Round #2 - 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 14-15, 1993
Press Notes by Andy Schupack |
Round #2 - 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship - Rim of the World PRO Rally Entry List (5/13/93 - 3:00 PM) Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/ Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division ----- ---- ------------------ ----------------- ------------------- 1 1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Audi Quattro S-2/Open Burlington, VT Great Neck, NY National 2 4 Chad DiMarco Erick Hauge Subaru Legacy/Gp. A Huntington Bch, CA Napa, CA National 3 6 Carl Merrill J. Jon Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth/Open Ogunquit, ME Birmingham, MI National 4 11 Jeff Zwart Tony Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4/Open Aspen, CO Newport Beach, CA National 5 3 Dick Corley Martin Headland Mitsubishi Eclipse/Open Burlington, VT Calgary, ALBERTA National 6 9 Peter Cunningham Joe Andreini Acura Integra/Production Whitefish Bay, WI Grosse Point, MI National 7 21 B. J. Beal Bob Davenport Mazda 323GTX/Open Denver, CO Midland, TX National 8 94 Lon Peterson Bill Gutzmann Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT Victorville, CA Ontario, CA National 9 10 Vincente Frontinan Francisco Arruda Mitsubishi Galant/GT Somerville, MA Johnston, RI National 10 27 Frank Cunningham Charles Bradley Mitsubishi Galant/GT Boston, MA Ardmore, PA Nat/Div. 11 23 Gary Gooch Judi Gooch Mitsubishi Pickup/Truck Union City, CA Union City, CA National 12 7 Roger Hull Rob Cherry Mitsubishi Pick-up/Truck Prescott, AZ Prescott, AZ National 13 24 Guy Light Dave White GMC Sonoma Pickup/Truck Carson City, NV Benicia, CA National 14 12 Henry Joy Jimmy Brandt Mitsuibshi Eclipse/Open Wilmette, IL Lake Odessa. MI National 15 32 Jeff Griffin Chris Griffin Volvo 142/Open Tujunga, CA Burbank, CA Nat/Div. 16 33 Erik Thompson Cam Jackson Volvo 142E/Open Portland, OR Portland, OR Nat/Div. 17 34 Jeff Hendricks Noble Jones Jeep Comanche/Truck Prescott, AZ Prescott, AZ Nat/Div. 18 35 Goran Ostlund Ben Bradley Saab 99/Open San Salvador Portland, OR Nat/Div 19 36 Mike Whitman Kevin Linville Datsun 510/Open Farmington, NM Durango, CA Nat/Div. 20 41 Rui Brasil Frank Nunes Audi Quattro/Open San Jose, CA San Jose, CA Nat/Div. 21 42 Makio Yamanaka Akira Nishizawa Mazda 323GTX/GT Tokyo, Japan Kanagawa, Japan National 22 43 Kyoichi Takaori Fumiaki Yamazaki Mitsubishi Galant VR4/GT Kyoto, Japan Tokyo, Japan National 23 45 Gerry Valentini Mike Neff Subaru Hatchback/Open Sacramento, CA Sacramento, CA National 24 46 Antonio Menendez Juan Goya Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT Mexico City, Mexico Queretaro, Mexico National 25 48 Kazushi Kita Shinya Ishikawa Nissan March/Open Osaka, Japan Tokyo, Japan National 26 17 Chad Dykes Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Pickup/Truck Escondido, CA Escondido, CA National 27 84 Norberto Gomez Jorge Facio Toyota Corolla/Prod Canoga Park, CA Winnetka, CA Nat/Div. 28 49 Sam Bryan Mark Simons Saab 900/Open Kent, WA Buckley, WA Nat/Div 29 93 Tony Shumaker Liz Shumaker Mitsubishi Eclipse/Prod. Mission Viejo, CA Mission Viejo, CA Nat/Div. 30 51 Peter Lahm Mike Traubert Datsun 510/Open Phoenix, AZ Tempe, AZ National 31 52 Ken White Adrian Crane Mitsubishi Pick-up/Truck Modesto, CA Modesto, CA Nat/Div 32 18 Tony Chavez Jose Soria Datsun 510/Open Santa FeSprings,CA Pico Rivera, CA Nat/Div. 33 60 Todd Bawden Cal Coatsworth Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT Costa Mesa, CA Corona del Mar, CA National Divisional/CRS Only Entries Start Car Driver/ Pos. No. Co-driver Hometown Make of Car ----- --- ---------------- ---------------- ---------------------- 34 178 Mitch McCullough Laguna Niguel, CA Mazda 323GTX Scott Webb Hermosa Beach, CA 35 114 Carl Jardevall Santa Monica, CA Saab 99 TBA 36 113 Ron Wood Anaheim, CA VW Scirocco Kelly Walsh Anaheim, CA 37 121 Tony Tavares Gustine, CA Toyota Corolla