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Round #7 - 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship October 22-24, 1993 National Results * Divisional Results Press Notes by Andy Schupack
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MEDIA ALERT
Event: 46th runing of the prestigious Press of Regardless PRO Rally -
Round #7 of the 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship. Race cars from
around the world will compete at high speeds on the challenging
forest roads in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan.
When: Friday - Sunday, October 22 - 24, 1993
Schedule - Friday
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM - Registration - Dee Stadium - Houghton
Tech inspection - Dee Stadium - Houghton
1:30 - 2:30 PM - ParcFerme - a display of cars - Dee Stadium
2:45 PM - Parade of cars through Downtown Houghton to spectator
stage
5:00 PM - ParcExpose - a display of cars - Citgo Quik
Food Mart - Downtown Houghton
6:00 PM - First car starts Section I - Press on Regardless
PRO Rally
Schedule - Saturday
6:00 AM - Finish - Section 1, Press of Regardless PRO Rally
Noon - First car starts Section II - Press on Regardless
PRO Rally
6:00 PM - Finish - Press on Regardless PRO Rally
Schedule - Sunday
9:00 AM - Awards - Dee Stadium, Houghton
Where: Rally headquarters will be at Dee Stadium indoor arena in
Houghton, Michigan. Maps guiding spectators to viewing areas will
be available starting Friday morning.
Duration: 192 stage miles, 603 total miles, 25 stages
Rank: Full national PRO Rally, with a coefficient 3 divisional PRO rally to
run with the national rally on Saturday only. National rally
presented by the Detroit Region of the Sports Car Club of America,
with the divisional PRO rally presented in cooperation with the
Lake Superior Region of the Sports Car Club of America. The National
PRO Rally series is sponsored by Subaru of America and sactioned by
the Sports Car Club of America.
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at Dee
Stadium starting Friday morning, October 22. All drivers will
be at the Parc Ferme and Expose sessions listed above. Several
spokes-people, including rally organizers Gene Henderson from
Detroit and Jon Davis from Houghton, past POR winners Paul
Choiniere from Burlington, VT and Chad DiMarco from Huntington
Beach, CA, and local rally drivers Tim Maskus and Craig
Sobczak from Marquette, are all available for interviews, both
by phone and in person.
Expected Top National Entries: Paul Choiniere, undefeated so far in '93 and
seeking to clinch his second straight overall national championship,
in his Audi S-2; Chad DiMarco -'91 National champion, in his Subaru
Legacy - already clinched fourth straight Group A title - also winner
of '91 POR; Carl Merrill - crashed his new 400 HP Ford Escort
Cosworth at Pikes Peak July 4 - in a new Escort after winning most
recent event in Colorado; Jeff Zwart - 1990 Open class champion - in
his all-wheel drive Porsche Carrera 4 - recently finished 19th at New
Zealand world rally; Henry Joy - four strong finishes in his first
year of Open class competition, including third at Prescott - in a
Mitsubishi Eclipse; B.J. Beal, Denver, Colo., owns oil company in a
Open Class Mazda 323GTX - fourth overall in Colorado earlier this
month; Vinnie Frontinan, from Somerville, Mass., leads Production GT
in his Toyota Celica GT4 - including class victory at Ojibwe and two
seconds; Todd Bawden - rookie rallyist from Southern California -
challenging for the class title in Production GT in his Mitsubishi
Eclipse; Guy Light, '91 overall champion, currently leading truck
class in his GMC Sonoma; Gary Gooch, Mitsubshi Pickup, in second
place in the truck class - won '92 truck title; Chad Dykes - newcomer
in truck class - won in Prescott - has contended in every rally in
his Mitsubishi Pickup; Makio Yamanaka, Tokyo, Japan, in Group A Mazda
323GTX, second U.S. rally, was second in Group A at Rim; Kazushi
Kita, Osaka, Japan, Group A Nissan March, second U.S. rally, did not
finish at Rim of the World in California.
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 or Kevin Ericson in the press room starting October 22.
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 Saturday and Sunday. We have B-roll
available for TV. Press room will be located at Dee
Stadium in Houghton.
Contact: Andy Schupack - Subaru PRO Rally Championship
media liaison:
(401) 739-5677
Kevin Ericson - POR local PR:
(906) 482-7700
HOW A PRO RALLY WORKS:
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 and course notes are allowed). The cars start at
one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 10 - 25 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.
Press Notes #3
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 22 - 8:30 AM
10. Good morning, and welcome to Friday in the Keweenaw's
Copper Country in Michigan's Upper Pennisula (and thank
you to the Houghton Camber of Commerce for the nice
welcome party last night). We have the official weekend
weather forecast, and it looks so good we will reproduce
it verbatim below from the National Weather Service so we
can retain our credibility.
