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Maine Forest Rally

Maine Forest SCCA National PRO Rally

July 30-31, 1999

Results & Press Notes

Maine Forest ProRally
Round 6
1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship

Maine Forest ProRally
Round 6
Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship
July 30-31, 1999

Start Order

Pos  Class  Seed Car#   Driver/Co-Driver                Car
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1   Open    F    141   Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl       Audi Quattro S2
 2   Open    F      2   Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley     Hyundai Tiburon
 3   Open    F      5   Stig Blomqvist/Lance Smith      Ford Escort Cosworth
 4   Open    1     80   Jon Kemp/Rod Hendricksen        Audi 4000 quattro
 5   PGT     1     13   Cal Landau/Eric Marcus          Mitsubishi Eclispe GSX
 6   PGT     1     16   Gail Truess/Pam McGarvey        Mazda 323 GTX
 7   Grp 2   1     10   Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom    Volvo 240
 8   Grp 2   1    142   Jon Nichols/Mike Koch           Volkswagen Golf GTI
 9   Open    2    120   Dean Panton/Michael Fennel      Hyundai Elantra
10   Open    2     14   Garen Schrader/Doc Schrader     Mitsubishi Evo IV
11   Open    2    135   Bill Driegert/Claire Chizma     Subaru WRX
12   Open    2     20   George Plsek/Renn Phillips      Audi Quattro
13   PGT     2     21   Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson       Mitsubishi Eclipse
14   Grp 5   2     44   Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski  Dodge Shadow
15   Grp 5   2    111   Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot       Honda Prelude
16   Grp 5   2     82   Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn             Mazda Rx-7
17   Grp 2   2    180   Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay       Volkswagen Golf GTi
18   Grp 2   2    108   Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark       SAAB 99 EMS
19   Open    3    179   Demetrios Andreou/John Bellefleur Audi Quattro
20   Open    3     99   Sakis Hadjiminas/Brian Maxwell  Volkswagen Fox Kit Car
21   Open    3     64   Sylvester Stepniewski/Adam Pelc Audi quattro
22   Open    3     29   Dean Fry/Donald Kennedy         Subaru Legacy
23   PGT     3     27   Greg Healey/John MacLeod        Subaru Impreza
24   PGT     3    115   Seamus Burke/Mark Williams      Mitsubishi Galant VR4
25   Grp 5   3     38   Lesley Suddard/Marc Goldfarb    Dodge Charger
26   Prod    3     61   Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire      Volkswagen New Beetle
27   Open    4    188   Malachy Crawford/Finian Hannigan Mitsubishi Evo V
28   Open    4     11   Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek         Audi Quattro
29   Open    4    116   Thomas Lawless/Brendan Lawless  Volkswagen Golf GTi
30   Grp 2   4     71   Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardimen      Honda Civic
31   Grp 5   4    121   Mark Bowers/Duffy Bowers        Mitsubishi Starion
32   Prod    4     76   Ted Mendham/Lise Mendham        Nissan Sentra SE-R
33   Prod    4     73   Nicholas Robinson/Carl Lindquist  Honda Civic
34   Prod    4    145   Bruno Laverdiere/Martin Duval   Toyota Corolla
35   Prod    4    143   Ilana Rosenshein/Jennifer Cote  Suzuki Swift GT
36   Prod    4    119   Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerejko   Daewoo Nubira
37   Open    5    126   Arthur Wojcik/Charles Cox       Mitsubishi Galant VR4
38   PGT     5    168   Celsus Donnelly/Kevin Mullan    Eagle Talon TSi
39   Open    5    901   Gerry Brinkman/Will Sekella     Audi 4000 quattro
40   PGT     5    109   James Frandsen/Todd Bourdette   Audi 200
41   PGT     5     70   Kendall Russell/John Dillon     Dodge Shadow
42   Grp 2   5     42   Eric Burmeister/Mark Buskirk    Volkswagen Golf GTi
43   Grp 2   5    199   Mike White/Mike Ronan           SAAB 99 GLI
44   Grp 2   5    129   Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera    Nissan 200SX
45   Grp 2   5    146   Walt Kammer/Jackie Adams        Datsun 510
46   Grp 2   5     58   Roland McIvor/Richard Adelmann  Nissan Sentra SE-R
47   Prod    5     36   Evan Moen/Tom Young             Plymouth Neon
48   Open    6    152   Wojciech Hajduczyk/Cezary Fidler Plymouth Laser
49   Open    6    159   Michael ZamikhovskyRon Norton   Toyota Celica
50   Open    6    104   Martin Donnelly/Peter Cunningham Eaqle Talon
51   Open    6    175   Alex Erisoty/Ben Greisler       Audi 90
52   Open    6     43   Carlos Arrieta Sr./Belen Arrieta Audi 4000 quattro
53   Open    6    186   Jerry Cuffe/Barry Cuffe         Audi 80
54   Open    6     59   John Rek/Constantine Mantopolous  Audi S-2
55   PGT     6    100   Donal Mulleady/John O'Reilly    Mazda 323 GTX
56   PGT     6    161   Thomas Brann/Brendan Bohan      Subaru Legacy
57   PGT     6     97   Paul Dubinsky/Yvon Dubinsky     Eagle Talon
58   PGT     6     19   Rod Dean/Nichole Dean           Plymouth Laser
59   Grp 5   6    169   Carlos Arrieta Jr./Dick Casey   SAAB 900 Turbo
60   Grp 5   6    555   Colin McCleery/Jeff Secor       Mercury Merkur XR4ti
61   Grp 5   6    112   Jens Larsen/Roger Sanderson     Mazda Rx-7
62   Grp 2   6     77   Robert Pao/Bob Barrell          Volkswagen Golf GTi
63   Grp 2   6     60   John Rahill/Vladimir Hladky     Volkswagen Golf GTi
64   Grp 2   6    173   Patrick Lilly/Mark McAllister   Volkswagen Golf GTi
65   Grp 2   6     47   Ken Kovach/Mark Rinkel          Ford Escort GT
66   Grp 2   6     41   Art Burmeister/Jimmy Brandt     Volkswagen Golf GTi
67   Grp 2   6     15   Brad Hawkins/Adrian Wintle      Volkswagen Jetta
68   Open    6    167   David Green/Mike Wilkerson      Eagle Talon TSi
69   Prod    6     74   Ramana Lagemann/Bill Washburn   Volkswagen Golf GTi
70   Prod    6    174   Anders Green/Jeff Denton        Dodge Ram Pickup

