Classes: Open; PGT Production
GT; Prod Production; G2 Group 2; G5 Group 5
Thanks to Ed Jacobs SCCA
National ProRally Media Officer
Press Notes #1
Good morning and welcome to a crisp, brilliantly clear day in north-central Pennsylvania. In a little over an hour 80 cars -- well, 79
cars and one pickup -- will start round 4 of the 1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship.
1.) If you had to pick a prototype day for a ProRally, or just about any other sporting event that takes place at this time of year, today would
be a great choice.
2.) It's in the low 70s, with a nice breeze and just a cloud or two overhead. The cars are gathered around the picturesque village green
here in the center of Wellsboro, in a Parc Expose. The usual large crowd of spectators is strolling around the green looking at the cars and
chatting with the participants as we get ready to start.
3.) Perhaps the biggest smiles to be seen belong to Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley -- because the weather has been so great. Despite all of
the rain in the East lately, it is quite dry here, meaning that this will be a "dust" rally. Since Lawler and Bradley start
first-on-the-road, in one of the two factory Hyundai Tiburons, they'll have clear sailing and a much easier time than everyone behind them.
4.) The big news, though, is that this event will be sort of an unofficial North American rally championship showdown. A late entry
change has brought together the Canadian champions, the seven-time US champion and the Mexican national champion.
5.) The 1998 winners of this rally, Frank and Daniel Sprongl, are here with their always-potent Audi quattro S2. They are the multi-time
Canadian champions and winners of the last three events in Canada.
6.) A driver change in Lance Stewart's new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V has put defending Mexican national champion Gabriel Marin-Ortiz in the
driver's seat, with Mark Williams navigating. Marin has three national titles to his credit, and has won both of Mexico's nationals run so far
this year.
7.) Of course, seven-time US champion Paul Choiniere is on hand. Along with co-driver Jeff Becker, he's in the other factory Hyundai Tiburon.
Among them, these three drivers have more than a dozen national championships. They will start two, three, five (Sprongl, Choiniere,
Marin).
8.) One of the fast teams that will not be here to give them a run for the money is that of Pete Lahm and Matt Chester. They're the overall
points leaders right now, but Lahm has run up against mid-season budget problems and will have to skip this event. His program to run the Lancer
Evo IV came together at the beginning of the year, far too late in most companies' budget year to generate much meaningful sponsorship. However,
he does expect to run in the next round of the series, Wild West, which will take place in two weeks in Shelton, Washington.
9.) For those who were wondering, we elected not to attempt to put out the normal preliminary start list due to the very large oversubscription
here. The field is limited to 80 starters, but 105 entries were received, perhaps the largest entry ever for a ProRally. With that many
extra cars, it was certain that there would be a fair number of changes. There were, almost up to the start.
10.) Among them was Frank Cunningham, who lost a brand new engine in his Group 5 Volkswagen G60 this morning before the car ever turned a wheel
in competition. This was after the truck towing the rally car broke down yesterday in New York, and a replacement had to be brought from Boston.
After all of the hassles to get the car here, they never even made it to the start.
11.) Prior to the arrival of cars in town, Jamaican Dean Panton withdrew his entry. He had been set to run a Hyundai Elantra.
12.) Jim Anderson is bringing his Group 5 Honda Prelude VTEC out for the first time this year. It's sporting a new graphics treatment, a new
sponsor, Stock Charts, and new Wilwood four-piston front brakes. Future mods will include switching to gearing from an Accord Type R to better
use the VTEC power.
13.) Leslie Suddard's Group 5 Dodge Charger is carrying new sponsorship that is very appropriate for this area. LYMErix is the first vaccine for
the treatment of lyme disease, which is a rapidly increasing problem in a number of places around the country. The area around Wellsboro has one
of the higher incidences.
14.) Two-time PGT champion Steve Gingrich has moved up to Open Class, and this is the first time out for his upgraded Eagle Talon.
15.) There will be a bit of friendly sponsor rivalry within Libra Racing, as Noel Lawler's Hyundai Tiburon is now sporting the logos of Hanson
Beverage's Energy drink. Teammate Paul Choiniere's Tiburon carries the identification of Energy's prime competitor, Red Bull.
16.) We will have 13 stages today and tonight, four on the morning-afternoon leg, and the remaining nine on the evening-night
section. Overall, this is a comparatively compact event, with the stage and transit miles virtually evenly split, at 158 stage miles and 157
transit miles.
17.) Another of the teams coming out for the first time this season is the two-car entry from Team Honda Research. This is not a "factory"
effort, even though both drivers and co-drivers are engineers at Honda's research and development facility in Ohio. Jay Kowalik and Scott Embree
have revised suspension on the Civic HX Coupe, which is again using Honda's continuously variable transmission. Bryan Hourt and Pete
Cardimen are in the Civic DX with the manual transmission.