MIZ001>004-013-221500-
BARAGA-DELTA-HOUGHTON-KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HOUGHTON...ESCANABA
506 AM EDT FRI OCT 22 1993
.TODAY...CLEARING THIS MORNING...MOSTLY SUNNY
THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH 45 TO 50. WEST WIND 10 TO
20 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST. .TONIGHT...PARTLY
CLOUDY. LOW AROUND 30. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10
MPH. .SATURDAY...PARTLY SUNNY AND MILD. HIGH IN
THE UPPER 50S.
What? No rain? No snow? High in the upper '50s?
We will report later on how teams will make any
preparation changes to adjust for the good
weather.
11. Some last-minute additions to the entry list:
--Tom Gillespie/Bill Smith, Saab 99, Open Class/National.
--Jun Espino, from Foster City, CA, will co-drive for
Windy Imperial in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, replacing Rody
Cruz.
--John McArthur, from Honeoye Falls, NY, will co-drive
for Makio Yamanaka in a right-hand drive Mazda 323GTX.
--Gail Truess, from Brooklyn, Mich., a former PRO rally
driver and expert instructional driver, has recruited
Kerry Voll, editor of RALLY Magazine, to co-driver with
her in a Chevy Citation. The Truess/Voll team is the
only all-woman entrant.
--Dave Stone, from Traverse City, Mich., will be co-
driving for Jeff Zwart in the Porsche Carrera 4 as
regular Zwart co-driver Tony Sircombe is co-driving for
Subaru factory driver Possum Bourne in this weekend's
Hong Kong-Beijing Rally. Bourne, whose regular co-driver
Rodger Freeth was killed during the recent Australian
World Rally, will be driving a Pro-drive Subaru Legacy.
Round #7 - Subaru PRO Rally Championship - National Class/Start Order
Press on Regardless PRO Rally - Final Entry List 10/22/1993 1:30 PM
ST Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model
# Hometown Hometown Yr/Color Class
-- --- --------------------- --------------------- ----------------------------
1 1 Paul Choiniere John Buffum Audi S-2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT 93 White Open
2 6 Carl Merrill J. Jon Wickens Ford Cosworth Escort RS
Ogunquit, ME Bloomfield Hills, MI 93 Purple Open
3 15 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Rally
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI 92 White Open
4 11 Jeff Zwart David Stone Porsche Carrera 4
Woody Creek, CO Traverse City, MI 92 White/Red/Blue Open
5 12 Henry B. Joy IV Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse
Wilmette, IL Lake Odessa, MI 90 Red/White/Gray Open
6 10 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Arruda Toyota Celica GT4
Somerville, MA Johnston, RI 88 Whi/Red/Org/Yel Prod GT
7 16 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH 91 Black Prod GT
8 13 H. L. Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI 93 White Open
9 44 Todd Bawden Martin Hedland Mitsubishi Eclipse
Anaheim, CA Calgary, Alberta 91 White Prod GT
10 18 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mazda 323 GTX
Duluth, MN Rochester, MI 88 Black/White Prod GT
11 19 Selcuk Karamanoglu Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Bath, ME Port Hope, Ontario 93 White Prod GT
12 22 Barry Latreille Sandra Latreille Ford Escort GT
Williamstown,Ontario Williamstown,Ontario 91 White Prod
13 20 Guy Light David White GMC Sonoma
Carson City, NV Benicia, CA 91 White/Red/Blue Truck
14 7 Roger Hull John Elkin Mitsubishi Pickup
Prescott, AZ Lytle Creek, CA 90 White/Grey/Red Truck
15 23 Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M3
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA 89 White/Stripes Group A
16 24 Bruce Newey Kennon Rymer Mazda RX7
Atlanta, GA Knxville, TN 79 Red Open
17 25 Chris Czyzio Eric Carlson Plymouth Arrow
Flushing, MI Stoughton, WI 77 White Open
18 26 Windy Imperial Jun Espino Eagle Talon
Foster City, CA Foster City, CA 89 Red Open
19 27 Rich Swenson Rod Hendrickson Mazda GTX
Highland Lakes, NJ Clinton, NJ 86 White Prod GT
20 17 Chad Dykes Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Pickup
Escondido, CA Escondido, CA 92 Silver/Blue Truck
21 29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram D-50
Hartsville, SC S.Easton, MA 87 White/Magenta Truck
22 33 Dick Casey Martin Dapot VW GTI-16v
Fairfax Station, VA Reston, VA 87 White/Blue Prod