Press Notes


Press Notes #1

Good morning and welcome to a beautiful, steamy, clear summer day in the densely wooded mountains of western Maine. In about three hours we will be getting underway in the Maine Forest ProRally, round 6 of the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship.

1.) It appears that we will have the largest field in the series' recent history. Registration will close shortly, after which we will post a final starting order. At present it appears that we will have 84-85 cars. However, in addition to having some stellar talent on hand, there are some significant changes.

2.) Headlining the huge field are several champions. The one attracting the most attention is 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist, who will be driving the late Carl Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth. This is part of a tribute to Merrill, the beloved Maine businessman and longtime series front-runner who called this event his home rally. Merrill's former crew chief, Wee Gee Smith, acquired the car earlier this year. Shortly after that he organized this tribute to Merrill, who did a great deal to promote the sport -- much of it behind the scenes and totally anonymously.

3.) Blomqvist will be facing stiff competition, including Canadian National Champions Frank and Dan Sprongl, who are here with their flying Audi quattro S2. Current point leaders Noel Lawler and Charlie, overall winners of the last rally, will have one of the two factory Hyundai Tiburons that were entered.

4.) Originally, their teammates, seven-time ProRally Champion Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker were to have driven the other Tiburon. However, Choiniere has a viral inner-ear infection that has not cleared up sufficiently for him to drive. So he was withdrawn.

5.) At that point, defending ProRally Champion David Summerbell was called in to take his place, in an Elantra, rather than a Tiburon. However, team owner John Buffum has just indicated that there are serious problems with the transmission in the Elantra. So Summerbell may not start the event.

6.) An even earlier withdrawal was that of Andrew Havas and Scott Slingerland. Despite working multiple all-nighters, Havas could not complete the Group 5 Mazda Rx-7 he has been working on feverishly for this event. He had completed the shell, and installed the engine and transmission; but the car still needed wiring, a dash and exterior painting. He's here as a disappointed spectator, now aiming for Ojibwe as the car's debut.

7.) John Shirley was to have been here with his Triumph TR7/V8, following a stopover at the Triumph convention in nearby Portland. However, the third time he fired up the new engine it seized up solid, promptly ended any attempt to make this event. Navigator Phil Barnes
came up anyhow, looking for a last-minute ride, but has signed on as an event worker

8.) We again will have information gathering assistance from Bowie Gray and Matt Johnson, who helped us in the same capacity at Susquehannock Trail, back at the beginning of June.

9.) Also graciously helping out this weekend is Andy Schupack, who served as the series' media liaison officer until this season. He's very busy these days with Kermish-Geylin Public Relations of New York and their impressive client lineup -- which includes DaimlerChrysler,
Porsche, Exide and Hemmings Motor News. Andy couldn't totally leave performance rallying, though. So he has been assisting the committee for this rally, and produced the program for the event. With that done, he's come back to help us.

10.) Andy's first stop was to get some background straight from the primary sources -- car owner WeeGee Smith and driver Stig Blomqvist -- on how the 1984 FIA World Rally Champion came to drive in this year's Maine Forest Rally. Smith said that after Carl Merrill's accident, which followed his heart attack during the Prescott Forest event last year, the team gave an estimate to the Merrill family of how much it would cost to fix the car. They were not interested in going down that path. Smith didn't want it to end there, however. So he offered to buy the car and spares from the family. They accepted the offer, and WeeGee now owns the Ford Escort Cosworth. He then thought there would be no finer tribute to Carl Merrill and his contribution to ProRally (and the Maine Forest event) than to get a world-class driver to
showcase the car which Carl blessed us all with since 1994.

11.) Andy Schupack's Blomqvist report, continued: Gary Baker, from Ford Motorsport Europe, was instrumental in helping to rebuild the car and update it to its current configuration.  Baker also contacted Blomqvist and set up the ride. Blomqvist, who works with Ford Engineering in the setup of the Puma -- its current World Rally car -- has been active in rally in recent years, driving for various teams in both national events and hillclimbs all over Europe. Smith has made minor adjustments to the Escort to make it run to Blomqvist's liking, but the major changes have been made by Baker -- including new front
and rear suspension, to update it to a full 1996 World Rally version of the Escort.

