MEDIA_ALERT
Event: Sunriser 400 Forest Rally - Round #3 of the 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series. Race cars from around the world will compete at
high speeds through the Zaleski, Tar Hollow and Scioto Trail State
Forests near Chillicothe, Ohio.
When: Friday - Sunday, April 7 - 9, 1995
Schedule_-_Thursday
1:00 PM - Media stage, Days Inn, Chillicothe (meet in lobby
to ride in a rally car and get driver interviews)
2:00 PM - Start of media stage in the forest
5:00 PM - Service Crew Competition, Kroger parking lot,
Bridge Street, Chillicothe
5:00 PM - Registration for Special Olympics rally, Mt. Logan
Room, Days Inn, Chillicothe
7:00 PM - Begin, Special Olympics Rally from Days Inn
Schedule_-_Friday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Registration and Tech inspection - Days Inn,
Chillicothe
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Practice - Yoctangee Park
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Park Expose - Yoctangee Park
5:00 PM - Parade of cars - Yoctangee Park
5:30 PM - First car starts - Yoctangee Park stage
11:00 AM - First car finishes Friday section - Days Inn,
Chillicothe
Schedule_-_Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM- Park Expose (display of cars),
Yoctangee Park
10:00 AM - First car starts Leg #2 of Sunriser 400 Forest Rally
10:30 PM - First car finishes Sunriser Forest Rally -
Days Inn, Chillicothe
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Days Inn, 1250 North Bridge
Street, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601, (614) 775-7000.
Duration: 116 stage miles, 450 total miles, 23 stages
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America,
administered by the American Rally Association, and sponsored
nationally by Michelin Tire Company. Presented by the Sunriser 400
Committee and the Ohio Valley Region of the SCCA.
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at the
Days Inn - Room 216 - starting April 6. Series spokes-
people are also available through the press room including
Series Manager John Buffum, former 11-time national Champion,
event organizer Dick Paddock, defending series champion Paul
Choiniere, series co-leader Peter Moodie from Jamaica, and
Columbus residents and husband/wife team of Tom Ottey/Pam
McGarvey.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - defending four-time overall
national champion - current points leader - in his new '95 Hyundai
Elantra; Carl Merrill - 400 HP Ford Escort Cosworth - fastest car
on the circuit; Henry Joy - debuting World rally-style right-hand-
drive Mitsubishi Lancer; Peter Moodie - Jamaican champion rally
driver - won the previous event in March in Washington State - in a
Mazda 323GTR; Doug Shepherd, veteran rally driver, in a fast Eagle
Talon; Bruno Kreibich, oldest professional race driver in U.S. (in
his late 60's), in an Audi Quattro; Jeffrey Panton, another
Jamaican champion, in a Toyota Celica GT4; Tom Ottey - Columbus
resident - fastest local racer - expected to debut new Hyundai
Elantra;
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and
video crews onto the course during the daylight part
of the rally on Friday and Saturday. Anyone requiring
supplied photos or video should contact Andy Schupack in the
press room starting April 6. 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 will be
located in the Days Inn, Chillicothe, Rm. 216.
Contact: Andy Schupack - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
media liaison:
(614) 775-7000, Rm. 216, or (614) 773-9684 - direct
dial (April 6 -9)
(401) 739-5677 (before April 6; after April 9
# # #
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 is 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.
# # #
1995 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally Entry List
as of 3/22/95
Chairman/Rallymaster:
Dick Paddock
(614) 876-2277
(614) 876-6885 (Rally Office - FAX Line)
Event Headquarters:
Days Inn
1250 Bridge Street
Chillicothe, Ohio
(614) 775-7000
Event Schedule:
Sunday, January 15, 1995
Registration opens, materials mailed
Wednesday, March 1, 1995
(all activity in Columbus, Ohio)
1400 - 1500 Press Briefing
1600 - 1700 Press / VIP Rides (by Appointment)
1900 - 2100 Press Reception / Press Conference
2000 Seeded Draw
Thursday, April 6, 1995
(At Days Inn Chillicothe, unless otherwise noted)
1000 - 2200 Information Room Open
1200 - 1300 Press Orientation
1400 - 1600 Press Stage
1500 - 2000 Pre-Registration
1500 - 1600 Service Crew Competition Registration
1700 - 1900 Service Crew Competition
1700 - 1830 Special Olympics Rally Registration
1830 - 1900 Special Olympics Rally School
1900 - 2100 Special Olympics Rally
2000 - 0200 Welcome Party
2100 Service Crew Competition Awards
2130 Special Olympics Rally Awards
2200 - 2300 Stage & Specialty Captains Safety Meeting
Friday, April 7, 1995
1000 - 1500 Registration & Tech
1000 - 2000 Worker Registration
1000 - 1200 Seed 6 School/Licensing School
1500 - 1600 Worker Safety Meetings
1500 - 1600 Practice runs on Yactangee Park Stage
1530 - 1600 Informal Course Condition Briefing
1530 - 1600 Service Crew Briefing
1600 All cars must be at Parc Expose
1600 - 1700 Parc Expose
1630 Start Order Posted
1700 Parade
1730 First Car Off (Yoctangee Park)
2300 First Car Finishes
2400 Scores Posted (Informational only)
Parc Ferme overnight
136 miles, 39 miles of stages, 6 stages, 70% paved
Also Ohio Forest Rally - Coefficient 2 Divisional
Saturday, April 8, 1995
0800 - 0900 Registration for Ohio Forest Rally II
0800 - 0900 Worker Safety Meetings
0800 - 2000 Worker Registration
0900 - 0930 Informal Course Condition Briefing
0900 - 0930 Service Crew Briefing
0930 Restart Order Posted
0900 - 1000 Parc Expose
1000 First Car Off
2230 First Car Finishes
2200 - 0200 Post-Event Party
240 miles, 80 miles of stages, 17 stages, 15% paved
Also Ohio Forest Rally II - Coefficient 3 Divisional
Sunday, April 9, 1995
0700 - 1000 Breakfast
1000 - 1200 Awards
The Route:
As is traditional in the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, the stages
are competitive and provide a wide range of driving challenges.
