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MILLEN/HOWARD WIN SUNRISER 400 PRO RALLY
CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio --
A specially built English Ford Escort driven by New
Zealander Rod Millen and navigated by Californian Mark Howard defeated more
than 70 other professional rally teams at the 350-mile SCCA Sunriser 400
PRO Rally, The car which Millen drove in the 17-hour event was imported
specifically for him to run the PRO Rally, series as a replacement for the
Datsun 510 he had been driving earlier in the year.
Millen's margin of victory was just over a minute. Second went to defending
PRO Rally Champion and current series leader John Buffum of South Burlington, Vt.
and Doug Shepherd of Ann Arbor, Mich. driving a Triumph TR-8. This was
the fifth time this year Millen and Buffum had squared off against one
another. Millen's victory here gives him a three-to-two edge in their personal
rivalry. The competition between the two drivers is so tight that with four
events left in the series, only 20 championship points separate them.
Third, some eight minutes back was the Ann Arbor, Mich. team of Tom Tolles
and Jean Rizor in their one-of-a-kind fiberglass Volvo 142S. The finish
jumped Tolles from eighth to a fourth place tie in the overall championship
standings.
Eric Jones and R. L. Sieling, both of Columbus, Ohio, took fourth in a
Datsun 510 with Wayne and Debra Baldwin finishing fifth in their Volvo 142S.
Another Columbus, Ohio team, Mark Hardymon driving and Tom Drake navigating,
finished sixth in a Dodge Colt with John Smiskol of Crystal Lake, Ill. and
Walt Krafft of Hinsdale, Ill. bringing their Triumph TR-7 in seventh just
64 points behind Hardymon and Drake.
Production Class honors went to Roy Donison of Gresham, Ore, and his
partner Doug Foster of Milwaukie, Ore. in their Plymouth Fire Arrow. It was
this team's third straight victory in the Production category, while finishing
eighth overall. Cars in this category must be left in essentially "Showroom
Condition" with modifications such as roll bars and fire extinguishers
allowed Only for safety purposes. Second in the Production Class went to
George and Doris Beckerman of Mt. Carmel, Ill. in their Dodge Colt. Third
place in Production was taken by the Plymouth Arrow of Kris Mellon of King
Beach, Calif. and Carolyn Eaton of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Notable among the non-finishers was the Alitalia Fiat Brava team of Jim
Walker and Ginny Reese who went out near the halfway point in the rally when
they rolled the car on a tricky corner. Neither was hurt, but the car was
damaged too severely to Continue. The next event in the PRO Championship
Series will be the Valvoline 20 Mule Team Stages out of Bakersfield, Calif.,
October 20-21.
EVENT CONTACT: Tim Cline (219) 293-1669
BAKERSFIELD CONTACT: Scott E. Johnson (805) 322-2277
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