12.) We were surprised to hear that -- unlike World Rally -- most national rallies in Sweden are blind rallies like the US. So Blomqvist will not have a problem with the US format. He and co-driver Lance Smith have spent time together in the car, and Lance will have to call
corners faster than he is used to, because Stig goes faster. Everyone is confident that will happen. At the media stage this morning it was evident that Blomqvist was substantially faster that anyone else there.

13.) So what's next for the Ford Escort Cosworth? WeeGee Smith really doesn't know, but wants to maintain the car in the first-class manner that it has been kept -- everything done right. This means that any qualified driver who wants to drive the car for the team can, but they would need to come to the party with a large sponsorship package. Is that driver out there as we speak? Only time will tell.

14.) As for Blomqvist himself, the last time he ran in North America was in a Canadian event in Montreal in the 1970s (he did not run in the FIA events in Michigan or Washington state). Although he was surprised at the invitation to come run this event -- and was not confirmed until a little over a month ago when it was known that the car was ready to run -- Blomqvist said that racing is a business in which you always have to be prepared to grab a good opportunity. He has spent most of his time the last two years driving 2WD cars, but feels very comfortable in the ex-Merrill Escort Cosworth. Perhaps the best thing that Blomqvist told us is that one of the reasons he is here, and would welcome the opportunity to come back to the US again, is that Europeans have gotten the word that rally is growing here in
the U.S.

15.) Moving on to other topics, 70 cars started the ProRally this afternoon on Rumford's main street, driving under an impressive arch formed by the aerial ladders of two big "hook-and-ladder" fire trucks from the local communities. Canadian National Champions Frank and Dan Sprongl led the big field away with their Audi Quattro S2. They were
followed by current series points leaders Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley, in their Hyundai Tiburon, and Blomqvist, in the ex-Merrill Escort Cosworth.

16.) However, sitting forlornly back at the headquarters hotel -- with the freshly installed number 1 shining on its doors in the afternoon sun -- was the Hyundai Elantra that was to have been driven by defending series champion David Summerbell. The transmission problems mentioned earlier proved to be insurmountable, and the car never moved. Libra Racing had considered a mad dash back to their Vermont headquarters to get Paul Choiniere's new Tiburon, but there wasn't enough time when they realized how serious the problem was.

17.) As teams began arriving earlier in the week, there was some concern that the severe drought here in the Northeast would mean that this event would be the third-consecutive "dust" event this year. However, a serious rain storm passed through the area in the middle of the night, about 12 hours prior to the start. It very effectively ended the likelihood of any dust problems.

18.) One naturally occurring element of the area that isn't going to go away is the large moose population. This entire portion of the Northeast is practically alive with warning signs for moose crossings -- and they aren't kidding. The largest member of the deer family is
quite abundant here, and they are perhaps the largest in the world. Locals say that a big bull can weigh 1700 lbs. (800 kg).

19.) In a way, the presence of so many moose may make Blomqvist feel right at home. They are so common in Sweden that, at one time, one traffic accident in five involved hitting a moose. They call them "elk" over there, but they're still the same animal; only the name is
different. (They call our elk "wapiti," which is their real name anyhow.) We're mentioning moose here because one was seen on Stage 1 yesterday morning.

20.) Dean Fry and Don Kennedy are looking for great things this weekend from a new engine in their very reliable Open Class Subaru Legacy. It's a 2.2-liter non-turbo unit with high-lift, long-duration cams and extensive head work. This is matched up to a new custom exhaust system.

21.) The rally is run exclusively on private lands owned by paper and timber companies. The majority of the roads are owned by Mead Paper, whose publishing paper group and Rumford mill are going out of their way to help this event and make rallyists feel welcome here. The
remaining roads have been provided through the courtesy of International Paper and Seven Islands.

22.) Noel Lawler is sporting some additional new sponsorship on his Hyundai Tiburon this weekend. Snap-On Tools, which has major involvement with several other forms of motorsports, has made its first sizable move in ProRally. They have teamed up with our current points leader, forming a relationship which both sides expect to grow in the near future.

23.) The initial reports have come in from the first pair of stages -- which are actually the same road run in opposite directions -- and things aren't going well for some of the nicer cars in the field. Production GT leader Gail Truess had a big "off" a mile into Stage 1 and is out of the event. Early reports are that she went off backwards, hit a tree and then flipped at least once before coming to rest upside down in a ditch -- narrowly missing a photographer who was wisely positioned behind a stout tree. She and Pam McGarvey were unhurt. Reports are that just about the first words from Gail after she climbed out of the car were, "Did you get it!?" Apparently, the photographer's response was, "No."

24.) George Plsek and Renn Phillips have retired their Audi Quattro with a blow head gasket. This happened on Stage 2.

25.) Demetrios Andreou and John Bellefleur are said to have had a hard crash within sight of the finish of Stage 2. Apparently, Andreou missed the downhill 90-degree left turn leading onto the final quarter mile of the stage. Reports are that the car went straight across the
road, cleared a small bank and ended up in a ditch with the front end pushed in significantly
.

26.) Ivan and Olga Orisek have retired their Open Class Audi quattro after the engine abruptly quit. Prior to that time, they had been experiencing overheating, but they are unsure of the cause that put them out.