23 30 Craig Sobczak Kevin DeLoughary Mazda 323 GTX
Marquette, MI Gladstone, MI 89 White Prod GT
24 31 Makio Yamanaka John McArthur Mazda 323
Tokyo, Japan Honeoye Falls, NY 90 White Group A
25 32 Kazushi Kita Yoshifumi Maruyama Nissan March S/T
Osaka, Japan Kobe, Japan 89 White Group A
26 34 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW GTI
Flushing, MI Flushing, MI 87 Red Prod
27 35 Bryan Pepp Dean Rushford Mazda RX-7
Marquette, MI Ishpeming, MI 79 White/Blue Open
28 36 Donald Taylor Noreen Dow Shelby GLHS
Claremont, NH Windsor, VT 86 Red Open
29 39 Gail Truess Kerry Voll Chevrolet
Brooklyn, MI Southbury, VT 83 White Open
30 37 Craig Kazmierczak Chris Ochocinski Mazda RX7
Ypsilanti, MI Waterford, MI 79 White/Pink Open
31 38 Jeff Bothee Tom Beltman Mitsubishi Celeste
Wyoming, MI Walker, MI 79 Yellow/Black Open
32 40 William Siess Judy Siess Dodge Omni
Troy, MI Troy, MI 81 Blue Open
33 41 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI 79 Red Open
34 45 Tom Gillespie Bill Smith Saab 99
Cedar Rapids, IA Highland, MI 74 White Open
Press Notes #4
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 22 - 3:00 PM
12. At the press stage, a 0.8 of a mile run through the
Superior Sand and Gravel Company in Hancock, Carl
Merrill's 400 HP Ford Escort Cosworth suddenly went from
all-wheel drive to rear wheel drive and he spun off the
road into the mud. At first, he thought he had broken a
differential - a condition that has put him out of
several rallies this year. In fact, the Ford Escorts
running in Europe - although very successful this year -
have also suffered differential failures.
But, fortunately, it wasn't a differential, but just a
connecting clip, and Merrill is all set for the 4:30 PM
start.
13. When Merrill spun and went off into the mud, Paul
Choiniere stopped his Audi S-2 to yank Merrill out.
unfortunately, Choiniere got a flat tire, and then,
while changing the tire, had the car fall off the jack.
But he, too, is ready to start the 46th annual POR.
14. Another press stage victim was the the Mazda RX-7 of
Brian Pepp. Pepp, from Marquette, MI, misfired after
shutting down his engine, fouling a spark plug. He
could not get the car started, and ended up replacing
the plugs.
15. Stage #12 has been cancelled due to the poor condition
of the transit road leading up to the stage. However,
there is nothing wrong with the stage, and stage #16
(stage #12 backwards) will run as scheduled. This will
give the competitors some addition time for service at
Kenton after stage #11.
16. The final entry list for the national event shows 34
starters, with an addition seven (14 cars in all)
running the Lac Vieux Divisional PRO Rally on Saturday.
Press Notes #5
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 22 - 10:00 PM
17. Steve Gingras, of Duluth, Minn., with co-driver Bill
Westrick, is the first DNF of the rally, losing the
engine of his Mazda 323GTX on stage #2. Gingras, who
had just completely revamped his car after crashing
badly at Ojibwe in August, was one of the favorites in
the Production GT class. Gingras is reporting changing
engines and seeing if he can get his car running for the
divisional event tomorrow. National competitors can run
in the divisional tomorrow even if they don't qualify as
a divisional competitor, but they can not earn
divisional points.
18. The Audi S-2 of Paul Choiniere/John Buffum hit a "bump"
on stage #2, landing on its nose, denting the bumper and
shattering all of his driving lights. The car seems to
be running fine, however, and the crew will fix the
situation at the L'Anse service after stage 8.
19. The Production GT points leaders Vinnie Frontinan/Frank
Arruda in a Toyota Celica GT4 had a flat tire on stage
#2, but are continuing.
20. 33 cars finished stage #3, but the last starter Tom
Gillespie/Bill Smith Saab 99 was considerably slower than
the rest of the field. Gillespie, a last minute entry,
was leaking fluid at Dee Stadium at the start, and had a
hard time starting his car to begin the rally.
21. Passing through the spectator area on stage #3, the
Mitsubishi Eclipse of Selcuk Karamanoglu/Brian Maxwell
was seen dragging an exhaust piece under the rear of the
driver's side, but it didn't seem to affect his
performance.
