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Round 8 of the 2002 SCCA ProRally Championship Bemidji, Minnesota August 16-17, 2002 Ojibwe Forests Website * ProRally Results * ClubRally Results * Entry List Press Notes
SCCA ProRally Championship Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests Media Alert DENVER, CO: Eighth round (of ten) for the 2002 season. An impressive 77 car field of SCCA and FIA Performance Rally cars are slated to start the Ojibwe Forests SCCA ProRally; cars will compete on the fast and smooth, but often sandy state forest roads in the upper reaches of North central Minnesota. This performance rally event is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai Motor America, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, and Subaru of America. The Ojibwe Forests Rally is presented locally by Bloomington Subaru, a Luther Dealership. When & Where: 16-17 August 2002; Bemidji, MN; approximately 180 miles (275 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Headquarters Hotel - Friday/Saturday Press Room; Event and Media registration Northern Inn and Convention Center (Adjacent to Bemidji-Beltrami Airport; Bemidji, MN 56601) Hotel main phone: 218.751.9500 Media & Fan Receptions - Wednesday 14 August - Bloomington & Brooklyn Park, MN For the first time in the SCCA ProRally Championship, the Ojibwe Forest event will have two simultaneous media and fan receptions in the pre-event host metropolitan area surrounding Minneapolis, listed here in order of their starting times. Event #1: Hyundai Rally Team USA will be at Brooklyn Park Hyundai, 7875 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park, MN. Call the dealership at: 713.424.4400 for additional information. Expected to be on-hand will be the team's new Tiburon rally cars, plus former multi-time SCCA ProRally Champions Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, with teammates Mark Higgins and Michael Gibson. The cars will be on display from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Event #2: Bloomington Subaru, an authorized reseller of Subaru automobiles, will be hosting a reception for the media and performance rally fans at their dealership on Wednesday evening, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Meet the lead drivers, co-drivers, and view the top running Subaru automobiles in the SCCA ProRally Championship. The dealership is located at 7801 Lyndale Ave S. Call 952.887.0640 for additional information, or log onto www.subaru.net Scheduled to be on-hand will be the Subaru Rally Team USA Open class rally cars; current overall driver points leader, David Higgins and his AV Sport WRX; Doug Havir and his Prodrive Open Class WRX-STi, 2001 Production GT class champ, Mark Utecht with his Group N WRX. Also on hand will be the return of former PGT Champion, Steve Gingras debuting his brand new 2002 Subaru WRX; plus a host of others. Drivers, Co-drivers, and Teams will be taking questions, signing autographs, and letting folks know about rallying here in the States including guest speakers, Mark Lovell (car #1) of Subaru Rally Team USA and Tim O'Neil of Team O'Neil Rally School. Complete Event Schedule: (subject to change) Wednesday, 14 August 2002 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Brooklyn Park Hyundai expo - Brooklyn Park, MN 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Bloomington Subaru RallyFest 2002 - Bloomington, MN Thursday, 15 August 2002 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Registration - all parties - Northern Inn Press Room 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Welcome Reception - Northern Inn Friday, 16 August 2002 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM Registration: Northern Inn Press Room 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Scrutineering - Chalet Center Car Wash-703 Paul Bunyan Dr., Bemidji 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM Competitor Registration - Northern Inn 5:30 PM -12:30 AM Leg 1: Ojibwe Forests ProRally & 10,000 Lakes ClubRally Approx. 12:30 AM - 2:00 AM Pizza Party and posting of Leg 1 provisional scores. Saturday, 17 August 2002 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Late Press Registration: Press Room - Northern Inn 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM Leg 2: Ojibwe Forests ProRally & Paul Bunyan's Ride ClubRally Approx. 