27.) Leslie Suddard and Marc Goldfarb have retired their Group 5 Dodge Charger after severely damaging their right-rear suspension. If they can locate a rear axle, they intend to make repairs and run in the ClubRally tomorrow.

28.) The Open Class Subaru Impreza WRX of Bill Driegert and Claire Chizma is thought to have done some landscaping a time or two. One of our press assistants reported that he saw it sporting fresh greenery more than once.

29.) Chris Havas and Eric Tremblay lost the grill on their six-speed Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi early on. However, not long after that they retired the car when the rubber vibration damping portion of their crankshaft pulley failed. That would have left them with no way to drive the belt that turns the alternator and water pump. This came about two miles into SS 2.

30.) Jim Anderson and Martin Dapot also are through for the event. On Stage 2 they encountered a "yump" that was bigger than it appeared. The resulting hard landing failed their right-front shock absorber, and they had to retire their pretty yellow Group 5 Honda Prelude.

31.) Reports from the first two stages suggest that Mike Hurst and Rob Bohn are having gear-selection problems with their Group 5 Mazda Rx-7.

32.) It appears that Bill Malik and Christian Edstrom are having engine or ignition problems in their Group 2 Volvo 240. The engine is reported to be running well at times, but sputtering and stuttering at others.

33.) Garen and Doc Shrader are said to have had two spins in the early stages with their Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV.

34.) It seems that Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire now have a real challenge on their hands, if they are to give their Volkswagen New Beetle its third-straight Production Class win. Both front shocks failed in the early going, and the resulting problems have put them about two and a half minutes back of first place.

35.) Ted and Lise Mendham have had to change the right-rear shock on their Nissan Sentra SE-R, apparently as the result of damage sustained on the second pair of stages.

36.) Mike White and Mike Ronan are experiencing an unexplained partial loss of power in their Group 2 SAAB 99 Gli.

37.) Donal Mulleady and John O'Reilly lost the skid-plate of their Production GT Mazda 323 GTX on Stage 4.

38.) Stage 6, which was to have been the final stage of the evening, has been cancelled, because communications in the area were judged to be spotty. Competitors transited the stage and returned to Rumford to end the evening's activities.

39.) Scores at the end of the first day do not show any surprises at the front of the field. Blomqvist and Smith are first overall in the Ford Escort Cosworth, with a time of 37:28. The Sprongls are second, at 38:94, in their Audi Quattro S2. Lawler and Bradley are third in
their Hyundai Tiburon, with a 39:81.

40.) Jon Nichols and Mike Koch are a surprising seventh overall in their Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi, with a time of 41:78. Bill Malik and Christian Edstrom are second in their Volvo 240, 11th overall, at 42:92.

41.) Seamus Burke and Mark Williams are the surprise Production GT leaders in their Mitsubishi Galant VR4, ninth overall with a 42:26. Cal Landau and Eric Marcus are breathing down their necks in 10th with their Mitsubishi Eclipse, at 42:87.

42.) Henry and Cindy Krolikowski have the lead in Group 5, 14th overall in their Dodge Shadow, at 44:14. Mike Hurst and Rob Bohn are a mere 4.2 seconds behind in their Mazda Rx7, at 44.21.

43.) Ted and Lise Mendham are tops in the Production Class with their Nissan Sentra SE-R, at 44:91. Evan Moen and Tom Young are second in their Plymouth Neon ACR, at 45:53.

44.) Detailed times for all competitors will be posted shortly on the rally's website -- http://www.rallyracingnews.com//maine/index.html In meantime, it is possible to view them on the scoring team's own website --
http://pages.infinit.net/@@NyxmjBYAetGObh@t/jgeorges/result/maine99pos5.htm

45.) Reports will resume after the restart, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Good morning and welcome to day two of the Maine Forest ProRally, Round 6 of the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship. It’s partly cloudy, warm and humid here in the dense woods of western Maine. It’s uncomfortable outside, but nowhere near as unbearably hot as yesterday…at least not yet. 

46.) Restart time today is 9:30 a.m., and cars are moving down highway US 2 to the restart point, a large unoccupied commercial complex a half-mile from the headquarters hotel. It has a huge parking lot that is ideal for staging such a large field of cars. 

47.) In addition to the second day of the ProRally, today we have the Mead Paper ClubRally running together with the Pro event. It will run the same roads. Teams running both the Pro and Club events will stay in their positions based on where they finished yesterday. Those competing in only the Club event will be added at the end of the Pro field. 

48.) With day one’s attrition (54 cars remain from yesterday’s 70 starters) and today’s added Club entries, we will start about the same size field today. 

49.) Yesterday’s observation that the heavy early morning rainstorm had very effectively ended the likelihood of dust problems proved correct -– but only so far. The rain did not cover as large an area as had been thought. As a result, Stages 1-4 were just fine. However, Stage 5 turned out to be a dust bowl, and Stage 6 would have been one also, had it not been cancelled due to spotty communications. So much for relying on weather canoes for forecasting. (More later.) 

50.) The dust was so severe on Stage 5 that Charlie Bradley says he and Noel Lawler lost a full 40 seconds to the Sprongls, who were ahead of them on the road. 

51.) Like everyone else, Dean Panton and Mike Fennell lost a fair amount of time to the dust on Stage 5. However, according to Panton’s father (who is checking in periodically from his home in Jamaica) they also had a turbo hose come adrift on the stage, leaving the car seriously down on power. In addition, he said that the car apparently was somewhat down on power on other stages.