22. Stage #4 has been aborted after 28 cars passed through
because of unauthorized vehicles on the stage road. The
last five cars were transited through, and will probably
be give arbitrary times based on their relative times for
the first three stages. 33 cars finished stage #4.
23. The Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 truck has had
two flat tires, but continues. Craig Sobczak/Kevin
DeLoughary Mazda 323GTX rolled his car on stage #2,
but other than sheet metal damage and a broken back
window, the car wasn't hurt.
23. Here are the times after five stages:
Car Stage # (times in 1/100)
# Driver/Co-driver 1 2 3 4 5 Total
6 Merrill/Wickens* 6.87 11.54 2.16 4.14 7.42 32.13
1 Choiniere/Buffum 7.31 11.60 2.16 4.22 7.51 32.80
15 Shepherd/Gladysz 7.11 11.63 2.28 4.20 7.69 32.91
11 Zwart/Stone 7.43 12.16 2.35 4.44 8.12 34.50
12 Joy/Brandt 7.22 12.79 2.29 4.48 7.98 35.26
10 Frontinan/Arruda* 8.29 12.75 2.33 4.60 8.37 36.34
44 Bawden/Headland 7.94 12.94 2.42 4.76 8.35 36.41
16 Landau/Marcus 8.02 12.81 2.52 4.69 8.54 36.58
24 Newey/Rymer 7.90 13.11 2.59 4.78 8.55 36.93
13 Krolikowski/
Krolikowski 8.00 13.75 2.44 4.71 8.38 37.28
22 Lattreille/
Latreille* 7.28 13.52 2.58 5.01 8.67 38.06
* class leader
24. As you can see, Merrill is leading the rally by about
30 seconds (the times are in minutes and 1/100ths of a
minute), and Merrill, Choiniere, and Shepherd have about
two minutes on the rest of the field. Vinnie Frontinan
leads Production GT by less than 4 seconds over Todd
Bawden, while Barry Lattreille leads the Production
Class. Chad Dykes is just ahead of Guy Light in trucks
(but we don't have any times as of yet).
25. The cars have now finished eight stages, and we have
some more DNF's. Henry and Cindy Krolikowski in a Dodge
Shadow are transiting through stage #7 after suffering a
mechanical failure. They will try to fix the car
overnight and run the divisional - for which they are
the favorites - tomorrow. The Tom Gillespie/Bill Smith
Saab 99 finally quit with engine problems, while the
Craig Sobczak/Bill DeLoughary Mazda 323GTX broke a
timing belt and is through for the evening.
26. The cars are servicing in L'Anse, and will start stage
#9 in a re-seeded order based on stage #5 totals. The
reseed of the top cars look like this (in order by car
number): 6,1,15,11,12,44,10,16,24,26,17,20,27,22,31,32,
35,25,7,23,19,37,34,39,29,33,41,38,36,40.
Press Notes #6
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 22 - 11:00 PM
27. Here are the times after eight stages:
Car Stage #
# Driver/Co-driver 6 7 8 Total
6 Merrill/Wickens/Open 7.87 7.20 4.15 51.36
1 Choiniere/Buffum/ 7.48 7.20 4.14 51.62
15 Shepherd/Gladysz 7.92 7.12 4.50 52.45
11 Zwart/Stone 8.24 7.55 4.20 54.49
12 Joy/Brandt 8.24 7.53 4.25 55.28
44 Bawden/Headland 8.22 7.40 4.28 56.31
10 Frontinan/Arruda 8.58 7.84 4.30 57.06
16 Landau/Marcus 8.59 7.62 4.45 57.24
24 Newey/Rymer 8.56 7.89 4.49 57.82
28. Updates on DNF's:
--Barry Lattreille/Sandra Latreille Ford Escort GT
has crashed and needed a tow to get out of the woods
on stage #8 - out of the rally.
--The Tom Gillespie/Bill Smith car's official reason for
retirement - oil leak.
--Henry/Cindy Krolikowski blew a turbo, as did the
Gingras/Westrick car - both are hoping to fix their
cars and run tomorrow.
Press Notes #7
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 23 - 2:00 AM
29. On stage #9, the Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi
Eclipse hit a tree, but is continuing.
30. Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon had a flat tire
on stage #6, and, while it did not affect his time on
the stage, he picked up penalty points for late check-in
on #7.
31. Todd Bawden, whose Mitsubishi Eclipse is just ahead of
Vinnie Frontinan's Toyota Celica GT4 in the Production
GT race, is unhappy because he doesn't like the sound of
the turbo noise coming from his engine compartment.
Although it hasn't affected his performance yet, he is
listening carefully for bad news.
