GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Vermont's John Buffum and Vicki, teamed In a Porsche Carrera,

swept to the Sports Car Club of America El Diablo Pro Rally victory here on Oct. 17.

The defending champions of SCCA's National Pro Rally Championship series finished

the 440-mile contest a healthy 8.5 minutes ahead of Columbus, Ohio area residents

Eric Jones and Michael Chern in their British Auto Service Datsun 510.

1973 series champions Scott Harvey of Rochester, Mich. and Wayne Zitkus, Toledo,

Ohio, co-drove the Team Harco Dodge Colt to third, followed by Jon Davis, Houghton,

Mich. and Harry Ward, also of Toledo, in a Saab 99.

El Diablo began In Green Bay at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16 and some 16 hours later,

13 of the 22 starting teams crossed the finish line. Conducted in the forest areas of

north central Wisconsin, approximately one fourth of the total distance was devoted to

special performance driving stages.

Among the non-finishers were the series point standings leaders, Californians

Hendrik Blok and co-driver Erick Hauge. The team was disqualified for receiving illegal

towing assistance after hitting a tree on the last of the 24 special stages. Yet without

the tow, Blok/Hauge would still have not been able to finish the rally.

As "el diablo" would have It, Blok and Hauge were running in second position when

they hit the tree and had they finished second would have won the 1976 SCCA Pro Rally

driver/co-driver championship titles. Now the championship will be determined in the

season finale, the Nov. 20-21 Mojave 24-Hour out of San Bernardino, Calif. Four teams

are in contention: Blok/Hauge; Illinois' John Smiskol/Walt Krafft; Jones/Chem; and

Buffum and Vicki.