8:00 PM - 2:00 AM Awards Party and Scores - Northern Inn Selected entries (driver/co-driver): Current Overall Drivers Championship points leader David Higgins (103 points), 2002 Subaru WRX. Current Manufacturer Championship Leaders (92 Points), Subaru Rally Team USA: Mark Lovell with Steve Turvey (#1 car), winners of last month's Maine Forest Rally, and Ramana Lagemann and Mike Kidd (#2 car) all in 2002 Subaru WRX's. Hyundai Rally Team USA: Mark Higgins and Michael Gibson (#5), Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker (#6), 2003 Hyundai Tiburons. Mitsubishi Rally Team USA: Rhys Millen and Garry Cowan (#3) and current Group 2 Manufacturer Points Leaders, Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Matt Chester (#90). 2001 Overall Driver's Championship runner up, Seamus Burke (#25) with Rory Kennedy, (Co-Driver) 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.5. Doug Havir in the #88 Prodrive prepared 2002 Subaru WRX-STi. Making a big swap in cars is Championship regular Bill Malik, who is stepping out of his Group 2 Volvo 240, and trying out all-wheel-drive for the first time, in a TMS Motorsport prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI. Notable local favorites: #44 Henry and Cindy Krolikowski, 2000 Group N Class Subaru WRX-STi; #50 Steve Gingras and Christian Edstrom, debuts his new 2002 Open Class Subaru WRX; Eric Burmeister and Eric Adams, 01 Mazda Protégé MP3; Mark Utecht and Jeff Secor; 2002 Group N Subaru WRX; and Doug Shepherd and Joe Andreini, 2002 Dodge Neon SRT 4. Additional news interest: A win at Ojibwe for Mark Lovell could put him back in control of the Open Class Driver's Championship-that is if current class leader David Higgins doesn't finish. Either way this race is extremely crucial for both combatants, as there are only two additional rounds in 2002. Adding to the upset potential of this event, Ojibwe is historically a very good rally for Hyundai (sweeping all three podium positions in 2000), and Mitsubishi has spared no expense since Maine Forest getting the final gremlins out of Rhys Millen's Evo VII. Adding some additional international flavor to this years Ojibwe is the arrival of a Group A Subaru Impreza via New Zealand, with a new to US rallying driver and co-driver team of John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick, both from the UK. Lloyd had rally experience from around the world, including the fabled Safari rally in Kenya, and Gullick is a former British Rally Championship winning co-driver. The Group 2 Manufacturer's Championship can be decided for sure in Minnesota if Lauchlin O'Sullivan can score a 1st place finish in class and Eric Burmeister in his Mazda Protégé don't find themselves with a second place finish. Additionally, if O'Sullivan secures a top podium in Group 2 at this rally, then the Mazda would need at least a 3rd place finish to have a chance at this Driver's Championship. Whereas fierce heat was a factor last year, this year's health threat is the outbreak of the West Nile Virus throughout much of the east and mid-western states. Spectators and Press are advised to dress with long sleeves and pants, and use plenty of insect repellent Event Rank: This rally is a full points SCCA ProRally Championship event. Drivers earn points towards the national championship, and supporting manufacturers (Hyundai, Subaru, Mazda and Mitsubishi) earn points towards overall and class Manufacturers' Championships. Press Credentials, Visuals, Interviews & Media information: Event Press/Photo credentials will be available at registration on Friday and pre-event Saturday morning. Access to press-only photo areas, and to the post event activities will require a press pass. Credentials are available only to members of the working registered press. Identification and/or work assignment required. Minors are not eligible for Press or VIP credentials. During the event, action photography will be possible from spectator and select press-only viewing areas along the rally course. Drivers, co-drivers and crew will be accessible throughout the event, including the Saturday afternoon service. Media relations will be able to provide driver and co-driver interviews, event results and other information via telephone and Email. Media Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1) Email: sccaprorally@aol.com Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) Websites: SCCA ProRally: www.sccaprorally.org/ Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, and is televised in North America on Speed Channel SCCA ProRally Championship Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests Start Order & Late Breaking News: BEMIDJI, Minnesota