Round 3 of the 1998 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
Sou'wester Divisional PRO Rally
Wild West Divisional PRO Rally
April 17-18,1998
Presented by:
Presented by:
THE EVENT
The WILD WEST Rally is part of the SCCA PRO Rally Championship.
The Sou'wester and Wild West Divisional Rallies are sanctioned by the NORTHWEST REGION of the SCCA
The Divisional events qualify for the 1998 NORPAC and the 1998 NORTHWEST REGION Divisional Championships. The events will adhere to 1998 National and Divisional Rally Rules and Rules for Organizers.
ENTRY
Entry to the event requires a paid entry fee, valid state drivers license, valid SCCA National PRO Rally or Divisional PRO Rally license for both co-driver and driver, vehicle liability insurance, valid vehicle registration and a completed entry form.
The entry fee for the WILD WEST National PRO Rally is $400.00 thru March 30, 1998, $450.00 on the 1st of April.
The entry fee for the Sou'wester and the Wild West Divisional rallies is $250.00 thru March 30, 1998, $300.00 on the 1st of April. The entry fee is for one or both rallies. Competitors wishing to enter the National and Divisional Rallies should add $25.00 to the National entry fee.
Checks should be made payable to NORTHWEST REGION, SCCA and mailed to BOB GRASS, 24529 13TH PLACE SOUTH, DES MOINES, WA. 98198.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The WILD WEST Rally will use the normal stage format utilizing FISA signs and control
procedures. The National Rally will run fourteen stages, all of which will be scored. The two
Divisional rallies will include all the National stages. The event will have 140 stage miles and a
total of 300 miles, All stages will be on gravel.
HEADQUARTERS
The headquarters for the WILD WEST Rally will be the Little Creek Casino, Shelton
Washington (360) 427-7711. The Headquarters will not be staffed until the afternoon of April
16th.
REGISTRATION AND SCRUTINEERING LOCATION
Registration and SCRUTINEERING will be at SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY
COLLEGE, 2001 Mottman Road Sw, Olympia, Washington 98512.
SCHEDULE
Awards will be presented for the first, second, and third places in each National class and
for first, second, and third overall. Awards will be presented for first place in each Divisional class
and first, second, and third places in each Regional class.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION-PHONE BOB GRASS @ (206) 824-4558, FAX ENTRIES (206) 824-8281
e-mail: [email protected]
Discount rates for rallyists are available at the Best Western Tumwater Motor Inn, 5188 Capitol Blvd. SE, Tumwater,
Washington 98501. Telephone for reservations 800-848-4992 or (360) 956-1235. The hotel is located at the Trosper
Road exit from 1-5 (Exit 102).
CO-CHAIRMAN
CO-CHAIRMAN
REGISTRAR
BOB GRASS
JOHN FORESPRING
NAVONNE WATERHOUSE
(206) 824-4558
(360) 943-2191 DAYS
(360) 427-6907
April 16, 1998 - Thursday 19:30 Close of entry
16:00 - 19:30 Registration & Scrutineering
20:00 Welcome Party - Little Creek Casino, Shelton
Sponsor - Auto GLASPRO, Olympia, WA
April 17, 1998 - Friday 11:00 - 15:00 Registration & Scrutineering
16:30 Parc-Expose-Little Creek Casino, Shelton
18:00 Start - Wild West National & Sou'wester Divisional
23:30 Finish - Little Creek Casino - Finish of Day One - Wild
West National, Finish - Sou'wester Divisional
April 18, 1998 - Saturday 08:00 Parc Expose' - Shelton
08:30 Start - Day Two - Wild West National & Wild West
Divisional
18:45 Finish - Little Creek Casino - Wild West National, Wild
West Divisional
20:00 Awards Banquet - Little Creek Casino
21:00 Awards Presentation
AWARDS
MEDIA_ALERT
Event: 1998 Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally, round #3 of the 1998
Michelin PRO Rally Championship. Race cars from around the country
will compete at high speeds on the challenging gravel forest roads
owned by the the Simpson Timber Company southwest of the
Shelton/Aberdeen areas of Washington State.
When: Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, 1998
Schedule
Friday
9:00 AM - Media stage; members of the working media will
gather at Tyee Hotel, 500 Tyee Drive (off I-5 at
exit 102 in Olympia) to caravan into the woods for
rides at speed in a leading rally car.
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Registration and tech inspection
South Puget Sound Community College
2011 Mottman Road S.W., Olympia
4:30 PM - Parc Expose (display of cars for the public)
Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.
6:00 PM - First car starts - one minute intervals,
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.
7:00 PM - Servicing of rally cars - downtown Shelton
8:20 PM - Servicing of rally cars - downtown Shelton
10:20 PM - Servicing of rally cars - downtown Shelton
11:00 PM - First car finishes - Day One
Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.
Saturday
8:30 AM - Parc Expose (display of cars for the public)
Downtown Shelton, Wash.
9:00 AM - First car starts - Day 2 - Wild West PRO Rally
Downtown Shelton, Wash.
3:30 PM & 5:00 PM - Spectator stages to be run in the Grace
Harbor
County/Thurston County Off-Road Vehicle (ORV)
Park.
6:25 PM - First car finishes - Day 2
Little Creek Casino, Shelton, Wash.
8:00 PM - Awards banquet - Little Creek Casino
9:00 PM - Awards presentations - Little Creek Casino
Where: Rally headquarters will be inside the Little Creek Casino, Shelton,
Washington. Information and instructions on where to view the
event
will be available in the Press Room inside the Casino starting
Thursday, April 16, at 4:00 PM.
Duration: 140 stage miles, 300 total miles, 14 stages (combined two days)
Rank: Full national PRO Rally (run in conjunction with a coefficient 3
and a coefficient 2 divisional PRO Rally) awarding full national
points towards the Michelin PRO Rally Championship national series.
Presented by the Northwest Region of the Sports Car Club of America.
The National PRO Rally series is sponsored by Michelin Tire
Corporation and is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America.
Interviews: Drivers will be available at the rally headquarters and the
parc expose and service areas per the schedule above. Call
Andy Schupack in the press room at (360) 427-7711, ext. 3054,
April 16 - 19.
Television Coverage: The 1998 Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally will
be shown on ESPN2, now with coverage in 51 million
homes. Initial airdate is listed below; 2 - 4 repeats
are likely.
Saturday, May 9 - 6:30 - 7:00 PM (Eastern Daylight)
The ESPN2 coverage is produced by Replica Productions
of Cambridge, Mass., Doug Plumer, executive producer.
(617) 492-7444.
Expected Top National Entries: Paul Choiniere, seven-time defending
national champion, in 1997 4WD Hyundai Tiburon - won Doo Wops
national opener here last month; Carl Merrill, in North America's
fastest rally car - 410 h.p. Ford Escort Cosworth 4WD; Rui Brasil,
Open class Audi Quattro S-2 - brand new car/won Doo Wop II & IV
divisional events last month; Janice Damitio, Open class Toyota
Celica All-trac, missed Production GT national championship by
only
a few points in '95 - won Doo Wops I last month; Ralph Kosmides,
in
a new Group 5 Toyota Supra twin turbo - won class las month at Doo
Wops; Lee Shadbolt - held first place most of '97 in
Production GT - in a Subaru Impreza; Garen Shrader - veteran
divisional competitor - in a new Ford Sierra Cosworth Open class
car; Mike Whitman - both divisional and national champion - also
in a Ford Sierra Cosworth Open class car.
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and video crews onto
the course on Saturday.
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.