The 1995 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally will consist of apporoximately
450 total miles with 116 miles of special stages. Roughly 40 miles
of the stages will be paved. The stages are contained primarily
within Ohio's State Forests, and simply put, are some of the finest
rally roads found in North America. Twisty and hilly, but equally
smooth and well-maintained, the roads of Zaleski, Tar Hollow, and
Scioto Trail State Forests have earned the reputation for being a
rallyist's delight. These roads range from slightly better than
two-track to wide, open, smooth gravel and hard pan. Note: With a
few exceptions, both paved and gravel surfaces are found on each
stage.
Detailed course maps will be available by pre-sale ($4.00 if
included with Registration) or on-site ($5.00).
Working the Event:
Of course, we are in need of workers. The 1995 Sunriser 400 will
require over 500 volunteer workers on the weekend of the event. Every
effort has been made to make working the event a pleasure, including
assuring that all workers will have opportunities to spectate. As with
prior events, worker assignments will be issued on a first-come
first-served basis with premium locations and best "gifts" going to
the earliest to register.
Should you or a friend be interested in working, contact the Rally
Office at the number provided earlier, or send names, addresses, and
shirt sizes to: Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, 5891 Honbury Court, Dublin,
OH, 43017. You will be sent more information at that time. If by
some chance you have no experience as a worker, we will gladly train
you at the event. Experienced workers will be teamed with new people
to assure that nobody is left "stuck in the woods" with no idea what
to do. If you have never done it before, working provides one of
the best ways to get close to the action.
Spectating the Event:
For those of you just wishing to watch, or for teams wishing to
bring along friends, family or sponsors to see them in action, the
1995 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally should provide some great opportunities
to see PRO rallying up close. The event program, complete with official
program, maps, spectator routes, etc. will be available at the Information
Room in room 154 of the Chillicothe Days Inn as well as local Kroger
Food & Drug stores, the Advertiser, etc. The Spectator Information desk
will open at noon Thursday, April 6 and will generally remain open
until 10 pm on Saturday.
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
(401) 739-5677
THE ADDRESS SAYS CHILLICOTHE, OHIO, USA; BUT THE FLAVOR SAYS MONTE CARLO
OR 1000 LAKES OF FINLAND FOR ROUND #3 OF SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY SERIES
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- March 25 -- The 24th running of the Sunriser 400
Forest Rally hosted by Kroger Company - round #3 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series - will have a distinct European World Rally flavor as cars
from around the world converge on Chillicothe April 7 - 8.
Although defending champion and 1994 Sunriser winner Paul Choiniere is
favored in the two-day event, no less than seven cars could win the rally,
making Choiniere's domination a thing of the past. And all the new cars
debuting at the '95 Sunriser 400 has made organizer Dick Paddock more
excited than ever.
"The top ten cars develop between 300-400 horsepower, and should reach
more than 120 miles-per-hour on the straight-aways in the Zaleski, Tar
Hollow, and Scioto Trail State Forests," said Paddock.
Special_Olympics_Rally_-_Public_entries_invited
In addition to the rally, which has 45 entries at last count, the Pepsi
Service Crew Competition will take place on Thursday afternoon, April 6,
at the Days Inn in Chillicothe, and the Ohio Valley Road Rally for Special
Olympics will happen on Thursday evening.