A highly competitive field of 52 cars are entered into the Ojibwe Forests Rally, Round #8 of the 2002 ProRally Championship, and another 25 in the supporting 10,000 Lakes and Paul Bunyan's Ride ClubRallys. All three Overall Championship Manufacturers (Hyundai, Subaru and Mitsubishi) are represented along with both of the Group 2 Manufacturers (Mazda and Mitsubishi). Known for its fast speeds, smooth roads and frequent 'yumps' that demands unflinching concentration, Ojibwe Forests, according to several overseas observers and participants here this weekend, is as close to rallying in Finland as you can get in the United States. Late Breaking News: Big change at the front of the pack - Hyundai driver Mark Higgins' long-time co-driver Michael Gibson was seriously injured last weekend at an Irish rally, fracturing a lower vertebrae - and will be out for at least for at least the next two ProRally Championship events. A full recovery is expected, and Michael should be back in the right seat for the season ender at Lake Superior. In his place for the next two rounds is UK co-driver Claire Mole, a former British Rally Championship title-holder, her most recent experience has been in the Super 1600. While the average age of performance rallyists in this country has plummeted in the past 5 years, this is still a sport with plenty of elder statesmen (and women) that are very active. The top of the list is easy to pick - North American rally legend John Buffum has been working the business of performance rallying as long as it has existed in this country - but others on the list might not be as easy to identify. Retired schoolteacher, and Ojibwe Forests Rally founder Bob Nielsen (#98) is celebrating his 25th year in rallying this weekend, and Jimmy Brandt (#22) has more years than that as a co-driver. Doug Shepherd and Joe Andreini (#52) Dave Weiman (#86) and former ProRally Series Manager John McArthur (#77) also have their roots in rallying back in the mid-70's. The weather for this years running of the northern Minnesota event is markedly different from past years, with a cooling blast of Canadian air keeping temps in the mid-70s in the day-time, possibly dropping into the lower 50s at night. Scattered thundershowers are also on the weather forecast - although last year a similar prediction turned into a fierce hailstorm on SS1. Information regarding the start order list: Car # = number on vehicle. Car # under 200 are ProRally entries. Car# over 200 are generally ClubRally (regional) entrants. Class = Open, FIA Groups A, N - fastest; are cars with considerable modifications; P (Production) - slowest; are cars very near to showroom stock configuration. G5 - two wheel drive high HP cars; G2 - two wheel drive normally aspirated cars; PGT - high horsepower all-wheel-drive Production (stock) cars. Top 50 Start Order - subject to revision (Balance of entry list available to view at www.ojibweforestsrally.com) Start Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car 1 16 0 Open David Higgins UK Daniel Barritt UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2 1 0 Open Mark Lovell UK Steve Turvey UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 3 6 0 Open Paul Choiniere USA Jeff Becker USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 4 5 0 Open Mark Higgins UK Claire Mole UK 03 Hyundai Tiburon 5 25 0 Open Seamus Burke USA Rory Kennedy IRL 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 6 3 1 Open Rhys Millen USA Garry Cowan NZ 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 7 2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann USA Michael Kidd UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 8 12 F GA John Lloyd UK Pauline Gullick UK 96 Subaru Impreza 9 88 3 Open Doug Havir USA Scott Putnam USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 10 32 1 Open Paul Ekund USA Scott Huhn USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 11 110 1 Open Mark Nelson USA Charles Bradley USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 12 50 1 Open Steve Gingras USA Christian Edstrom USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 13 44 1 GN Henry Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 14 22 1 GN Ralph Kosmides USA Jimmy Brandt USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 15 52 1 Open Doug Shepherd USA Joe Andreini USA 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4 16 48 1 Open Lon Petersen USA USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 17 28 2 GN Bill Malik USA Dave Kean USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 18 41 2 Open John Drislane USA Ronan Burke USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 19 83 2 GN Mark Utecht USA Jeff Secor USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 20 971 2 GN B. Cunningham USA Paul McClean USA 97 Subaru Impreza 21 29 2 GN Tim O'Neil USA Martin Headland CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 23 78 3 Open Paul Dunn USA Ray Summers USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 24 527 3 Open Chris Gilligan USA Joe Petersen USA 91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 25 173 3 Open Patrick Lilly USA Mark McAllister USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 26 891 3 Open Randy Zimmer USA David Shindle USA 93 Subaru Impreza 27 49 3 Open Jonathan Ryther USA Roger Loeffers CN 00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 28 45 3 GN Shane Mitchell USA Paul Donnelly USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 29 103 3 GN Wyeth Gubelmann USA Therin Pace USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 30 36 3 GN Mark Cox USA Jim Gill USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 31 94 3 GN Craig Peeper USA Ian Bevan UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 32 136 3 GN Jason Rivas USA Ole Holter USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 33 207 3 G5 Dave Hintz USA Rick Hintz USA 86 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 34 98 3 G2 Robert Nielsen USA Brenda Lewis USA 87 VW Golf GTi 35 90 3 G2 L. O'Sullivan USA Matt Chester USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 36 42 3 G2 Eric Burmeister USA Eric Adams USA 01 Mazda Protégé MP3 37 86 3 P Michael Halley USA Dave Weiman USA 99 VW New Beetle 38 77 4 PGT Bob Henderson USA John McArthur USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 39 122 4 Open Dennis Martin USA Kim Demotte USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 40 588 4 GN Jerry Churchill USA Jim Roxbury USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 41 504 5 Open Carl Redner USA Scott Carlborn USA 92 Mitsubishi Eclipse 42 432 5 GN Ron Nelson USA James Burtis USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 43 549 5 PGT Thanasi Samaras USA Erick Vandeburg USA 93 Eagle Talon 44 514 5 PGT Roland McIvor USA 95 Mitsubishi Eclipse 45 916 5 PGT Jonathan Bottoms USA Eric Dahlgren USA 99 Subaru Impreza 46 534 5 G5 Robert Olson USA Conrad Ketelsen USA 93 Porsche 911 47 121 5 G2 Pablo Sanfranciso USA 85 VW Golf GTi 48 84 5 G2 J.B. Niday USA Allan Kintigh USA 92 VW Golf GTi 49 545 5 P Eric Seppanen USA Jake Himes USA 92 Nissan Sentra 50 72 5 P Jon Hamilton USA Ken Sabo USA 00 VW Golf TDI Media Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1) Email: sccaprorally@aol.com Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) Websites: SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/ Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, and is televised in North America on Speed Channel SCCA ProRally Championship Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests Lovell Leads, Then Retires, Mark Higgins Takes the Point: BEMIDJI, Minnesota Day one of the 2002 Ojibwe Forests Rally proved to be one of the most unique of the season, with surprisingly cool weather turning cold and very wet in the night. Retirements abounded, with the dark forests claiming both Championship leaders and local favorites. Finally leading a rally - Mark Higgins and substitute co-driver Claire Mole have a solid, commanding position entering day 2, leading the rally over brother and Championship points leader David Higgins by just over one minute. Key Notes: Getting to the front wasn't easy for Mark Higgins, who has had more than his share of challenges during his first season of SCCA ProRallying, with brake problems early in the stages, and running out of fuel at the end of SS4. Rhys Millen, whose hopes were so high coming into Ojibwe after his respectable showing at Maine Forest, was the first casualty of the day, having a huge off about 3 miles into SS1 while rebounding from a full throttle series of jumps. Both Millen and co-driver Cowan are fine, but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII is a write-off. Mark Lovell, coming off two convincing wins at Pikes Peak and Maine Forest, was off to a solid start in the early stages, taking the lead after SS3. Leaving the mid-evening service, the weather turned very foul, and like all teams was using all his lighting to find his way through the torrential