Contact: Andy Schupack - Michelin PRO Rally Championship
national media liaison:
(401) 739-5677 - before April 16 and after April
19
(360) 427-7711, ext 3054, press room April 16 - 19
# # #
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
LITTLE CREEK CASINO WILD WEST PRO RALLY - Olympia, Washington
Entry List (no start order until seeded draw 4/16)
(Peliminary as of April 6, 1998)
Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/
Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division/Tires
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY National/Michelin
John Buffum Mark Williams Hyundai Elantra/Open
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD National/Michelin
Gerry Valentini Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7/Group 5
Sacramento, CA Fair Oaks, CA National/Michelin
3 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME S. Burlington, VT National/Michelin
Rui Brasil Carlos Tavares Audi Quattro S-2/Open
San Jose, CA San Jose, CA Nat./Div./Michelin
11 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra/Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
17 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac/Open
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Dave White W. David Watts VW GTI/Group 2
Benicia, CA Carson City, NV Nat./Div./Michelin
Todd Hartmann Kirk Knestis VW GTI/U2
Issaquah, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
John Lane Scott Huhn Volvo 262/02
Bellevue, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
Jake Dekovic Katie Callahan Mazda 323GTX/02
Lynnwood, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
Garen Schrader Doc Schrader Merkur Sierra Cosworth/Open
West Memphis, AK West Memphis, AK National/Michelin
Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/Prod. GT
Elk River, MN Orin, MI Nat./Div./Michelin
Shawn Callahan Jim Hake VW Scirocco/Group 2
Rochester, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Ken Cassidy TBA Mitsubishi Galant/Prod. GT
Mesa, AZ Nat./Div./Michelin
Kendall Russell Lynn Dillon Dodge Shadow/Prod. GT
Knoxville, TN Indianapolis, IN National/Michelin
Scott Fuller Peter Weeley VW GTI/Group 2
Eugene, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
Kirk Simons TBA Dodge Omni/U2
Bothell, WA Divisional
Bill Malik TBA Volvo 240/Group 2
Burbank, CA National/Michelin
Simon LeVear Kevin Poirrer Datsun 510/U2
Tigard, OR Ranier, WA Divisional
Noah Third Jason Lane VW Rabbit/U2
N. Vancouver, BC Burneby, BC Divisional
Chris Kouba John Allen Mazda RX-7/02
Milwaukie, OR Portland, OR Divisional
79 Lee Shadbolt Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza/Prod. GT
Tigard, OR Tigard, OR National/Michelin
Bob Reaves Tammy Reaves Mazda RX-3/02
North Bend, OR North Bend, OR Divisional
Trevor Donison TBD Plymouth Neon/Production
Vancouver, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Greg Lingelbach Steven Andrews Dodge Colt/U2
Portland, OR Battle Ground, WA Divisional
Carl Jardevall John Elkin Volvo 740/Group 5
San Carlos, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA National/Michelin
Arthur Odero-Jowi TBD Mitsubishi Eclipse/Prod. GT
Arlington, TX National/Michelin
Dave Summerbell Micheal Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Evolution IV/Open
Christian Tudor Tad Phenegger Audi 5000 Quattro/4WD
Bellevue, WA Divisional
Brian Bliven Jan Molotte Toyota Celica/U2
Seattle, WA Renton, WA Divisional
Mark Wilkie Brian Fradenburg VW Rabbit/U2
Seattle, WA Divisional
# # #
# # #
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
LITTLE CREEK CASINO WILD WEST PRO RALLY - Olympia, Washington
Entry List (no start order until seeded draw 4/16)
(Peliminary as of April 10, 1998)
Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/
Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division/Tires
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY National/Michelin
John Buffum Mark Williams Hyundai Elantra/Open
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD National/Michelin
Gerry Valentini Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7/Group 5
Sacramento, CA Fair Oaks, CA National/Michelin
3 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME S. Burlington, VT National/Michelin
Rui Brasil Ben Bradley Audi Quattro S-2/Open
San Jose, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
11 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra/Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
17 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac/Open
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Dave White W. David Watts VW GTI/Group 2
Benicia, CA Carson City, NV Nat./Div./Michelin
Todd Hartmann Kirk Knestis VW GTI/U2
Issaquah, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
John Lane Scott Huhn Volvo 262/02
Bellevue, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
Jake Dekovic Katie Callahan Mazda 323GTX/02
Lynnwood, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
Garen Schrader Doc Schrader Merkur Sierra Cosworth/Open
West Memphis, AR West Memphis, AR National/Michelin
6 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/Prod. GT
Elk River, MN Orin, MI Nat./Div./Michelin
Shawn Callahan Jim Hake VW Scirocco/Group 2
Rochester, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Ken Cassidy TBA Mitsubishi Galant/Prod. GT
Mesa, AZ Nat./Div./Michelin
Kendall Russell Lynn Dillon Dodge Shadow/Prod. GT
Knoxville, TN Indianapolis, IN National/Michelin
Scott Fuller Peter Yeeles VW GTI/Group 2
Eugene, OR Issaquah, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Kirk Simons TBA Dodge Omni/U2
Bothell, WA Divisional
Bill Malik TBA Volvo 240/Group 2
Burbank, CA National/Michelin
Simon LeVear Kevin Poirer Datsun 510/U2
Tigard, OR Ranier, WA Divisional
Noah Third Jason Lane VW Rabbit/U2
N. Vancouver, BC Burnaby, BC Divisional
Chris Kouba John Allen Mazda RX-7/02
Milwaukie, OR Bainbridge Is., WA Divisional
79 Lee Shadbolt Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza/Prod. GT
Tigard, OR Tigard, OR National/Michelin
Bob Reaves Tammy Reaves Mazda RX-3/02
North Bend, WA North Bend, WA Divisional
Trevor Donison TBD Plymouth Neon/Production
Vancouver, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Greg Lingelbach Steven Andrews Dodge Colt/U2
Portland, OR Battle Ground, WA Divisional
Carl Jardevall John Elkin Volvo 740/Group 5
San Carlos, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA National/Michelin
Arthur Odero-Jowi TBD Mitsubishi Eclipse/Prod. GT
Arlington, TX National/Michelin
Dave Summerbell Micheal Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Evolution IV/Open
Christian Tudor Todd Phenneger Audi 5000 Quattro/4WD
Bellevue, WA Moscow, ID Divisional
Brian Bliven Jan Molotte Toyota Celica/U2
Seattle, WA Renton, WA Divisional
Mark Wilkie Brian Fradenburg VW Rabbit/U2
Seattle, WA Divisional
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
TOP U.S RALLYISTS FACE JAMAICAN CHALLENGER WITH LATEST WORLD-CLASS
RACE CAR; ALL-TIME U.S. CHAMPION BUFFUM RETURNS TO NORTHWEST
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- April 10 -- Two U.S.-built Korean racers, a U.S.-built
English racer, and a Jamaican-built Japanese car - all generating more
than 350 horsepower each - will face off for the overall title in this
year's Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally, round #3 of the Michelin
PRO Rally Championship, April 17 - 18.
Perennial champions Paul Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker, winners of
the Michelin PRO Rally title every year since 1992, are the favorites in
their Hyundai Tiburon 4WD, having started out the season in Olympia last
month with a Doo Wops III & IV win. Choiniere's teammate, car owner, and
step-father - 11-time national champion John Buffum - will also be running
in a Hyundai with co-driver Mark Williams. Buffum, who entered the
'96 championship-winning Hyundai Elantra several times last year to
bolster the Korean company's chances for manufacturers points, makes it
clear who's the priority on the team.
