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BLOMQVIST/BUFFUM COAST TO MIKUNI LJT VICTORY
BAKERSFIELD, California --
Take one six-time Swedish champion, add the
defending Sports Car Club of America Pro Rally titlist and, put them in
a unique 16 valve Saab EMS and the combination proved just as unbeatable
as it sounded in the Mikuni La Jornada Trabajosa last weekend near
Bakersfield, CA.
Swedish champ and European household name Stig Blomqvist, in his first
rally event in the United States, drove while British Leyland factory pilot
John Buffum, America's foremost rallyist, found himself in the unfamiliar
co-driver seat to finish with 12,349 penalty points and win easily in the
312-mile event run through scenic Sequoia National Forest.
The duo ran the powerful 16-valve performance rally Saab, one of only a
half dozen in the world. They won~`all but three of the event's 12 stages
after being seeded No. 1 and holding the position throughout the crystal clear,
pitch black night.
In second place, and winner of the three stages Blomqvist-Buffum failed
to take, was Hendrik Blok and Tom Grimshaw in a Plymouth Arrow with 12,968
points, followed.by Alaska State Patrolman Danny Goodwin and Rod Sorenson
in a Mazda RX-2 with 13,472 points.
A total of 14 teams finished the event run over twisting dirt and paved
sections which proved rough on a number of competitors. Among them was the
Steve Ruiz Gary Ruiz team from Rolling Hills, CA, which appeared with a
spotless works Lancia but retired after difficulties on Stage One.
6/28/78
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