon. They have also clinched
the Open class championships for driver and co-driver.
Despite Choiniere and Becker's efforts, though, Hyundai has not yet
clinched the manufacturer's title. The Korean manufacturer leads
Mitsubishi by a scant six points. Libra Racing will be fielding two
cars this weekend, the second being piloted by Noel Lawlor with
Charles Bradley in the right seat, in hopes of bringing the title
home. Mitsubishi's best hopes lie with the Production GT team of
Cal Landau/Eric Marcus, although there are three more Mitsubishis
entered. Among them is Jon Pizzagalli who will be driving a
Mitsubishi Galant, although at this writing, his co-driver is not
known.
6. The Group 5 battle is the closest of the unresolved contests. The
Toyota Celica team of Bruce Newey and Matt Chester are only 1.8
points ahead of Sam Bryan and Rob Walden in their SAAB 900 Turbo,
and Newey and Chester will be ahead on the road. As close as that
appears, though, Newey and Chester will have to drop 4.8 points from
an earlier finish, while Bryan and Walden are able to keep all their
points. So the Toyota team must finish ahead of the SAAB 900 in
order to maintain their lead.
7. In Production GT, there is a paper battle with Lee Shadbolt and Paul
Eklund on top of the heap, but any of five teams could have
triumphed with a win here in Maine. Since Shadbolt and Eklund
rolled their Subaru Impreza at Prescott Forest, they will not be
challenging. Of the remaining teams, two did not make the trip to
Maine. That leaves the team of Steve Gingras and Bill Westrick,
driving an Eagle Talon with the best shot at the title, but Landau
and Marcus could pull it off.
8. Al Kaumeheiwa and Tad Ohtake are separated by only two points and
there is no one else who can intrude on their parade. As a
consequence, whichever one finishes ahead will take the Production
drivers championship. The co-drivers championship for the
Production class was already clinched by Craig Sobczak. Kaumeheiwa
is driving a Dodge Neon, while Ohtake will compete in a Ford Escort.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 4, 1997, 11:00PM
Press Notes #3
9. The Group 2 battle - heated since the spring - will close this
weekend with an intensity that characterizes the battle that ran all
year. Here is a press release posted yesterday by the Pete
Lahm/Jimmy Brandt team:
PETE LAHM AND TIM O'NEIL COMBINE FORCES
FOR ASSAULT ON THE 1997 MAINE WINTER RALLY
Pete Lahm (driver and owner) and Jimmy Brandt (co-driver) of P-Sport,
previously campaigning a Datsun/Nissan PL-510, are currently in a close
second place position in the SCCA PRO Rally Group 2 National
Championship. The team will be linking with former SCCA PRO Rally
National Champion Tim O'Neil, owner of New England Emergency Driving
School (NEEDS), to field a Volkswagen Golf Mk. II at the Maine event.
The final round of the season is usually adrift in deep snow and icy
roads adding to the usual challenges of the typical SCCA PRO Rally.
PRO Rallys are multi-day speed events held on closed back-country roads
ranging from the forest and logging roads of Washington to the sandy
roads of Arizona and ending in 1997 on the snowy logging roads of Maine.
This 1997 season has seen the closest Group 2 battle since the class'
inception with three contenders having a possibility of taking the
National Championship going into the last event.
In his pursuit of the Championship, Lahm felt he had a much better chance
of winning in a front wheel drive vehicle considering the ice and snow
historically present in the Maine Winter Rally. With the training
obtained from Tim O'Neil's NEEDS School, he will be campaigning a front-
drive vehicle for the first time in the National Championship. The VW
built by O'Neil specifically for the event, will be sporting Panasport
Wheels, Bilstein Shocks, K.C. Hilites' new High Intensity Discharge
driving lights, and safety equipment from Gemini Racing Systems.
The car will be shod with the new Yokohama Guard X snow tires with a
unique to the industry nylon fiber impregnated tire tread. The Maine
Winter Rally will be televised by ESPN2 later in December.
-end-
Richard Losee, the driver who is leading Group 2 after his first class
win at Lake Superior in October, is perhaps the most improved driver on
the circuit, with stage times going from near last place in the early-
season events to top ten in the last couple of rallies. Losee has
finished well in class all year, and currently owns a four-point lead
going into this last event.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 5, 1997, 8:00AM
Press Notes #4
10. Martin Peters of Michelin North America, title sponsor of the
Michelin PRO Rally Championship, issued the following statement
yesterday amid reports from Canada of an enlarged or changed
structure for the North American Rally Championship and/or the
Michelin PRO Rally Championship:
"Michelin North America is very pleased with the recognition the
company has received as a result of its sponsorship of the Michelin
PRO Rally Series. We are grateful to the Sports Car Club of America
and to Michelin PRO Rally competitors, who provide the enthusiasm
and spirit to keep the sport strong. This is Michelin's fourth year
as the series sponsor, and we look forward to continuing our
sponsorship, as outlined in the contract signed with SCCA earlier
this year. We foresee no changes in our activities or support for
the Michelin PRO Rally series in 1998."
11. Mark Cox and Jim Gill, driver and co-driver of the Bridgestone-
sponsored VW Golf GTI, are here from Steamboat Springs, CO, where
Cox is the chief instructor and co-owner of the Bridgestone Winter
Driving School. Cox will be attacking the stages on Bridgestone
Blizzak tires or some other experimental DOT approved tire.
12. Doug Shepherd and Pete Gladysz, two Chrsyler Corporation engineers
who have had success over the years rallying Dodge and Eagle rally
cars, are here this weekend in a brand-new Dodge Neon to help Dodge
capture the Production class manufacturer's championship. We
mentioned the battle between Tad Ohtake's Ford Escort ZX2 and Al
Kaumeheiwa's Dodge Neon, but we didn't mention that Dodge and Ford
are in a flat-footed tie - 67 points each - for the makes title.
Shepherd/Gladysz are here to support the manufacturer's title chase,
where only the top finishing car of each make gets points.
13. Speaking of Kaumeheiwa, his regular co-driver - Craig Sobczak - has
already clinched the co-drivers title for Production class, and
could not make it this weekend, so "K" has veteran Cindy Krolikowski
in the navigator's seat. Ms. Krolikowski, herself a defending
national co-driving champion and former divisional national
champion, hopes to guide fellow Detroit Region member Kaumeheiwa to
victory.