This TSD rally - not a race like the Sunriser 400 event - is open to the
public, with the $20 entry fee going to Special Olympics. Sponsorship
support for the Special Olympics event has been provided by Pepsi Cola
Bottling of Portsmouth, Ohio and Classic Brands of Chillicothe
(hospitality sponsors for the awards party at Days Inn); and Artina
Incentives (trophies) of Columbus.
The route has been put together by staff from Vitatoe Olds, GMC of
Chillicothe, with assistance from the Ohio Valley Region of the Sports Car
Club of America.
The_PROs_take_over
On Friday, the PRO Rally drivers take over, with favorite Paul Choiniere,
from Williston, Vermont, a familiar sight in his #1 racer, but the Audi
Quattro which has brought him so much success has been replaced by a new
Hyundai Elantra. The Libra Racing team has been developing this car for
the past six months, and Choiniere hopes this 340 horsepower, all-wheel-
drive turbo racer is ready for prime time.
Right on his heels will be another new European-style rally car - the Ford
Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill, from Ogunquit, Maine. Merrill, a
favorite here last year, disappointed rally fans with a crash on the very
first stage, knocking him out of contention for the '94 Sunriser crown.
Merrill sports the fastest rally car in North America, developing over
400 horsepower with a seven-speed gearbox.
Other favorites to contend for the overall victory include the new right-
hand-drive Mitsubishi Lancer - making its debut here in Ohio - of Henry
Joy, from Atlanta, Mich.; the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd, from Plymouth,
Mich.; the Mazda 323GTR of Peter Moodie, from Kingston, Jamaica; Moodie's
chief rival in Jamaica, Jeffrey Panton, in a Toyota Celica GT4;
and Bruno Kreibich, America's oldest active race car driver - in his late
'60s - in an Audi Quattro.
What_is_PRO_Rally
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 - 24
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 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally is Round #3 of the 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series. Last year, Michelin Tire Corporation signed a three-year
agreement to sponsor the 11-event series, which runs from the deserts of
Arizona and the rain forests of Washington State to the frozen forests of
Maine.
The SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series 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.
Besides the fastest, overall competitors, there are less exotic cars
running in different classes which allow less modifications. The cars
mentioned above are all four-wheel-drive, turbocharged, highly-modified
racers, 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.
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
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 is
using its three-year agreement with the Sports Car Club of America to
promote one of the fastest growing motorsports in the country as well as
its XGT line of street tires.
Ottey_and_McGarvey_-_Local_favorites
Tom Ottey and co-driver Pam McGarvey, a husband and wife team from
Columbus, Ohio, could finish well up in the standings with their new
Hyundai Elantra. The pair was second overall at the first rally of the
season in South Carolina, and finished well as Sunriser in '94.
Some of the race favorites in the other classes include Production GT
class contender Cal Landau, from Coraoplis, Penn., in a Mitsubishi
Eclipse; 1994 Production GT champion Selcuk Karamanaglu, originally from
Turkey - now from Bath, Maine - in an Eagle Talon; Production GT driver
Steve Gingras, from Duluth, Minn., in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Production
drivers Jim Anderson, from Carrboro, N.C. and Greg Trepetin, from
N. Potomac, MD - both in Honda Preludes; Lesley Suddard - the only female
driver with points this season, from Wilmington, DE, in an ex-Doug
Shepherd Dodge Charger; and Gail Truess, another leading female driver,
from Brooklyn, Mich, in a Chevy Citation.
The 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series consists of eleven
events, and is sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation,
with field administration by the American Rally Association,
and series sanction by the Sports Car Club of America. The 1995 Sunriser
400 Forest Rally is presented by the Sunriser 400 Committee and the Ohio
Valley Region of the Sports Car Club of America. Official sponsors
include Kroger Company, Classic Brands, Pepsi-Cola Portsmouth Bottling
Company, and Michelin Tire Company of America.
###
Press Notes #1 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio Round #2 - 1995
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series April 6, 1995 - 8:00 PM EST
1. Welcome to Chillicothe, Ohio, and the 24th running of the Sunriser 400
PRO Rally, round #3 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series. This event,
which can back onto the national PRO Rally schedule last year after a
three year hiatus, ran in the fall of 1994, and has been moved now to
the spring. Last fall, the event ran in very dusty conditions on
Friday, and then survived continuous downpours on Saturday. This
weekend, the weather looks good, with lows in the 40s and highs in the
60s - and mostly sunny. This will mean the return of the dust, but no
rain.
2. Some late-breaking news:
--Tom Ottey and Pam McGarvey, the fastest local racers - from nearby
Columbus - here this weekend, were hoping to take delivery of a
Hyundai Elantra for this event, but the arrangements have not been
completed. Ottey/McGarvey, who finished second to Paul
Choiniere/Jeff Becker at Sand Hills in round #1, will be driving
their trusty Mazda 323GTX, but still in the Open class to get points
in anticipation of the Hyundai's arrival.