18) The first DNF reported was at the end of Stage 1, the famous creek crossing. Ivan and Olga Orisek flashed across the creek and up the bank
on the far side, but were unable to get their Audi quattro to turn when they crested the bank. They went straight on into a large tree, folding
in the front of the car and scattering nearby spectators. No one was injured, but it is said that there were some very wide-awake spectators
in the area after that.
19.) Roughly a half mile from
the creek crossing, near Bergeron's Corner, the organizers set up a radar gun to see who was really fast.
Noel Lawler, first on the road, turned in 84 mph. Paul Choiniere was a tick slower, at 83. However, Frank Sprongl, the meat in the Hyundai
sandwich, dusted everyone at 91 mph.
20.) As anticipated prior to the start, reports coming in from the early stages indicate that dust is the major factor that everyone expected
that it would be. In fact, about the only driver or co-driver not grumbling about the dust was Kenyan Arthur Odero-Jowi. He and Jim Hurley
were just motoring along pretty happily.
21.) Jim Anderson reported that he was happy with the new brakes, but is bothered by the dust and is a little concerned about the overall balance
of the Prelude. Without any turbocharging or supercharging, he feels that he is still well down on power to other Group 5 cars.
22.) Dust is a factor for Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in the Group 5 Toyota Supra. However, it has warmed up noticeably since this morning,
and heat is their big concern, both for the car and the occupants. Like a like of veteran co-drivers, Noyes had gotten ill during the last event
as a result of the high heat. So they are running the car with the windows removed and window nets in place. While dust is a problem with
respect to visibility, Noyes reports that they aren't getting that much into the car until speeds get up around 100 mph. The engine cooling
problem was in fact related to the failure the "mister" which sprays water onto the radiator for improved cooling.
23.) Group 2 frontrunner Chris Havas was among the first DNFs in his Golf GTi. He and Eric Tremblay got into heavy dust as they were catching
the car ahead of them, dropped a wheel into an unseen ditch or hole and broke the right-front halfshaft. They had been running well and were
enjoying their new six-speed transmission.
24.) Alex Eristoy and Ben Greisler had made a major charge through the field. At the end of the first four stages, they had moved up to 27th,
after starting 58th. However, they had to disconnect both front driveshafts on their Audi 90 quattro after experiencing problems on the
first leg.
25.) John Kemp and Rod Hendricksen lost boost in their Audi quattro on the second stage, but were able to repair the problem between Stages 2
and 3.
26.) Grisha and Sonia Trepetin struggled through the first four stages with a car that just didn't want to put out any power over 5000 rpm.
After getting to service, they checked the onboard diagnostics and traced the problem back to a loose plug on the controller for the VTEC
technology. They also had a flat on the transit after Stage 4, but it didn't hurt their time.
27.) Lesley Suddard and Marc Goldfarb are experiencing problems with the engine cutting out in their Dodge Charger. It gave them a bit of a scare
when it quit in the middle of the water crossing.
28.) Jim Anderson says that this is the fastest STPR he's ever seen, a sentiment shared by a number of others. The flip-side of that is that
they also say is it unusually slippery for dry conditions.
29.) There are two errors on
previous pages that need to be corrected. On page 1, the Lancer Evo V being driven by the Mexican champion belongs
to Lance Smith, not Lance Stewart. On page 2, the two-time PGT champion is Steve Gingras, not Gingrich.
30.) At the first service, Cal Landau and Eric Marcus are reported to have had no brakes earlier in their Mitsubishi Eclipse, and are working
on the problem. They are running very well though.
31.) There is a three-way battle going on in PGT, among Landau/Marcus and the Mazda 323 GTXs of Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey and Gail Truess/Pattie
Hughes. Each team is pushing the others with quick times.
32.) Charles Sherrill and Mark Rea suffered radiator damage on Stage 1 in their Honda Civic Si. They changed radiators and intended to continue
in the rally, even though they missed both Stage 2 and Stage 3. However, they are officially a DNF.
33.) The factory-backed Daewoo Nubira that is making its rally debut here is making it an impressive one. It is leading Production. Driver
Peter Malaszuk says that the car is holding up well and could be a contender for the title this year. The officials on hand from Daewoo to
watch the car's debut are all smiles.
34.) The PGT Eagle Talon of Celsus Donnely and Kevin Mullan rolled heavily on Stage 1 and continued, despite being thoroughly bent up. The
car was driveable, and the crew continued, intending to finish the event. However, the stewards declined to let it continue.
35.) Vinnie Frontinan and Peter Watt have been running well in their Group 5 Volkswagen Corrado. They felt that they were making sizable
gains on the cars ahead of them. However, they now are having to back off due to engine problems. Watt is filling in for Frank Arruda, who is
not feeling well.