14. Although he is here this weekend, Henry Joy will not be entering
this event. He lost his chance to compete for the championship in
Prescott in early October when his Mitsubishi Lancer plunged off a
cliff into a canyon, destroying the shell. Murray Thomas at T.A.D.
Motorsports prepared a back-up car so Henry and co-driver Michael
Fennell could compete at Lake Superior, but they could not prevent
Paul Choiniere from clinching his sixth straight title.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 5, 1997, 11:00AM
Press Notes #5
15. Typical New England... The weather reports from yesterday were
optimistic at best. Rumford is under a cloud today - haze hanging
on the hills - with a cold rain falling. This is expected to
continue throughout the day. Up in Oquossock where the rally roads
are they are having flurries with 1-3 inches of new snow predicted.
16. The stages were all groomed yesterday and rally organizer John
Buffum was pleased with the results. "There's one to four inches of
packed powder on all of the roads with six to sixteen inch berms.
It's absolutely perfect!" When asked about tires, he said "Michelin
C5s all the way!"
17. The changes in the rally roads have necessitated many changes to the
previously printed route books. Registration opened at 10:00 AM and
the room is full of activity, with competitors replacing papers,
making notes, and verifying instructions.
18. Frank and Dan Sprongl in their Audi Dealer Team Castrol S2 coupe are
looking to repeat their summer rally victory here. The brothers are
fresh from a recent win at the Tall Pines Rally where they clinched
their fourth Canadian Rally Championship. Going into Tall Pines,
the Maine-based team of Carl Merrill/Lance Smith in their familiar
Ford Escort Cosworth were also title contenders, but before the
halfway point in the rally, the Sprongls had built up an
insurmountable lead, assuring them of the crown. Merrill/Smith
finished second in the championship.
19. Lance Smith, owner of Vermont SportsCar, has announced a new joint
venture with Generation Performance, Inc., a supplier of automotive
performance aftermarket parts. Together, they will be able to
expand the services offered to the PRO Rally community. Vermont
SportsCar will be moving to a new, larger facility in Williston, VT,
where they will have retail, showroom, and warehouse space, as well
as a separate area for service featuring three lifts, an engine and
gearbox room, and a welding and fabrication room.
Smith will continue to co-drive with Carl Merrill in his Ford Escort
Cosworth for 1998. In addition, Vermont SportsCar will provide
service and logistics support to the fully-sponsored Generation
Performance team of Bill Driegert and Hi Shin Shim. These talented
rookies won their first-ever rally at the Maine Forest Summer Rally
in the Production GT class on their way to capturing the 1997 North
American Rally Cup, also in the Production GT class. They will
compete in the U.S. and Canadian rally series next season in a
Mitsubishi Galant VR4.
# # #
MAINE FOREST WINTER RALLY
Round 10 of the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
Final Entry List and Start Order
December 5, 1997, 4:00PM
Car# Driver/Hometown Co-Driver/Hometown Car/Class/Tires
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
2 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME Colchester, VT Michelin
13 Frank Sprongl Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2/Open
Mississauga, ONT Mississauga, ONT Michelin
14 Pat Ayer Robin Jones Audi Quattro/Open
Colchester, VT Vergennes, VT Michelin
11 Noel Lawlor Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra/Open
Manchester, VT Ardmore, PA Michelin
9 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclipse/P-GT
Coraopolis, PA Beaver Creek, OH Michelin
16 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/P-GT
Elk River, MN Orion, MI Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica/Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
900 Sam Bryan Rob Walden SAAB 900/Group 5
Kent, WA Shoreline, WA Michelin
18 Jon Nichols Mick Koch VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Baie d'Ulfe, PQ Nepean, ONT Michelin
19 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Dodge Neon/Prod
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin
20 Richard Losee Kent Livingston VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Provo, UT Salt Lake City, UT Michelin
22 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Yokohama
66 Tad Ohtake Bob Martin Ford Escort/Prod
Louisville, KY Goodrich, MI Michelin
23 Keith Townsend Ross Wood Toyota Corolla/Open
Toronto, ONT Milton, ONT Michelin
44 Sakis Hadjiminas C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro/Open
Floral Park, NY Staten Island, NY Michelin
41 Jon Pizzagalli Mark Williams Mitsu. Galant/P-GT
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD Michelin
40 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Cunningham VW Corrado/Group 5
Somerville, MA Boston, MA Michelin
25 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy/Open
Temple, PA Shillington, PA Bridgestone
38 Gail Truess Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX/Open
Brooklyn, MI Columbus, OH Michelin
26 Chris Havas Eric Tremblay VW Golf/Group 2
Richmond, VT StJean Chrysostone, PQ Michelin
27 Elizabeth Campbell Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI/Prod
Rutland, VT Nashua, NH Michelin
24 Al Kaumeheiwa Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Neon/Prod
Brighton, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin
15 Gergely Szabu Zoltan Kohler Pont. Grand Prix/Prod
Budapest, MUN Esztergum, HUN
42 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro/Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin
47 Lesley Suddard Ben Greisler Dodge Charger/Group 5
Wilmington, DE Exton, PA Michelin
35 Jay Kowalik Scott Embree Honda Civic/Prod
Powell, OH Dublin, OH Michelin
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge PickUp/Prod
Saugeties, NY South Easton, MA BFG
30 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salomon Mitsu. Galant/P-GT
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin
31 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX/P-GT
Clifton Park, NJ Sterling, VA Michelin
39 Bill Dreigert Hi Shin Shim Mitsu. Galant/P-GT
Richardson, TX Dallas, TX Michelin
32 Kendall Russell L. Mark Stone Dodge Shadow/P-GT
Knoxville, TN Bronxville, NY Michelin
34 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200SX/Group 2
Bryartown, PA Collegeville, PA Michelin
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit GTI/Group 2
Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA Hakkapelitta
37 Mark Cox Jim Gill VW Golf GTI/Prod
Steamboat Spr., CO Steamboat Spr., CO Bridgestone
# # #
1997 MEAD DIVISIONAL RALLY
Final Entry List and Start Order
December 5, 1997, 4:00PM
Car# Driver/Hometown Co-Driver/Hometown Car/Class/Tires