Restart Order

Pos  Class  Seed Car#   Driver/Co-Driver                Car
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1   Open    F      5   Stig Blomqvist/Lance Smith      Ford Escort Cosworth
 2   Open    F    141   Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl       Audi quattro S2
 3   Open    F      2   Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley     Hyundai Tiburon
 4   Open    1     80   Jon Kemp/Rod Hendricksen        Audi 4000 quattro
 5   Open    2     14   Garen Schrader/Doc Schrader     Mitsubishi Evo IV
 6   Open    2    120   Dean Panton/Michael Fennel      Hyundai Elantra
 7   Grp 2   1    142   Jon Nichols/Mike Koch           Volkswagen Golf GTI
 8   Open    3     99   Sakis Hadjiminas/Brian Maxwell Volkswagen Fox Kit Car
 9   PGT     3    115   Seamus Burke/Mark Williams      Mitsubishi Galant VR4
10   PGT     1     13   Cal Landau/Eric Marcus          Mitsubishi Eclipse
11   Grp 2   1     10   Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom    Volvo 240
12   PGT     5    168   Celsus Donnelly/Kevin Mullan    Eagle Talon TSi
13   Open    4    188   Malachy Crawford/Finian Hannigan Mitsubishi Evo V
14   Grp 5   2     44   Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow
15   Grp 5   2     82   Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn             Mazda Rx-7
16   Open    3     64   Sylvester Stepniewski/Adam Pelc Audi quattro
17   Grp 2   4     71   Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardimen      Honda Civic
18   Grp 2   2    108   Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark       SAAB 99 EMS
19   Prod    4     76   Ted Mendham/Lise Mendham        Nissan Sentra SE-R
20   PGT     2     21   Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson       Mitsubishi Eclipse
21   PGT     3     27   Greg Healey/John MacLeod        Subaru Impreza
22   Open    6    175   Alex Erisoty/Ben Greisler       Audi 90
23   Grp 5   4    121   Mark Bowers/Duffy Bowers        Mitsubishi Starion
24   Prod    5     36   Evan Moen/Tom Young             Plymouth Neon
25   Open    4    116   Thomas Lawless/Brendan Lawless  Volkswagen Golf GTi
26   Prod    4    119   Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerejko   Daewoo Nubira
28   PGT     5    109   James Frandsen/Todd Bourdette   Audi 200
29   PGT     6    161   Thomas Brann/Brendan Bohan      Subaru Legacy
30   Open    5    126   Arthur Wojcik/Charles Cox       Mitsubishi Galant VR4
31   Prod    4     73   Nicholas Robinson/Carl Lindquist  Honda Civic
32   Grp 2   5    199   Mike White/Mike Ronan           SAAB 99 GLI
33   Grp 2   5     42   Eric Burmeister/Mark Buskirk    Volkswagen Golf GTi
34   Grp 2   5    146   Walt Kammer/Jackie Adams        Datsun 510
35   Grp 5   6    555   Colin McCleery/Jeff Secor       Mercury Merkur XR4ti
36   Prod    3     61   Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire      Volkswagen New Beetle
37   Open    6     59   John Rek/Constantine Mantopolous Audi S2
38   Grp 2   5    129   Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera    Nissan 200SX
39   PGT     6     97   Paul Dubinsky/Yvon Dubinsky     Eagle Talon
40   PGT     5     70   Kendall Russell/John Dillon     Dodge Shadow
41   Open    6    159   Michael ZamikhovskyRon Norton   Toyota Celica
42   Grp 2   6    173   Patrick Lilly/Mark McAllister   Volkswagen Golf GTi
43   Grp 2   6     41   Art Burmeister/Jimmy Brandt     Volkswagen Golf GTi
44   Open    5    901   Gerry Brinkman/Will Sekella     Audi 4000 quattro
45   Grp 2   6     77   Robert Pao/Bob Barrell          Volkswagen Golf GTi
46   PGT     6     19   Rod Dean/Nichole Dean           Plymouth Laser
47   Grp 2   6     15   Brad Hawkins/Adrian Wintle      Volkswagen Jetta
48   PGT     6    100   Donal Mulleady/John O'Reilly    Mazda 323 GTX
49   Grp 5   6    112   Jens Larsen/Roger Sanderson     Mazda Rx-7
50   Open    6    152   Wojciech Hajduczyk/Cezary Fidler Plymouth Laser
51   Open    6    186   Jerry Cuffe/Barry Cuffe         Audi 80
52   Prod    4    143   Ilana Rosenshein/Jennifer Cote  Suzuki Swift GT
53   Open    6    167   David Green/Mike Wilkerson      Eagle Talon TSi
54   Prod    4    145   Bruno Laverdiere/Martin Duval   Toyota Corolla
55   Open    2    135   Bill Driegert/Claire Chizma     Subaru WRX
56   Grp 5   3     38   Lesley Suddard/Marc Goldfarb    Dodge Charger
57   Open    TBA  906   TBA/TBA                         TBA
58   Open    6     43   Carlos Arrieta Sr./Belen Arrieta Audi 4000 quattro
59   Open    4    969   Christopher Sanborn/Lou Datilio Audi 4000 quattro
60   Open    6    104   Martin Donnelly/Peter Cunningham Eaqle Talon
61   Open    6    905   John Carrara/Philip Ho          Dodge Shadow
62   Grp 5   6    990   Charles Sprigg/Andy Jones       Volkswagen Golf GTi
63   Grp 5   6    907   Frederic Carpenter/Joshua Bessem Alfa Romeo Milano
64   Grp 5   6    921   Howard Richards/Joel Richards   Mitsubishi Eclipse
65   TBA     6    461   TBA/TBA                         TBA
66   PGT     6    902   Marty  Allen/Stewart Allen      Mazda 323 GTX
67   PGT     6    913   Janusz Jastrzebski/Marcin Korneluk  Subaru Impreza
68   Grp 2   6    912   John Cassidy/Travis Smith       Honda Civic CRX
69   Grp 2   6    910   Matthew Lewis/Tony Lumino       Pontiac LeMans
70   Grp 2   6    522   Jonathan Butts/Garry Butts      Dodge Omni