36.) A seized engine is reported to have put the Volkswagen Golf GTi of Scott Naturale and Patrick Munhall out of the rally. It is thought that
ingesting water at the creek crossing was not the cause.
37.) Mexican champion Gabriel Marin-Ortiz is having a good time here, but is disappointed that he can't run at the level he's used to running.
It is the first rally he has ever done with no practice and no pace notes; and he is finding it very much different. It is the first time in
an Evo V. It is his first time working with navigator Mark Williams; and it is the first time that Williams has had to read route-book
instruction in English and quickly translate them into Spanish for his driver.
38.) As the cars begin coming back into town for service and a second Parc Expose, it is obvious that this as been a real battle out in the
forest. After four stages Frank Sprongl has a slim 5.4 seconds over Lawler, who in turn has about 15 seconds on Choiniere. Truess and Hughes
are leading PGT. Jim Anderson and Martin Dapot are leading Group 5 in their Honda Prelude. Meanwhile, Evan Moen and Tom Young lead Production
in their Plymouth Neon; and Mark Utecht and Diane Sargent are up front in Group 2 with their Dodge Omni.
39.) The Libra crew isn't very talkative, but seems to be looking for a turbo leak on Paul Choiniere's Hyundai Tiburon. That might explain why
he isn't quite as close to Sprongl and Lawler as would be expected. Lawler's car seems to be fine.
40.) The Shraders are finding the dust to be a real problem, and report having a big moment on Stage 3.
41.) Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes also find the dust to be a big factor, and the heat is making it a bit tough. Otherwise, they're having
a good time and are impressed with the spectator turnout.
42.) The fight for PGT honors just slimmed down, as clutch failure in their Mazda 323 GTX has put Tom Ottey and Pam McGarvey out of the rally
after six stages.
43.) Jim Anderson and Martin Dapot report having a "near-tree" moment
in their Honda Prelude, but they and the car seem to have come through it
okay. The heat is taking its toll n Anderson, who is feeling tired. 44.) A three-man delegation from Canada's Rally Auto Charlevoix, led by
event president Yves Deslauriers, has stopped by the press room to tell us about their plans for this year's rally and to invite American teams
to come and compete. The dates are November 4-7, and among the interesting points are starting the event from a ferry and running the
first stages on the island that the ferry serves. They also promise at least four new stages.
45.) Spectators around the village green got to see some real service action during the long mid-afternoon break between sections of the
rally. The crew of the Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerijko factory Daewoo Nubira changed the clutch on their car in Parc Expose with plenty of
interested fans packed around watching.
46.) Mark Utecht and Diane Sargent dropped to fourth in Group 5 at the re-seeding during the midday break. They had a spin and a brush with an
embankment earlier on that cost them some time and dropped them back in the standings.
47.) Gabriel Marin and Mark Williams, in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V continue to have an enjoyable run, although well off of the pace Marin
would like to maintain. He feels that the dust isn't a big problem for him, but does note that the surfaces are different from what he is used
to for dirt/gravel conditions in Mexico.
48.) Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes had several instances where they were in dust so think that they virtually had to come to a complete stop in
the Supra because they couldn't see where to go. Their overheating is better, for both the crew and the car, and is much less than at Rim of
the World.
49.) After seven stages, there have been some significant changes. The Sprongls, last years winners here, have crashed and are out of the
event. They went off the road on a fast left hander and tagged a tree with their Audi quattro S2, immediately ending their day. They had been
leading at the time.
50.) After the Sprongl crash, Lawler took over the lead and traded fast times with teammate Choiniere. The Shraders were in third with their Evo
IV, about two minutes back, with Steve Gingras another two minutes astern.
51.) The battle for PGT honors
has heated up so much, despite the retirement of the Ottey/McGarvey duo, that the top contenders are
running sixth and seventh overall. Cal Landau and Eric Marcus have their Eclipse in sixth, while Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes are seventh.
52.) The Group 5 contenders - Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes, Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot and Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski - are
clustered within 30 seconds. They're in ninth, 10th and 11th places, respectively.
53.) Group 2 is a two-way fight right now. Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark (Saab 99 EMS)and Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardiman (Honda Civic) were about 30
seconds apart.
54.) Production is equally close. Jay Kowalik and Scott Embree (Honda Civic) had the advantage by about 30 seconds over Karl Scheible and Gail
McGuire in the Volkswagen New Beetle.
55.) The Hairy Canary contingent, Don Rathgeber and Jimmie Brandt, were wowing the crowd with the Mustang's lovely V8 noises at the start and
restart, but were having trouble with uphill traction. Rathgeber has been successfully rallying Fords since 1974.
56.) On Stage 6, the PGT Eagle Talon of Michael Curran and Joe McGirl went off the road and did a gentle roll, ending up on its roof. Neither
Curran nor McGirl was hurt in the accident. However, after they had released their harnesses to get out some helpful spectators rolled the
car back over onto its wheels. At that point McGirl suffered was has been described as a dislocated shoulder. The stage was stopped and he
was transported to medical facilities.