44 Sakis Hadjiminas C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro/O4
Floral Park, NY Staten Island, NY Michelin
40 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Arruda VW Corrado/O2
Somerville, MA Johnston, RI Michelin
25 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy/O2
Temple, PA Shillington, PA Bridgestone
26 Chris Havas Eric Tremblay VW Golf/U2
Richmond, VT StJean Chrysostone, PQ Michelin
27 Elizabeth Campbell Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI/U2
Rutland, VT Nashua, NH Michelin
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge PickUp/U2
Saugeties, NY South Easton, MA BFG
42 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro/O4
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin
47 Leslie Suddard Ben Greisler Dodge Charger/Group 5
Wilmington, DE Exton, PA Michelin
30 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salomon Mitsu. Eclipse/O4
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin
31 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX/O4
Clifton Park, NJ Sterling, VA Michelin
34 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200SX/U2
Bryartown, PA Collegeville, PA Michelin
35 Jay Kowalik Scott Embree Honda Civic/U2
Powell, OH Dublin, OH Michelin
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit GTI/U2
Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA Hakkapelitta
37 Mark Cox Jim Gill VW Golf GTI/U2
Steamboat Spr., CO Steamboat Spr., CO Bridgestone
50 Gerry Brinkman Bob Barrall VW Golf GTI/U2
Freehold, NJ Bethlehem, PA
51 Ted Mendham Lise Mendham Nissan Sentra SER/U2
Lyndeboro, NH Lyndeboro, NH
52 S. Stepniewski Adam Pelc Audi Quattro/O4
Keansburg, NJ Middle Village, NY
53 S. Olin-Dabrowski Greg Haymann Audi Quattro/O4
Pleasant Valley, NY Pawling, NY
54 Tom Lawless Sean Devine Eagle Talon/O4
Maspeth, NY Knoxville, TN
57 Chris Sandborn David Holroyd Audi Quattro/O4
Henniker, NH Brookline, NH
55 Robert Pao Scott Williams VW GTI/U2
Bridgewater, NJ New Brunswick, NJ
56 Paul Kelbel Damon Mayers VW GTI/U2
New York, NY Taunton, MA
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 5, 1997, 6:00PM
Press Notes #6
20. Lesley Suddard is a late entry. After a difficult couple of years,
she finally believes that she has her Dodge Charger running right.
The ex-Doug Shepherd, ex-Pete Gladysz car had been prepared in Open
class trim back before the Group 5 class even existed. Once Suddard
acquired the car, her challenge was to revert the car back to more
stock form. Her first rally in the car was Maine Forest in 1995,
and from that event on, the car was plagued by overheating problems.
Those problems came to a head at Rim of the World this year, when
the car finally gave up. She has not run since.
Even as recently as two weeks ago, Lesley was not sure she would be
coming to Maine. Her regular co-driver, Anne Thomas, was approached
by Liz Campbell and the decision was made that for this rally, the
usual teammates would be in different cars, if indeed they both were
to compete.
Then Suddard, through Chrysler, was able to get a new chip for the
Charger's computer and everything changed. Finally, the engine was
running smoothly, but now Suddard needed a co-driver. The first
person she called was Ben Greisler, who cited work commitments and
begged off. She made a couple more phone calls before calling
Greisler back and saying, "You know you could take second in
divisional points, don't you?"
Suddard and Greisler are teaming up for the first time.
21. The Rumford and Andover Fire Departments combined forces in downtown
Rumford to create a unique and exciting starting gate for the start
of the Maine Forest Rally. Each town sent its ladder truck and with
ladders extended, they formed an arch from which a six-foot
Christmas wreath was hung. Huge lighted candles were placed on the
ladders and 33 national entries and 8 divisional only entries
started at one minute intervals under the arch.
22. The Open class entry of Pat Ayer/Robin Jones was a non-starter this
afternoon, citing steering box problems on their Audi Quattro,
encountered earlier on Friday. Also absent at the start line was
the Hungarian team of Gergely Szabu and Zoltan Kohler, although at
this writing, details of their withdrawal are not available.
23. Reports from the rally stages are beginning to filter back in. Lots
of cars have gone off on the first stage. The snow has continued to
fall and the rally roads are slippery. Moose are everywhere.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 5, 1997, 11:30PM
Press Notes #7
24. The Volkswagen Corrado of Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Cunningham made it
9.91 miles into the first stage before they went off into the snow
on a left-hander. They tried to get themselves out, but finally
needed help. It was delivered in the person of Mark Cox/Jim Gill in
another Volkswagen, this one a Golf GTI. Once pulled out,
Frontinan/Cunningham continued, but too soon, Vinnie said, "I have
no brakes!" They could hear something rattling around inside the
passenger side wheel well. Before the end of the stage, the car
pitched across the course and off into the snow again. They were
within sight of the finish, and workers got them back onto the road.
The brake caliper had broken free and wedged itself into wheel.
Frontinan was able to remove the caliper, but with only rear brakes,
the car spun just 100 yards into the next stage and they retired.
25. It became clear that no one except the Audi Quattro S-2 of Frank
Sprongl/Dan Sprongl had a normal night. After four stages - the end
of rallying on Friday night - Sprongls have more than a four-and-
one-half minute lead over the 4WD Toyota Corolla of Keith
Townsend/Ross Wood from Toronto. Next, only 20 seconds back, is the
Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Lance Smith, while the Liz
Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI is another 3-1/2 minutes behind.
26. The most significant development of the evening was the multiple
spinouts that resulted from the icy conditions north and west of
Rumford. The Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon, which was
aiming for a top five finish to clinch the manufacturers title, lost
all chances to do that as they went off the road two separate times,
losing more than an hour to the field. Hyundai's back-up hope, the
Hyundai Elantra of Noel Lawler/Charles Bradley, is more than ten
minutes behind Choiniere, and, in fact, had to rely on a Choiniere
tow to finish stage #4 because of a dead battery.
The good news for the Hyundai contingent is the Mitsubishis - only
six points behind in the title chase - are not faring any better.
The best Mitsubishi hope - the Eclipse of Cal Landau/Eric Marcus -
slide off the road on stage #4, losing valuable minutes, and then
was stuck for six miles behind a slower car to drop to 15th overall.
Landau was as high as fourth overall before the "off." The Arthur
Wojcik/Maciej Salomon Mitsubishi Eclipse is just ahead of Landau in
14th place.