"Paul and Jeff are running for the driver's championship, and my job as
the team owner and my responsibility to Hyundai is to make sure they win.
Mark and I will try our best to run up front, and we want to be there for
Hyundai in case anything happens to Paul's car," said Buffum, who last won
here in 1993, subbing for Choiniere in an Audi.
Challenging Choiniere will be the 410 h.p. Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford
Escort Cosworth, winner of the Susquehannock Trail event last year in
Pennsylvania, and contender for the crown until electrical problems put
him out of the hunt in Minnesota last summer.
Rui Brasil, a Portuguese-born racer now living in San Jose, Calif.,
will also be a contender with his new Audi Quattro S-2, which won one of
the Doo Wop divisional events last month. Rui, always at top three
threat, replaced his older Quattro with an new S-2 over the winter.
David Summerbell, from Kingston, Jamaica, is bringing a Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution IV - a state-of-the-art world rally car - to the Northwest
for its North American debut. Summerbell, who has run here once before,
will use Michael Fennell, also a Jamaican - but an experienced U.S.
rallyist - as a co-driver.
Other Open class competitors include a pair of Cosworth-powered Sierras
(one Ford and one Merkur). The Ford belongs to '96 Group 2 national
champions Mike Whitman and Paula Gibeault, while the Merkur will be
piloted by Garen Shrader with co-driver (and father) Doc Shrader. Local
star - Janice Damitio, from Montesano - is running her Toyota Celica
4WD in the Open class as well in order to score points for an anticipated
new Open-class car. Ms. Damitio and co-driver Amity Trowbridge from
Seattle are former divisional national champions.
The event kicks off on Friday, April 17, at 4:30 PM with a display of cars
for the public at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton. The cars then leave
the casino and go out into the Simpson forests to race, stopping at the
the gravel pit across the highway from TaylorTown at approx. 7:00 PM,
8:20 PM, and 10:20 PM for service.
On Saturday, the Little Creek Casino event features a new twist -
specatator areas in the Grays Harbor County/Thurston County Off-Road
Vehicle Park (ORV). The usual park use-fee will be waived so race fans
may see the rally cars run for free. The viewing area - complete with
grandstands and food vendors - opens at 1:00 PM - the cars will be racing
at approx. 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM. The race cars will speed over 140 racing
stage miles through 14 different forest roads over the two-day event.
The event ends at the Little Creek Casino Saturday at 6:25 PM.
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 10 stages
which range in length from four to 25 miles. The racing stages, closed
forest roads in the Simpson Timber Company forests, present a variety of
conditions challenging to the drivers. 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 - most with 4WD and
turbocharging, 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, Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes, a Northwest-based
team, will challenge the East Coast veterans in a new Group 5 Toyota
Supra twin turbo. 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.
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. Oregon's Lee Shadbolt lead the class for much of
the season in '97, only to miss out on the championship when he rolled his
car last fall in Arizona. Challenging Shadbolt will be the defending
national champions Steve Gingras and Bill Westrick, in a Minnesota-based
Eagle Talon racer.
The other two classes include Group 2 - modified 2WD cars with
displacements less than 2.4 liters - and the Production class, in which
vehicles must be completely stock except for the roll bar and safety
equipment.
Racing fans who want to watch the rally action should pick up observer
instructions from the Little Creek Casino starting Thursday, April 16.
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. Competitors
whose car is sturdily built and who can avoid damaging off-course
excursions into trees or ditches, stand 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 series to promote one of the
fastest growing motorsports in the country as well as its Pilot line of
high performance 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 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship consists of eight events, is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America (SCCA). The 1998 Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
is presented by the Northwest Region, SCCA. PRO Rally information, as
well as scores, updates, membership, or other SCCA material can be found
on the SCCA web site at <www.scca.com/amateur/prorally>.
# # #
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
LITTLE CREEK CASINO WILD WEST PRO RALLY - Olympia, Washington
Entry/Start List (as of seeded draw 4/16)
Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/
Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division/Tires
1 1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY National/Michelin
2 John Buffum Mark Williams Hyundai Elantra/Open
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD National/Michelin
3 3 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME S. Burlington, VT National/Michelin
4 41 Rui Brasil Ben Bradley Audi Quattro S-2/Open
San Jose, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
5 28 Dave Summerbell Micheal Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Evolution IV/Open
6 6 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/Prod. GT
Elk River, MN Orin, MI Nat./Div./Michelin
7 11 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra/Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
8 58 Dave White W. David Watts VW GTI/Group 2
Benicia, CA Carson City, NV Nat./Div./Michelin
9 8 Bill Malik Christian Edstrom Volvo 240/Group 2
Burbank, CA Los Angeles, CA National/Michelin
10 43 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA National/Michelin
11 17 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac/Open
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
12 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI National/Michelin
13 117 Ken Stewart Jim Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup/Open
Grove, OK Conway, AK Nat./Div./Cooper
14 121 George Plsek Mark Rathsam Saab 99 Turbo/Group 5
Del Mar, CA Del Mar, CA Nat./Div./Michelin
15 111 Scott Fuller Peter Yeeles VW GTI/Group 2
Eugene, OR Issaquah, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
16 79 Lee Shadbolt Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza/Prod. GT
Tigard, OR Tigard, OR National/Michelin
17 55 Gerry Valentini Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7/Group 5
Sacramento, CA Fair Oaks, CA National/Michelin
18 27 Ken Cassidy Robert Waits Mitsubishi Galant/Prod. GT
Mesa, AZ Lawrenceville, GA Nat./Div./Goodyear
19 30 Kendall Russell Lynn Dillon Dodge Shadow/Prod. GT
Knoxville, TN Indianapolis, IN National/Michelin
20 14 Garen Schrader Doc Schrader Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
West Memphis, AR West Memphis, AR National/Michelin
21 Carl Jardevall John Elkin Volvo 740/Group 5
San Carlos, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
22 26 John Lane Scott Huhn Volvo 262/Group 2
Bellevue, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
23 49 Shawn Callahan Jim Hake VW Scirocco/Group 2
Rochester, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
24 Doug Schrenk Rob Walden Saab 900/Group 5
Seattle, WA Shoreline, WA National/Michelin
25 22 Jake Dekovic Katie Callahan Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Lynnwood, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
26 21 Trevor Donison TBD Plymouth Neon/Production
Vancouver, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
Divisional Only
Todd Hartmann Kirk Knestis VW GTI/U2
Issaquah, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
Kirk Simons TBA Dodge Omni/U2
Bothell, WA Divisional
Simon LeVear Kevin Poirer Datsun 510/U2
Tigard, OR Ranier, WA Divisional
Noah Third Jason Lane VW Rabbit/U2
N. Vancouver, BC Burnaby, BC Divisional
Chris Kouba John Allen Mazda RX-7/02
Milwaukie, OR Bainbridge Is., WA Divisional
Bob Reaves Tammy Reaves Mazda RX-3/02
North Bend, WA North Bend, WA Divisional
Greg Lingelbach Steven Andrews Dodge Colt/U2
Portland, OR Battle Ground, WA Divisional
Christian Tudor Todd Phenneger Audi 5000 Quattro/4WD
Bellevue, WA Moscow, ID Divisional
Brian Bliven Jan Molotte Toyota Celica/U2
Seattle, WA Renton, WA Divisional
Mark Wilkie Brian Fradenburg VW Rabbit/U2
Seattle, WA Divisional
110 Tim Paterson Joel Wright Mazda 323GTX/04
Redmond, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
47 Vance Walker Karen Laylor Mazda RX-3/02
Newberg, OR Newberg, WA Divisional
88 Mike Mailman Shelly Kruse VW GTI/U2
Arlington, WA Arlington, WA Divisional
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #1 - April 17 - 9:00 AM (PDT)
1. Welcome to Shelton, Washington - on the outskirts of
state capital Olympia - and the first full national event
on the 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship circuit.