--The Keith Kreisler Saab 900, which was to be driven this weekend by
Roberto Arano with Keith as a co-driver, crashed earlier this week
with Arano driving during a test near West Chester, Penn. The car is
a total loss. A source close to the team was heard to say, "This is
the first time our engine outlasted our chassis."
--Jason Priestley, star of Beverly Hills 90210, who ran the best PRO
Rally of his career here last year (12th overall, 4th in Production
GT), will be running in the Toyota Celebrity race this weekend at
the Long Beach Grand Prix. We hope his Yoctangee Park experience in
'94 will help him on the tarmac in Long Beach. Priestley plans to
run the next couple of SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events at Wild West
and Rim of the World.
--The Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda 323GT-R is now being prepared
by Murray Thomas' T.A.D. Racing shop in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
Thomas also prepares the Henry Joy/Chris Griffin Mitsubishi Lancer
which is debuting the weekend (more on that later).
--The Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth also has a new
crew chief - WeeGe Smith from Colchester, Vermont. WeeGe has worked
previously for Vermont Sports Car, the racing and car restoration
shop in Colchester, which prepared the very fast Mitsubishi Eclipse
driven by Dick Corley and WeeGe's brother Lance Smith. WeeGe has
moved from the Burlington area to Merrill's hometown of Ogunquit to
work on the car full-time.
3. The Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra, which debuted
last December in Maine, will "debut again" this weekend. Libra Racing
has taken everything they have learned from the initial Hyundai "mule"
and put it in a new 1995 shell, so we have proven components in a new
body. Choiniere won the first event of the season at Cheraw, South
Carolina despite some problems with excessive engine flexing.
4. Merrill/Bellefleur also have a new shell - a 1995 Escort body - to put
on their Escort Cosworth. The new paint job makes the car look like
the FIA World Rally entry of Francois Delacour. Merrill finished
second (by 44 seconds) to the Peter Moodie Mazda in the second event of
the season in Olympia, Wash. Both the South Carolina and Washington
rallies were coefficient 3 divisional, which means drivers scored only
60 percent of the usual national points. In addition, drivers who went
to South Carolina could not score points in Washington, and visa
versa, so this is the first meeting of all the top drivers at the first
full national.
5. Late news from Chicago is that the new Henry Joy/Chris Griffin
Mitsubishi Lancer will not be ready for this rally because of late
parts shipments from Australia. Joy will be running his Mitsubishi
Eclipse Open class car, which was sixth overall in Washington.
6. In the first annual service crew contest, the Saab 99EMS of Gerald
Sweet/Stuart Spark - and led by crew chief Andy Saksa - swept to
victory and a $500 prize from Pepsi. The driver and co-driver had to
change two tires with manual jack and tire iron, and then the crew had
to change all four tires with their air tools. We will have results
from the Special Olympics TSD rally, which featured Merrill and
Choiniere along with local entries this afternoon.
7. Besides the "big four" of Merrill, Joy, Moodie and Choiniere, there are
several other overall competitors who will compete for a top three
position in the Sunriser 400.
--The Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon was fourth overall here
last year, and has come within a stage or two of winning several
rallies since the car debuted in 1992.
--Jeffrey Panton, a young Jamaican rallyist, will be running a
former FIA World Rally Toyota Celica. Panton has won the Jamaican
rally in December the last two years.
--Bruno Kreibich, who might be the oldest driver to run in a
professional series in the U.S., is here in his Audi Quattro.
Bruno, who admits only to being "60 something" was third in South
Carolina.
Press Notes #2 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio Round #3 - 1995
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series April 7, 1995 - 4:00 PM EST
8. The first stage of the rally this afternoon will be run in Yoctangee
Park - right in the middle of downtown Chillicothe. Hundreds of
spectators are already gathering as the cars are making their way at
regular speed limits to "see" the course before the 5:00 PM start of
the rally. This asphalt stage will be especially hard on the cars,
which are set up for gravel. The drivers must be particularly aware of
the two jumps which - if taken too fast or landed wrong - could put the
cars out on the very first stage. The competitors will also see a
chicane and some gravel on their two laps around this 2.92 stage. In
another unusual twist, the cars will start in reverse order, leaving
defending champion Paul Choiniere the last driver to run the stage.
The field will start tomorrow's rally in the park as well.
9. Some late scratches/changes:
--The Eric Jones Datsun PL510 could not make it to the event.
--The Roland McIvor/Ellen Santarcangelo Pontiac LeMans is also
a DNS (did not start) as Ellen did not make it into town in time
for the start of the rally. McIvor/Santarcangelo will probably run
the divisional event tomorrow.
