Cherokee Trails Website * Entry List * ProRally Results * ClubRally Results
For immediate release
Friday, March 08, 2002
MEDIA ALERT
SCCA ProRally Championship Round 2
International Cherokee Trails Rally
DENVER, Colorado Second round of ten for the 2002 season. Over 90 SCCA and FIA Performance
Rally cars from across North America and the world will compete on hard-packed dirt and gravel
roads within the Ocoee/Hiwassee District of the Cherokee National Forest, east of Chattanooga.
This televised event is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) through its
Chattanooga Region. The event is organized by the Knoxville, TN based Rally Promotions, Inc.
When & Where:
March 15-16, 2002; Chattanooga, TN; approximately 100 miles (160km) north of Atlanta, GA
Time zone at event: Eastern Time (same as New York)
Headquarters Hotel and Event Press Room Location:
Mariott Convention Center, 2 Carter Plaza, Chattanooga, TN 37402
423.756.0002 or 800.228.9290
Schedule
Wednesday, 13 March
3:00 PM - 8:00 PM Rally HQ open
Thursday, 14 March
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Rally HQ open for registration
2:30 PM - 6:00 PM Shakedown stage (works teams)
Friday, 15 March
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM Rally HQ open for registration
10:30 AM - 2:30 PM Press Stage (open to all credentialed press and VIPs) (MFG's: 10:30 - Noon)
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Scrutineering (Pro teams: 8:00AM - 3:00 PM, Club teams: 4:00 PM- 7:00 PM)
7:00 PM Ceremonial Start - Downtown Chattanooga
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Parc Expose
Saturday, 16 March
6:00 AM Publication of Crews eligible to start, Official Start, CricKet Pavilion
8:30 PM Awards Banquet; Chattanooga Conference and Trade Center
Event Rank:
The FIA International and SCCA ProRally competition will follow global performance rallying
FIA standards. The SCCA ProRally portion of the Cherokee Trails event is a full-points round
for SCCA Driver & Manufacturer Championships. There will also be SCCA ClubRally competition
for regionally based rally teams.
Selected entries (driver/co-driver):
World Debut of the all-new 2003 SCCA Open Class Hyundai Tiburons, prepared by 11-time SCCA
ProRally Champion and US Rally legend John Buffum, driven by 8-time SCCA driving champion
Paul Choiniere with 7-time co-driving champion Jeff Becker, and UK champion Mark Higgins with
Michael Gibson.
2001 SCCA ProRally Overall Driver Champion and 2001 Manufacturers champion Mark Lovell with
Steve Turvey; SCCA Open Class 2002 Subaru WRX.
2001 Canadian Rally Champions Tom McGeer and Mark Williams; Open Class 2002 Subaru WRX.
European and Polish Rally Champion Janusz Kulig with Jaroslaw Baran; Gr N 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
Two-time High Performance Showroom Stock Pikes Peak International Hillclimb Champion Rhys Millen,
with Garry Cowan; 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
Format:
All events in the SCCA ProRally Championship consist of flat-out racing, in any weather, on
challenging forest, mountain or desert roads. SCCA Performance Rally events follow a format
similar to that used around the globe. However, most events do not allow for on-course practice
(recces) or pacenotes. Competitors generally see the course for the first time as they race it.
The International Cherokee Trails Rally a recced and pacenoted event, and therefore entrants
have the option of running the stage roads in advance of the actual rally to get acclimated
to the roads.
At-speed competition takes place only on "special stages," using demanding back roads closed
by local authorities for the event. "Transits" connect the "special stage" sections together
and are driven at posted speeds, with teams fully subject to all traffic laws.
SCCA Performance Rally vehicles are production-based cars and 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 capabilities.
Each vehicle carries a driver and a co-driver/navigator. Using a detailed route book and a
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,
typically over roads they have not seen, in any type of weather.