Round #1 was supposed to be the SNO*Drift PRO rally in
Atlanta, Michigan in February, but warm, wet weather
caused the road conditions to be unacceptable, forcing
cancellation. Round #2 was held in this area last
month - the Doo Wops PRO Rally - as a divisional event
where national license-holders could score 60 percent of
full national points. The Hyundai Tiburon of Paul
Choiniere/Jeff Becker ran and hid from the field
as closest competitors Carl Merrill (turbo problems) and
Rui Brasil (tore off a wheel) had problems. Group 2 VW
GTI competitors Dave White and Scott Fuller were closest
to Choiniere in the final results.
2. This is the third year the Little Creek Casino, operated
by the Squaxin Island Tribe based here in Shelton, has
been the title sponsor of the event. The casino provides
the Wild West PRO Rally committee with administrative
facilities for scoring and press operations, as well as
operating cash and a host for the awards banquet. And,
as shown on the front page of yesterday's local paper,
the rally gives the casino both regional and national
exposure for its efforts, not to mention the gambling
revenue from some of the circuit's more well-to-do
entrants.
3. The top two overall contenders for the 1998 Michelin PRO
Rally Championship are entered in this event - the
defending champions Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker in their
Hyundai Tiburon and Carl Merrill/Lance Smith in the Ford
Escort Cosworth. Other Open class competitors for the
weekend include:
--The Rui Brasil/Carlos Tavaras Audi Quattro S-2, an new
entry for '98, started the season by winning one of the
Doo Wop divisional events in February, and a second in
March (the Sunday after the Saturday national DNF).
--David Summerbell, who ran a Hyundai Elantra here
several years ago when he came from his native Jamaica
with Peter Moodie, has brought a Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution IV to the Northwest for its North Amrican
debut. The car, prepared to WRC Group N specs by
T.A.D. Motorsports' Murray Thomas, will be co-driven by
Michael Fennell, who has been here before with both
Moodie and Henry Joy.
--Garen and Doc Shrader (son and father respectively)
have bought the Ford Sierra Cosworth that was under
construction by Greg and Lynne Lund, and with the
Lunds' help, will debut their new car here at the
Little Creek Casino event. Garen, who hasn't actively
rallied in several years, showed his driving prowess by
running in the top ten last month at Doo Wops in a
borrowed car, and should be quite fast in this 335-
horsepower, 16-valve turbo AWD machine. Doc, who has
co-driven for years with Ken Stewart, knows these roads
well.
--Speaking of Stewart, his Open class Chevy S-10 pickup
has a new co-driver - Jim Dale of Conway, Arkansas.
--The Janice Damitio/Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac has
moved into the Open class in hopes of picking up points
in anticipation of new car - plans yet to be finalized.
--After a year of development which included flashes of a
bright future, the Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Ford
Sierra Cosworth will make its season debut here.
Whitman, who plans to run most of the Midwest and East
Coast events, could win a PRO Rally national event
before the year is out.
4. Replica Productions, of Cambridge, Mass., is back for its
fourth year of filming and producing PRO Rally events for
national television, first for SportsChannel and now for
ESPN2. This event will air on Saturday, May 9, at
3:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time (6:30 PM Eastern) on The
Deuce, with rebroadcasts likely as well. Plumer hopes to
cover all the national events this year, and we will
report air schedules as soon as we have them.
5. A unique part of this event will be the spectator stages
taking place on Saturday at the Thurston County Off-Road
Vehicle Park (ORV). This county facility, available for
the public to bring off-road vehicles and motorcycles,
has had some hard times recently as its usual crowd has
been cut down due to muddy conditions. The Wild West
organizing committee has rented the park for the
afternoon, so spectators will not have to pay the $6.00
day use fee to come see the rally cars. They will also
have the luxury of grandstands to watch the stage, and
the concession stands will be open for food and drink.
The rally cars will run the ORV park stages at 3:30 PM
and again at 5:00 PM tomorrow.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #2 - April 17 - 1:00 PM (PDT)
6. Many interesting happenings at this morning's press
stage, including:
--The David Sommerbell (note the corrected
spelling)/Michael Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution IV showed up midway through the press stage,
and Sommerbell took some hot laps with T.A.D.'s Muraay
Thomas as well as with co-driver Michael Fennell. The
car ran perfectly, and is a legitimate threat to finish
in a top position here. Sommerbell's major sponsor is
SuperClubs, the Carribean's only SuperInclusive resort
group. Rates at the eight properties include all
extras such as unlimited use of all sports facilities,
entertainment, meals, recreation facilities, etc. - no
tipping is allow. The resorts are located in Jamaica,
the Bahamas, Negril, and St. Lucia.
--The Garen Shrader/Doc Shrader Ford Sierra Cosworth -
this one is left-hand drive versus the Whitman right
hand driver - turned its first wheel after lots of
effort from Dave Clark Motorsports and Greg/Lynne Lund.
Although the team has adjustments to make during the
afternoon, their three laps of the press stage left
everyone smiling.
--Since he is recovering from a minor auto accident,
Lance Smith is a last-minute scratch from the Carl
Merrill entry, so veteran co-driver and Doo Wops
organizer Ray Damitio will be co-driving for Merrill.
Damitio took several consecutive laps this morning in
the right seat and declared himself ready for the
challenge. He last co-drove for wife Janice three
years ago at Rim of the World.
--Despite overheating on the way to the press stage, the
new 320-hp. Toyota Supra twin-turbo Group 5 racer of
Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes made a successful run this
morning, and look forward to extending their points
lead they established at Doo Wops.
--The plastic material with ties that the Mike
Whitman/Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth team
installed to protect the underside of the car from
rocks needs work, according to Whitman, as several
miles of press stage hammered and broke the ties.
--The Lee Shadbolt/Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza, leaders
in the Production GT points chase, have a new 5-speed
transmission for '98, and look forward to the challenge
of racing defending class champions Steve Gingras/Bill
Westrick in their Act II Popcorn Eagle Talon.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #3 - April 17 - 3:00 PM (PDT)
7. Rui Brasil's new Audi Quattro S-2 was the most popular
car at the press stage this morning, as members of the
local Audi car club all got rides from the popular
Portuguese-born driver. Rui's crew made many adjustments
to the car as well in preparation for this evening's
event.
8. Shawn Callahan was another driver who tested rock
protection at the the press stage - his idea was rubber
pieces to protect the rear brakes of his Group 2
Scirocco. Like Whitman, the protection was no match for
the loose rocks thrown up at the race cars. In our
continuing effort to bring everyone specs on as many cars
as possible, here's Callahan's:
Volkswagen Scirocco
Group 2 PRO Rally Car
Driver: Shawn Callahan
Co-Driver: John Hake
Track: 63.25"
Wheelbase: 95.75"
Weight: 2095 lbs.
Engine: Volkswagen water-cooled 4 cylinder
8-valve.
Bore: 82.50 mm
Stroke: 92.80 mm
Displacement: 1984 cc
Connecting Rod: 159 mm gundrilled
Induction: 2 45mm Delorto Carburation
Ignition: Electromotive crankfire
Transmission: 5-speed close ratio with Torsion Ft
Differential and single plate
racing clutch
Chassis: A1 type Volkswagen Scirocco, partial seam
weld, 16 point welded cage, integrated
front sub-frame and skidpan.