32. Chad Dykes in his Mitsubishi Pickup continues to hold a
slight lead over Guy Light's GMC Sonoma pickup. Light
says he is running well - he just can't keep up with
Dykes, who held a similar lead late at Ojibwe in August
until he ran off the road late in the rally, is a rookie
driver from Escondido, Calif., while Light has been
rallying for more than 20 years.
33. Roger Hull/John Elkin, the third-place truck, found
their Mitsubishi Pickup losing power during the
transits, and found the culprit was moisture under the
distributor cap
34. Here are the times after 11 stages:
Car Stage #
# Driver/Co-driver 9 10 11 Total
6 Merrill/Wickens/Open 8.92 8.60 7.02 75.88
1 Choiniere/Buffum/ 8.90 8.66 7.37 76.43
15 Shepherd/Gladysz 8.92 8.62 6.94 76.94
11 Zwart/Stone 9.49 9.66 7.33 80.97
12 Joy/Brandt 9.10 9.42 7.70 81.50
44 Bawden/Headland 9.21 9.22 7.45 82.19
10 Frontinan/Arruda 9.53 9.42 8.04 84.05
17 Dykes/Hanson 9.77 9.37 7.71 84.72
16 Landau/Marcus 10.07 10.05 7.98 85.34
24 Newey/Rymer 9.91 9.67 8.12 85.37
20 Light/White 10.07 9.33 7.88 86.26
35. Chad Dykes, who we have just shown leading the truck
class in his Mitsubishi Pick-up, has run off the road on
stage #13 and is out of the rally. If Light maintains
his large lead over Roger Hull and Greg Healey, he
will clinch the '93 truck class title.
36. If Todd Bawden is able to maintain his lead over Vinnie
Frontinan, it will set up a real Production GT showdown
at the last rally in Rumford, Maine, for the season
championship.
37. Event sponsor Citgo Quik Food Mart provided free
sandwiches, coffee, coke, candy, chips, etc. for
competitors, crews and workers - a gesture much
appreciated by the whole POR Rally community.
38. The cars were originally scheduled for a parc ferme,
or a closed park, from the time they finished the first
day of the rally and the start of the second day. That
meant that competitors wouldn't have been able to work
on broken cars until an hour before the Sat.noon start.
That has been changed to an open service, so racers can
work on their vehicles until 11:00 AM, an hour before
the 12:00 noon start.
Press Notes #8
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 23 - 6:00 AM
39. 27 cars have finished the first 17 stages, or day #1 of
the Press on Regardless PRO Rally. The biggest news not
previously reported is that Paul Choiniere lost several
minutes on stage #15 when he broke a strut, and then, in
an unrelated action, went off the course and brushed a
tree. Both the right front strut and body panels that
came in contact with the tree are being replaced, but
Choiniere's Audi S-2 is now more than a minute behind
Doug Shepherd's Eagle Talon, and Shepherd is a little
more than a minute behind rally leader Carl Merrill and
co-driver Jon Wickens in their Ford Escort Cosworth.
40. In Production GT, Todd Bawden is maintaining his two-
minute lead over Vinnie Frontinan, while Guy Light/Dave
White have a ten-minute Rally Truck class lead. In
Group A, the Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 is ahead,
while, after the Latreille's retirement, Dick Casey and
Wayne Prochaska are fighting it out for the Production
class crown (official times through stage 17 times will
be out shortly).
41. The Bryan Pepp/Dean Rushford Mazda RX-7, which had
problems at the morning press stage, broke an engine
rotor - a terminal problem for a rotary-powered car -and
is out of the rally.
42. Both Japanese rally teams - the Mazda 323GTX of Makio
Yamanaka and the Nissan march of Kazushi Kita - are
having mechanical problems, with Yamanaka actually just
beating the sweep vehicles to the end of stage 17 after
stopping on the course. Both teams will try to affect
repairs before the morning restart.
