| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 5, 1981 |
Olympia, Washington-- Can Rod Millen be stopped? After capturing the very competitive Tour de Forest PRO Rally, Millen is on the threshold of clinching his first SCCA PRO Rally Championship. The likeable New Zealander is guaranteed the 1981 championship unless reigning 1980 champion John Buffum wins all five of the remaining 1981 PRO Rally events.
Millen and co-driver Bob Kraushaar pushed their Mazda RX-7 to a near 10 minute victory over the similar machine of John Woolf and Grant Whittaker. Buffum and Douq Shepherd brought their Audi 5+5 home third, just four-hundreths of a minute ahead of the Datsun 510 of Jon Woodner and Clark Bond.
Millen took his sixth win of the 1981 PRO Rally season on the rainy forest roads o northern Washington where he covered the 110 stage miles in 1:46.19.
Jon Davis, who, like Millen, is closing in on a PRO Rally Championship, this one in Production Class, scored another win with navigator Harry Ward. They brought their Saab 99 in fifth overall and just 1.2 seconds ahead of the Peugeot 505 of Gary and Carolyn Eaton.
Seventh overall was the Mazda RX-2 of Steve Roberts and Don Gibson with Rick Huurman and Doug Wall taking eighth in a Datsun 510. Dave Brand and Tom Roy came home ninth in a Toyota Celica.
Third in the Production Class and tenth overall was the Plymouth Arrow of Bruce Davis and Mike Neff.
Millen now has an almost insurmountable lead over Buffum in the PRO standings, 135 to 86 points. Woolf closed to within four points of Buffum with his second place finish and now has 82 points. Larry Schmidt has 40 points for fourth place and Woodner is fifth with 45.
Davis' Production Class lead is almost as great. He leads second place Gary Eaton 135 points to 93. Third place is Guy Light who now remains the only driver who can wrest the Production Class driver's title from Davis. Like Buffum, he must win Production Class in the remaining five events in order to have a chance at the championship.
Mazda has a strangle-hold on the PRO Rally Manufacturer's Championship with a 157 to 87 point lead over Peugeot. Buffum's finish moved Audi into third with 59 points, while Dodge has 48 and Datsun 46. Saab still leads the Production Class Manufacturer's standings with 160 points to Peugeot's 93.
Thirty-seven cars started the Tour de Forest and only twenty-one finished.
The PRO Rally Championship now moves on to Circleville, Ohio for the October 10-11 Budweiser Sunriser 400.
Remaining 1981 PRO Rally events are: November6-8 Press On Regardless Houghton, Michigan Gary Hays (515) 947-4986 December5-6 Sno*Drift Grayling, Michigan Joe Andreini (313) 294-0271 December11-14 Reno International Reno, Nevada Cam Warren (702) 323-7446 December19-20 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Tom Grinishaw (817) 387-2354
SCCA CONTACT: Tim Cline (203) 453-1742, T. Michael Moreland (303) 770-1044
EVENT: Tour De Forest EVENT CONDUCTED BY: Northwest Region, SCCA
LOCATION: Olympia,Washington LENGTH: 200 miles, 110 stage miles
DATE: October 3-4, 1981 WEATHER: Wet
ENTRANTS: 37; FINISHERS: 21 TERRAIN: Forest, low mountains
FIN. CHAMP MFG
POS. DRIVER/CO-DRIVER/HOMETOWN CAR SCORE POINTS POINTS
1. Rod Millen, Costa Mesa, CA Mazda RX-7 105.19 20 20
Bob Kraushaar, Tigard, OR 20
2. John Woolf, Santa Ana, CA Mazda RX-7 115.03 15
Grant Whittaker, Santa Ana, CA 15
3. John Buffum, S. Burlington, VT Audi 5+5 119.13 12 12
Doug Shepherd, Livonia, MI 12
4. Jon Woodner, Washington, D.C. Datsun 510 119.17 10 10
Clark Bond, Bay City, MI 10
5.(1P) Jon Davis, Houghton, MI Saab 99 121.80 8 8
Harry Ward, Toldeo, OH 8
6.(2P) Gary Eaton, Ann Arbor, MI Peugeot 505 121.85 6 6
Carolyn Eaton, Ann Arbor, MI 6
7. Steve Roberts, Bellevue, WA Mazda RX-2 123.87 4
Don Gibson, Bellevue, WA 4
8. Rick Huurman, Vancouver, B.C. Datsun 510 125.52 3
Doug Wall, Vancouver, B.C. 3
9. David Brand, Vancouver, B.C. Toyota Celica 128.58 2
Tom Roy, Vancouver, B.C. 2
10.(3P) Bruce Davis, Sacramento, CA Plymouth Arrow 131.83 1
Mike Neff, Sacramento, CA 1
PRODUCTION CLASS WINNERS
1. Jon Davis, Houghton, MI Saab 99 121.80 20 20
Harry Ward, Toledo, OH 20
2. Gary Eaton, Ann Arbor, MI Peugeot 505 121.85 15 15
Carolyn Eaton, Ann Arbor, MI 15
3. Bruce Davis, Sacramento, CA Plymouth Arrow 131.83 12 12
Mike Neff, Sacramento, CA 12
UNITED STATES RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER NINE EVENTS
DRIVER (Current Car) PRODUCTION DRIVER (Current Car)
1. Rod Millen, Mazda 135 1. Jon Davis, Saab 135
2. John Buffum, Audi 85 2. Gary Eaton, Peugeot 93
3. John Woolf, Mazda 82 3. Guy Light, AMC 52
4. Larry Schmidt, Dodge 48
5. Jon Woodner, Datsun 45
CO-DRIVER PRODUCTION CO-DRIVER
1. Bob Kraushaar 135 1. Harry Ward 135
2. Doug Shepherd 101 2. Carolyn Eaton 93
3. Grant Whittaker 82 3. Jim Brandt 52
4. Joe Andreini 48
5. Clark Bond 45
MANUFACTURER PRDUCTION MANUFACTURER
1. Mazda 157 1. Saab 150
2. Peugeot 87 2. Peugeot 93
3. Audi 59 3. AMC 52
4. Dodge 48
5. Datsun 45