Suspension: Front-Bilstein struts with adjustable
coil over springs, Aluminum and alloy
steel multi-link control arms with 3/4"
rod ends, adjustable camber plates.
Rear-Bilstein Shocks with adjustable coil
over springs, modified trailing arms.
Steering: GTi Rack with custom tie rods with column
extension and steering wheel quick
disconnect.
Brakes: Front-10.5" drilled rotors single piston
Girling Calipers, Hawk brake pads.
Rear-9.5" rotors and single piston
Girling calipers with hand brake.
Tires: 14/62-15 Michelin Special Pilot Rally
tires mounted on 6"x 15" B&B motorsport
wheels.
Lights: 4 Hella Rally 4000
Electrics: Custom Mil-spec wiring harness fully
Cannon plugged. Central fuse box, full
VDO gauges.
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #4 - April 17 - 7:00 PM (PDT)
9. 41 cars - 26 nationals included - took the wave of the
Washington State flag at 6:00 PM for the start of the
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally. Among the
missing when his starting time came up was the new Pete
Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Mazda 323GTX, which was being prepared
at a race shop in Southern Washington. While co-driver
Brandt waited anxiously, watching the whole field start
without him, Lahm was thrashing to get the car ready.
With less than 12 minutes left until the entry would be
time-barred, the ex-Carl Merrill, ex-Trevor Donison racer
appeared in the parking lot, was teched and registered,
and Lahm/Brandt were on their way.
10. As expected, the two Hyundais forged into the lead, with
Choiniere/Becker grabbing the lead after two stages by 9
seconds, but Buffum/Williams retaking the lead by five
seconds after four stages. Choiniere was worried after
stage #4 that excessive tire wear might find him short of
fresh rubber on Saturday, but the team took on a new set
of Michelins anyway at that point.
11. The Carl Merrill/Ray Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth is
running well in third place, less than a minute behind
Choiniere after four stages. Carl thinks he can go
faster, but the car seems free of the turbo problems
which plagued him here last month.
12. The David Summerbell (it IS spelled Summerbell)/Michael
Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV sits in fourth,
another minute behind Merrill as Summerbell is being
conservative tonight.
13. Some Friday night service reports:
--The Gingras/Westrick Eagle Talon has had an
intermittent odo and two flat tires to slow their
progress.
--The Shrader/Shrader Ford Sierra Cosworth has developed
an engine miss, so the crew will replace some engine
chips overnight.
--The Kosmides/Noyes Toyota Supra is no longer running
hot, but continues to adjust various things as part of
their development effort.
--The John Lane/Scott Huhn Volvo 262 rolled on stage #2,
with both occupants shaken, but unhurt. The car looks
like a total write-off.
--The organizer went to two minute intervals at the end
of two stages because of the dust.
--The Lahm/Brandt Mazda is running hot as it lost coolant
on the opening stages.
--The Jardevall/Elkin Volvo 740 turbo is having brake
problems.
# # #
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
LITTLE CREEK CASINO WILD WEST PRO RALLY - Olympia, Washington
Final Entry/Start List
Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/
Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division/Tires
1 1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY National/Michelin
2 15 John Buffum Mark Williams Hyundai Elantra/Open
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD National/Michelin
3 3 Carl Merrill Ray Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME Montesano, WA National/Michelin
4 41 Rui Brasil Ben Bradley Audi Quattro S-2/Open
San Jose, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
5 28 Dave Sommerbell Micheal Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Evolution IV/Open
6 6 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/Prod. GT
Elk River, MN Orin, MI Nat./Div./Michelin
7 11 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra/Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
8 58 Dave White W. David Watts VW GTI/Group 2
Benicia, CA Carson City, NV Nat./Div./Michelin
9 43 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA National/Michelin
10 17 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac/Open
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
11 54 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI National/Michelin
12 8 Bill Malik Christian Edstrom Volvo 240/Group 2
Burbank, CA Los Angeles, CA National/Michelin
13 117 Ken Stewart Jim Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup/Open
Grove, OK Conway, AK Nat./Div./Cooper
14 121 George Plsek Mark Rathsam Saab 99 Turbo/Group 5
Del Mar, CA Del Mar, CA Nat./Div./Michelin
15 56 Carl Jardevall John Elkin Volvo 740/Group 5
San Carlos, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
16 111 Scott Fuller Peter Yeeles VW GTI/Group 2
Eugene, OR Issaquah, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
17 79 Lee Shadbolt Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza/Prod. GT
Tigard, OR Tigard, OR National/Michelin
18 55 Gerry Valentini Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7/Group 5
Sacramento, CA Fair Oaks, CA National/Michelin
19 27 Ken Cassidy Robert Waits Mitsubishi Galant/Prod. GT
Mesa, AZ Lawrenceville, GA Nat./Div./Goodyear
20 30 Kendall Russell Lynn Dillon Dodge Shadow/Prod. GT
Knoxville, TN Indianapolis, IN National/Michelin
21 14 Garen Schrader Doc Schrader Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
West Memphis, AR West Memphis, AR National/Michelin
22 26 John Lane Scott Huhn Volvo 262/Group 2
Bellevue, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
23 49 Shawn Callahan Jim Hake VW Scirocco/Group 2
Rochester, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
24 18 Doug Schrenk Rob Walden Saab 900/Group 5
Seattle, WA Shoreline, WA National/Michelin
25 22 Jake Dekovic Katie Callahan Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Lynnwood, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin
26 21 Trevor Donison Catherine Roso Plymouth Neon/Production
Vancouver, WA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin
Divisional Only
91 Tim Paterson Joel Wright Mazda 323GTX/04
Redmond, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
47 Vance Walker Karen Laylor Mazda RX-3/02
Newberg, OR Newberg, WA Divisional
23 Todd Hartmann Kirk Knestis VW GTI/U2
Issaquah, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
48 Simon LeVear Kevin Poirer Datsun 510/U2
Tigard, OR Ranier, WA Divisional
98 Greg Lingelbach Steven Andrews Dodge Colt/U2
Portland, OR Battle Ground, WA Divisional
46 Michael Leonard Leon Owens Saab 99 Turbo/O2
Bothell, WA Tacoma, WA Divisional
88 Mike Mailman Shelly Kruse VW GTI/U2
Arlington, WA Arlington, WA Divisional
33 Kirk Simons Pete Shelton Dodge Omni/U2
Bothell, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
83 Christian Tudor Todd Phenneger Audi 5000 Quattro/4WD
Bellevue, WA Moscow, ID Divisional
52 Neville Green Angela Romeo Merkur XR4Ti/02
Seattle, WA Seattle, WA Divisional
73 Noah Third Jason Lane VW Rabbit/U2
N. Vancouver, BC Burnaby, BC Divisional
68 Bob Reaves Tammy Reaves Mazda RX-3/02
North Bend, WA North Bend, WA Divisional
74 Mark Wilkie Brian Fradenburg VW Rabbit/U2
Seattle, WA Redmond, WA Divisional
76 Chris Kouba John Allen Mazda RX-7/02
Milwaukie, OR Bainbridge Is., WA Divisional
78 Brian Bliven Jan Molotte Toyota Celica/U2
Seattle, WA Renton, WA Divisional
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #5 - April 18 - 12:30 AM (PDT)
14. The rally has come to an end for day #1, and it was not
a good ending for several teams.
--After suffering a cracked header on stage #5, the
Doug Schrenk/Rob Walden Saab 900 caught fire on stage
six and burned to the ground. Drivers are okay, but
the car is reported to be totalled. Early
speculation points to a transmission fire.