Also, since more than half the field was 30 or more minutes behind
the last finishing car - usually a formula for time-bar
elimination from the rally - the organizer extended the allowable
finish time to two hours and ten seconds beyond bogey time. The
allows all those who slipped off the road to stay in the event.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 1:40AM
Press Notes #8
27. Here are the national standings after four stages (Friday night):
Car
# Driver/co-driver Car Class Time
13 Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2 Open 77.56
23 Keith Townsend/Ross Wood Toyota Corolla AWD Open 82.26
2 Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth Open 82.63
27 Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI Prod. 86.20
24 A.Kaumeheiwa/C. Krolikowski Dodge Neon Prod. 87.94
900 Sam Bryan/Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5 89.34
26 Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay VW Golf Group 2 89.62
16 Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon Prod.GT 90.05
20 Richard Losee/K. Livingston VW GTI Group 2 90.61
29 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram-50 Pickup Prod. 94.87
22 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt VW GTI Group 2 96.27
19 Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Dodge Neon Prod. 96.82
37 Mark Cox/Jim Gill VW GTI Prod. 99.40
30 Arthur Wojcik/Maciej Salomon Mitsubishi Eclipse Prod.GT 100.33
9 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX Prod.GT 101.67
35 Jay Kowalik/Scot Embree Honda Civic Prod. 102.67
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica Group 5 107.03
47 Lesley Suddard/Ben Greisler Dodge Charger Group 5 118.36
66 Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford Escort ZX2 Prod. 118.48
31 Keith Kreisler/Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX Open 119.63
32 Kendall Russell/L.Mark Stone Dodge Shadow Prod.GT 119.93
18 Jon Nichols/Mick Koch VW Golf GTI Group 2 120.40
25 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open 122.28
41 Jon Pizzagalli/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Galant Prod.GT 125.24
1 Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 145.41
39 Bill Driegert/Hi Shin Shim Mitsubishi Galant Prod.GT 146.04
38 Gail Truess/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 152.81
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr./Jr. VW GTI Group 2 154.94
11 Noel Lawlor/Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra Open 155.07
34 Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera Nissan 200SX Group 2 167.03
42 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi Quattro Open 215.28
Did Not Finish
14 Pat Ayer/Robin Jones Audi Quattro DNS Steering
15 Gergely Szabu/Zoltan Kohler Pontiac Grand Prix DNS
40 Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Cunningham VW GTI DNF Brakes
44 Sakis Hajiminas/C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro DNF Ice/slide
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 11:30AM
Press Notes #9
27. More from last night:
One of the earliest reports to filter in was that a rally car had
been hit by a spectator car on the icy roads leading to the first
stage. There was only minor damage to the rear of the
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Tiburon from the incident, but it was not a
good way to start the event. Three cars actually got stuck on the
way to the first stage and the rally ran increasingly late for the
rest of the evening.
28. It might be easier to list the people who didn't go off into the
snow than to try to identify everyone who did. One worker claims to
have towed eight cars out of stage 1 after it closed! The Jon
Pizzagalli/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Galant slipped off course on the
first two stages, causing co-driver Williams to lament, "We got to
enjoy the forest. The next two stages were much better."
29. The Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford Escort ZX2 had a disastrous fourth
stage, where they went off twice within a quarter mile, losing scads
of time on both. They were running sixth overall at the time, but
dropped to ninteenth and would have been time-barred but for the
extension.
30. Only the Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl and Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas
teams were enthusiastic about the stage conditions, but both drivers
are recognized experts on snow and ice. Frank Sprongl said, "It was
not that slippery. There was deep snow, enough that it bogged the
car down, but it was not that slippery," while Campbell just said,
"It was awesome out there! Snow is the great equalizer." There are
plenty of people who would argue with their assessment.
Campbell and Thomas both agreed that they had been cautious on the
first stage, but by the fourth, they were making up huge chunks of
time, even though they stopped to pull the Ohtake/Martin car out of
a snowbank.
31. Unofficially, the top cars in the Mead Divisional Rally are:
O4 Arthur Wojcik/Maciej Salamon Mitsubishi Galant
O2 Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas Volkswagen Golf GTI
U2 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy
By and large, the divisional-only competitors did not seem to have
as much difficulty with the course as the national cars. Although
there were tales of snowbanks, all the cars finished without damage.
Ted Mendham said, "I don't know when I've seen so many triangles on
the road in one night. But we're doing OK."
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 12:30PM
Press Notes #10
31. Out of the rally after the first four stages are the Sakis
Hadjiminas/Constantine Mantopoulos Audi Quattro due to a slide too
far off to recover, and the Keith Kreisler/Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX
with transmission problems.
The Bill Dreigert/Hi Shin Shim Mitsubishi Galant entry was unable to
finish the third stage after a slide off into the snow, so they have
joined the Seven Islands Divisional Rally being run today. Now,
with the time-bar pardon, they have found themselves back in the
national. They're so far back in the running that they have little
chance of a top finish in the Production GT class, but they will be
starting well ahead of the other divisional entries.
32. Just a minor correction:
The Arthur Wojcik/Maciej Salamon entry is a Mitsubishi Galant which
is running in the Open class.
33. The Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth has been running
flawlessly, although during last night's stages they did meet the
snowdrifts once or twice. "We had a couple of moments...," admitted
Merrill. One of those moments came on stage four, when Merrill saw
headlights approaching quickly from the rear. Hoping to stay ahead
and believing that he was being shadowed by the Noel Lawlor/Charles
Bradley Hyundai Elantra, Merrill stepped up the pace just a little.
The car continued to follow, but couldn't quite get into striking
distance. It almost looked like Merrill's plan would bite him when
they came upon a narrow bridge. The Cosworth took the bridge
sideways and the headlights behind him disappeared.
The headlights belonged to the Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi
Eclipse GSX and their disappearance coincided with their visit to
the snowbanks. Before Landau and Marcus could free themselves from
their perch, another and then another car stuffed themselves into
the icy mess. In all, five cars were involved, including the Dodge
Neon entry of Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz, which sustained
considerable body damage when it was hit by another competitor. All
of the cars ultimately continued, but most lost nearly half an hour.