Visuals & Media Information:
Prior to the event, action photography and video will be obtainable at the press stage. During
the event, action photography and video will be possible from viewing areas set up along the rally
course, as well as other sites. Credentialed Media and Industry VIP's will have the opportunity
to experience the intense excitement of ProRally cars at speed, and meet the leading drivers and
co-drivers during the Friday press stage. Drivers, co-drivers and crew will be accessible throughout
the event, including the press stage and at the Parc Expose prior to the start of the rally. The
service area is open to credentialed press at all times of the event. Media relations will be able
to provide driver and co-driver interviews, event results and other information via telephone, fax
and Email.
National Media Contact:
Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
At-event mobile: 303.204.0375 (USA Country Code: 1)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Web sites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
International Cherokee Trails Rally: http://www.cherokeetrailsrally.com
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru,
and is televised on Speedvision in North America.
For immediate release
March 15, 2002
Start Order & Late Breaking News:
SCCA ProRallyChampionship Round # 2 - Cherokee Trails
Chattanooga, Tennessee: The FIA Internationally listed SCCA ProRally
Championship event starts tomorrow morning with an impressive over 90 car
field of manufacturer supported and top independently entered performance
rally cars from the US, Canada and abroad. The one-day Rally starts at 6:00
AM Saturday morning, at the CricKet Pavilion in downtown Chattanooga.
Selected late entries, news
The rally is substantially revised from its inaugural running last year,
with the event trimmed down from 3-short days of rallying to just one that
will be long and grueling. Several of the stage roads are new this year as
well, so the Thursday availability of the roads for recce and pacenoting were
vital. Some things haven't changed however, such as the use of the beautiful
and convenient 1996 Atlanta Olympic's Whitewater Center as the single service
point throughout the event.
There are plenty of new Independent entries for the 2002 season that are
making their debuts at Cherokee, including just out of retirement rally
veteran Bob Henderson and recently retired Series Manager John McArthur in an
all-new 2002 Subaru WRX. Seamus Burke and Rory Kennedy are debuting their
all new TAD Motorsports prepared Mitsubishi lancer Evo 6.5.
In the Subaru/Prodrive camp, things seem quiet on the surface, but this
has been one busy outfit since January's Sno*Drift rally. 2001 Driver's
champion Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey will be in an all-new, re-engineered
2002 WRX, and Ramana Lagemann, who did his best to knock down a very
substantial tree with his WRX at Sno*Drift, has a thoroughly re-constructed
ride for this weekend.
Rallying Legend John Buffum made a big splash here last year, substitute
driving for an ailing Paul Choiniere, and smoothly piloting his Tiburon to
2nd place overall. This year Hyundai is making an even bigger splash,
synchronizing the launch of the all-new Tiburon coupe at dealerships with the
debut of the all-new rally version of the car here in Chattanooga. When
asked if the team would be using this weekends rally as a shakedown for these
yet un-rallied cars, Hyundai Motorsports Manager Toni Honsowetz was clear:
"We're ready to run at the front, right now. No holding back."
Weather forecast: the substantial fog that has blanketed much of the
Atlanta/Chattanooga corridor for several days (and was a factor in the huge
100+ car pileup on I-75 yesterday just south of town) has cleared, but more
light rain is forecast for event day. This will keep dust to a minimum, but
will also ensure that the red clay that makes up much of this part of the
country remains very slick. While not snow and ice, it can be nearly as
slippery, and just as at Round #1 this past January, tire choice will be a
deciding factor for many teams success or failure here in the Tennessee
forests.
For further information, please visit these Web sites:
· SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
· International Cherokee Trails Rally: www.cherokeetrailsrally.com
Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Director
direct inquiry Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at-event: Eastern Time (GMT - 5 hours)
Mobile: 303.204.0375
Information regarding the start order list:
Car # = number on vehicle. Cars numbered under 200 are Pro entries. Cars
over 200 are generally ClubRally (regional) entrants, with first digit
denoting their home division (2,3 = West coast, 5 = Central US, 8,9 East
coast).
Class = Open - fastest; are cars with considerable modifications;
P (Production) - slowest; are cars very near showroom stock configuration.
G5 - two wheel drive high power cars; G2 - two wheel drive lower horsepower cars;
GT - high horsepower production (stock) cars.