Round #7 - Subaru PRO Rally Championship - 16 of 25 Stages Completed
Press on Regardless PRO Rally - Day #1 Results 10/23/1993 06:51:41
Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model
# Hometown Hometown Stg Pts RP Score Class
--- --------------------- --------------------- -----------------------------
6 Carl Merrill J. Jon Wickens Ford Cosworth Escort RS
Ogunquit, ME Bloomfield Hills, MI 116.59 1:56:35 Open
1 Paul Choiniere John Buffum Audi S-2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT 120.29 2:00:17 Open
15 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Rally
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI 117.82 4 2:01:49 Open
12 Henry B. Joy IV Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse
Wilmette, IL Lake Odessa, MI 125.82 2:05:49 Open
44 Todd Bawden Martin Hedland Mitsubishi Eclipse
Anaheim, CA Calgary, Alberta 126.03 2:06:02 Prod GT
10 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Arruda Toyota Celica GT4
Somerville, MA Johnston, RI 128.00 2:08:00 Prod GT
11 Jeff Zwart David Stone Porsche Carrera 4
Woody Creek, CO Traverse City, MI 130.48 2:10:29 Open
16 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH 130.92 2:10:55 Prod GT
24 Bruce Newey Kennon Rymer Mazda RX7
Atlanta, GA Knoxville, TN 131.31 2:11:19 Open
26 Windy Imperial Jun Espino Eagle Talon
Foster City, CA Foster City, CA 132.88 1 2:13:53 Open
20 Guy Light David White GMC Sonoma
Carson City, NV Benicia, CA 133.74 1 2:14:44 Truck
27 Rich Swenson Rod Hendrickson Mazda GTX
Highland Lakes, NJ Clinton, NJ 136.31 2:16:19 Prod GT
25 Chris Czyzio Eric Carlson Plymouth Arrow
Flushing, MI Stoughton, WI 142.93 2:22:56 Open
23 Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M3
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA 143.00 2:23:00 Group A
32 Kazushi Kita Yoshifumi Maruyama Nissan March S/T
Osaka, Japan Kobe, Japan 139.51 6 2:25:31 Group A
39 Gail Truess Kerry Voll Chevrolet
Brooklyn, MI Southbury, VT 146.44 2:26:26 Open
38 Jeff Bothee Tom Beltman Mitsubishi Celeste
Wyoming, MI Walker, MI 148.56 2:28:34 Open
41 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI 153.57 2:33:34 Open
7 Roger Hull John Elkin Mitsubishi Pickup
Prescott, AZ Lytle Creek, CA 151.95 4 2:35:57 Truck
19 Selcuk Karamanoglu Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Bath, ME Port Hope, Ontario 152.55 4 2:36:33 Prod GT
29 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram D-50
Hartsville, SC S.Easton, MA 156.82 2:36:49 Truck
37 Craig Kazmierczak Chris Ochocinski Mazda RX7
Ypsilanti, MI Waterford, MI 156.30 2:38:18 Open
33 Dick Casey Martin Dapot VW GTI-16v
Fairfax Station, VA Reston, VA 157.38 1 2:38:23 Prod
34 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW GTI
Flushing, MI Flushing, MI 161.75 2:41:45 Prod
40 William Siess Judy Siess Dodge Omni
Troy, MI Troy, MI 168.54 2:48:32 Open
31 Makio Yamanaka John McArthur Mazda 323
Tokyo, Japan Honeoye Falls, NY 170.51 2:50:31 Group A
13 H. L. Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI 37.28 DNF Open
22 Barry Latreille Sandra Latreille Ford Escort GT
Williamstown,Ontario Williamstown,Ontario 38.06 DNF Prod
18 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mazda 323 GTX
Duluth, MN Rochester, MI 34.75 27 DNF Prod GT
30 Craig Sobczak Kevin DeLoughary Mazda 323 GTX
Marquette, MI Gladstone, MI 69.44 DNF Prod GT
17 Chad Dykes Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Pickup
Escondido, CA Escondido, CA 84.72 DNF Truck
35 Bryan Pepp Dean Rushford Mazda RX-7
Marquette, MI Ishpeming, MI 138.65 DNF Open
36 Donald Taylor Noreen Dow Shelby GLHS
Claremont, NH Windsor, VT 99.75 41 DNF Open
45 Tom Gillespie Bill Smith Saab 99
Cedar Rapids, IA Highland, MI 45.67 6 DNF Open
Press Notes #9
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Lac Vieux Divisional PRO Rally, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 23 - 2:00 PM
43. Some detail revisions from last night's incidents:
--The Krolikowski's car DNFed due to a hole in the oil
filter, not a turbo (last year's Krolikowski DNF
reason). After affecting repairs for both that
and damage incurred when the pair hit a tree on stage
#6, they will be entering the divisional as scheduled.
--The Gingras/Westrick Mazda 323GTX is also running the
divisional today, having replaced their blown turbo by
sending Gingras' wife and Westrick back to Duluth to
pick up the spare last night.
--Roger Hull/Jon Elkin Mitsubishi pick-up is now running
much better after competitor Chad Dykes helped them
diagnose a loose throttle position sensor wire. Hull
also had to nurse some body damage after hitting a
deer on stage #11.
