Wild West SCCA
ProRally
Noel Lawler/Charles
Bradley - Winner Open Class
Photo by Dick
Milligan
MEDIA ADVISORY
REVISED LOCATIONS AND TIMES
Event:
Wild West ProRally; Round 5 of the 1999 Michelin SCCA Pro Rally Championship.
ProRally cars from across North America will race on the demanding forest roads
of Washington - both in daylight and at night.
When:
June 18-19, 1999
Where:
Shelton, Washington
Headquarters:
Shelton Inn; Railroad Ave.; Shelton, Washington
Sanction:
Wild West ProRally is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
Schedule:
Thursday, June 17
3:00-6:00 p.m.
Registration; Shelton Inn; Shelton, Washington
3:00-7:00 p.m.
Tech
inspection; Wagenwerks; Shelton, Washington
7:30 p.m.
Entry closes
8:00 p.m.
Welcome party (participants, workers, media); Doo Wop
Inn; SE State St.; Shelton, Washington; sponsored by
Auto GLASPRO of Olympia
Friday, June 18
9:00 a.m.
Press stage; meet at Shelton Inn; Shelton, Washington
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Registration; Shelton Inn; Shelton,
Washington
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Tech inspection; Wagenwerks; Shelton,
Washington
4:30 p.m.
Parc Expose - ProRally cars on display; downtown
Shelton, Washington
6:00 p.m.
First car starts Wild West ProRally; downtown
Shelton, Washington
11:30 p.m.
First car finishes first day of Wild West ProRally;
downtown Shelton, Washington
Saturday, June 19
7:30 a.m.
Parc Expose - ProRally cars on display; downtown
8:00 a.m.
First car starts second day of Wild West ProRally; Shelton
6:30 p.m.
First car finishes Wild West ProRally; Shelton, Washington
8:00 p.m.
Awards banquet
8:45 p.m.
Awards presentation
Shelton,
Washington
June 18 - 19,
1999
THE EVENT:
The WILD WEST Rally is part of the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship. The
Sou'Wester and Wild West ClubRallys are sanctioned by the NORTHWEST REGION of
the SCCA. The ClubRally events qualify for the 1999 NORPAC and the 1999
NORTHWEST REGION ClubRally Championships. The events will adhere to 1999
ProRally and ClubRally Rally Rules and Rules for Organizers.
ENTRY:
Entry to the event requires a paid entry fee, valid state drivers license, valid
SCCA ProRally (National) or ClubRally license for both driver and co-driver,
vehicle liability insurance, valid vehicle registration and a completed entry
form.
The entry fee for the WILD WEST ProRally is $400.00 thru June 3, 1999, $450.00
on June 4. The entry fee for the Sou'Wester and the Wild West ClubRally
rallies is $250.00 thru June 3, 1999, $300.00 on June 4. The entry fee is for
one or both rallies. Competitors wishing to enter the ProRally (National) and
ClubRallys should add $25.00 to the ProRally 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:
CO-CHAIRMAN
BOB GRASS
(206) 824-4558
CO-CHAIRMAN
JOHN FORESPRING
(360) 943-2191 DAYS
REGISTRAR
NAVONNE WATERHOUSE
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
The WILD WEST ProRally will use the normal stage format utilizing FIA signs and
control procedures. The ProRally will run fourteen stages, all of which will be
scored. The two ClubRallys will include all the ProRally stages. The event will
have 140 stage miles and a total of 300 miles. All stages will be on gravel.
HEADQUARTERS:
The headquarters and press room for the WILD WEST Rally will be the Shelton Inn,
628 Railroad Avenue, Shelton, Washington 98584 (360) 426-4468. The Headquarters
will not be staffed until the afternoon of June 17th.
REGISTRATION AND
SCRUTINEERING LOCATION:
Location To Be Announced
Scanwest Autosport to field two Saabs
at Wild West ProRally
SEATTLE, WA - - Scanwest Autosport, who
have fielded several championship winning Saabs in the SCCA Michelin ProRally
series, returns to the series with two Saabs for the 1999 Wild West ProRally on
June 18th and 19th.