International Cherokee Trails Rally - SCCA ProRally Championship Round #2
16 March, 2002
Top 40 Start Order (subject to revision)
Pos. Car# Seed Class Driver Name Co-Driver Car
1 5 0 Open Mark Higgins Michael Gibson 03 Hyundai Tiburon
2 16 FIA Open David Higgins Calvin Cooledge 02 Subaru WRX
3 17 FIA Open Tom McGeer Mark Williams 02 Subaru WRX
4 1 0 Open Mark Lovell Steve Turvey 02 Subaru WRX
5 25 0 Open Seamus Burke Rory Kennedy 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5
6 6 0 Open Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker 03 Hyundai Tiburon
7 18 FIA Gr N Janusz Kulig Jaroslaw Baran 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
8 3 1 Open Rhys Millen Garry Cowan 01 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5
9 110 1 Open Mark Nelson Charles Bradley 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
10 107 1 Open Tim Paterson John Allen 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
11 2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann Michael Kidd 02 Subaru WRX
12 116 1 Open Thomas Lawless Brian Sharkey 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
13 34 1 Open Peter Lahm Adrian Crane 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
14 52 1 Open Doug Sheperd Peter Gladysz 94 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
15 80 1 Open Jon Kemp Dan Sprongl 84 Audi 4000 quattro
16 162 1 Gr N Patrick Richard A.Lewandowski 02 Subaru WRX
17 44 1 Gr N H. Krolikowski C. Krolikowski 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi
18 22 1 Open Ralph Kosmides Jimmy Brandt 99 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi
19 71 1 Gr 5 Bryan Hourt Drew Ritchie 95 Acura Integra
20 41 2 Open John Drislane Paul Goodman 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
21 76 2 Open Gail Truess Jeff Secor 88 Mazda 323 GTX
22 925 2 Open S. Hadjiminas M. Socratous 95 Subaru Impreza
23 768 2 Gr N Celsus Donnelly Mark McAllister 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
24 29 2 Gr N Tim O'Neil Martin Headland 02 Subaru WRX
25 28 2 G2 Bill Malik C. Edstrom 93 Volvo 240
26 90 2 G2 L. O'Sullivan Matt Chester 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR Ed.
27 914 3 Open Noel Nash Farrell Bernard 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
28 64 3 Open S. Stepniewski Jerzy Bajno 87 Audi 4000 quattro
29 937 3 Open Patrick Farrell Bob Kelly 00 Subaru Impreza
30 78 3 Open Paul Dunn Ray Summers 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
31 173 3 Open Patrick Lilly Paul Donnelly 97 Mitsubishi Mirage
32 891 3 Open Randy Zimmer David Shindle 96 Subaru Impreza
33 527 3 Open Chris Gilligan Joe Peterson 92 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
34 971 3 Gr N B. Cunningham Paul McClean 97 Subaru WRX STi
35 36 3 Gr N Mark Cox Jim Gill 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
36 760 3 Gr N Jeff Denmeade Satch Carlson 98 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5
37 857 3 Gr N Peter Thompson TBA 02 Subaru WRX
38 77 3 PGT Bob Henderson John McArthur 02 Subaru WRX
39 530 3 G5 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobozak 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4
40 42 3 G2 Eric Burmeister Eric Adams 01 Mazda Protégé MP3
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and
Subaru, and is televised in North America on SpeedChannel. Time and date
listing information available at www.speedtv.com
For immediate release 17 March 2002
2002 SCCA® ProRally Championship - Round 2 - Cherokee Trail
Independent's Day in March
Chattanooga Tennessee: For the first time in eight months, an independently
entered team has won an SCCA ProRally Championship event, with an additional
independent entry finishing in second place overall. David Higgins, from the
Isle of Mann, with co-driver Calvin Cooledge, in a 2002 Subaru WRX prepared
by AV Sport of Phoenix Arizona, secured the win by a mere one second margin
over 2001 Polish Rallying Champions Janusz Kulig and Jaroslaw Baran and their
2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.