downpour. An electrical fault occurred, and the battery went dead shortly thereafter, ending his rally. UK visitors John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick got themselves high-centered on a berm during one of the downpours, and were unable to get a tug out of the mire before being time-barred from the event. Tim O'Neil leads Group N and is one of the fields fastest risers, coming from a 21st on the road starting position to hold onto 5th overall at the end of Day One. The wet weather suited the Group N contingent well, with just one retirement in the class (newcomer Jerry Churchill #588) and many of the group posting significant road position gains (11 places for Brendan Cunningham #31, 16 positions for Shane Mitchell #45, and a remarkable 23 positions for Ron Nelson #432). Lauchlin O'Sullivan is in control of the Group 2 competition, with a nearly one-minute lead over local favorite Robert Nielsen. Drivers and Manufacturers Championship runner-up Eric Burmeister, no stranger to Ojibwe Forests, is out of the event, after striking a rock and destroying a wheel and front axle on his Mazda Protégé, and ending his mathematical chances for a year-end podium. Who would have thought Production Class would be a "Battle of the Sexes?" Michael Halley and David Weiman lead Production class, in the "Stud Bug" by a healthy four and a half-minute margin over the 2nd place all-girl team of Jamie Thomas and Tina Lengacher. Weiman, who normally co-drives for Jeff Field, was without a ride following his big shunt with Field at Maine Forest in July, and secured the co-drive with Halley just prior to Ojibwe. A solid finish for Weiman is critical for his Production class championship chances over second place in points co-driver Ken Sabo. Regardless of how this weekend comes out, Weiman is still a winner in one battle: he will be co-driving for Thomas at Wild West. Start Finish Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car Time 4 1 5 0 Open Mark Higgins UK Claire Mole UK 03 Hyundai Tiburon 1:04.63 1 2 16 0 Open David Higgins UK Daniel Barritt UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:05.66 3 3 6 0 Open Paul Choiniere USA Jeff Becker USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 1:09.32 6 4 2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann USA Michael Kidd UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:09.97 21 5 29 2 GN Tim O'Neil USA Martin Headland CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:11.62 7 6 25 0 GN Seamus Burke USA Rory Kennedy IRL 00 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:11.88 10 7 88 3 Open Doug Havir USA Scott Putnam USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:14.55 31 8 136 3 GN Jason Rivas USA Ole Holter USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:15.23 20 9 31 2 GN B. Cunningham USA Paul McClean USA 97 Subaru Impreza 1:15.24 14 10 22 1 GN Ralph Kosmides USA Jimmy Brandt USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:15.91 27 11 45 3 GN Shane Mitchell USA Paul Donnelly USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.01 12 12 50 1 Open Steve Gingras USA Christian Edstrom USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.40 22 13 78 3 Open Paul Dunn USA Ray Summers USA 97 Mitsubishi Evo IV 1:16.61 11 14 32 1 Open Paul Eklund USA Scott Huhn USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.80 13 15 44 1 GN H. Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:17.88 25 16 891 3 Open Randy Zimmer USA Ed Wahl USA 93 Subaru Impreza 1:17.95 38 17 122 4 Open Dennis Martin USA Kim Demotte USA 97 Mitsubishi Evo IV 1:18.07 17 18 41 2 Open John Drislane USA Ronan Burke USA 00 Mitsubishi Evo VI 1:18.26 48 19 534 5 G5 Robert Olson USA Conrad Ketelsen USA 93 Porsche 911 1:18.30 43 20 432 5 GN Ron Nelson USA James Burtis USA 02 Mitsubishi Evo VII 1:19.67 34 21 90 3 G2 L. O'Sullivan USA Matt Chester USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer 1:19.76 29 22 36 3 GN Mark Cox USA Jim Gill USA 00 Mitsubishi Evo VI 1:19.79 33 23 98 3 G2 Robert Nielsen USA Brenda Lewis USA 87 VW Golf GTi 1:20.71 30 24 94 3 GN Craig Peeper USA Ian Bevan UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:21.35 16 25 48 1 Open Lon Petersen USA Ben Bradley USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS 1:21.39 Day One Leading Retirements - (Unofficial) Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year/Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 3 Rhys Millen Garry Cowan Open 02 Mitsubishi SS1 Crash 42 Eric Burmeister Eric