52.) Before they retired last evening, Chris Havas and Eric Tremblay were flying in their six-speed Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi. They were the fastest two-wheel-drive car, and were running about eighth overall.

53.) Seed 6 driver Alex Aristoy and veteran navigator Ben Greisler were flying, too, in their Open Class Audi 90; and they still are. Yesterday they moved up a whopping 31 places.

54.) One of the front-runners who is not here this weekend is Paul Eklund, whose screaming-yellow Open Class Subaru Impreza finished sixth overall at Rim of the World and third overall at Wild West. Limited budget has forced him to pass up this rally. However, he is aiming to make all of the remaining events.

55.) Dean Fry and Don Kennedy had been expecting great things from the new engine in their Open Class Subaru Legacy, but had a rather short event. They retired on Stage 1 with two broken rocker arms. Because the engine is a four-valve type, and because the broken arms were on different cylinders, the engine ran quite well after the failures. In fact, they couldn't even tell anything was wrong until they completed the stage and could hear the noise from the broken parts. 56.) Only in wonderful Maine Dept.: Maine, of course, is very famous for lobster. The McDonald's just down the road from the headquarters hotel features lobster rolls on its menu. Just try ordering one of them in your local McDonald's. (They're about four dollars, and won't win any awards; but they're not bad.)

57.) Last night, Ramana Lagemann and Bill Washburn swerved to miss a large rock in the dust on Stage 5, went off the road and into a culvert. The car wasn't badly damaged, but they retired their Production Class Volkswagen Golf GTi on the spot with a holed fuel tank. 

58.) Earlier, we thanked Andy Schupack and press assistants Bowie Gray and Matt Johnson. We also should point out that Craig Zurhorst of Mead Paper has been the human dynamo behind Mead's efforts to make the rally happen. He's been everywhere, doing just about everything -- coordinating people and equipment, moving and setting up audio equipment, helping us set up and run the media/VIP stage yesterday, and doing his regular job. On behalf of the entire rally, thanks, Craig!

59.) Peter Malaszuk and Darek Szerejko have been running well in the factory-backed Production Class Daewoo Nubira. However, on Stage 4, as they landed after a jump a large rock wedged itself between the skid plate and the right-front control arm. The result was a mangled control arm, which was replaced in the next service. They're back running well. 

60.) Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire will not get their third-straight Production Class victory for the Volkswagen New Beetle. Suspension problems have taken them out of the hunt; but they still will run in the ClubRally.

61.) The fresh-cut flowers in the New Beetle's bud vase for this rally are geraniums.
62.) Now, about the weather canoes: We've been using an old backwoods Maine guides' trick for determining weather conditions. The technique depends on the upturned bottom of a canoe, and works like this: If the canoe is wet, it's raining. If light is reflecting strongly off the
canoe, it's sunny. If it's summer, you can't see the canoe, and all you can see is white, it's foggy. If it's winter, you can't see the canoe, and all you can see is white, it's snowing. If you can't see the canoe and all you can see is black, it's night. And so on.

63.) First reports from the field indicate that things are going along as before at the front of the field. After Stage 8, Blomqvist/Smith have more than a two-and-a-quarter minute cushion over the Sprongls. Lawler/Bradley are about 75 seconds back from there, with the Shraders
a bit less than four minutes further back.

64.) Malik/Edstrom (Volvo 240) have about two minutes on Gerald Sweet and Stuart Spark (SAAB 99EMS)in Group 2, and they're running in the top 10.

65.) In Group 5, Henry and Cindy Krolikowski (Dodge Shadow) are about a minute ahead of Mike Hurst and Rob Bohn. Hurst and Bohn have a hot new peripheral-port 13B engine in their Mazda Rx-7, and it seems to be running very well.

66.) In Production GT, early leaders Cal Landau and Eric Marcus are reported out of the event. They're said to be limping along a short distance of a time in the crippled Mitsubishi Eclipse, but the cause of their problem is not known.

67.) Chris Czyzio and Eric Carlson have assumed the PGT lead in their Eclipse. They are about 30 seconds ahead of Greg Healey and John Macleod, in their new Subaru Impreza.
68.) ClubRally entrants Marty and Stewart Allen had a frightening "off" in their Mazda 323 GTX. About 21 miles into Stage 8, Marty slid a little wide on a turn, got snagged by a rut and was flung off the road at perhaps 80 mph. The car was thrown into a series of five and a
half flips and rolls, cleared some trees and wound up on its roof well off the road. They were quickly out and assured cars behind them that they were okay. Marty is bruised and sore; Stewart has a broken arm but will be fine.