Key Notes & Quotes:
With all three Open Class works teams entering either all-new cars, or
ones with significant revisions, tried and true non-works entries had their
day on the twisting, hard-packed gravel roads of the Cherokee National
Forest. AV Sports, which fields up to 4 entries, and TAD Motorsports, which
fields as many as 6, both had top 10 finishes, and their share of hard luck
as well. David Higgins' win here at Cherokee offsets AV's garage mates Craig
Peeper and Jason Rivas DNF's (off road time bar and turbo failure
respectively) and TAD's Mark Nelson and Tim Paterson top 10 finishes balances
hard-charging Seamus Burke's frustrating DNF on the transit to the final
stage (a cooling fan failed, and overheated the engine)
"This is the toughest rally I've ever run," exclaimed a clearly haggard
Mark Lovell at the end of this very long day (nearly 15 hours) of rallying,
who debuted his all new and completely re-engineered Subaru WRX this weekend.
While external appearances are nearly identical to his previous ride (now in
the capable hands of teammate Ramana Lagemann) Lovell's WRX is Prodrive's
first car to be specifically built to the limits of the SCCA Open Class
rules. (Lovell's previous car is referred to at Prodrive as a "Group N
Plus", essentially a Group N car with an upgraded motor) Like the all-new
Hyundai Tiburons, the WRX had its share of teething problems, ranging from
niggling electrical details to a transmission failure, which gave rally fans
in the service area a chance to watch the Prodrive crew perform their
"patented" 16 minute transmission replacement drill.
Mark Higgins' day started as badly as could be imagined, but recovered
extraordinarily well. At the start of stage 1, under pouring rain, the
wipers on his brand-new Tiburon jammed under some ironically placed
sun-blocking tape. First car on the road, battling fog and the driving rain,
as well as a partial cast on his right foot (he broke his foot 2 weeks
earlier in a log-clearing accident on his family's farm back in the UK) he
was doing the best he could. Partway through the stage the car's brake bias
got thrown off, causing the hobbled and weather-blind driver to do most of
his turning with the emergency brake. Finally, the rally gods ganged up on
him, slamming the car into three trees, wiping out an equal number of corners
of the car, and badly damaging the rear suspension. In a dramatic
demonstration of both personal resolve and the huge leap forward the Hyundai
team has made in car construction and teamwork, Higgins and Gibson got the
car back to service, and pressed on, finishing a remarkable 5th place
overall, after falling behind nearly 6 minutes due to the accident.
Thanks to an inspired drive by Mark Higgins, Hyundai's lead in the
Overall Manufacturers Championship has been maintained by the narrowest of
margins, with overall points after 2 rounds: Hyundai 28, Subaru 27, and
Mitsubishi 13. In the two-wheel-drive Overall Championship, Mitsubishi is in
a game of catch-up, with the 2nd place (for two-wheel drive cars) overall
finish by Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Matt Chester netting the company 15 much
needed points. Mazda's Eric Burmeister and Eric Adams, driving a well paced
rally to finish 4th in the category, earned 10 points for the company,
maintaining their lead in the championship by 18 points.
The 2002 Driver's Championship continues to build an International
flavor, with new to SCCA ProRally Polish natives Kulig and Baran, earning 17
points each. David Higgins and Calvin Cooledge, after their DNF at Sno*Drift
have come back strong, with 22 points a piece, and fellow UK residents Mark
Lovell and Steve Turvey earning 14 points each. Unofficial standings for the
top 5 teams are: Mark Lovell/Steve Turvey: 31, Mark Higgins/Michael Gibson:
24, David Higgins/Calvin Cooledge: 23, Frank Sprongl/Dan Sprongl 22/23, and
Ramana Lagemann/Michael Kidd: 20.