Adams G2 00 Mazda SS1 Axle, wheel failure 49 Jonathan Ryther Roger Loeffers Open 00 Subaru SS1 Overheating head gasket 173 Patrick Lilly Mark McAllister Open 00 Mitsubishi SS2 Undisclosed mechanical 110 Mark Nelson Charles Bradley Open 00 Mitsubishi SS4 Crushed radiator 2 Mark Lovell Steve Turvey Open 02 Subaru SS4 Electrical - battery 12 John Lloyd Pauline Gullick Gr A 96 Subaru SS7 High centered on berm Media Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director Press room phone: (218) 751-9500 - ext 319 Email: sccaprorally@aol.com Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) Websites: SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/ Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, SCCA ProRally Championship Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests Mark Higgins and Hyundai Earn Top Honors O'Sullivan Captures Group 2 Driver/MFG Championships: BEMIDJI, Minnesota After 7 successive attempts, Mark Higgins has finally earned his first SCCA ProRally victory, and the second first place finish for Hyundai in the 2002 season. Hyundai has an impressive tradition of strong finishes here (sweeping all three podium positions in 2000 - a first for the Korean manufacturer). Mitsubishi, despite a trying season in the Open class did succeed brilliantly in the Group 2 class with its normally-aspirated US market Lancer, locking up the manufacturers race in that category with two events to spare over challenger Eric Burmeister and his Mazda Protégé. Key Notes: It has been a long climb for Mark Higgins, but both he, and Hyundai made a determined drive to the top of the podium in northern Minnesota tonight. As reported earlier, this climb hasn't been an easy one through the season, and even at this weekend's rally. At the final service, a turbo and a rear brake caliper had to be replaced, adding some last minute tensions to the teams overall victory mission. Lauchlin O'Sullivan became the first driver in the 2002 Championship to clinch a Drivers and Manufacturers title simultaneously. Driving a very steady rally, which he admitted was "the toughest kind to drive" O'Sullivan kept good pace throughout, delivering a nearly two-minute victory window over nearest challenger Robert Nielsen. In what could be defined at the most consistent championship charge of the season, O'Sullivan had a bit of a rocky start at Sno*Drift in January, with a completely new and un-tested car. At Cherokee Trails, the "Evo 2" version of the two-wheel drive, normally aspirated Lancer arrived, with more aggressive 4-wheel disc brakes. Here at Ojibwe, the "Evo 3" version debuted, with the one item that Lauchlin has been wishing for all season - better gear ratios. Through it all, the O'Sullivan/Matt Chester team accepted both the car's limitations (horsepower and gearing) and its virtues (reliability and durability) and never failed to put the car on the Group 2 podium at every event, winning in-class at the last four SCCA ProRallys. The international appeal of the SCCA ProRally Championship continues to grow, with the first (possibly ever) Lithuanian team entering and finishing at Ojibwe. Driving a Subaru Impreza, the team of Valdemaras Maciukevicius and Arunas Salkauskas finished 26th overall and 2nd in the Production GT category - an impressive finish immediately behind class leaders Bob Henderson and John McArthur. The Bolivian team (also a first-time entry in SCCA ProRally) of Marcelo Zuleta and Mirko Suarez didn't fare quite as well, retiring halfway through Day Two with mechanical woes. Tim O'Neil and Martin Headland continue to chew away at Group N class leaders Ralph Kosmides and Jimmy Brandt's points advantage, in a battle that will very likely go right down to the season ending rally at Lake Superior. While Seamus Burke won the class outright with a terrific ride in a hastily rented Subaru (substituting for his trusty Mitsubishi Lancer that had terminal engine problems that surfaced in pre-event testing), this was his first Group N ride of the season, so he isn't a contender for the class championship. With the championship returning to the west coast in three weeks at Wild West, Kosmides "home" event, this already simmering hot class championship battle will get positively boiling. Overall Championship Driver's standings: David Higgins 120, Mark Higgins 88, Mark Lovell 84, with the nearest next challengers tied at 41 points a piece (Mark Nelson and Rhys Millen) The see-sawing manufacturer battle between Hyundai and Subaru tipped in Hyundai's favor again with