--The Gail McGuire/Paul Barrows Ford F150 Pickup has registered for
Saturday's divisional only.
10. 45 cars took the countdown at 5:30 PM for the start of the 24th
running of the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally. No one suffered any major
damage over the big jump at the end of the front straight-away, but
that doesn't mean the stage ran without any incidents.
--The "Airness" award - the Michael Jordan hang-time prize - goes to
the Audi Quattro of Bruno Kreibich/Rod Hendricksen, which flew 30
yards in the air (marked off by the press photographers) before a
perfect landing. Bruno, who said that matches his average ski jump,
said most of the skill in jumping a car (or a skier) is mental.
--The Audi 4000 Quattro of John Kemp/Sandra Latreille broke a brake
line and went off the course on the first lap of the stage, and is a
DNF. They will try to repair the car to run tomorrow's divisional.
--The John Golden/Bella Lambek Datsun PL510 blew its engine during the
stage, and is out of the event.
--The Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX had the most "squirrelly"
landing, with Ottey saving the car from a spinout after a off-kilter
landing at the big jump.
--Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse broke two
(expensive) running lights after hitting a pole on the back part of
the course.
Press Notes #3 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio Round #3 - 1995
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series April 7, 1995 - 10:00 PM EST
11. We were going to set up the individual class battles for you,
and give you quotes from the top competitors about their strategy
for the event while the 41 remaining competitors were running stage
#4, but the rally has been stopped for the evening (we will get to the
quotes and classes later).
There has been an accident involving a rally service van and a
civilian van in the Tar Hallow Forest (Route 327 and Clark Hollow
Road). Emergency vehicles are on the scene, and we will provide
further information as we receive it.
The remaining rally cars will complete stage 4, and the cars will all
come back to the Days Inn in Chillicothe.
Press Notes #4
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #3 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
April 8, 1995 - 7:00 AM EST
12. According to dispatcher Randy Snider from the Jackson post of the Ohio
State Patrol, the following details have been released on the accident
last night on State Highway 327 near Londonderry, Ohio:
A van driven by Henry Wanliss, of Kingston, Jamaica, was driving
northbound on State Route 327 when it struck a southbound van driven
by Dale E. Cradlebaugh, of Laurelville, Ohio. Mr. Cradlebaugh was
pronounced dead at the scene by the Ross County Coroner, while Mr.
Wanliss and his passenger, Guy E. Eaton, also from Kingston, Jamaica,
were transported to Medical Center Hospital. Wanliss is listed in
fair condition this morning, while Mr. Eaton was treated last night
and released.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Jackson post
of the Ohio State Highway patrol.
Press Notes #5
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #3 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
April 8, 1995 - noon EST
13. After four stages, here are the leaders for the Sunriser 400 PRO
Rally:
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time (min:sec)
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Elantra Open 25.29
Shepherd/Gladysz Eagle Talon Open 25:39
Merrill/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 25.46
Panton/Miekle Toyota Celica GTS Open 26.23
Ottey/McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 27.12
Joy/Griffin Mitsui. Eclipse Open 27.28
Kreibich/Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open 27.34
Landau/Marcus Mitsu. Eclipse PGT 28.00
Gingras/Westrick Mitsu. Eclipse PGT 28.15
Ayer/Houseal Audi Quattro Open 28.16
Bryan/Walden Saab 99EMS Group 2 28.32
Hurst/Bohn Nissan 200-SX Group 2 29.11
Elliott/Hart VW GTI Prod. 29.14
Ohtake/Martin Ford Escort GT Prod. 29.18
Karamanoglu/Manto. Eagle Talon PGT 29.19
Hajiminas/Burgess Audi 90 Sport Open 30.05
Redner/Redner Mazda RX-7 Open 30.07
Thiel/Thompson VW GTI Group 2 30.26
Truess/Krolikowski Chevy Citation Open 30.51
Healey/McCleod Dodge Ram 50 pickup Truck 30:54
Peterson/Chaloupka VW GTI Group 2 31.16
Trepetin/Trepetin Honda Prelude Prod. 32.01
Because of scoring computer problems and late-arriving time cards,
there are national competitors who are still running in the rally who
are not listed above. We hope to have all that straightened out later
in the day as the rally is running. The Ohio Forest Rally I - the
divisional which was completed last night consisting of the first four
stages - will have results later today. If anyone needs a specific
time for a particular competitor's time not listed here, please let us
know.
Press Notes #6
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #3 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
April 8, 1995 - 2:00 PM
14. Here are more DNFs through stage #4:
--The Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi Quattro broke a tie-rod on
stage #2, and are a DNF.
--The Valerie Belcher/Yorgi Bittner Datsun PL510 went off the road
on stage #3 and was unable to continue. After their car was towed
out, they reported that they planned to start today's divisional
with Valerie's husband Craig in the driver's seat.