The Championship starts its "West Coast Swing" in April, traveling to
Portland Oregon for the Oregon Trail rally on the 20th and 21st, then heads
to Southern California for the legendary "Rim of the World" rally in Angeles
National Forest. Both events will feature both SCCA ProRally and SCCA
ClubRally action, and will be televised on SpeedChannel. www.speedtv.com
International Cherokee Trails Rally - SCCA ProRally Championship Round #2
16 March, 2002
Top 25 Finish Order (unofficial)
times are in hours:minutes:seconds
St Fin Car# Time Seed Class Driver Name Co-Driver Car
2 1 16 2:01:57 FIA Open David Higgins Calvin Cooledge 02 Subaru WRX
5 2 18 2:01:58 FIA Gr N Janusz Kulig Jaroslaw Baran 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
4 3 1 2:02:36 0 Open Mark Lovell Steve Turvey 02 Subaru WRX
11 4 2 2:05:33 1 Open Ramana Lagemann Michael Kidd 02 Subaru WRX
1 5 5 2:06:23 0 Open Mark Higgins Michael Gibson 03 Hyundai Tiburon
3 6 17 2:06:47 FIA Open Tom McGeer Mark Williams 02 Subaru WRX
8 7 3 2:07:28 1 Open Rhys Millen Garry Cowan 01 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.5
9 8 110 2:09:45 1 Open Mark Nelson Charles Bradley 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
10 9 107 2:12:52 1 Open Tim Paterson John Allen 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
16 10 162 2:14:43 1 Gr N Patrick Richard Anne Lewandowski 02 Subaru WRX
24 11 29 2:14:52 2 Gr N Tim O'Neil Martin Headland 02 Subaru WRX
18 12 22 2:17:20 1 Open Ralph Kosmides Jimy Brandt 99 Subaru ImprezaWRX-STi
36 13 760 2:17:40 3 Gr N Jeff Denmeade Satch Carlson 98 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5
66 14 755 2:17:59 5 PGT Eoin McGeough Jason Gillespie 90 Eagle Talon TSi
34 15 971 2:18:11 3 Gr N Brendan Cunningham Paul McClean 97 Subaru WRX STi
30 16 78 2:18:38 3 Open Paul Dunn Ray Summers 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
32 17 891 2:19:02 3 Open Randy Zimmer David Shindle 96 Subaru Impreza
49 18 103 2:19:29 4 Gr N Wyeth Gubelmann Therin Pace 02 Subaru WRX
37 19 857 2:20:10 3 Gr N Peter Thompson Peter Pollard 02 Subaru WRX
53 20 834 2:20:34 4 G2 Randy Bailey Will Perry 88 Isuzu Impulse
48 21 124 2:20:45 3 Gr N Peter Workum Allesandro Gelsomino 02 Subaru WRX
17 22 44 2:20:56 1 Gr N Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi
26 23 90 2:22:29 2 G2 Lauchlin O'Sullivan Matt Chester 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR
42 24 79 2:24:19 3 P Jeff Field David Weiman 02 Toyota Celica GTS
35 25 36 2:24:23 3 Gr N Mark Cox Jim Gill 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
*complete results will be posted on the Cherokee Trails website:
http://www.cherokeetrailsrally.org
Select Retirements (unofficial)
St Car Sd Class Driver Co-Driver Mfg Stage Reason
62 94 5 N Craig Peeper Ian Bevan 02 Subaru SS2 Off road -stuck - time barred
13 34 1 Open Peter Lahm Adrian Crane 97 Mitsubishi SS3 Off-road, timebarred
25 28 2 G2 Bill Malik Christian Edstrom 93 Volvo SS3 Driveline
19 71 1 Gr 5 Bryan Hourt Drew Ritchie 95 Acura SS3 Off-road - stuck - time barred
12 116 1 Open Thomas Lawless Brian Sharkey 97 Mitsubishi SS3 Rear differential
20 41 2 Open John Drislane Paul Goodman 00 Mitsubishi SS3 Rear differential
7 6 0 Open Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker 03 Hyundai SS5 Rear differential
14 52 1 Open Doug Sheperd Peter Gladysz 94 Mitsubishi SS5 Mechanical from earlier accident
6 25 0 Open Seamus Burke Rory Kennedy 00 Mitsubishi Transit 7 Cooling fan failure, head gasket
The SCCA name and logo is a registered trademark of the Sports Car Club of
America, Inc. ProRally, ClubRally and RallyCross are service marks of the
SCCA.
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and
Subaru, and is televised in North America on SpeedChannel. Time and date
listing information available at www.speedtv.com