| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Bemidji, Minnesota -- August 31, 1998 |
Well, what can we say about the 1998 running of the Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally? It was just one of those weekends.
The event consisted of two Divisional events and one National event. One Divisional on Friday, one on Saturday, and the National runs concurrently with the two Divisionals including a few extra stages on Saturday.
Friday's (Aug. 28) Divisional (10,000 Lakes) and the National (Ojibwe Forests) ended for us quickly as the co-driver side strut tower failed on the Mayhem Racing Omni GLH Turbo during the third stage of the day. With 30 minutes allowed to service before the next stage, the team and crew worked like mad. Borrowing a welder and generator from another team, we tried to make the repairs needed. Due to the undersized generator, the welder just couldn't quite get the job done in the time allowed. We were forced to take a DNF (Did Not Finish) from the 10,000 Lakes and the National event.
Making the repairs the next morning, the team was ready to go for Saturday's (Aug. 29) Divisional, Paul Bunyan's Ride. Unfortunately, the day would also end after only three stages. Towards the end of the third stage, the Omni had a large drop in power.
Obtaining a tow back to service from another team, we went to work. This service was an hour long. Opening the hood, the team was greeted with oil all over the engine compartment. Initial testing determined a loss of compression in two cylinders. Since they were right next to each other, we hoped it was just a blown head gasket - a repair we could do in the allowed time. The valve cover was removed and the cylinder head was lifted up enough to slide out the head gasket. It was fine. That was bad news. We could lift the head enough to see into the first cylinder and what we saw really dropped the spirits of the whole team. There, in the top of the piston, was a hole. Another DNF. We couldn't see the second piston, but suspect that we will find the same results. A lean fuel/air mixture is most likely what caused the damage. Now we will just have to try to figure out what caused that situation to help avoid it in the future.
Our next event will be the Lake Superior PRO Rally in Houghton, Michigan on October 23 and 24th. The car and team will be ready to go.
Thanks for your support and we look forward to our next event!
To contact Mayhem Racing:
Mark Utecht, [email protected]
Paul Schwerin, [email protected]
For more information on Mayhem Racing Team and Crew, visit us at our website: MayhemRacing.com