57.) Group 2 competitors Robert Pao and Bob Barrell have lost an altercation with a large tree, and are out of the rally. The rear of
their Golf GTi tagged one tree, which snapped the car around and put it into another tree, caving in the driver's door. Pao received some minor
cuts and bruises. He's sore but otherwise okay.
58.) PGT challengers Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes (Maxda 323 GTX) are reported to have glanced off a bank on-stage, but are still charging
strongly after leaders Cal Landau and Eric Marcus (Mitsubishi Eclipse).
59.) For his part, Landau has been reported to have had brake troubles earlier in the event, but they are getting things better.
60.) Seamus Burke and Patrick Keenan have had an "interesting" weekend
so far. They lost the clutch in their PGT Mitsubishi Galant on the
practice stage on Friday, had parts flown in from Chicago, fixed the car
and made the start today. But, on the restart the car bore neat
lettering on each rear window "No fifth, no reverse, please push;" and
the navigator had a sign on his lap, just in case. Despite it all, they
finished fifth in class.
61.) Arthur Odera-Jowi and Jim Hurley, who had been running been well in
their Open Class Mitsubishi Eclipse came to grief on a fast sweeping
downhill on Stage 6. The car did a nose stand and then settled back
down, breaking the oil cooler and a lower control arm. That ended their
evening.
62.) It was a battle almost to the finish, but Paul Choiniere and Jeff
Becker have their first win of the year, and we have our fourth
different overall winner in four events this season. One by one, their
competition fell by the wayside, until it was just the two Hyundai
Tiburons with a realistic chance of the win. Running first-on-the-road,
Choiniere was able to take advantage of the dust-free clear air to
stretch a small lead over teammates Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley.
There were no "team orders" however. Lawler realized that he could not
close the gap in the unmoving dust and drove for the sure second place.
63.) Garen and "Doc" Shrader, who had been challenging in their
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV, went off the road in a big way on Stage 10 and
ended up in a 30-foot-deep ravine. They were not injured, but their day
was done.
65.) Jon Kemp and Rod Hendricksen brought their Audi quattro home third. also joined the ranks of spectators, as they went off in their Eagle
Talon and retired from the event.Right behind them were Production GT winners Cal Landau and Eric Marcus,
in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, a remarkable fourth overall. Next home was the Group 5-winning Dodge Shadow of Henry and Cindy Krolikowski. Just a few
ticks behind them were Group 5 runnersup Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in the64.) Just a mile further down the road, Steve Gingras and Bill Westrick
Toyota Supra. Seventh overall were PGT runnersup Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes, in the Mazda 323 GTX.
66.) Tenth overall was the Production-winning Volkswagen New Beetle of Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire. It was one of the real favorites of the
crowds.
67.) Brian Hourt and Peter Cardimen won Group 2 in their Honda Civic, three spots ahead of their nearest competition.
68.) Attrition was high in this event. Only forty-one of the 78 starters finished the event.
Final
Results
Stories of STPR 99
Well.....it
sure was something wasn't it boys and girls...
Congratulations to all that finished Including the Jensinator..(not really bad guy folks)
Myself and my driver Roger Sanderson headed out of Ontario on a sunny Thursday afternoon with no firm plans on what to do when
we got to PA except just "be there".
Well this is what "being there" entailed.....
Thursday evening ..nice quiet diner at the steak house with the Havaspeed people and a few sundry others...I sat beside Peter
Watt..Another Ontario type who was just gonna "Be there"...
Friday Morning...body clock kicks me outa my hotel bed in Mansfield a 6:58 like it always does...Coffee, shower, poke
Roger (his body clock has the snooze button duct taped down)...Parking lot...AHHHH! Jens!... Run....:)
I then help the man unload his wasp infested, too hot, can't get suspension, why won't they let me change the brakes, gawd Grp 5
sucks, rally car... Which actually looks better then quite a few I've seen....And
those Silverstone tires don't look to bad folks...
Jens says..."Can't think 2.5 hours sleep....must type something" I tell him to go back to bed..
Next step...Roger and I meet up with Team LeConte (http://www.teamleconte.com/) in the
parking lot...(Roger had
casually offered out help to service if need be)..looks like we were needed...
Next thing I know I'm Under a TR8 trying to figure out why when you turn on the interior light switch the reverse lights go on
and you need the fan switch on to make the signals work.... a bit of a wiring nightmare but a really cool car none the less..
Kendall Russell's shadow is pretty much ready to go so she does tech and such no problem...
Back to John Shirley's V8 rocketmobile... Rewire the lights (all of em), adjust the steering, fix the exhaust, mount the light
bar, add the big orange tow loop, change the tires, Intercom in and we're off to tech... I think...Oops gotta register
first.....