--The Jon Kemp/Sandra Lattreille Audi 4000 Quattro, previously
reported as a DNF from stage one, have fixed their vehicle and
as ready to run as car #121 in the divisional today.
--The Jeffrey Panton/Rudy Miekle Toyota Celica GTS, running fifth
overall, has withdrawn due to the previously-reported accident
involving their service crew.
15. The results after four stages contained an error for third and four
place overall. Instead of "Merrill/Fennell" as written in press notes
number 13, it should read:
Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 25.46
Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosw. Open 26.23
16. The Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson Toyota Pickup Group 2 entry has yet to
compete this season, but don't blame the driver or the race car.
On the way to the Doo Wops event last month in Washington, the car
trailer went off the road while traversing a highway off-ramp; and, on
the way to Sunriser, the transport vehicle blew its engine.
16. Now we have the RBI (Running, But Injured):
--Selcuk Karamanoglu, whose Mitsubishi Eclipse won the Production GT
class here last year and finished fourth overall, broke the front
differential on the first turn of stage #2, and has been running as
a rear-wheel-drive car the rest of the way. He has fallen more than
a minute behind the leaders in Production GT - not too bad
considering his handicap. The Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi
Eclipse currently leads the class, with the Steve Gingras/Bill
Westrick Eclipse only 15 seconds behind.
--The Gail Truess/Cindy Krolikowski Chevy Citation has a strong
engine, but the transmission has been slipping.
17. In the Production class, the three top runners are all bunched up
within 16 seconds of each other after Friday night. The Bob
Elliott/John Hart VW GTI leads the class by a mere four seconds
over the Ford Escort GT of Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin. Third is the Honda
V-Tech of Jim Anderson/Ben Greisler, only 11 seconds behind them.
The other Honda V-Tech, the Greg Trepetin/Sonia Trepetin entry, is
about three minutes behind the leader. All report their cars are
running fine, and we should have a good battle on our hands as the
rally winds to a finish.
18. In Group 2, the Scandia Autosports Saab 900 of Sam Bryan/Rob Walden
is leading the Nissan 200-SX of Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn by 39 seconds,
with the VW GTI of Kurt Thiel/George Thompson in third place two
minutes behind.
19. Greg Healey and co-driver John MacLeod are looking to become the first
rally truck to score points this season (the first two events had no
truck entries) in their Dodge Ram 50 pickup. They are currently
running alone in their class after four stages.
20. In the overall battle, Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker in their Hyundai
Elantra lead the Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon by 10 seconds,
with the Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR third, another
seven seconds back. The Panton/Miekle Toyota (now withdrawn) and the
Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth are tied for fourth, 37
seconds behind Moodie, while the Ottey/McGarvey Mazda, the Joy/Griffin
Mitsubishi, and the Kreibich/Hendricken Audi are all less than a
minute behind them. In all, only 2:05 separate the top seven cars.
The only "flies in the ointment" might be impending road points and
penalty points that might be assessed at the end of the event.
Merrill was assessed a 10 minute service penalty (which he is
appealing) for installing lights at a parc ferme, while Choiniere,
Joy, Moodie, and Shepherd all have points assessed. These will
probably be settled after the event ends, so we will continue to
report stage scores only unless we hear that assessed points have be
solidified.
21. 42 cars started the Yoctangee Park stage this morning, with only one
car - the Pizzagalli/Smith VW GTI - going off the road and needing
assistance, but they stayed in the rally, and now, with six stages
completed on Saturday, we still have 41 cars running. The rally is
running behind by 41 minutes because of some time control confusion
and two minute intervals at a couple of stages. At the end of stage
#4, 29 national and 11 divisional cars were running.
22. On stage #3, the Shepherd/Gladysz Eagle Talon rolled on the stage, but
landed on its wheels and has been able to continue. No report as to
the extent of damage to the car.
23. The Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Nissan 200-SX is the first DNF of the
day as a broken transmission left him with only one gear (fourth).
Press Notes #7
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #3 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
April 8, 1995 - 7:00 PM
24. The Columbus, Ohio team of Michael Burke/Mark McCombs, divisional
Audi 4000 Quattro entrants, were cited for speeding by the
Ohio State Highway Patrol, and were automatically disqualified from
the rally according to the rules.
25. Thunder, lightening and hail (marble-sized hail at one point) has hit
Southern Ohio, and has sent radio workers to cover and mud to replace
dust on the Sunriser stages. It has also contributed to several DNFs
on the stage #9, and power outages in the area which have affected the
scoring and media room operations.
26. The Pat Ayer/Diane Houseal Audi Quattro, which had run so well last
night, is limping through the Bolster Hollow stage (stage #9) on their
way to a DNF. No specific report on the mechanical problem, but it
sounds like an electrical or ignition problem.