Carlos Tavares San Jose, CA 38 103 Harris Done Santa Monica, CA Mazda RX-7 Larry Scott Escondido, CA 39 187 Gary English Irvine, CA Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce Randall Higa Los Angeles, CA 40 112 Bill Malik Burbank, CA Volvo 240 Roine Andersson N. Hollywood, CA 41 162 George Tavares San Jose, CA Toyota MR-2 Elza Tavares San Jose, CA 42 106 Dan Hook Hesperia, CA Toyota Celica John Elkin Lytle Creek, CA 43 191 Rod Koch Norco, CA VW Fastback Todd Bane Norco, CA 44 133 Sam Moore Cucamonga, CA Plymouth Arrow Jennifer Peterson Victorville, CA 45 129 Ricky DeLaCuesta Los Angeles, CA Dodge Colt James Recto North Hollywood, CA 46 185 Peter Wilbur Penryn, CA Saab 99EMS Lance Schall Boulder, CO 47 198 Scott Fuller Eugene, OR VW Rabbit Sean Wade Eugene, OR 48 139 Tony DelaCuesta Simi Valley, CA Toyota Corolla Tino Alcances Northridge, CA 49 165 Marcus Clark Claremont, CA Mazda RX-2 Stephen Scott Montrose, CA 50 185 Chito Solomon North Hills, CA Toyota Corolla Carlos Rodriguez Mission Hills, CA 51 136 Paul Furusho Cupertino, CA Mazda RX-3 Paul Skjerven Los Gatos, CA 52 134 Jeff Bruett Sacramento, CA Dodge Charger Deb Pearson Vacaville, CA 53 195 Dennis Chizma Simi Valley, CA VW Rabbit TBA 54 177 Bob Scott Sun Valley, CA Toyota Celica Chris Smith Palmdale, CA 55 156 Joe Vondracek Brisbane, CA Dodge Charger TBA 56 192 Cres Andongo Van Nuys, CA Mazda RX-7 Rowel Acharon Van Nuys, CA 57 186 Arturo Cardenas Garden Grove, CA Datsun 510 Alvaro Cardenas Garden Grove, CA 58 190 Jake Dekovic Las Vegas, NV Mitsubishi Starion Robert Tulino Norwalk, CA 59 182 Jay Parcon Burbank, CA Toyota Corolla Dierre Navarette 60 157 Edmundo Villegas Lakeview Terrace, CA Toyota Corolla David Lanza Los Angeles, CA 61 164 Harry Manku Van Nuys, CA VW Scirocco Ravi Nyotta 62 188 Joe McMurray Quartz Hill, CA Chevrolet Pick-up Gary Burgess Lancaster, CA 63 189 Benedikte Webb Piedmont, CA Datsun 510 TBA Press Notes #1 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 14, 1993 - 4:00 PM (PDT) 1. After a very successful Press Stage earlier today (14 cars, 21 media people including two TV people and a Subaru of America-sponsored lunch), registration and tech inspection are well underway for the 10th annual Rim of the World PRO Rally. The rally will start tonight at 7:00 PM at the Ramada Inn in Palmdale, CA, and run four stages before ending at midnight, and will resume tomorrow at 1:00 PM from the Antelope Valley Mall, Palmdale. The rally will end at the Ramada Inn at 11:30 PM on Saturday night. 2. The big news in the PRO Rally world continues to be the status of Paul Choiniere's expectant wife Lori. According to team owner and step-father John Buffum, Choiniere is now the proud father a 6 lbs, 6 oz. boy (as of late Tuesday night). Baby Tanner (name is tentative, according to Buffum) and mother Lori are fine, and father Paul has arrived in Los Angeles in the last few hours to drive his Audi Quattro S-2 at Rim. As you may remember, Lori's labor prevented him from attending the season opener at Olympia, Wash., and Buffum jumped in the car and scorched the field by more than three minutes. 3. At the press stage this morning, both Vermont Sports Car entries - Dick Corley/Martin Headland in their Open class Mitsubishi Eclipse and Antonio Menendez/Juan Goya Production GT Mitsubishi Eclipse - went too fast over one of Rim's famous water bars, breaking oil lines. Corley was able to shut his down his engine before causing any damage, but Menendez was not so fortunate. He blew his motor, and the Vermont Sports Car crew is busily installing a backup for the start of the rally. 