Scanwest Autosport - formerly known as Scandia Autosport - has entered a 1995
Saab 900 SE Turbo in the Group 5 category and a 1986 Saab 900S in Group 2.
Driving the Group 5 900 - the same car that the team of Sam Bryan and Rob Walden
drove to several wins and the 1997 Group 5 ProRally Championship - will be Doug
Schrenk, with Scanwest Autosport owner Rob Walden acting as co-driver. The
former factory-backed Saab is one of the fastest two-wheel drive ProRally
vehicles in the country. Built with the assistance of TAD Motorsports, it
features a turbocharged 2.3-liter Saab engine coupled to a front-wheel drive X-Trac
transmission.
Dave Schrenk, brother of Doug, will make his ProRally debut at the wheel of a
recently completed older style 900, a rare 2-door sedan model. Chad Little
(not the NASCAR driver), also a first time rallyist, will be the co-driver.
Built by Scanwest employees in their off-time, the Group 2 900 features a Saab
Competition 16-valve head on a 2.0-liter engine, Bosch CIS fuel injection and a
Saab Sport & Rally close-ratio 4-speed gearbox.
Scanwest Autosport is Seattle’s foremost independent Saab-only repair shop,
and well known throughout the United States. They have recently opened
Scanwest Autobody in Seattle as well, specializing in body repair of Saab
automobiles.
Under the Scandia Autosports banner, the same shop built the Saab 99 that won
the 1994 SCCA Group 2 ProRally championship with the team of Goran Ostlund and
Steve Baker driver/co-driver, and the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 that took
the 1995 Group 2 ProRally title.
Tim Winker
<tim@saabclub.com>
****************************************************
MEDIA ALERT
Event:
Wild West ProRally; Round 5 of the 1999
Michelin SCCA Pro Rally
Championship. ProRally cars from across
North America will race on the
demanding forest roads of Washington - both in daylight and at night.
When:
June 18-19, 1999
Where:
Shelton, Washington
Headquarters:
Shelton Inn; Railroad Ave.; Shelton, Washington
Sanction:
Wild West ProRally is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America
(SCCA)
Schedule:
Thursday, June 17
3:00-6:00 p.m.
Registration; South Puget Sound Community
College; Mottman Rd. SW; Olympia, Washington
7:30 p.m.
Entry closes
8:00 p.m.
Welcome party (participants, workers,
media); Doo Wop Inn; SE State St.;
Shelton, Washington; sponsored by
Auto GLASPRO of Olympia
Friday, June 18
9:00 a.m.
Press stage; meet at Shelton Inn; Shelton,
Washington
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Registration and tech inspection; South
Puget Sound Community College;
Mottman Rd. SW; Olympia, Washington
4:30 p.m.
Parc Expose - ProRally cars on display;
downtown Shelton, Washington
6:00 p.m.
First car starts Wild West ProRally;
downtown Shelton, Washington
11:30 p.m.
First car finishes first day of Wild West
ProRally; downtown Shelton, Washington
Saturday, June 19
8:00 a.m.
Parc Expose - ProRally cars on display;
downtown Shelton, Washington
8:30 a.m.
First car starts second day of Wild West
ProRally; downtown Shelton, Washington
6:45 p.m.
First car finishes Wild West ProRally;
downtown Shelton, Washington
8:00 p.m.
Awards banquet
8:45 p.m.
Awards presentation
Format:
Events in the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship
consist of
flat-out racing, in any weather, on challenging forest, mountain or
desert roads. No practice is allowed. Competitors generally see the
course for the first time as they race it. Racing takes place only on
"stages," demanding roads closed by local authorities for the event.
"Transits" connect racing sections and are driven at normal highway
speeds, with teams fully subject to all traffic laws.
ProRally vehicles are production-based cars (and some
trucks)
from manufacturers around the world. They compete both for the overall
victory and wins within a class structure that groups together
vehicles with similar performance. Each vehicle carries a driver and a
co-driver/navigator. Using a detailed route book and a sophisticated
rally computer, the co-driver keeps the team on-course and advises the
driver of any hazards ahead. This role is as critical as the driver's
skill, since the team is traveling at full racing speeds over roads
they have never before seen, in any type of weather.