Mark Higgins strong first place finish, and Paul Choiniere's fierce drive to 3rd, effectively shielding a very hard charging Ramana Lagemann and Michael Kidd from 3rd place manufacturer points by a mere 8 seconds. Following Lovell's retirement, Lagemann lit the fuse, and gained considerable time on the field, particularly on the two special spectator stages at "The Ranch" near downtown Akeley. Final Results - (Official) St Fin Car S Cl Driver Co-Driver Car Time 4 1 5 0 Open Mark Higgins UK Claire Mole UK 03 Hyundai Tiburon 2:00 46 1 2 16 0 Open David Higgins UK Daniel Barritt UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:02:01 3 3 6 0 Open Paul Choiniere USA Jeff Becker USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 2:04:50 6 4 2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann USA Michael Kidd UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:04:58 7 5 25 0 GN Seamus Burke USA Rory Kennedy IRL 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 2:12:05 21 6 29 2 GN Tim O'Neil USA Martin Headland CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:12:37 10 7 88 3 Open Doug Havir USA Scott Putnam USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:14:40 20 8 31 2 GN Brenden Cunningham USA Paul McClean USA 97 Subaru Impreza 2:18:53 14 9 22 1 GN Ralph Kosmides USA Jimmy Brandt USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:20:31 22 10 78 3 Open Paul Dunn USA Ray Summers USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 2:21:11 13 11 44 1 GN Henry Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 2:21:44 38 12 122 4 Open Dennis Martin USA Kim Demotte USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 2:22:58 19 13 83 2 GN Mark Utecht USA Jeff Secor USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:24:11 48 14 534 5 G5 Robert Olson USA Conrad Ketelsen USA 93 Porsche 911 2:25:52 43 15 432 5 GN Ron Nelson USA James Burtis USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII2:26:55 34 16 90 3 G2 LLauchlin O'Sullivan USA Matt Chester USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 2:27:11 30 17 94 3 GN Craig Peeper USA Ian Bevan UK 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:27:22 16 18 48 1 Open Lon Petersen USA Ben Bradley USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 2:27:44 29 19 36 3 GN Mark Cox USA Jim Gill USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 2:28:15 33 20 98 3 G2 Robert Nielsen USA Brenda Lewis USA 87 VW Golf GTi 2:29:17 32 21 207 3 G5 David Hintz USA Rick Hintz USA 86 Mazda RX-7 turbo 2:29:29 37 22 77 4 PGT Bob Henderson USA John McArthur USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 2:33:46 50 23 121 5 G2 Pablo Sanfransisco USA David Shindle USA 85 VW Golf GTi 2:34:04 36 24 86 3 P Michael Halley USA David Weiman USA 99 VW New Beetle 2:34:20 41 25 504 5 Open Carl Redner USA Scott Carlborn USA 91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 2:36:13 44 26 612 5 PGT V. Maciukevicius LT Arunas Salkauskas LT 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 2:39:35 15 27 52 1 G5 Doug Shepherd USA Joe Andreini USA 01 Dodge Neon SRT-4 2:50:32 58 28 215 5 P Jamie Thomas USA Tina Lengacher USA 95 Subaru Impreza 3:11:46 72 29 190 8 P Emilio Lezcano USA Paula Gibeault USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 3:23:29 Day One Leading Retirements - (Official) Car Drivers Co-Drivers Cl Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 3 Rhys Millen Garry Cowan Open 02 Mitsubishi SS1 Crash 42 Eric Burmeister Eric Adams G2 00 Mazda SS1 Axle, wheel failure 110 Mark Nelson Charles Bradley Open 00 Mitsubishi SS4 Crushed radiator 1 Mark Lovell Steve Turvey Open 02 Subaru SS7 Electrical - battery 12 John Lloyd Pauline Gullick Gr A 96 Subaru SS7 Slid off road into ditch Day Two Leading Retirements - (Unofficial) Car Drivers Co-Drivers Cl Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 136 Jason Rivas Ole Holter GN 02 Subaru SS12 Slid off road, roll-over 103 Wyeth Gubelman Therin Pace GN 02 Subaru SS12 High-center on berm 50 Steve Gingras Christian Edstrom Open 02 Subaru SS12 Ball joint 32 Paul Eklund Scott Huhn Open 02 Subaru SS12 Transmission 72 John Hamilton Ken Sabo P 00 VW SS13 Off-road Media Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1) Email: sccaprorally@aol.com Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) Websites: SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/ Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, and is televised in North America on Speed Channel 2002 ProRally Index RRN Index |