27. Other Bolster Hollow DNFs include:
--The Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Group 2 car, which was leading
the Group 2 class by more than two minutes, ran off the road and
needed a tow to get out of the stage.
--The divisional team of David Rudy/Shawn Meyers in their Mercury
Lynx has been reported off the road with the front wheels pointing
"East/West" and needing a tow.
--The other car reported as a DNF is the Audi 4000 Quattro of
Jon Kemp/Sandra Latreille, which had entered the divisional rally
today after a DNF yesterday in the national. The car is reported
off the stage on #7.
All the drivers and co-drivers are okay.
Press Notes #8
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #3 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
April 9, 1995 - 12:36 AM
28. The 24th running of the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally is now history, and
while it will probably be much later this morning until we have
official times, we do know that the Hyundai Elantra of Paul
Choiniere/Jeff Becker won the overall title in what was a titanic
battle of Open class rally cars. It was the first time the Hyundai
ran a long gravel rally, and Paul was quite pleased with the car's
performance.
"We were able to push the car to the limits we have driven the Audi
for the past five years, and had to go all out on the last three
stages to hold off Peter Moodie and Doug Shepherd," he said.
The Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR maintained second place
for much of the final day of the event, but lost more than a minute on
the last two stages with an ignition problem, finishing third overall.
The Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon was second early in the day
when they went into a ditch and rolled on stage #3, losing time to
Moodie. Shepherd ended up second, 44 seconds behind Choiniere, with
Moodie another 50 seconds back.
Henry Joy/Chris Griffin's Mitsubishi Eclipse and Carl Merrill/john
Bellefleur's Ford Escort Cosworth finished in a flat-footed tie for
fourth place - both 19 seconds ahead of the sixth-place Audi Quattro
of Bruno Kreibich/Rod Hendricksen. Bruno and Henry was second apart
until the next-to-last stage, when Bruno's windshield fogged up,
limiting his vision. Merrill had various mechanical ills, including a
blown turbo, which caused him to lose touch with the main pack.
Here are the informational scores, including the raw totals of stage
times only (no penalty points, road points or assessments):
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time (min:sec)
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Elantra Open 104:23
Shepherd/Gladysz Eagle Talon Open 105:07
Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 105:57
Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosw. Open 108:53
Joy/Griffin Mitsui. Eclipse Open 108:53
Kreibich/Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open 109:12
Ottey/McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 110:19
Landau/Marcus Mitsu. Eclipse PGT 111:50
The following class winners and runner-ups (no times yet):
Karamanoglu/Manto. Eagle Talon Production GT - 2nd.
Elliott/Hart VW GTI Production class winner
Ohtake/Martin Ford Escort GT Production class - 2nd
Thiel/Thompson VW GTI Group 2 class winner
Healey/McCleod Dodge Ram 50 pickup Rally Truck class winner
1995 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally
Round #3 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
National Results 4/9/95
Car
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Time/Tires Class
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY 1:44.23
Michelin
14 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Open
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI 1:45.07
Michelin
6 Peter Moodie Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica 1:45.57
Michelin
4 Henry Joy IV Christopher Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse Open
Atlanta, MI Tujunga, CA 1:48.50
Michelin
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Toronto, ONT 1:49.53
Michelin
27 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open
Ridgewood, Queens, NY Clinton, NJ 1:49.12
Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH 1:50.19
Bridgestone
30 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH 1:51:50
Michelin
34 Bob Elliott John Hart VW GTI Prod.
Rutland, VT Hydeville, VT 1:56.15
Michelin/Pirelli
11 Sakis Hadjiminas Tom Burgess Audi 90 Sport Open
Floral Park, NY Atlanta, GA 1:58.19
Michelin
39 Jim Anderson Ben Greisler Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Carrboro, NC Philadelphia, PA 2:00.37
BFGoodrich
55 Kurt Thiel George Thompson Volkswagen GTI Group 2
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY 2:01.47
56 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 Open
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI 2:02.36
Michelin
25 Greg Healey John Macleod Dodge Ram 50 Truck
Hartsville, SC S. Easton, MA 2:02.50
B F Goodrich
18 Gail Truess Cindy Krolikowski Chevrolet Citation Open
Brooklyn, MI Wyandotte, MI 2:05.20
Michelin
66 Tad Ohtake Bob Martin Ford Escort GT Prod.
Dearborn, MI Goodrich, MI 2:06.52
Michelin
46 Lesley Suddard Anne Thomas Dodge Charger Open
Wilmington, DE Nashua, NH 2:07.00
Michelin
23 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude V-Tech Prod.