34. It looks like the Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon is headed
for the Production GT championship. They largely stayed out of
trouble throughout the calamitous first night and should reap the
benefits this afternoon. Their margin over Landau/Marcus is some
eleven minutes at the start of day two, and although they are
somewhat frustrated at going slow, they plan to be disciplined
enough to finish today, rather than go fast and take chances. This
will be the first championship for either Gingras or Westrick after
some recent near misses.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 2:30PM
Press Notes #11
35. The Sam Bryan/Rob Walden SAAB 900 Turbo also appears destined for
glory with a nearly 20 minute lead over the nearest Group 5
competitor at the end of the Friday night stages. A conservative
run and an off by the Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica
combined to put Bryan/Walden on top. This caps off an all-or-
nothing season for the Bryan/Walden team - at each event they have
either finished first or not at all. The game plan for today will
be more of the same: smooth, steady stages.
36. The Group 2 battle which took a bizzarre twist with the rumored
appearance of the Tim O'Neil prepared VW Golf GTI for the Pete
Lahm/Jimmy Brandt team. In fact, the car appeared at the Madison
Hotel just six minutes before the close of registration. The team
hustled the car through tech and presented themselves at the parc
expose in downtown Rumford with only minutes to spare. O'Neil and
his crew continued to bolt the car together until Lahm/Brandt were
called to the start line. In their haste, someone punctured an
element of the cooling system, and for most of last evening, the car
ran down on coolant. Despite all that, plus nearly being put off
into a snowbank by a charging competitor, the team is running a
respectable event, although they are nearly four minutes behind the
Richard Losee/Kent Livingston VW Golf GTI which has had a problem-
free event so far. Even so, with 40+ stage miles to go, the
difference is not insurmountable.
37. All remaining cars left the start line in downtown Rumford today,
beginning at 9:00AM.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 5:00 PM
Press Notes #12
38. The Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2 expanded his Friday
lead and ran away from the rest of the field enroute to his fifth
Maine Forest Winter Rally win - and his sixth win since the inception
of the Maine rallies in 1991. The Sprongls scored a seven-minute win
over fellow Canadians Keith Townsend/Ross Wood in an all-wheel-drive
Toyota Corolla. The Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth
finished third, another two minutes back, after the car lost four-
wheel-drive as a result of hitting a rock and breaking a driveshaft.
In the classes, the Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI won the Production
class and finished fourth overall, while the Steve Gingras/Bill
Westrick's Eagle Talon was fifth overall and won Production GT.
Chris Havas and Erik Trembley were sixth overall and first in Group 2
- a reprieve after they rolled here this summer. The
Group 5 victory went to the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900, their sixth
class win of the year.
Hyundai clinched the overall manufacturers championship as no Hyundais
and no Mitsubishis finished in the top ten. Hyundai held a six point
lead coming into the event.
Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker had previously clinched their sixth
straight national overall Michelin PRO Rally Championship in their
Hyundai Tiburon. In Group 5, Sam Bryan and Rob Walden clinched their
second national title (they won Group 2 in 1995) in a Saab 900 by
beating Bruce Newey/Matt Chester in a Toyota Celcia. In the second
head-to-head title competition, Richard Losee/Kent Livingston took
charge of the Group 2 last night, and despite minor ignition problems
and an "off," beat rivals Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt by four minutes to
clinch the national title. Losee was the only driver to enter and
finish nine events this year.
Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick clinched the Production GT title in their
Act II Popcorn Eagle Talon by beating Landau/Marcus by 15 minutes.
The Production class championship was also decided last night as the
Al Kaumeheiwa/Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Neon build a large lead over the
Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford Escort ZX2, and went on to clinch the
national championship. Kaumeheiwa's regular co-driver Craig Sobczak
had also clinched the co-driver's title.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 5:00PM
Press Notes #13
38. Provisional finish order after 8 stages, national entries only:
Car
# Driver/co-driver Car Class Time
13 Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2 Open 133.06
23 Keith Townsend/Ross Wood Toyota Corolla AWD Open 140.34
2 Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth Open 142.56
27 Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI Prod. 148.47
16 Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon Prod.GT 155.34
26 Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay VW Golf Group 2 156.36
24 A.Kaumeheiwa/C. Krolikowski Dodge Neon Prod. 156.88
900 Sam Bryan/Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5 161.24
20 Richard Losee/K. Livingston VW GTI Group 2 162.40
22 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt VW GTI Group 2 166.96
35 Jay Kowalik/Scot Embree Honda Civic Prod. 167.20
37 Mark Cox/Jim Gill VW GTI Prod. 168.44
9 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX Prod.GT 170.96
19 Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Dodge Neon Prod. 177.42
18 Jon Nichols/Mick Koch VW Golf GTI Group 2 180.36
66 Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford Escort ZX2 Prod. 181.47
41 Jon Pizzagalli/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Galant Prod.GT 189.11
30 Arthur Wojcik/Maciej Salomon Mitsubishi Eclipse Prod.GT 190.41
25 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open 192.53
1 Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 203.20
32 Kendall Russell/L.Mark Stone Dodge Shadow Prod.GT 204.07
47 Lesley Suddard/Ben Greisler Dodge Charger Group 5 208.35
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica Group 5 211.62
38 Gail Truess/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 217.32
29 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram-50 Pickup Prod 221.04
34 Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera Nissan 200SX Group 2 257.27
42 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi Quattro Open 285.34
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr./Jr. VW GTI Group 2 295.98
Did Not Finish
14 Pat Ayer/Robin Jones Audi Quattro DNS Steering
15 Gergely Szabu/Zoltan Kohler Pontiac Grand Prix DNS
40 Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Cunningham VW GTI DNF Brakes
44 Sakis Hajiminas/C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro DNF Ice/slide
11 Noel Lawlor/Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra DNF
31 Keith Kreisler/Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX DNF
39 Bill Driegert/Hi Shin Shim Mitsubishi Galant DNF
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 6, 1997, 10:00PM
Press Notes #14
39. There is a correction on the official results for the Mead
Divisional Rally held last night. The winner in O2 was the Greg
Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Pick-up. Winners in the Seven Islands
Divisional Rally held today were:
O2 Lesley Suddard/Ben Greisler Dodge Charger
O4 Jon Pizzagalli/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Galant
U2 Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI
40. Of the cars which did not finish the rally, those not previously
reported as to cause of retirement were:
Noel Lawlor/Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra Stuck in snow
Gergely Szabu/Zoltan Kohler Pontiac LeMans Late arrival
Bill Driegert/Hi Shin Shim Mitsubishi Galant Stuck in snow
41. The Jon Nichols/Mick Koch VW Golf GTI moved up well in Saturday's
stages. Early on Friday, it looked like they were headed for a top
five finish, but stage four was more than the car could handle.