Traffic is MISERABLE..fatal accident on Hwy 15 has a line of cars way out of Wellsboro...arrive a registration just in time
for the diner break ..they are closed..okay forgot something on
the Triumph...New washer pump inserted and wired to the Horn and we register..Need stickers have most of em...have to wait to get
balls...can't wait any longer..leave co-driver Phil Barnes to get the Balls and head off to Tech... Hey WOW No line!... tech..
no probs we are off and running for the weekend..
Nice diner at the Antler Inn
(thanks for picking up the tab John)
Saturday...Parc Exposé...water temp at 260º oil at 140º hmm something wrong..ahh the green wire goes where the red should be
and visa versa..okay ready to go...Hey Peter Watt what are you doing in a suit?...ahh got a ride! cool...
Rally starts we run off to first service...Me and Roger leave Lincoln (the regular Team LeConte service guy) at service and
run into the water crossing (man two miles in and two miles out worth of walking my ankles hurt ..got some pictures we are
off..
The rest of the day is steady..replace the brakes on Kendall's car swap a few tires..have the TR8 fall off the Jack
stands...cut a muffler off an already very loud dual exhaust ...and listen to the scanner as the competitors drop like
flies...(I'll try and get an update on the Sprongls for you guys, rumours have the car anywhere from written off to slightly
wrinkled)
End of the Rally...John and Phil finish..(apparently John doesn't do this very often)..Road penalties for speeding mean
Jens beats them... but hey they finished...Kendall isn't so happy with her placing but hey she finished too...
A beer and some pizza hand out some flyers for Rally of the Voyageur and its off to bed...
Body clock has a hang over ..sleep to almost 8...
Breakfast with Team LeConte and Jeff Becker and a couple others...
ahhh finally over..3 hours sleep last night..every muscle in my body hurts...Man what a great weekend...!!
Thanks to all that made it possible especially the
organisers..Keep up the good work.. all4nw
A few random thoughts and
observations:
-Alex K. and his dad are both gracious and intelligent guys; glad we got to
meet you.
-The perseverance award should go to Celsus Donnelly, who rolled his Talon
on two separate occasions before the first return to Wellsboro. They were
looking for a windshield when the tech guys pulled their sticker. That was
just before the car caught fire in parc ferme.
-Jens beat us. Don't start with me...
-Dash 5 fire suits are really hot.
-I have never seen so many spectators at STPR. There were people miles from
anywhere with banners and lawn chairs.
Thanks to the organizers and workers. The entire event ran smoothly and on
time.
Philip Barnes
Woof! Another one in the
books.
That griity, crunching sound I hear everytime I move my teeth is starting to get a little better now that it's Monday.
I don't leave quite as much of a dust cloud behind me now, either.
It was fun to meet so many unique (can you say, "deranged?") people out in
the woods. I was at the practice stage, and the finish of stages 3 and 12.
We met workers who were funny, helpful, and from as diverse backgrounds as you could imagine. Same as every other time I've worked for the past 15 or so
years. Thanks to all who worked, and to those who ran. Nice show.
OK, so who was it who came over the yump in the practice stage, went way, waaay drivers' left (toward the swamp), and just managed to save it? They
vanished in their own dust, and I was sure they'd gone well and truely off, but then heard them get back on the road.
Rough rally? Heck, there were lots of cars dragging lots of parts through the practice stage, and after only one run!
Dusty? Now you know how the GI's and Brits must have felt keeping Rommel
at bay (aw, nuts! now I am showing my age - shoulda said Desert Storm).
I know
that a few of the cars who made it through 12 were still running only because the one or two lights they had that weren't busted had made it impossible for
them to go fast enough to get lost in the dust and go off (again).
Long rallyand high attrition? No wonder there were so many cranky drivers
at the finish party. I heard ranting and raving in several languages - but
english must be the only one for "sh*tty tires," "damn
dust," and "...transit and I paid that much for an entry fee!" (but many of these ranters were
accompanied by a bored looking co-driver).
Bugs? Like other workers, I've donated my pint, and have a wonderful new insect collection,... in the truck, my clothes, ears, teeth, etc.
And you thought the good old days were long gone...
Congrats to all who finished, but especially to Phil Barnes for finishing, Jens for finishing and beating Phil (Phil is still a nice guy but might take
a while to live that down even though he wasn't driving), Jon Kemp (driving fast and interesting as always), and Karl Schieble and Gail McGuire (who
really make a great team and know a good thing when they see it).
Happy Motoring!
- Craig McMaster
Sprongl hopes for repeat rally
win end against Pennsylvania tree
WELLSBORO, Penn. -- Their hopes of a repeat win in the most popular rally in the U.S. ended against a stout maple tree here Saturday as Canadian
Rally Champions Frank and Dan Sprongl crashed while leading the SCCA Susquehannock Trails Pro Rally.