--The Shrader/Shrader Ford Sierra Cosworth's maiden
voyage came to an abrupt halt on stage #5 with a
rollover. The car is a DNF - details when they become
available.
--Other national DNF are s follows:
Dekovic/Callahan Mazda 323GTX - rollover
Callahan/Hake VW Scirocco - mechanical
15. National results after six stages:
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 41:09
Buffum/Williams Hyundai Elantra Open 41:33
Merrill/Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth Open 43:31
Summerbell/Fennell Mitsui Lancer Evo IV Open 44:50
White/Watts VW GTI Group 2 45:30
Kosmides/Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5 45:40
Brasil/Bradley Audi Quattro S-2 Open 45:54
Whitman/Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open 46:04
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac Open 46:25
Jardevall/Elkin Volvo 740T Group 5 46:26
Fuller/Yeeles VW GTI Group 2 46:49
Malik/Edstrom Volvo 240 Group 2 47:34
Gingras/Westrick Eagle Talon Prod. GT 49:20
Shadbolt/Eklund Subaru Impreza Prod. GT 49:28
Stewart/Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup Open 51:00
Lahm/Brandt Mazda 323GTX Prod. GT 52:23
Cassidy/Waits Mitsubishi Galant Prod. GT 53:33
Valentini/Sorenson Mazda RX-7 Group 5 54:38
Plsek/Rathsam Saab 99T Group 5*
Russell/Dillon Dodge Shadow Prod. GT*
Donison/Roso Plymouth Neon Prod.*
*Times to be determined/start order up to national steward;
most likely to start in this order at the back of the
national pack.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #6 - April 18 - 10:00 AM (PDT)
15. Revised national results after six stages - also the
national start order for Saturday morning:
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 41:09
Buffum/Williams Hyundai Elantra Open 41:37
Merrill/Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth Open 43:31
Summerbell/Fennell Mitsui Lancer Evo IV Open 44:50
White/Watts VW GTI Group 2 45:30
Kosmides/Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5 45:42
Brasil/Bradley Audi Quattro S-2 Open 45:54
Whitman/Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open 46:04
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac Open 46:25
Jardevall/Elkin Volvo 740T Group 5 46:27
Fuller/Yeeles VW GTI Group 2 46:49
Malik/Edstrom Volvo 240 Group 2 47:34
Gingras/Westrick Eagle Talon Prod. GT 49:20
Plsek/Rathsam Saab 99T Group 5 49:25
Shadbolt/Eklund Subaru Impreza Prod. GT 49:28
Stewart/Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup Open 51:00
Lahm/Brandt Mazda 323GTX Prod. GT 52:24*
Cassidy/Waits Mitsubishi Galant Prod. GT 53:31
Valentini/Sorenson Mazda RX-7 Group 5 54:38
Russell/Dillon Dodge Shadow Prod. GT 56:18
Donison/Roso Plymouth Neon Prod. 56:49
*does not include 23 minutes of road points for late start
16. The Shrader/Shrader roll came at a time when the car was
running in the top five overall, and co-driver and dad
Doc Shrader takes great pains to point out that son
Garen was driving a great event. The car was on a fast,
twisty downhill section when they had a flat, careened
into a ditch, and had enough momentum to be almost back
on the road again when they hit a large rock or stump,
sending the car on its roof into a rollover. They
landed on their wheels, and both drivers were okay, but
suspension damage from a front wheel which folded under
made it impossible to continue. Car builder Dave Clark
projects that the other damage was just sheetmetal.
17. The Schrenk/Walden Saab 900 did indeed burn to the
ground, with the fire taking almost 90 minutes to
extinguish itself. A leaking transmission caught fire,
and the rest is just history. Several drivers stopped
to empty their fire bottles on the blaze, but the only
course of action was to let the fire burn and make sure
the woods didn't catch. Neither driver was hurt.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #6 - April 18 - 10:00 AM (PDT)
15. Revised national results after six stages - also the
national start order for Saturday morning:
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 41:09
Buffum/Williams Hyundai Elantra Open 41:37
Merrill/Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth Open 43:31
Summerbell/Fennell Mitsui Lancer Evo IV Open 44:50
White/Watts VW GTI Group 2 45:30
Kosmides/Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5 45:42
Brasil/Bradley Audi Quattro S-2 Open 45:54
Whitman/Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open 46:04
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac Open 46:25
Jardevall/Elkin Volvo 740T Group 5 46:27
Fuller/Yeeles VW GTI Group 2 46:49
Malik/Edstrom Volvo 240 Group 2 47:34
Gingras/Westrick Eagle Talon Prod. GT 49:20
Plsek/Rathsam Saab 99T Group 5 49:25
Shadbolt/Eklund Subaru Impreza Prod. GT 49:28
Stewart/Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup Open 51:00
Lahm/Brandt Mazda 323GTX Prod. GT 52:24*
Cassidy/Waits Mitsubishi Galant Prod. GT 53:31
Valentini/Sorenson Mazda RX-7 Group 5 54:38
Russell/Dillon Dodge Shadow Prod. GT 56:18
Donison/Roso Plymouth Neon Prod. 56:49
*does not include 23 minutes of road points for late start
16. The Shrader/Shrader roll came at a time when the car was
running in the top five overall, and co-driver and dad
Doc Shrader takes great pains to point out that son
Garen was driving a great event. The car was on a fast,
twisty downhill section when they had a flat, careened
into a ditch, and had enough momentum to be almost back
on the road again when they hit a large rock or stump,
sending the car on its roof into a rollover. They
landed on their wheels, and both drivers were okay, but
suspension damage from a front wheel which folded under
made it impossible to continue. Car builder Dave Clark
projects that the other damage was just sheetmetal.
17. The Schrenk/Walden Saab 900 did indeed burn to the
ground, with the fire taking almost 90 minutes to
extinguish itself. A leaking transmission caught fire,
and the rest is just history. Several drivers stopped
to empty their fire bottles on the blaze, but the only
course of action was to let the fire burn and make sure
the woods didn't catch. Neither driver was hurt.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #7 - April 18 - 10:30 AM (PDT)
18. The John Lane/Scott Huhn Volvo 262 - also a Dave Clark
Motorsports-built car, also looks fixable, and both
drivers made appearances at the Little Creek Casino last
night after a trip to the hospital for minor treatment.
Driver Lane had a swollen hand that required stitches
from pieces of the shattered windshield, while co-driver
Huhn suffered a puncture wound from the inside door
handle.
19. The other national DNF - the Shawn Callahan/John Hake VW
Scirocco - broke a tie-rod, but the team fixed the car
overnight, and they entered the divisional event this
morning.
20. Speaking of the divisional event, the Dave White/Dave
Watts VW GTI - currently running fifth overall in the
national rally - won the Sou'Wester Divisional PRO Rally
by a scant nine seconds over the Janice Damitio/Amity
Trowbridge Toyota Celica All-trac (White won U2 and
Ms. Damitio won 4WD, with the Vance Walker/Karen Laylor
Mazda RX-3 winning 02). The rally was scored on the
basis of five stages, as the Schrenk fire closed stage
#6 before any of the divisional-only cars could pass.
Divisional DNFs included the Greg Lingelbach/Steven
Andrews Dodge Colt (off-course); Jake Dekovic/Katie
Callahan Mazda 323GTX (rollover); Neville Green/Angela
Romeo Ford Mustang (off-course); Brad Bliven/Jan Molotte
Toyota Celica (engine damage from water ingestion).
21. The Carl Merrill/Ray Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth dipped
a wheel into a ditch on stage #6, and then hit a rock or
stump on the way back on the road, damaging front
fiberglass and cracking the front light housing pod.