69.) Bill Dreigert and Claire Chizma also went off on Stage 8, in roughly the same vicinity. They had stopped previously to inspect the right-rear tire for problems. It looked fine, so they went on. A while later the wheel and tire folded under, and they shot almost straight off the road. The Subaru WRX ended up in a culvert, and their day was done.

70.) Mike White and Mike Ronan putted along through Stage 8 in their SAAB 99 GLi. At the next service, they changed the fuel pump and filter, and the problem was solved. 

71.) Team Honda Research's Nicholas Robinson and Carl Lindquist finished Stage 8 without a right-front tire on their Production Class Honda Civic. At present, there is no explanation of how they lost the tire.

72.) David Green and Mike Wilerson had to stop and repair hoses on Stage 8. Once repairs were made, they were able to continue on in their Eagle Talon. 

73.) A crowd of almost 2000 people (Rumford police estimate)  jammed into downtown Rumford's main street for the finish of the 12th running of the Maine Forest ProRally. The 48 cars remaining from the 70 that started the day's festivities ran the rally's final stage in town. It was a half-mile course that ran through Mead Paper's facility, and ended with a fast 90-degree left and a flying finish on Congress St. In a very unusual move, cars ran the final stage in the reverse order. This was designed to give the fans, competitors and workers a chance to applaud the rally winners while the event was still underway.

74.) Some of the loudest applause came from the crowd when Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley's Hyundai Tiburon hit the big orange traffic barrel placed in front of the Dunkin' Donuts to keep drivers from hitting a hard-to-see curb. The barrel was just 25 yards from the
finish.

75.) Eric Burmeister and Mark Buskirk had a flat right-rear tire on their Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi when they came up the hill to the Dunkin' Donuts turn. The tire nearly rolled off the rim as they rounded the corner onto Congress Street. They made it, though, and the
crowd loved it.

76.) Bryan Hourt and Peter Cardimen had the same flat-tire experience in their Group 2 Honda Civic. The crowd loved that effort, too, and showed their appreciation.

77.) The Shraders crossed the finish with a nice slide. However, immediately after they did there was the distinct telltale  "thunk" and cloud of oil smoke that indicates a blown engine. Sure enough, they said that the engine had thrown a rod through the side of the block. However, they still were pleased with their fourth-place finish, and could even joke that they had been worried about the alternator before the start of the stage.

78.) Finally, Stig Blomqvist and Lance Smith perfectly slid the Ford Escort Cosworth through the Dunkin' Donuts turn, to the delight of the crowd. They had completed their mission to honor the memory of the Maine Forest ProRally's favorite son, Carl Merrill. They had piloted
the former Merrill car to an impressive overall win over a great field of open-class cars. Blomqvist got a huge cheer at the podium ceremony, which also was held downtown.

79.) Final results will follow as a separate message. However, the class winners are: Blomqvist/Smith (Ford Escort Cosworth)in Open, 1:39:58; Malik/Edstrom (Volvo 240)in Group 2, sixth overall, 1:54:16; Krolikowski/Krolikowski (Dodge Shadow), seventh overall, 1:54:27; Healey/Macleod (Subaru Impreza) in Production GT, 12th overall, 1:57:15; and Moen/Young (Plymouth Neon ACR) in Production, 18th overall, 1:58:56.

Final Results (Thanks to Rally Racing News)

Maine Forest Rally 1999 SCCA ProRally Result 

Finish Class Driver Car Pos.Pos. ClassSeedCar #Navigator Hometown Tires Time 

1 1 Open F 5 Stig Blomqvist Sweden Escort Cosworth Lance Smith Hinesburg, VT Michelin 1:39:58 (+2:36)

2 2 Open F 141 Frank Sprongl Mississauga, OntAudi Quattro Dan Sprongl Mississauga, Ont Yokohama 1:42:34

3 3 Open F 2 Noel Lawler Manchester Vlg, VT Hyundai Tiburon Charles Bradley Ardmore, PA Pirelli 1:44:43 

4 4 Open 2 14 Garen Schrader Memphis, TN Mitsubishi Evo Doc Schrader Memphis, TN Michelin 1:50:15 

5 5 Open 1 80 Jon Kemp Attico, NY Audi Quattro Rod Hendickson Clinton, NJ Michelin 1:51:59

 6 1 Gr 2 1 10 Bill Malik Burbank, CA Volvo 240 Christian Edstrom Valencia, CA Michelin 1:54:16

 7 1 Gr 5 2 44 Henry Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI Dodge Shadow Cindy Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI Michelin 1:54:27 

8 2 Gr 2 2 108 Gerald Sweet Oakridge, NJ Saab 99 EMS Stuart Spark Woodcliff Lake, NJ Michelin 1:55:46 

9 6 Open 6 175 Alex Erisoty New York, NY Audi 90 Ben Greister Holland, PA Michelin 1:55:48 

10 2 Gr 5 2 82 Mike Hurst Indianapolis, INMazda RX-7 Rob Bohn Noblesville, IN Michelin 1:56:40 

11 3 Gr 5 4 121 Mark Bowers Afton, VA Mitsubishi Sta. Duffy Bowers Afton, VA Michelin 1:56:41 