The Mississauga, Ontario pair and their Audi Dealer Team Castrol S2 coupe held a narrow 9 second lead over Irishmen Noel Lawler and Charles Bradley
in a Hyundai, with a further 16 seconds in hand over the factory Hyundai of Americans Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker when the rally reached the halfway
point. But the sixth special stage of the day was dusty and the defending champions caught the right side of the car on a tree in a third gear
corner, ending their rally.
"Amazingly, there was minimal mechanical damage," explains co-driver
Dan Sprongl. "Bodywork, frame rail, strut tower -- they're all bent.
But the
engine and transmission seem to be fine." Neither driver was injured.
Choiniere and Becker went on to win the event ahead of Lawler and Bradley. A field of 80 cars started the rally, making it the most popular event in
the SCCA rally schedule. The Sprongl brothers won the rally in 1998.
Susquehannock was the first rally the team failed to finish since last October, and marks the end of a six-event winning streak for the pair. The
five-time Canadian and three-time North American rally champs are currently leading the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship. The Susquehannock is part
of a four-event deal with Castrol USA for 1999 that will see the team return to defend their title and the Audi - Mt. Washington Hillclimb in New
Hampshire later this month.
Information:
Frank or Dan Sprongl
(905)877-1733
"Twas a long trek
back home":
(and I know that some
who will read this, like Gingras and Jerry Winker, will still be on the road long after this is
posted), but we DID have fun, did we not? So before Jens takes over the
airwaves (congrats on finishing, and nice to finally meet you), just wanted to thank John, Bill, Debbie, Marsha, Ed Jacobs and all their staffs, the
competitors, and especially the workers for a GREAT weekend. Special thanks also to Mary Worthington for taking the time to work on and solve my
trivial little problem on Saturday afternoon.
In spite of all the competitor misfortunes, they put on a great show and thanks in no small measure to Gary Thomas, our stage captain, we got to see
a good bit of it. I met a lot of new folks who before this weekend were just names on this list, and had a great time visiting with each of them.
And I saw some old familiar faces that I see all the time and others that I don't get to see very often except at events like this one (Grisha and
Sonia, nice to see you again - sorry I forgot to ask your boy's name; he's a real cutie!). Somehow I missed catching up with Alex, but it looks like
he had a good time too - maybe I'll have the honor next year, little buddy.
I got a few pictures at the press stage and during the early part of the day Saturday. I'll let you know where to find them as soon as I can get
them developed.
Has anybody seen final results? All I could find on the STPR page were the
ones through Stage 10. (I picked up a result sheet from Ed in the press
room this morning but some entries (like Jason Williams/Jeff Williams - more finishing kudos!!) weren't listed.)
Your turn, Jens (g).
Cheers,
Mike Strohmeyer
Raleigh, NC
Tarheel Sports Car Club
Branded Rally Club of Maryland
"Girls kick butt"
While I was standing around at
the press stage trying to grub a ride Gai Truess and Pattie Hughes pulled up.
Standing next to the car were a group of young men, several of which were
wearing Gaslight shirts and carrying some non-descript beverages in foam
holders. One of them pointed into the car and yelled "Hey, look -
GIRLS". They continued to point and giggle until the
"girls" pulled away. I hope that they were still around to see
where the "girls" finished (7 OA) but I would imagine that they were
sleeping one off by then. To their credit, Gail and Pattie just grinned
and joked with them. I talked to Gail at the press booth Sunday and she
told me thet they get that all the time and that it doesn't bother them a bit.
Class act, these "girls". I also hope those guys got a look at
the sign on the back of the car - "Girls kick butt".
SandMan SoftWare, Stony Brook, NY
Web Page Design, Computer Consultation
http://www.sandmansoftware.com
"To finish first, first you
must finish"
Richard J. Miller!
The Little Saab that could, DID!
I am very happy to be writing to
tell you all that The Little Saab that could, DID!!!! After a fairly frantic last week, we loaded car #199 onto
our new trailer, behind our "borrowed" Chevy Van and pulled out of
Keene Thursday afternoon for the 8 hour drive to Wellsboro, PA. Friday morning
found our hotel room full of weary crew members James Fox, Brett Rudolph, Theresa Brousseau and the big surprise, my brother David who all arrived in
the dead of night,
Tech inspection and registration were somewhat of a hassle, but thanks to the kindness of Doc Schrader, who got Co-Driver Mike Ronan out of hot water
with the loan of a helmet, we made it through and had time for a quick bite to eat before the Press Stage. This was our first time back on dirt in
over
3 months and we were running some newer tires thanks to Jim Anderson and JPIII Rally Sport. Some cooling issues were discovered but our crack crew
made short work of solving those before dinner at the Steakhouse and a good nights rest.