Although Merrill lost a minute to Choiniere and Buffum
on the stage, the damage was fixed overnight.
22. The Dave White/David Watts VW GTI is leading Group 2,
thanks to the handiwork of car preparer Guy Light, who
modified a replacement fuel pump to keep White on the
road. He leads the second-place GTI of Scott
Fuller/Peter Yeeles by more than a minute.
23. In Group 5, the Kosmides/Noyes Toyota Supra has a 45-
second lead over the Carl Jardevall/John Elkin Volvo
740 turbo. In Production GT, the Gingras/Westrick Eagle
Talon has a slim 8-second advantage over the
Shadbolt/Eklund Subaru Impreza. As the lone Production
class entry, the Plymouth Neon of Trevor
Donison/Catherine Roso will win that class if they
finish today.
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #8 - April 18 - 6:30 PM (PDT)
24. With less than one hour to go in the Little Creek Casino
Wild West PRO Rally, it seems that driver error and bad
luck continues to outnumber mechanical failures for
those teams that have DNFed.
--The Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Celica, in
contention for the Group 5 title and running neck and
neck with the Volvo 740 turbo of Carl Jardevall/John
Elkin, flew off the road on stage #11 and landed on
its roof. The damage is undetermined, but the car was
far enough off and down that it couldn't be moved
until the stage was complete; thus, a DNF.
--The Ken Cassidy/Robert Waits Mitsubishi Galant could
note pass up a competitor in distress - that of the
Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Mazda 323GTX. When Ken saw
Pete, tow rope in hand, at the end of stage #11, he
stopped and hook up the Mazda to get it to service.
The problem was that the Mitsubishi is really not set
up to tow, and Cassidy blew his clutch, causing a DNF.
--The George Plsek/Mark Rathsam Saab 99 turbo is also
out of the event - transmission troubles.
25. The spectator event at the Thurston County Off-Road
Vehicle Park - a great idea - drew 500 spectators,
according to park officials. Because of the deep mud,
however, the rally cars couldn't really put on much of a
show, so the organizer decided to run the stage as demo
only, and the times did not count. Many of the
spectators took names and phone numbers of the
divisional steward, however, as the stage sparked
interest in the sport. The Trevor Donison/Catherine
Roso Plymouth Neon is the only car the got stuck on the
stage (#12), while the Vance Walker/Karen Laylor Mazda
RX-3 put on the best show. Stage #15 - one from the
end - will also be run at the park, but will not count
for time.
26. The 1998 Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally is now
over, and the Hyundais have it. The Paul Choiniere/Jeff
Becker Hyundai Tiburon scored a 40-second win over
teammates and car owner John Buffum and co-driver Mark
Williams in a Hyundai Elantra. Buffum and Choiniere
swapped the lead back and forth during the entire event,
with Choiniere falling behind earlier today after
breaking a brake fitting. Strong times on the final
stages, along with an understanding of who need
championship driver points, determined the final result.
Other class winners included Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick
Act II Popcorn Eagle Talon (Production GT); Carl
Jardevall/John Elkin Volvo 740 (Group 5); Dave
White/David Watts VW GTI (Group 2); and Trevor
Donison/Catherine Roso Plymouth Neon (Production).
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #9 - April 18 - 9:00 PM (PDT)
27. The event had 41 starters initially on Friday night, 33
starters on Saturday morning, and 25 finishers at the
end of the event. 17 of the 26 national starters
finished the rally.
28. The Rui Brasil/Ben Bradley Audi Quattro S-2, despite
being the fastest car on a stage where the organizer had
a radar dun set up (110 mph), had all kinds of problems
today, preventing him from finishing in his usual top
five position. At various times during today's event,
Rui ran out of gas, lost his odo, lost his brakes, lost
his intercom, and lost his fuel management system. He
hopes the three weeks between now and Rim of the World
will allow him to regroup.
29. The Janice Damitio/Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac had
a myriad of problems which prevented them from finishing
in the top ten - where they ran for much of the event.
The car broke a strut last night, then lost third gear,
lost 4WD, and finally lost power on the final stages.
Earlier in the event, when the car was running well,
Janice was turning top six stage times.
30. Ralph Kosmides called his rollover "pure driver error"
as he was trying to make up time after looping the car
at a spectator stage and killing the starter. Kosmides
overcooked it in a tight corner, headed off the road,
and hit a large log which caused the car to flip over
and land on its roof. Fortunately, it was a soft
landing which damaged only the car's deck lid - no
broken glass or caved-in roof. Kosmides might run the
old car - the '95 normally-aspirated Toyota Supra - at
Rim of the World depending on his post-rally teardown of
the new Supra.
31. The Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth ran
the best rally of its young career, posting its first
top-five finish (fifth). If fact, with the Carl
Merrill/Ray Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth finishing
fourth, it marks the first time in recent memory that
Ford has had two top-five finishes in SCCA PRO Rally.
Whitman, a former Group 2 aqnd divisional national
champion, plans to skip the rough Rim of the World event
in favor of the faster East Coast rallies of
Susquehannock Trail (Penn.) and Maine Forest this
spring.
32. The Dave White/David Watts VW GTI won the Wild West
Divisional PRO Rally (Saturday's divisional), giving the
Guy Light-prepared car a sweep of the weekend's
divisional events. The Vance Walker/Karen Layor Mazda
RX-3 won the 02 class, and the Rui Brasil/Ben Bradley
Audi Quattro S-2 (4WD).