Selected entries (driver/co-driver):
* 11-time series champion John Buffum (substituting for seven-time
series champion Paul Choiniere) and multi-time co-driver champion Jeff
Becker, in an Open Class Hyundai Tiburon
* Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley; second overall at Susquehannock
Trail, in the second Libra Racing Open Class Hyundai Tiburon
* Rim of the World winners Garen and Doc Shrader; in an Open Class
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV World Rally Championship-type supercar
* Pete Lahm and Matt Chester, in another Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo IV
* Doo Wop winners Lauchlin and Farina O'Sullivan, in an Open Class
Audi 4000 quattro
* Janice Damitio and Amity Trowbridge, in an Open Class Toyota Celica
All-Trac
* Tony Chavez and Ken Cassidy, in an Open Class Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
* Paul Eklund and John Allen, in an Open Class Subaru Impreza
* Defending Group 5 champions Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in a Group
5 Toyota Supra
* Doo Wop Production GT winner Gail Truess and Cindy Krolikowski, in a
Mazda 323 GTX
* Bill Malik and Christian Edstrom, in a Group 2 Volvo 240
* Todd Hartmann and Shawn Callahan in a Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi
* Susquehannock Trail and Sno*Drift Production winners Karl Scheible
and Gail McGuire, in Volkswagen New Beetle
Additional news interest:
Wild West was originally scheduled for April 9-10. It was voluntarily
rescheduled to June 18-19 in consideration of possible impact on the
annual salmon migration from using area roads heavily so soon after a
record-severe winter.
Event rank:
Wild West is a full-points round of the Michelin SCCA ProRally
Championship.
Interviews:
Drivers, co-drivers and crewmembers will be accessible throughout much
of the event, especially Friday, June 18, in conjunction with the
press stage.
Visuals:
Prior to the event, media will have the opportunity for exciting video
and photographic action of rally cars at speed during the press stage,
Friday, June 18. During the event, action photography and video will
be possible from special viewing areas set up along the rally course,
as well as other sites.
Media rally-car rides:
Media will be given the opportunity to experience the intense
excitement of ProRally cars at speed during the press stage, Friday,
June 18.
Media info:
Media relations will be able to provide driver and co-driver
interviews, event results and other information via telephone, fax and
Email.
Contact: Ed Jacobs - Michelin SCCA Pro Rally Championship
330.644.7774;
330.645.2045 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Event press
room (afternoon Thursday, June 17 until
early Sunday,June 20): 360.432.0329
Email: windrivr@ix.netcom.com
Time zone:
Pacific Daylight Time
Web sites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
Wild West ProRally:
http://www.scca.org/amateur/michpro/1999/wildwest/index.html
SHELTON WA -- After the first day of
the Wild West ProRally, the Scanwest
Autosport Saab 900SE Turbo leads the Group 5 category. In addition, the
Doug Shrenk/Rob Walden car won Group 5 and finished 2nd overall in the
Sou'Wester ClubRally. First in the Sou'Wester went to the Open Class
Audi
Quattro of Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Jon Oxford.
Running second in Group 5 in the Wild West ProRally is the Toyota of Ralph
Kosmides/Joe Noyes, only 10 seconds behind the Saab. Running 3rd in Gp5,
an additional 2:07 back, is the Volvo of John Lane/Scott Huhn.
Dust was a major factor that lead to the cancellation of Stage 6 when
workers could not get moved in time to adequately cover the positions.
Organizers had gone to a two-minute starting space between cars to give
dust a chance to dissipate, but that meant the last cars in the 42 car field
would be starting over 40 minutes later than the original schedule.
The other Scanwest Autosport entered Saab, a Group 2 (normally aspirated
1986 900S) car, Did Not Finish after the clutch expired on Stage 3. It was
towed back to Seattle - about a 3 hour drive - and should be repaired in
time to start Saturday's Wild West ClubRally. Mike Leonard/Leon Owens
finished 4th in Group 2 in their Saab 99 with a 16-valve Saab 2.0-liter
engine, only 31 seconds behind class winner Bill Malik's Volvo.
Tim Winker
Wink Timber Media Agency