4. The Subaru Legacy of Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge is making its season debut after missing the opener in Olympia due to a delay in sponsorship arrangements. DiMarco has made major adjustments to his car since its debut last August, and hopes to improve his recent finishing results at Rim DNF in '91 and 11th overall in '92). It will also be interesting to see how fast his Group A car is against the new Porsche of Jeff Zwart, the Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill, and the S-2 of Paul Choiniere. Press Notes #2 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 14, 1993 - 7:00 PM (PDT) 5. While returning from the press stage, the Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Mitsubishi Eclipse GT car started making funny noise, and the Dave Wolin Team Mitsubishi crew determined that the engine needed changing. As it turned out, oil was not getting to the head properly, and the engine change certainly prevented a DNF. However, they took the engine out of the Mitsubishi street show car which is used for the team's Starlight Make-a- Wish Foundation. The street engine has less boost than the race motor, so Lon will be down on horsepower. The team will try to fix the race engine and swap back for tomorrow's restart. 6. An update on the Menendez/Goya Mitsubishi (note #3) is that the team broke motor mounts after their water bar flight, and the Lance Smith-led crew replaced all the bearings in the engine. The motor still makes some undesirable "noises," but the team hopes to finish tonight and make more adjustments for tomorrow. Corley/Headland also broke their motor mounts, but, as reported before, shut the engine down before any damage was done. 7. 65 cars - 33 national and 32 divisional entries - started what could be the most incredible U.S. PRO Rally in a long time. Conditions are typical Southern California high desert - hot, windy, dusty and dry. Temperatures tonight will get down to the high 40's, but tomorrow should reach the 90's. With still air in the canyons, and the tight, twisty course working on brakes and cooling systems, expect many cars to overheat engines and brakes. 8. Besides the overall contenders in their 300 - 400 horsepower cars, there are five other classes running for honors this weekend: Group A, Production GT, Production, Rally Truck and Divisional. We'll follow all classes as the rally weekend develops, and all classes have strong entries for the '93 Rim of the World event. 9. In Production GT, the four favorites are the four top finishers in the first rally in Olympia: the Mitsubishi Galants of Frank Cunningham/Charles Bradley and Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Arruda, and the Mitsubishi Eclipses of Washington winner Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann and Antonio Menendez/Juan Goya. Press Notes #3 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 14, 1993 - 10:00 PM (PDT) 10. Bad news from some of the front-runners as we begin to get reports from the first two stages: --The Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens, which has been running in the "red" (engine temp.) since the beginning of the rally, has overheated at the end of stage two. The Frontinan/Arruda Mitsubishi Galant towed the Ford to the service area after #2 where the Libra Racing crew tried to keep the car in the rally. The engine was gone, however, and they are out of the rally. --The Frank Cunningham/Charles Bradley Mitsubishi Galant has called for a tow to get the car back on the road on stage #1. Apparent problem is a blown head gasket. --The Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Mitsubishi Eclipse, using a replacement motor that was installed at the last minute before the start of the rally, had an engine fire during stage #1 after the team had stopped to change a tire. The team is out of the rally. --Peterson's teammate - the Production class Eclipse of Tony and Liz Shumaker, had a flat tire on stage #2, but were able to continue. --The Open class Mazda 323GTX of B.J. and Stuart Beal also suffered a flat tire on stage #2 (with four miles left in the stage), but also continued. --Divisional entries Clark/Scott Mazda RX-2 (alternator) and Fortaleza/Toyota Corolla (fuel pump) are both DNFs. 11. Many teams are experiencing hot brakes, including rally