ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--When the competitors in Ohio finished the Budwesier Forest PRO Rally last weekend in Chillicothe, Ohio, dust fell from around each car like a shadow. As the drivers got out and walked toward the hotel, each step produced another small cloud of the dust that had been their constant companion and adversary through the night. They spoke to each other, not of early apex corners or blind crests but of "dust windows", the turn of fortune that results in a competitor having more than a one minute interval between him and the car in front of him. This magical "window" allows more visibility and gives a distinct advantage. John Buffum, who has won more rallies than any other driver in this country under all sorts of conditions, probably didn't need a dust window as he collected the event's first-place laurels. The win tied him for the PRO Rally Series Championship lead with the event's second-place finisher Rod Nillen. Third place overall was taken by a new face on this country's rally scene. Ola Stromberg of Sweden, with Ginny Reese co-driving, gave the crowds a thrill and lead the two-wheel-drive competitors. Their Saab was prepared by Dick Fitzgerald of Louisiana who promises the sport will see more of Stromberg's Saab as the year progresses.

In the Production GT Class, Richard Kelsey lead through a good portion of the rally until another "dust window" appreared for his new rival, Steve Nowicki, a former Production Class champion who has now returned to competition in a brand-new Nissan 3OOZX. Nowicki put time on Kelsey in large chunks in the later portions of the event to chalk up a win his first time out this season. The best Kelsey could do was second, with the Gary Eaton/Tom Grimshaw Peugeot coming in third in class. Top Production GT driver John Crawford's Dodge failed to finish due to a minor mechanical problem.

The Standard Production Class battle became somewhat simpler when Gene Henderson's AMC Eagle went off the road on the first stage, and Oldsmobile driver Guy Light did the same a bit later. That left Doug Shepherd (Dodge), Walter Boyce (VW) and Cal Landau (Dodge) to slug it out. It wasn't even close, however, as Shepherd and co-driver Linda Wilcox won by almost 4 minutes over Cal Landau who managed a second place finish by only 11 seconds over Walter Boyce. Not only did Shepherd, known for years simply as Buffum's co-driver, win his class -- he placed 4th overall. Shepherd has now definitely established himself as a driver of talent and determination in his own right and now leads the series' Standard Production Class.

The next event in the SCCA PRO Rally Series is the Manistee PRO Rally in Manistee, Michigan on September 8-9. For more information, contact the SCCA Rally Department at 303-779-5625.