Nichols explained that the car never really went off, but got caught
up in the ruts and was stuck for nearly half an hour. On Saturday,
though, the team made up seven positions to finish 15th. Despite
the problems, Nichols felt the logging roads were well suited to
their driving style.
42. After having been stuck in a snowbank on Friday night, the Bruce
Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica was running well on Saturday,
making up 2 minutes a stage on the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden SAAB 900
Turbo, but the deficit was just too much to handle. Never-the-less,
the Toyota team would not give up the fight until the Celica got
high-centered and had to be pulled out. Ultimately, they went from
17th to 14th to 23rd for a disappointing third in class, allowing
Bryan/Walden to clinch the Group 5 championship.
43. Due to a timing error, the correct time for Townsend/Wood is
2:22:20. The change has been reflected in the results and
referenced in the finishing narrative.
44. More than 225 people packed the Rumford Eagles Hall for the banquet
following the rally. In addition to the usual rally-specific
awards, the year-end awards were also distributed. The Woodner Cup,
given in memory of the late Jon Woodner to the top finishing two
wheel drive entry was won by Sam Bryan/Rob Walden. SAAB
representative, Dan Prescott was on hand to congratulate his
drivers. Jim Hossack was there representing Hyundai, honored with
the manufacturers title. From SCCA's national office, Dennis Dean
and Paige Wagner attended. Henry Joy IV represented the PRO Rally
Board and Kathy Barnes the national Board of Directors.
# # #
1997 Maine Forest Rally
Round #10 of the Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
December 8, 1997, 12:00PM
Press Notes #15
45. With the fourth place finish of the Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW Golf
GTI, Thomas has achieved her best-ever placement and first top five.
When asked what was different about this run, Anne was able to offer
these insights. A driver has a number of tools at their disposal -
a steering wheel, brakes, clutch, gas pedal, and all of the other
devices within their reach. A good driver uses all of those tools
to get through the course as quickly as possible. Thomas has co-
driven for a number of different drivers, and she stated that the
biggest difference in this weekend's run was that Campbell uses all
of those tools to their maximum capacity and then goes outside of
the car to find new tools. Campbell uses the ruts in the road, the
snowbanks, the turns and the ditches - basically anything available
on or off the course. Also, she uses the brakes to steer more than
anyone else Thomas has co-driven with. "We beat a ton of four wheel
drive times fairly regularly," Anne added with a smile.
Liz also took the opportunity - while accepting her Production class
trophy at the banquet - to thank everyone for their support during
the recent difficult time in her life.
46. The ESPN2 broadcast of the Maine Forest Winter Rally has a new time
(brought to our attention by MaryAnne Shults at <SCCA.Com) and
confirmed by the ESPN programming department. The new time is:
Saturday, December 27, at 5:30 PM (Eastern).
47. The ROAD & TRACK article started by features editor Andy Bornhop
this weekend in Maine is scheduled for the March, 1998 issue.
Although Hyundai will be featured in the story, it should be a good
mantelpiece for all of us.
48. Freelancer Kathy Mangan is working on a season summary for an
upcoming issue of AUTOWEEK, while ON TRACK and SPORTSCAR will also
have season summary articles (the SPORTSCAR issue will be February,
1998, and will include a color photo on the cover).
49. Of the five national champions crowned on Saturday night, only
Choiniere/Becker and Bryan/Walden were repeat victors.
Kaumeheiwa/Sobczak, Gingras/Westrick, and Losee/Livingston have
never won a national championship before.
50. In the public relations area, we are going to be concentrating on
national general interest magazines (airline publications, men's and
women's lifestyle publications, and other large circulation
magazines) to try to get the series broader exposure. Please call
Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677 if you have an idea or an opinion.
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
(401) 739-5677
CANADA'S SPRONGL BROTHERS WIN MICHELIN EVENT IN MAINE; SNOW AND ICE
DETERMINE CLASS AND MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR PRO RALLY
RUMFORD, Maine - December 7 - The Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro
S-2, from Mississauga, Ontario, expanded their Friday lead and ran away
from the rest of the field enroute to their fifth Maine Forest Winter Rally
win at the closing round of the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship event
here.
The Sprongls scored a nine-minute win over fellow Canadians Keith
Townsend/Ross Wood, from Toronto, in an all-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla.
The Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth, from Ogunquit, Maine,
finished third, another 17 seconds back, after the car lost four-wheel-
drive as a result of hitting a rock and breaking a driveshaft.
Competitors were plagued throughout the event, which ran on Mead Paper
Company and Seven Islands Paper Company forest land in southwestern Maine,
by heavy snow, freezing rain, and cold weather which caused more than half
the field to slide off the course at some point during the event.
Organizers suspended the usual 30-minute time limit for cars to get back on
course in order to save the field for Saturday's competition.
In the classes, the Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI, from Rutland, Vermont,
won the Production class and finished fourth overall, while the Steve
Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon, from Elk River, Minnesota, was fifth
overall and won Production GT. Chris Havas and Erik Trembley, from
Richmond, Vermont,were sixth overall and first in Group 2 in their VW GTI -
a reprieve after they rolled here this summer. The Group 5 victory went to
the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900, from Seattle, their sixth class win of
the year.
The favored Hyundai Tiburon of Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, from
Shelburne, Vermont, had already clinched their sixth straight national
championship, but slid off the road several times during the Maine event to
finish a distant 20th overall.
Hyundai clinched the overall manufacturers championship as no Hyundais
and no Mitsubishis finished in the top ten. Hyundai held a six point
lead coming into the event.
Besides Choiniere and Becker, other national champions were also crowned at
this finale. In Group 5, Sam Bryan and Rob Walden clinched their second
national title (they won Group 2 in 1995) in a Saab 900 by beating Bruce
Newey/Matt Chester, from Atlanta in a Toyota Celica. In the second head-
to-head title competition, Richard Losee/Kent Livingston, from Salt Lake
City, took charge of Group 2 on Friday, and despite minor ignition problems
and an "off," beat rivals Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt by four minutes
to clinch the national title. Losee was the only driver to enter and
finish nine events this year.
Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick clinched the Production GT title in their
Act II Popcorn Eagle Talon by beating the Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse
by 15 minutes. The Production class championship was also decided here
as the Al Kaumeheiwa/Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Neon, from Brighton, Michigan,
built a large lead over the Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford Escort ZX2, and went
on to clinch the national championship. Kaumeheiwa's regular co-driver
Craig Sobczak had also clinched the co-driver's title.
The Sports Car Club of America recently announced the 1998 Michelin PRO
Rally Championship schedule, which includes nine events, with seven being
produced by Replica Production for ESPN2.
# # #
MAINE FOREST WINTER RALLY
Round 10 of the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Rumford, Maine
Final National Results
December 7, 1997
Car# Driver/Hometown Co-Driver/Hometown Car/Class/Tires/Time
13 Frank Sprongl Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S-2/Open
Mississauga, ONT Mississauga, ONT Michelin/2:13:03
23 Keith Townsend Ross Wood Toyota Corolla AWD/Open
Toronto, ONT Milton, ONT Michelin/2:22:20
2 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME Colchester, VT Michelin/2:22:37
27 Elizabeth Campbell Anne Thomas VW Golf GTI/Prod
Rutland, VT Nashua, NH Michelin/2:28:28
16 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/P-GT
Elk River, MN Orion, MI Michelin/2:35:20
26 Chris Havas Eric Tremblay VW Golf/Group 2
Richmond, VT StJean Chrysostone, PQ Michelin/2:36:22
24 Al Kaumeheiwa Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Neon/Prod
Brighton, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin/2:36:56
900 Sam Bryan Rob Walden SAAB 900/Group 5
Kent, WA Shoreline, WA Michelin/2:41:14
20 Richard Losee Kent Livingston VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Provo, UT Salt Lake City, UT Michelin/2:42:24
22 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Yokohama/2:44:58
35 Jay Kowalik Scott Embree Honda Civic/Prod
Powell, OH Dublin, OH Michelin/2:47:12
37 Mark Cox Jim Gill VW Golf GTI/Prod
Steamboat Spr., CO Steamboat Spr., CO Bridgestone/2:48:26
9 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclipse/P-GT
Coraopolis, PA Beaver Creek, OH Michelin/2:50:58
19 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Dodge Neon/Prod
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin/2:57:25
18 Jon Nichols Mick Koch VW Golf GTI/Group 2
Baie d'Ulfe, PQ Nepean, ONT Michelin/3:00:22
66 Tad Ohtake Bob Martin Ford Escort/Prod
Louisville, KY Goodrich, MI Michelin/3:01:28
41 Jon Pizzagalli Mark Williams Mitsu. Galant/P-GT
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD Michelin/3:09:07
30 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salamon Mitsu. Galant/Open
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin/3:10:25
25 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy/Open
Temple, PA Shillington, PA Bridgestone/3:12:36
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin/3:23:12
32 Kendall Russell L. Mark Stone Dodge Shadow/P-GT
Knoxville, TN Bronxville, NY Michelin/3:24:04
47 Lesley Suddard Ben Greisler Dodge Charger/Group 5
Wilmington, DE Exton, PA Michelin/3:28:21
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica/Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin/3:31:37
38 Gail Truess Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX/Open
Brooklyn, MI Columbus, OH Michelin/3:37:19
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge PickUp/Prod
Saugeties, NY South Easton, MA BFG/3:41:02
34 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200SX/Group 2
Bryartown, PA Collegeville, PA Michelin/4:17:16
42 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro/Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin/4:45:20
36 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit GTI/Group 2
Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA Hakkapelitta/4:55:59
Did Not Finish
11 Noel Lawlor Charles Bradley Hyundai Elantra/Open
Manchester, VT Ardmore, PA Michelin/DNF
44 Sakis Hadjiminas C. Mantopoulos Audi Quattro/Open
Floral Park, NY Staten Island, NY Michelin/DNF
40 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Cunningham VW Corrado/Group 5
Somerville, MA Boston, MA Michelin/DNF
31 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX/P-GT
Clifton Park, NJ Sterling, VA Michelin/DNF
39 Bill Dreigert Hi Shin Shim Mitsu. Galant/P-GT
Richardson, TX Dallas, TX Michelin/DNF
14 Pat Ayer Robin Jones Audi Quattro/Open
Colchester, VT Vergennes, VT Michelin/DNS
15 Gergely Szabu Zoltan Kohler Pont. LeMans/Prod
Budapest, MUN Esztergum, HUN Unknown/DNS
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
(401) 739-5677
CANADA'S SPRONGL BROTHERS WIN MICHELIN EVENT IN MAINE; SNOW AND ICE
DETERMINE CLASS AND MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR PRO RALLY
RUMFORD, Maine - December 7 - The Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro
S-2, from Mississauga, Ontario, expanded their Friday lead and ran away
from the rest of the field enroute to their fifth Maine Forest Winter Rally
win at the closing round of the 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship event
here.
The Sprongls scored a nine-minute win over fellow Canadians Keith
Townsend/Ross Wood, from Toronto, in an all-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla.
The Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth, from Ogunquit, Maine,
finished third, another 17 seconds back, after the car lost four-wheel-
drive as a result of hitting a rock and breaking a driveshaft.
Competitors were plagued throughout the event, which ran on Mead Paper
Company and Seven Islands Paper Company forest land in southwestern Maine,
by heavy snow, freezing rain, and cold weather which caused more than half
the field to slide off the course at some point during the event.
Organizers suspended the usual 30-minute time limit for cars to get back on
course in order to save the field for Saturday's competition.
In the classes, the Liz Campbell/Anne Thomas VW GTI, from Rutland, Vermont,
won the Production class and finished fourth overall, while the Steve
Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon, from Elk River, Minnesota, was fifth
overall and won Production GT. Chris Havas and Erik Trembley, from
Richmond, Vermont,were sixth overall and first in Group 2 in their VW GTI -
a reprieve after they rolled here this summer. The Group 5 victory went to
the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900, from Seattle, their sixth class win
1997 SCCA/MICHELIN PRO SERIES - MEDIA SUMMARY
Summary
For 1997, the Michelin PRO Rally Championship took a major step
forward with six national events receiving national and international
coverage on ESPN2. With each event garnering 160,000 households
(audited) viewership, and repeating several times, millions of
viewers were introduced the sport of PRO Rally. Currently, ESPN2
reaches 51 million households. In addition to the events covered by
ESPN2, every event was reported on by ESPN2's "RPM Tonight," and
SPEEDVISION's "On Track" programs.