--The Barry Latreille/Sandra Latreille Ford Escort GT
broke their transmission - their first mechanical
DNF 44 events. They were leading the Production class
when they broke.
--The other DNF from last night's event who is running
today's divisional is Marquette's Craig Sobbczak in
his Mazda 323GTX.
44. 36 cars, including 10 divisional-only cars (the three
re-starts named above and seven new entries) took the
countdown for the start of the final portion of the
Press-on-Regardless PRO Rally and the Lac Vieux
Divisional PRO Rally. The cars started leaving from
downtown Houghton at noon, and will return to Houghton
by 7:00 PM this evening.
45. Doug Shepherd, who would be in second place only one
minute behind the leader if not for four minutes in
penalties after a flat tire, is only 1:32 second behind
second-place Paul Choiniere. Choiniere's Libra Racing
crew was thrashing on their Audi right up until the
start time at noon.
46. The Bruce Newey/Kennon Rymer Mazda RX-7, the first car
built to the new SCCA PRO Rally Group II class specs for
next year, is in the top ten despite its lack of
horsepower or trick equipment compared to the Open class
cars.
Press Notes #10
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Lac Vieux Divisional PRO Rally, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 23 - 5:00 PM
47. With just three stages to go in the 1993 Press on
Regardless Rally, Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens in their
Ford Escort Cosworth continue to lead the overall rally
by more than three minutes over the Eagle Talon of Doug
Shepherd/Pete Gladysz and the Audi S-2 of Paul
Choiniere/John Buffum. Choiniere put about a minute on
the other two early today, but then he had a flat tire
and a leaky oil cooler that has put him back well
behind Merrill. Shepherd looked like he was going to
make a run, but he has had two flat tire. If Merrill
doesn't make any mistakes, he should be able to hold on
for his fourth straight win (two Canadian rallies and
the Gold Rush PRO Rally three weeks ago in Colorado).
48. 30 of the original 36 starters from this morning's
start are still in the event, but there are some
significant DNF's:
--The Production GT points leader - Vinnie Frontinan/
Frank Arruda Toyota Celica GT4 is out of the event
with a ripped up suspension - exact cause unknown.
--All three national DNF's from yesterday which entered
the divisional today are having trouble. The
Krolikowski's and Craig Sobczak are out of the event,
while Steve Gingras's Mazda 323GTX is down on power,
but still running.
49. The Porsche Carrera 4 of Jeff Zwart/David Stone has lost
its power steering pump, which has been spraying fluid
in a dangerously close proximity to the hot parts of the
engine.
50. The all-women rally team of Gail Truess and Kerry Voll
continues to run despite hitting a huge rock motoring
along on five of six cylinders in their Chevy Citation.
52. After 22 stages (with four stages remaining), here are
the totals for the top cars:
Car
# Driver/Co-driver/car/class Total
6 Merrill/Wickens/Ford Escort Cosworth/Open 152.85
1 Choiniere/Buffum/Audi S-2/Open 156.82
15 Shepherd/Gladysz/Eagle Talon/Open 157.72
12 Joy/Brandt/Mitsubishi Eclipse/Open 164.12
44 Bawden/Headland/Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT 164.38
11 Zwart/Stone/Porsche Carrera 4/Open 170.08
16 Landau/Marcus/Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT 170.12
26 Imperial/Espino/Eagle Talon/Open 171.42
24 Newey/Rymer/Mazda RX-7/Open 174.74
20 Light/White/GMC Sonoma/Truck 175.81
32 Kita/Maruyama/Nissan March/Group A 179.59
53. In the Production class (a little farther down the
list), Dick Casey/Martin Dapot's VW GTI is leading a
similar GTI driven by Wayne and Annette Prochaska by a
little more than one minute.
54. In the divisional event, Windy Imperial leads Mike
Hurst's Nissan 200-SX by 15 seconds after 22 stages.
Press Notes #11
PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY, Houghton, Mich.
Lac Vieux Divisional PRO Rally, Houghton, Mich.
Round #7 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship
October 24 - noon
55. As you can see from the final results, Doug Shepherd would have won
the rally if he hadn't incurred the four minutes in penalty points
his flat tire. The problem ocurred when the jack for his car broke,
and the delay in waiting for help (in this case, Vinnie Frontinan),
caused him to be late to the control. In order to see how fast Doug
was really going, he beat Choiniere in spite of the penalties (by six
seconds). Choiniere's broken strut, flat tire, and two off-road
excursions made a major impact on his finishing time.