Sat. morning we found our spot around the town green starting #74 out of 80. James brought his Saab banner which attracted Turbistas and Swedes like
flys!!! Kevin, Geoff, Seth, Blaithan, Sarah, and I'm sure a few others stopped by to wish us well. Thanks guys!!
Stage 1 ended in the infamous water crossing which we did in fact cross without much problem. We had made up the minute on the Honda CRX in front
of us, and caught him just as he was entering the water, but some "mid-stream" course corrections kept us from tattooing his rear
bumper! A
quick service and we were off to the rest of the rally.
Our plan was to drive to finish, and pick a pace that would preserve the car, and keep us on the road. With 2 long services at the Germaina
location, we were able to keep the fluids topped of and windows clean. Saw
Larry West and Viggen running the radio net there keeping everyone abreast
of the goings-on in the woods. With the exception of one slight misjudgment, we tagged a bank sheering off a rear tail light and tweaking
the bumper, we stayed the course and drove a fairly conservative rally.
Final results placed us 27th out of 41 finishers and 78 starters, 4th in Gp2 and 4 in Seed 6. With finishing our only goal, we are very happy with such
a respectable one. It should also allow us to move into Seed 5 which will put us a little earlier on the road at the Maine Summer Rally in July.
Without the help of our sponsors, City Tire, YBA Muffler, Import Parts Specialists and Nanuke Systems, and our tireless crew, none of this would
have been possible. THANK YOU!!
We'll see you all in Maine!!!
Team One99
Mike White Driver (foot)
Mike Ronan Co-Driver (brain)
Suzanne Dunavent-White Team Manager (boss
Thanks to the workers
Just a quick note to say
'thanks' to all the wonderful folks who put on yet another great STPR for us. John and Gillian McArthur,
Bill Laitenberger, Sheila Campbell, Debbi Segall, Marsha Tombs, 'Bear'Bergen, Dave Ciufo, John DeSyn, Dale Howey, Ken Beard and
Mary Worthington (to name only a few) put together a super ProRally. If we had space (and knew the names), I'd thank all of the 380
workers who made the rally possible. Also thanks to Ed Jacobs for all his hard work in the press room (and for remembering me
in his introduction at the starting line....).
Rob Bohn and I had a fun, fast ride (car 81, PGT Mitsubishi Eclipse) Rob's goal was a top-20 finish and we made it....even got trophies
and some $!!! I don't know exactly how many STPRs I've attended (either working or the 5 times I've competed) in the 15 years since
my first one, but every one of them has been fun! Keep up the good work and STPR will remain the US rally NOT to miss!!
Dave Bruce
dbruce@wwd.net
Impressions
With my shiny new license in
hand, and a kidney finally free of stones, I co-drove my first pro/club rally at STPR. One hell of a way to get
started. Having worked pro rallies and driven in TSD rallies a few times, I was not overwhelmed, but I was definitely whelmed. This being my first
pro rally and first time at STPR, I have some questions and observations.
I had the impression from the Supps that reseeding was a straightforward mathematical exercise. It turns out that some of the numbers were adjusted
for safety reasons, but there was no indication of that. This caused some confusion amongst the competitors, including ourselves, who thought these
were math errors in the reseed list, so we tracked down an official who had to explain the situation over and over. Is it common to adjust the reseed
like this for safety reasons? It would probably have saved time for the competitors and officials if the Supps had indicated the possibility of
adjusting the times and/or if the posted reseed list had called out the adjusted times so that they didn't appear to be errors.
We were a little disappointed that we didn't get a trophy for winning first in Open class in the first divisional. It turns out that they don't give
open class trophies at STPR for pro or club, we can only compete for the overall trophy. Is this standard practice or unique to STPR? I can
understand this in pro, but it seems a little harsh for club rallies.
I notice that in pro rally there is little recognition of rookies. In other motorsports I have competed in, there is usually some attempt to
identify rookies in order to encourage them and to interest the fans. I realize that the competitors can easily identify the rookies because we are
the only ones who stilll have all our hair and teeth, but not all the fans know this and it isn't explained in the program. As a rookie, I have no
problem being identified as such, and welcome the extra attention that it might bring. Why not flag rookies to the announcer and in the starting
list, results, etc? Is there a reason for this, or is just the way things
are done?
Finally, thanks to everyone who helped put on this event, as a former worker, I can appreciate the effort. Also thanks to Leslie Suddard and the
Ski Sawmill crew.
Chuck "the Jeff Gordon
of Pro Rally" Cox
From Kendall Russell, #70 PGT
Now that it is over I can tell everyone that STPR was the 13th consecutive rally for me to finish. Whew! Thinking that none of my crew or team members
knew this, (I waited to mention it the day after the rally) you can imagine my surprise when they indicated that they were all being careful not to bring
this to my attention!