Here are the highlights:
--The combined viewership of all electronic media coverage (local
radio, local TV, national TV and the ESPN2 events) of the 1997
Michelin PRO Rally Championship was more than 25 million people.
Although this number is down from the '96 report, we used audited
viewership figures rather than households reached for TV - so the
real number of viewers has increased.
-- he major increase in print media coverage was the addition of two
publications which provided major event coverage on a regular
basis - EUROPEAN CAR and SPORT COMPACT CAR.
--Other major racing publications - ON TRACK, NATIONAL SPEED SPORT
NEWS, SPORTS CAR, AUTOWEEK and others - provided regular series
coverage. SPORTS CAR, ROAD & TRACK, ON TRACK, and AUTOWEEK are
planning feature-length year-end wrap-up stories for the '97 season
early in '98.
--Color, front-page newspaper coverage in four markets and live radio
reports all weekend in seven markets highlighted local coverage.
The major local paper in each rally venue market average three pre-
rally stories and a post rally report with photo.
--All events reported on the motorsports forum on CompuServe, the on-
line service with tens of thousands of motorsports subscribers.
E-mail is sent to people who have web pages on the Internet, and
the information is posted around the world. More than 25 rally web
pages are now fed directly from rally locations.
Totals:
--Print exposures (circulation plus pass-around): 47,339,210
--Electronic media exposures (estimated listenships/viewerships plus
audited ADI figures where available): 25,699,000
--Total media exposure - 73,038,210 people who read about, heard or
viewed the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
through the media in 1997.
# # #
1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
EVENT DATE LOCATION
SNO*DRIFT PRO RALLY February 8 Atlanta, Michigan
Number of national starters: 27
Number of national finishers: 22
Overall winners: Driver Frank Sprongl
Co-driver Dan Sprongl
Make and model of car: 1995 Audi Quattro S-2
Overall time: 1 hr. 39 min. 38 sec.
Margin of victory: 5 min. 01 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
DOO WOP III & V PRO RALLY March 14 - 16 Olympia, Washington
Number of national starters: 12
Number of national finishers: 10
Overall winners: Driver Paul Choiniere
Co-driver Jeff Becker
Make and model of car: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon
Overall time: 1 hr. 39 min. 28 sec.
Margin of victory: 3 min. 10 seconds
Road/penalty points assigned: none
WILD WEST PRO RALLY April 11-13 Olympia, Washington
Number of national starters: 20
Number of national finishers: 13
Overall winners: Driver Paul Choiniere
Co-driver Jeff Becker
Make and model of car: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon
Overall time: 2 hr. 21 min. 44 sec.
Margin of victory: 6 min. 29 seconds
Road/penalty points assigned: none
RIM OF THE WORLD PRO RALLY May 2 - 4 Palmdale, California
Number of national starters: 29
Number of national finishers: 20
Overall winners: Driver Henry Joy
Co-driver Michael Fennell
Make and model of car: 1994 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II
Overall time: 2 hr. 33 min. 09 sec.
Margin of victory: 7 min. 22 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
SUSQUEHANNOCK TRAIL PRO RALLY June 6 - 8 Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Number of national starters: 51
Number of national finishers: 30
Overall winners: Driver Carl Merrill
Co-driver Lance Smith
Make and model of car: 1997 Ford Escort Cosworth
Overall time: 2 hr. 22 min. 24 sec.
Margin of victory: 2 min. 00 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
MAINE FOREST PRO RALLY July 25 - 27 Rumford, Maine
Number of national starters: 40
Number of national finishers: 26
Overall winners: Driver Frank Sprongl
Co-driver Dan Sprongl
Make and model of car: 1995 Audi Quattro S-2
Overall time: 1 hr. 48 min. 30sec.
Margin of victory: 18 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
OJIBWE FORESTS PRO RALLY August 22 - 24 Bemidji, Minnesota
Number of national starters: 26
Number of national finishers: 16
Overall winners: Driver Paul Choiniere
Co-driver Jeff Becker
Make and model of car: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon
Overall time: 2 hr. 18 min. 54 sec.
Margin of victory: 8 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
PRESCOTT FOREST RALLY October 3-4 Prescott, Arizona
Number of national starters: 20
Number of national finishers: 16
Overall winners: Driver Paul Choiniere
Co-driver Jeff Becker
Make and model of car: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon
Overall time: 1 hr. 31 min. 31 sec.
Margin of victory: 8 min. 42 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
LAKE SUPERIOR PRO RALLY October 17 - 19 Houghton, Michigan
Number of national starters: 29
Number of national finishers: 21
Overall winners: Driver Paul Choiniere
Co-driver John Buffum
Make and model of car: 1997 Hyundai Tiburon
Overall time: 2 hr. 19 min. 54 sec.
Margin of victory: 1min. 24 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
MAINE FOREST WINTER RALLY December 5 - 7 Rumford, Maine
(plus year-end awards)
Number of national starters: 33
Number of national finishers: 28
Overall winners: Driver Frank Sprongl
Co-driver Dan Sprongl
Make and model of car: Audi Quattro S-2
Overall time: 2 hr. 13 min. 03 sec.
Margin of victory: 9 min. 17 sec.
Road/penalty points assigned: none
Note: Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker have clinched their 6th straight
drivers' championship already.
Top Five Final Points - Overall
Paul Choiniere, Hyundai Tiburon, 129 points - Michelin Tires
Henry Joy IV, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II, 97 points - Michelin Tires
Carl Merrill, Ford Escort Cosworth, 79 points - Michelin Tires
Sam Bryan, SAAB 900 Turbo, 73 points - Michelin Tires
Frank Sprongl, Audi Quattro S-2, 68 points - Michelin Tires
Class Winners
Overall and Open
Paul Choiniere, Hyundai Tiburon - Michelin Tires
Production GT
Steve Gingras, Eagle Talon - Michelin Tires
Group 5
Sam Bryan, SAAB 900 Turbo - Michelin Tires
Group 2
Richard Losee, VW Golf GTI - Michelin Tires
Production
Al Kaumeheiwa, Dodge Neon - Michelin Tires
# # #
Maine Index