# # #
Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
Shelton, Washington
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
April 17 - 18, 1998
Press Notes #10 - April 18 - 9:30 PM (PDT)
33. Final national standings:
Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 2:08:55
Buffum/Williams Hyundai Elantra Open 2:09:35
Summerbell/Fennell Mitsui Lancer Evo IV Open 2:10:54
Merrill/Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth Open 2:16:07
Whitman/Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open 2:16:13
Jardevall/Elkin Volvo 740T Group 5 2:17:25
White/Watts VW GTI Group 2 2:17:45
Brasil/Bradley Audi Quattro S-2 Open 2:19:09
Malik/Edstrom Volvo 240 Group 2 2:24:04
Gingras/Westrick Eagle Talon Prod. GT 2:25:47
Shadbolt/Eklund Subaru Impreza Prod. GT 2:30:36
Stewart/Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup Open 2:34:38
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac Open 2:38:42
Valentini/Sorenson Mazda RX-7 Group 5 2:44:05
Russell/Dillon Dodge Shadow Prod. GT 2:47:25
Donison/Roso Plymouth Neon Prod. 2:49:25
Lahm/Brandt Mazda 323GTX Prod. GT 2:49:57
# # #
Round #3 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
LITTLE CREEK CASINO WILD WEST PRO RALLY - Olympia, Washington
Final National Results
Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/
No. Hometown Hometown Division/Tires/Time
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon/Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY National/Michelin/2:08:55
15 John Buffum Mark Williams Hyundai Elantra/Open
Burlington, VT Gaithersburg, MD National/Michelin/2:09:35
28 Dave Summerbell Micheal Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Evolution IV/Open/2:10:54
3 Carl Merrill Ray Damitio Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
Ogunquit, ME Montesano, WA National/Michelin/2:16:07
43 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA National/Michelin/2:16:13
56 Carl Jardevall John Elkin Volvo 740/Group 5
San Carlos, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin/2:17:25
58 Dave White W. David Watts VW GTI/Group 2
Benicia, CA Carson City, NV Nat./Div./Michelin/2:17:45
41 Rui Brasil Ben Bradley Audi Quattro S-2/Open
San Jose, CA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin/2:19:09
8 Bill Malik Christian Edstrom Volvo 240/Group 2
Burbank, CA Los Angeles, CA National/Michelin/2:24:04
6 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Eagle Talon/Prod. GT
Elk River, MN Orin, MI Nat./Div./Michelin/2:25:47
79 Lee Shadbolt Paul Eklund Subaru Impreza/Prod. GT
Tigard, OR Tigard, OR National/Michelin/2:30:36
117 Ken Stewart Jim Dale Chevy S-10 Pickup/Open
Grove, OK Conway, AK Nat./Div./Cooper/2:34:28
17 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac/Open
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Nat./Div./Michelin/2:38:42
55 Gerry Valentini Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7/Group 5
Sacramento, CA Fair Oaks, CA National/Michelin/2:44:05
30 Kendall Russell Lynn Dillon Dodge Shadow/Prod. GT
Knoxville, TN Indianapolis, IN National/Michelin/2:47:25
21 Trevor Donison Catherine Roso Plymouth Neon/Production
Vancouver, WA Portland, OR Nat./Div./Michelin/2:49:57
54 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI National/Michelin/3:06:08
Did Not Finish
121 George Plsek Mark Rathsam Saab 99 Turbo/Group 5
Del Mar, CA Del Mar, CA Transmission
111 Scott Fuller Peter Yeeles VW GTI/Group 2
Eugene, OR Issaquah, WA Cooling
27 Ken Cassidy Robert Waits Mitsubishi Galant/Prod. GT
Mesa, AZ Lawrenceville, GA Clutch
14 Garen Schrader Doc Schrader Ford Sierra Cosworth/Open
West Memphis, AR West Memphis, AR Rollover
26 John Lane Scott Huhn Volvo 262/Group 2
Bellevue, WA Seattle, WA Rollover
49 Shawn Callahan Jim Hake VW Scirocco/Group 2
Rochester, WA Seattle, WA Tie-rod
18 Doug Schrenk Rob Walden Saab 900/Group 5
Seattle, WA Shoreline, WA Transmission/Fire
22 Jake Dekovic Katie Callahan Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Lynnwood, WA Seattle, WA Rollover
11 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra/Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Rollover
# # #
MICHELIN PRO RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
1998 NATIONAL SCHEDULE
(revised 4/19/98)
Overall
EVENT DATE LOCATION Winners
SNO*DRIFT+ February 27-28 Atlanta, MI Cancelled -
road conditions
DOO WOP III & IV+ March 14 - 15 Olympia, WA CHOINIERE/BECKER
LITTLE CREEK CASINO
WILD WEST PRO RALLY April 18 - 19 Olympia, WA CHOINIERE/BECKER
ESPN2 TV Coverage Saturday, May 9 - 6:30 PM EDT
RIM OF THE WORLD May 8 - 9 Palmdale, CA
ESPN2 TV Coverage Friday, May 29 - 6:30 PM EDT
SUSQUEHANNOCK TRAIL June 5 - 6 Wellsboro, PA
MAINE FOREST RALLY July 31-Aug. 1 Rumford, ME
OJIBWE FORESTS PRO RALLY August 28 - 29 Bemidji, MN
PRESCOTT FOREST RALLY October 2 - 3 Prescott, AZ
D&N BANK LAKE SUPERIOR
PRO RALLY October 23 - 24 Houghton, MI
# # #
+Doo Wop event is a co-efficient 3 rally - national license-holders earn
60 percent of national points.
The best six finishes are counted for championship points.
National events will be telecast on ESPN2 on a delayed basis; produced by
Replica Productions, of Cambridge, Mass. (617) 492-7444.
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
"PERFECT" ONE-TWO HYUNDAI PUNCH DOMINATES MICHELIN PRO RALLY EVENT IN
NORTHWEST; CHOINIERE MORE POLISHED THAN EX-CHAMP, STEP-DAD BUFFUM
SHELTON, Wash. -- April 19 -- 11-time Michelin PRO Rally champion John
Buffum, still considered to be the best American PRO rally driver ever,
showed he still had his stuff, but defending champion Paul Choiniere,
teammate and step-son, showed the baton has been passed on the U.S. rally
scene.
Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker, winners of the Michelin PRO Rally
national title every year since 1992, took their Hyundai Tiburon 4WD to a
40-second win over Buffum and co-driver Mark Williams - in a Hyundai
Elantra 4WD - at the Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally in Washington
State.
"Paul has a smoother style than I do, and has learned to adjust his
driving style to his situation better than I did," said Buffum, whose
sticky transmission allowed Choiniere to overcome a mid-rally deficit.
"I was fast when I won my titles, but I would also run off the road with a
big lead - Paul never does that. My old nickname - "Stuff 'em Buffum" -
was not completely undeserved."
The Jamaican SuperClubs entry of David Summerbell/Michael Fennell was
third - in the North American debut of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV
rally car. Summerbell, in his first U.S. rally appearance, started off
cautiously on the wet, rocky Simpson Lumber Company logging roads, but was
clocked at more than 90 mph during the late stages of the event.
In the classes, the Carl Jardevall/John Elkin Volvo 740 turbo took the
large displacement two-wheel drive class (Group 5); the VW GTI of Dave
White/David Watts was first in the small displacement two-wheel drive
class (Group 2); defending class champions Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick
were first in the production four-wheel-drive class (Production GT); and
Trevor Donison/Catherine Roso won the stock class (Production) in their
Plymouth Neon.
The rough, slippery conditions caused a record number of rollovers -
four - and one burn-to-the-ground car fire. The blaze occurred in the ex-
national championship Saab 900 Group 2 car being driven by Doug
Schrenk/Rob Walden. The car had a cracked transmission case, and the
fluid caught fire. Both drivers escaped without injury.
Several of the rollovers caused pre-race favorites to end their day early,
including Group 5 points leaders Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes, who lost
control of their 325-hp. Toyota Supra and rolled wheels up into a ditch.
The new Ford Sierra Cosworth, driven by Garen Shrader with co-driver and
dad Floyd "Doc" Shrader, was enjoying its maiden voyage when a flat tire
at speed sent the car careening into a gully. The only injury of the
event occurred when Volvo 262 entrants John Lane/Scott Huhn rolled their
car end-over-end at speed after hitting a log. Lane was treated for hand
injuries and Huhn for a puncture wound at a local hospital.
Other pre-event favorites who suffered mechanical ills during the event
included the 410-hp. Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Ray Damitio,
which hit a railroad tie a speed, knocking out the car's half-shaft and
relegating it to 2WD for a while. Merrill finished fourth overall, just
ahead of the Ford Sierra Cosworth of Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault.
Although Rui Brasil/John Elkin's new Audi Quattro S-2 topped the radar gun
derby at more than 110 mph, Rui's list of mechanical problems, including
the critical fuel management system, gave him a disappointing eighth place
finish.
Replica Productions, of Cambridge, Mass., will present the Little Creek
Casino Wild West PRO Rally on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 9, at 6:30 PM
Eastern Daylight Time (3:30 PM Pacific).
The 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship consists of eight events, is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America (SCCA). The 1998 Little Creek Casino Wild West PRO Rally
was presented by the Northwest Region, SCCA. PRO Rally information, as
well as scores, updates, membership, or other SCCA material can be found
on the SCCA web site at <www.scca.com/amateur/prorally>.
The next event on the schedule is the Rim of the World PRO Rally, which
will take place on May 8 - 9, 1998, in Palmdale, California.
# # #
Results 98 Index
RRN Index