12 1 P.GT 3 27 Greg Healey Saugerties, NY Subaru Impreza John Macleod So Easton, MA Michelin 1:57:15 

13 2 P.GT 2 21 Chris Czyzio Flushing, MI Mitsubishi Ecl. Eric Carlson Oregon, WI Michelin 1:57:22 

14 3 Gr 2 4 71 Bryan Hourt Hilliard, OH Honda Civic Peter Cardimen Dublin, OH Michelin 1:57:25 

15 7 Open 3 64 Sylvester Stepniewski Keansburg, NJ Audi Quattro Adam Pelc Middle Village, NY Michelin 1:57:37 

16 8 Open 4 106 Malachy CrawfordGarden City, NY Mitsubishi Evo Finian Hannigan Dublin, Ireland Michelin 1:57:59 

17 4 Gr 2 4 116 Thomas Lawless Maspeth, NY VW GTI Sean Divine Maspeth, NY Michelin 1:58:20 

18 1 Spor 5 36 Evan Moen Clarkston, MI Plymouth Neon Tom Young Lapees, MI Michelin 1:58:56 

19 2 Spor 4 119 Peter Malaszuk Stamford, CT Daewoo Nubira Darek Szerejko Ryebrook, NY Michelin 1:59:05 

20 9 Open 5 126 Arthur Wojcik Middle Village, NY Mitsubishi Gal Charles Cox Cambridge, MA Michelin 1:59:17 

21 3 P.GT 5 168 Celsus Donnelly New York, NY Eagle TalonTsi Kevin Mullin New York, NY Michelin 2:02:17 

22 5 Gr 2 5 146 Walt Kammer Williamsville, NY Datsun 510 Jackie Adams North Collins, NY Yokohama 2:03:02 

23 4 Gr 5 6 555 Colin McCleery Zeeland, MI Merkur XR 4ti Jeff Secor Hudsonville, MI Michelin 2:03:21 

24 3 Spor 3 61 Karl Scheible Spencerport, NY VW New Beetle Gail McGuire Avon, NY Michelin 2:04:07 

25 10 Open 6 59 John Rek Chicago, Il Audi S-2 C. Mantopoulos Si, NY Michelin 2:04:47 

26 4 P.GT 6 97 Paul Dubinsky Fort Mill, SC Eagle Talon Yvon Dubinsky Fort Mill, SC Michelin 2:05:56 

27 4 Spor 4 73 Nicholas Robinson Plain City, OH Honda Civic Carl Lindquist Zanesfield, OH Michelin 2:06:40 

28 5 P.GT 5 70 Kendall Russell Knoxville, TN Dodge Shadow John Dillon Thousand Oaks, CA Michelin 2:07:35 

29 6 Gr 2 6 173 Patrick Lilly Yonkers, NY VW GTI Mark McAllister New York, NY Michelin 2:07:38 

30 11 Open 6 159 Michael Zamikhovsky Watchung, NJ Toyota Celica Ron Norton Solebury, PA Michelin 2:07:55 

31 7 Gr 2 6 15 Brad Hawkins Wilmington, DE VW Jetta Adrian Wintle Newmarket, Ont Michelin 2:08:05 

32 8 Gr 2 5 129 Scott Kreisler Boyerstown, PA Nissan 200SX John Bonasera Collegeville, PA Michelin 2:08:08 

33 6 P.GT 6 19 Rod Dean Holly, MI Plym. Laser Nichole Dean Holly, MI Michelin 2:08:21 

34 9 Gr 2 5 199 Mike White Keene, NH Saab 99 Gli Mike Ronan Dover, NH Michelin 2:08:24

 35 10 Gr 2 6 41 Art Burmeister Sterling, MI VW GTI Jimmy Brandt Lake Odessa, MI Michelin 2:08:43 

36 7 P.GT 6 100 Donal P MulleadyBayonne, NJ Mazda GTX John O Reilly Yonkers, NY Michelin 2:10:03 

37 11 Gr 2 6 77 Robert Pao Branchburg, NJ VW GTI Bob Barrell Bethlehem, PA Michelin 2:11:14 

38 12 Open 6 186 Jerry Cuffe Bronx, NY Audi 80 Barry Cuffe Bronx, NY Michelin 2:13:16 

39 5 Spor 4 145 Bruno LaverdiereLaval, Quebec Toyota Corolla Martin Duval Ste -Catherine, Que Yokohama 2:14:11 

40 6 Spor 4 143 Ilana RosensheinWaterloo, Ont Suz. Swift GT Jennifer Cote Don Mills, Ont Yokohama 2:15:46 

41 8 P.GT 5 109 James R FrandsenMillerton, PA Audi 200 Todd Bourdette Millerton, PA Michelin 2:16:57 

42 13 Open 5 901 Gerry Brinkman Farmingdale, NJ Audi Quattro Will Sekella Reading, PA Silverstone 2:24:41 

43 12 Gr 2 5 42 Eric Burmeister Dearborn Hgts, MI VW GTI Mark Buskirk Kentwood, MI Michelin 2:32:07 

44 14 Open 6 167 David Green Fairfax Station, VA Eagle TalonTsi Mike Wilerson Arlington, VA Michelin 2:46:13


 #End#



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Last updated: August 01, 1999.