N. Pontiac, MD N. Pontiac, MD 2:07.40
Michelin
13 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska Volkswagen Golf Group 2
Flushing, MI Flushing, MI 2:07.49
36 Jon Pizzagalli Lance Smith VW GTI Group 2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT 2:08.51
5 Selcuk Karamanoglu Constantine Mantopoulos Eagle Talon TSI PGT
Bath, ME Staten Island, NY 2:14.26
Michelin
24 Dick Casey Martin Dapot Volkswagen GTI Prod.
Fairfax Station, VA Reston, VA 2:17.59
Collway
60 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark SAAB 99EMS Group 2
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ 2:18.36
Michelin
22 Chris Czyzio Tom Beltman Plymouth Arrow Open
Flushing, MI Walker, MI 2:20.24
Pirelli
15 David Ralakis Jim Hurley Mazda 323GTX PGT
Parker, TX Knoxville, TN 3:22.24
Michelin
52 Jacek Kotowski Bulai Marek Eagle Talon TSI PGT
Lawrenceville, NJ Lawrenceville, NJ 3:38.53
Michelin
# # #
Did_Not_Finish
16 Mike Hurst Rob Bohn Nissan 200SX Group 2
Pendleton, IN Noblesville, IN Mike Hurst
31 David Peterson Gregory Chaloupka Volkswagen GTI Group 2
Aspen, CO Aspen, CO David Peterson
Michelin
12 Jeffrey Panton Rudy Miekle Toyota Celica GT4 Open
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica United Motors, Ltd.
Pirelli
20 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Duluth, MN Marion, MI Steve Gingras
Michelin
10 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden SAAB 900 Group 2
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Sam Bryan
Michelin
29 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Euromerican Rally Racing
Michelin
21 Jon Kemp Sanda Latreille Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Williamstown, ONT Jon Kemp
Michelin
44 John Golden Bella Lambek Datsun PL510 Group 2
Lakewood, CO Lakewood, CO John Golden
Michelin
19 Peter Watt Barry Berg Suzuki Swift GT Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Apple Valley, MN Peter Watt
Bridgestone
45 Pat Ayer Diane Houseal Audi Quattro Open
Burlington, VT Trenton, NJ Pat Ayer
Michelin
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
DEFENDING CHAMP CHOINIERE BOPS STRONGEST FIELD IN YEARS AS HYUNDAI WINS
FIRST-EVER SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY NATIONAL EVENT
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- April 9 -- Defending PRO Rally champion Paul
Choiniere, from Shelburne, Vermont, with co-driver Jeff Becker, had his PRO
Rally supremacy severely tested this weekend at the Sunriser 400 Forest
Rally here, but Choiniere/Becker piloted their 350-horsepower Hyundai
Elantra to a 44-second victory in the latest round of the SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series.
Choiniere, who had yet to drive his new race car to the maximum potential
in dry conditions, was pleased that he could take the Hyundai to the limit
when the rally got close.
"There were seven cars within a couple of minutes of each other - and three
on the same minute - late in the event, and we needed maximum boost and
all the suspension travel we could use to hold off Shepherd and Moodie,"
said Choiniere, who also won this event in '94. Choiniere also won the
divisional rally earlier this year in South Carolina, but this was his
first national win with his new Korean mount.
The Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon was second early in the day
when they went into a ditch and rolled their vehicle on stage #3, losing
more than a minute to the Mazda 323GTR of Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell.
Moodie, who had won the previous event in Washington State last month, had
been in second place for much of the final day of the two-day event, but
lost more than a minute on the last two stages with an ignition problem.
Despite his crinkled roof line, Shepherd was the fastest car in the late
stages of the rally, overcoming Moodie's Mazda and finishing second.
Shepherd ended up 44 seconds behind Choiniere, with Moodie another 50
seconds back in third.
Fourth was the the Henry Joy/Chris Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse - a good
finish for Henry, who crunched his car here last year only a half-mile into
the event.
The Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth - America's fastest
rally car with more than 400 horsepower - had various mechanical ills,
including a blown turbo, which caused him to lose more than four minutes
to the leaders. He finished fifth overall.
The Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX, the fastest local team - from
Columbus, Ohio - was sixth overall.
Other class winners included the Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi
Eclipse from Dayton, Ohio (Production GT class); the Bob Elliott/John Hart
VW GTI from Rutland, Vermont (Production class); the Kurt Thiel/George
Thompson VW GTI from Rochester, NY, (Group 2 class); and the
Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 pickup from Hartsville, SC
(Rally Truck Class).
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.
The SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of
American, and sponsored by Michelin Tire Company. The eleven-event series,
which runs in a variety of venues from the rain forests of Washington State
to the blazing Arizona desert and the frozen tundra of Maine, will have its
next stop at the Wild West PRO Rally in Olympia, Washington, April 21-22.
Results 95 Index
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