For my rally friends who have been following my "learning curve":
This was my 3rd year to compete at STPR and I am 3 for 3 for finishes; each one being a completely new learning experience for me. In 1997 I was passed 4
miles into Stage 1, was muttering something like "what was I
thinking!" under my breath and finished next to last of the finishers. 1998 was better and
this race allowed me to start getting my speed up in the straights... after my West coast experience prior to STPR the narrow turns looked like medium
sweepers so now the turns were no big deal and I finished near the back of mid pack.
1999 has been the year that it has all started coming together resulting in significant swings between confidence and frustration. I began this year's
STPR trying to drive it in the 'rally style' I have fought so hard to develop and it was not working... frustration. I have also been taking a more "do
it
this way or else" role in my car prep and have utilized rally people like Mike Hurst and Lincoln Woodard who understand rally resulting in a well
prepared car... confidence. However, MY decision to use a set of worn brake pads (the Performance Friction pads are awesome but can really stand the car
on it's nose out of the box) resulted in no brakes at my 'favorite' curve on Stage 1, Bergeron's turn... frustration and a bit of fear. The splash at the
creek was pretty cool though and there was no damage to the car... confidence.
No brakes on 1-3, an off on 2 and able to recover, still driving fast but realize that something is not working for me and I can definitely go
faster... frustration. At the service after 3 Greg Healey mentions that he noticed that I could be improving my time in turns using more of a road race
line and trail braking... never thought of that but am excited because it is the solution... confidence. I grab L. Mark Stone for advice and he confirms
some of my other observations and mentions that I cannot brake as hard before the turns and need to adjust my line accordingly, my codriver chimes in that
I am on the brakes "all the time"... get over it... I keep my left
foot cocked in front of the brake pedal and he thinks that I am always on the
brake... frustration, snap at codriver, tantrum brewing... L. Mark whisks me away to talk to Lesley Suddard. Later, apologies to John Dillon, my codriver,
a really wonderful person who has helped me 'keep my foot in it' by occasionally reminding me that "power is your friend" :)
I start 4 with brakes and a different driving style; one off that I was able to recover from and a minor 'moment.' Much better... confidence. Then on 7
while keeping speed up in dust, emergency equipment jump out in front of me! I am the first car stopped as the stage is closed by a red cross, left in
charge to stop other rally cars with a couple of spectators helping, dealing with angry drivers or drivers blowing by the red cross, and dealing with
these old emotions that I thought I left at Prescott last year... frustration. I cannot wait until the sun goes down. Night stages are my
favorite.
The rest of the rally went well for the Team LeConte Shadow and I amused myself at the services with the adventures of our TR7/V8 that blew the engine
on 3 and was limping through the rally with only 3000rpm. When they radioed in for the crew to have the hacksaws ready to cut off a muffler on one side,
we all lost it, but finished laughing before they came in for service. John and Phil's goal was to break their STPR jinx (the TR7/V8 is 2 for 2 crashing
at STPR) and they finished the rally for the first time.
Before I knew it, rally number 13 was over and I finished. This year a solid mid pack finish... confidence.
The Shadow is on it's way to Wild West. Thanks to my east coast rally community, I will run that race with more confidence!
Kendall Russell, PGT Driver
Team LeConte
www.teamleconte.com
Thanks
I want to thank everyone at
STPR for making this a great event. From the competitors to the workers to the locals, it was an event to remember. It was
also one of the few STPR's since 1990 that didn't have a BMW in it, but we will try to correct that next year!
I was proud of my driver, Alex Erisoty, for doing a great job and keeping a straight head the entire event. Alex has that Audi 90 Quattro with all the
cool stuff in it. Other than blowing an inner CV on stage 3 that relegated us to running rear wheel drive only and an errant alternator belt that caused us
other problems, it was a great car to ride in. I was happy to sit in a car
that once held a McRae!
We had a great service crew, Gregg Higham and Ed Wahl. They kept us going and together we learned how to convert a 4wd into rear wheel drive. (with
apologies to the Sprongles for disturbing their lunch. What do I know about Audi Motorsports transaxles?)
I also want to report that this was the first event that my parents (Jay and Annette Greisler) have ever come to. Just not did they come up, but my aunt
and uncle (Paula and Ken Wilson) were there along with their son (Ron Wilson). Another uncle (Manny Gochin, K3NCB) was up and I almost forgot that
Ron brought a friend with him (I can't remember his name, maybe it was Paul). Just not did they come up, but all of them worked a stage! Both of my uncles
and Ron have been to events before, but I never expected my mom or aunt to be marshalling! They had a blast and wished that they hadn't waited so long to
come up. They made friends and have stories to tell. What a great sport! Were else could you take my mom and put her into the middle of the dusty woods and
she likes it?
Once again, thank you to everyone and I'll see ya in Maine! (But don't ask me who I will be
riding with. I have no idea yet!)
Ben Greisler, Co-driver for
hire