56. Todd Bawden's GT win and combined with Vinnie Frontinan's DNF sets up
a class showdown at the Maine Forest Rally in December. Vinnie now
has 89 points, and Bawden 84, but only the top five finishes count, so
even if Vinnie wins in Maine (giving him a total of 97 points), Bawden
can win the title by finishing third in class. The key factor will
be how many other competitive Production GT cars come to Maine
(Landau, Gingras, Selcuk, etc.).
57. Paul Choiniere's victory gives him his third overall championship
title in four years, but this third-place finish is the first time
that his Audi S-2 has not won its event. John Buffum won the opening
event with the car at Olympia, Choiniere/Becker won Rim, STPR,
Prescott, and Ojibwe, and Paul set a new record while winning the Mt.
Washington hillclimb. Choiniere's undefeated streak when Jeff Becker
is in the co-driver's seat - dating back to January, 1992, remains in
tact.
58. Dick Casey, who has been rallying for 20 years, was probably the
happiest of the class winners, as he and Wayne Prochaska/
Annette Prochaska had a good Production class battle in their VW GTIs.
59. Three stages from the end, the Merrill/Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth
lost its front drive prower - just like it did during the media stage
on Friday, but Merrill just had to stay on the road at that point with
a three-minute lead.
60. Guy Light/Dave White also clinched the Rally Truck championship,
Light's second Truck title in three years. At the previous event at
Westcliffe, Colo., Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge became '93 Group A champs
for the fourth year in a row, and the Peter Cunningham/Joe Andreini
Acura Integra wrapped up the Production class title at Ojibwe in
August.
62. Kerry Voll, editor of Rally Magazine, has been either a driver or a
co-driver for the only three times an all-women team has finished POR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Andy Schupack
(906) 482-8182
(thru 10/25 - 3 PM)
(401) 739-5677
(after 10/25)
MERRILL ON A ROLL - PILOTS FORD ESCORT COSWORTH TO POR WIN
HOUGHTON, Mich. -- October 25 -- With two straight Subaru PRO Rally
Championship wins and two Canadian rally victories in the last six
weeks, Carl Merrill, of Ogunquit, Maine, with co-driver Jon Wickens,
have guided their Ford Escort Cosworth to a convincing win at the
46th annual Press on Regardless PRO Rally.
"The key to our win was a consistent driving style combined with
great car preparation by my crew and Libra Racing," said Merrill, a
former NASCAR team owner. "To win North America's longest, toughest
rally is the most important racing accomplishment of my career."
Burlington, VT's Paul Choiniere, who was undefeated in four rallies in
his Audi S-2 before coming to POR, has his win streak end, but a third
place finish gave him enough points to clinch his second straight
overall Subaru PRO Rally Championship - his third in four years.
Choiniere has a flat tire, broken strut and two off-course excursion
which prevented him from challenging Merrill for the win.
Only six seconds ahead of Choiniere, and three minutes behind Merrill,
was the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd and Pete Gladysz - both Chrysler
engineers from Detroit. Shepherd would have won the rally except for
the four minutes of penalty points he incurred while changing a flat
tire. Henry Joy/Jimmy Brandt were a distant fourth in a Mitsubishi
Eclipse.
Other class winners included Todd Bawden/Martin Headland, Anaheim,
Calif., in a Mitsubishi Eclipse (Production GT); Kazushi Kita/Yoshifumi
Maruyama, Osaka, Japan, Nissan March (Group A); Dick Casey/Martin Dapot,
Fairfax Station, VA, VW GTI (Production); Guy Light/Dave White, Carson
City, NV, GMC Sonoma Pickup (Truck); and Windy Imperial, Foster City,
CA, Eagle Talon (divisional winner).
Bawden, a rookie on this year's PRO Rally circuit, was leading
Production GT points leaders Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Arruda,
from Somerville, Mass., when Vinnie's Toyota Celica GT4 ran off the
course at high speed after hitting a pothole and ripped out the front
suspension. Bawden is now with striking distance in the overall points
battle with one event remaining.
Choiniere was not the only driver to clinch the season championship as
Guy Light became the Rally Truck titleholder for the second time in
three years - the POR win was his fourth of the season.
Earlier this month, Chad DiMarco, of Huntington Beach, Calif., andco-
driver Erick Hauge had clinched the season's Group A title in their
Subaru Legacy.
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 and course notes are
allowed. The cars start at one-minute intervals and race against the
clock over 10 - 25 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.
The Subaru PRO Rally Championship is a eight event series sponsored by
Subaru of America, Inc., and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of
America. Round #8 - the final event of the 1993 Subaru PRO Rally
Championship season - will be held December 3 - 4 in Rumford, Maine.
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