Manistee Trails 1983


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12,1983

IT'S BUFFUM/SHEPHERD/QUATTRO ONCE AGAIN AT MANISTEE PRO RALLY

MANISTEE, Michigan -- Even though it was only a co-efficient B event. it seemed as though every PRO Rally car in the country turned up at this little Michigan resort community for the first running of the Manistee Trails PRO Rally.

It may have been a new event, but the results were the same old thing. it is getting so that the Buffum/Shepherd/Quattro combination are completely dominating U.S. PRO Rallying. This time, however, Rod Millen in his 4wd Mazda RX-7 prototype really gave them a run for their money, and a slight change in luck could have made the results a lot different.

Millen lead the 69 car field after the first five stages by about half a minute as the Quattro was suffering from ignition trouble. Then in the next set of three stages, the Mazda had a puncture and Millen and R. Dale Kraushaar had to slow down a bit. Not only that, but the stage where Buffun had had the most trouble with the car was thrown out because of an accident which required medical assistance. That allowed Buffum to move into a lead that he never gave up.

Jon Woodner and his Peugeot 504 Coupe were third, less than a minute ahead of Mark Hardymon and his Mazda RX-7. These were clearly the fastest of the two-wheel drive cars, but the night belonged to the four wheel drives. A hard rain shower early on turned the Michigan roads into bogs, and the 4wd's ate it up.

In Production Class, Gene Henderson's 4wd AMC Eagle was five minutes faster than Gary Eaton in the Peugeot 505. Henderson was so quick that on the first of the rally's 16 stages, he tied the Quattro for fastest time. The win moves Henderson into second for the Production Drivers Championship just behind Steve Nowicki, who rolled his Plymouth Arrow on the second stage. Guy Light's Oldsmobile was third in class after losing two minutes at a start control changing a tire. Without that penalty, he would have been an easy second in class and sixth overall.

In addition to Nowicki's problem, the Production Dodge Shelby Charger of John Crawford bought a tree and went out on stage two. Bruno Kreibich got about 500 feet into the first stage and struck a curb with his Audi Quattro breaking a rear axle. Dave Lapham hit the same curb with his Toyota Celica with essentially the same results. Also on the first stage, Walter Boyce's Ford Escort broke an input shaft and went out. Taisto Heinonen lasted only three stages before the clutch went away on his Mercury Lynx.

Bob Townsend and Alan Doughtry had the most serious accident of the night when their Datsun 510 hit a tree on stage four. Both men insisted that they were okay, but Townsend was taken to the local hospital for an examination where x-rays revealed a broken sternum (chest bone), He was treated and released.

This was the first National PRO Rally staged by the Western Michigan Region. and there were some growing pains due mostly to the much larger than anticipated entry. For the most part, problems were handled well, and once the rally got going, things went smoothly. The host community of Manistee went all out and featured the cars in a parade down the main street and a special stage at an industrial park within the city. In all, Manistee Trails proved to be quite a successful second level event.

The next event is the Texas PRO Rally in Ft. Worth, October 15.

SCCA CONTACTS: Tim Cline, 321 Saw Mill Road, Guilford, Connecticut 06437 (203)453-1742
T. Michael Moreland, 6750 South Emporia Street, Englewood, Colorado 80112 (303)770-1044


SCCA NATIONAL PRO RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP


EVENT: Manistee Trails                   			EVENT CONDUCTED BY: Western Michigan Region, SCCA
LOCATION: Manistee, Michigan              			LENGTH: 230 miles, 86 stage miles
DATE: September 10-11, 1983                  			WEATHER: Warm, rain
ENTRANTS: 71 FINISHERS: 43             				TERRAIN: Forest, rolling hills




                                                  				PROD.  
FIN.                                    				CHAMP.  CHAMP.
POS.  	DRIVER/CO-DRIVER/HOMETOWN		CAR		SCORE	POINTS  POINTS
 1. 	John Buffum, S. Burlington, Vt.       	Audi Quattro  	53.59     20   	 
	Doug Shepherd, Livonia, Mich.					  20

 2.  	Rod Millen, Costa Mesa, Calif.		Mazda RX-7	54.52 	  15
        R. Dale Kraushaar, Tigard, Oreg.              			  15

 3.  	Jon Woodner, Washington, D.C.		Peugeot 504	62.16     12
        Ginny Reese, Chelsea, Mich.          				  12

 4.  	Mark Hardymon, Powell, Ohio		Mazda RX-7   	63.07 	  10
        Tom Drake, Columbus, Ohio                			  10
    
 5.(1P) Gene Henderson, Pinckney, Mich. 	Eagle SX4	64.32      8     20
        Jim Kloosterman, Ypsilanti, Mich.             			   8	 20 
 
 6.  	Mike Purzycki. Fenton, Mich.    	AMC Jeep 	66.48      6
        Ken Middleton, Holly, Mich.                  			   6
 
 7.  	Clive Smith, Costa Mesa, Calif.       	Volkswagen     	67.79      4
        Harry Ward, Toledo. Ohio                Rabbit         		   4

 8.  	Tom Bell, Williamsburg, Mich.  		Datsun 280Z  	68.71  	   3
        David Stone, Acme, Mich.                      			   3

 9.(2P)	Gary Eaton, Pinckney, Mich.  		Peugeot 505    	69.37      2     15
        Carolyn Eaton, Pinckney, Mich.            			   2     15

10. 	John Ricker, Foxboro, Mass.      	Dodge Colt	69.39      1
        Art Mendolia, Suffern. N.Y.                 			   1 

				 PRODUCTION CLASS WINNERS
 1.	Gene Henderson, Pinckney, Mich. 	Eagle SX4	64.32      20
        Jim Kloosterman, Ypsilanti, Mich.             			   20 

 2.	Gary Eaton, Pinckney, Mich.  		Peugeot 505    	69.37      15
        Carolyn Eaton, Pinckney, Mich.            			   15

 3.  	Guy Light, Midland, Mich.		Oldsmobile     	69.62 	   12
        Terry Conklin, Midland, Mich.		Omega        		   12
    
  
	UNITED STATES RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER EIGHT EVENTS
 
 DRIVER (Current Car)         	       		PRODUCTION DRIVER (Current Car)
 1.	John Buffum, Audi	  135      	1.	Steve Nowicki, Plymouth		80
 2. 	Rod Millen, Mazda 	   95      	2. 	Gene Henderson, AMC 		75
 3. 	Jon Woodner, Peugeot   	   80           3. 	Gary Eaton, Peugeot   		54

CO-DRIVER                    			PRODUCTION CO-DRIVER
 1. 	Doug Shepherd     	  100      	1. 	Jim Kloosterman          	63
 2. 	Ginny Reese       	   80      	2. 	Terry Conklin          		53
 3. 	R. Dale Kraushaar	   65      	3. 	Brian Berg     			48

MANUFACTURER                 			PRODUCTION MANUFACTURER
 1. 	Audi            	  115      	1. 	AMC                 		76
 2. 	Mazda             	   95      	2. 	Plymouth             		68
 3. 	Peugeot           	   48      	3. 	Dodge               		55
   


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