leaders Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, who claimed they had no brakes at the end of stage #2. Press Notes #4 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 14, 1993 - 11:30 PM (PDT) 12. As the leaders begin to come back to the Ramada Inn for the completion of day #1 of the Rim of the World PRO Rally, we have these unofficial times: After four stages: Driver/co-driver Car Class Time 1/100-min Choiniere/Becker Audi Quattro S-2 Open 53:98 Zwart/Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4 Open 56:78 DiMarco/Hauge Subaru Legacy GpA 56:92 Corley/Headland Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 58:11 Joy/Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 59:28 Griffin/Griffin Volvo 142 Open 59:48 Frontinan/Arruda Mitsubishi Galant GT 59:95 Beal/Beal Mazda 323GTX Open 60:08 Cunningham/Andreini Acura Integra Prod 60:47 Note: It will be a while before all times are in and a reseed is completed, so these are more miscellaneous times than standings. Rim of the World PRO Rally - Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship Results after Four Stages - National Class - May 14, 1993 PLACE CAR IN # (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE CLASS CLASS 1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Quattro S2 0:53:58 1 Open 4 Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge Legacy 0:55:55 1 Group A 11 Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche 0:56:46 2 Open 3 Dick Corley/M Headland Eclipse 0:58:06 3 Open 44 K Takaori/F Yamazaki Mitsubishi 0:58:49 4 Group A 12 Henry Joy/Jimmy Brandt Eclipse 0:59:15 5 Open 32 Jeff Griffin/C Griffin Volvo 142 0:59:28 6 Open 60 Todd Bawden/C Coatsworth Eclipse 0:59:30 1 GT 36 Mike Whitman/K Linville Datsun 510 0:59:43 7 Open 10 V Frontinan/F Arruda Galant VR4 0:59:57 2 GT 21 BJ Beal/Stuart Beal Mazda 323 1:00:04 8 Open 9 P Cunningham/J Andreini Acura 1:00:28 1 Production 24 Guy Light/David White GMC PU 1:01:17 1 Rally Truck 34 Jeff Hendricks/N Jones Jeep PU 1:01:36 2 Rally Truck 33 Erik Thompson/Cam Jackson Volvo 142E 1:02:01 9 Open 48 Kazushi Kita/S Ishikawa Nissan S/T 1:02:39 10 Open 46 Antonio Menendez/J Goya Eclipse 1:02:54 3 GT 7 Roger Hull/Rob Cherry Mitsub PU 1:02:55 3 Rally Truck 17 Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson Mitsub PU 1:03:38 4 Rally Truck 42 M Yamanaka/A Nishizawa Mazda 323 1:03:42 11 Group A 23 Gary Gooch/Judi Gooch Mitsub PU 1:04:01 5 Rally Truck 93 Tony Shumaker/L Shumaker Eclipse 1:04:46 2 Production 41 Rui Brasil/Frank Nunes Quattro 1:05:00 12 Open 49 Sam Bryan/Mark Simmons Saab 900 1:05:41 13 Open 45 Gerry Valentini/Mike Neff Subaru 4x4 1:09:51 14 Open 52 Ken White/Adrian Crane Mitsub PU 2:14:39 6 Rally Truck 18 Tony Chavez/Jose Soria Datsun 510 DNF 94 Lon Peterson/B Gutzmann Eclipse DNF 6 Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Escort RS DNF 35 Goran Ostlund/Ben Bradley Saab 99 DNF 27 F Cunningham/C Bradley Galant DNF 51 Pete Lahm/Keith Roper Datsun 510 DNF Rim of the World PRO Rally - Results after Four Stages Divisional Class - May 14, 1993 CAR # (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SEED SCORE PLACE/CLASS 32 Jeff Griffin/C Griffin Volvo 142 2 0:59:28 1 Two WD Open 60 Todd Bawden/C Coatsworth Eclipse 2 0:59:30 1 Four WD Open 114 Carl Jardevall/A Karleson Saab 99 2 0:59:34 2 Two WD Open 36 Mike Whitman/K Linville Datsun 510 2 0:59:43 3 Two WD Open 113 Ron Wood/Kelly Walsh Scirocco 2 1:00:17 4 Two WD Open 184 Norberto Gomez/J Facio Corolla 2 1:01:27 1 Stock 34 Jeff Hendricks/N Jones Jeep PU 2 1:01:36 2 Stock 112 Bill Malik/Roine Anderson Volvo 240 3 1:01:56 5 Two WD Open 33 Erik Thompson/Cam Jackson Volvo 142E 2 1:02:01 6 Two WD Open 106 Dan Hook/Pat Fealy Celica 3 1:02:57 7 Two WD Open 187 Gary English/Randall Higa Alfa Romeo 3 1:04:01 8 Two WD Open 93 Tony Shumaker/L Shumaker Eclipse 3 1:04:46 3 Stock 178 Mitch McCullough Mazda 323 2 1:04:57 2 Four WD Open 41 Rui Brasil/Frank Nunes Quattro 2 1:05:00 3 Four WD Open 49 Sam Bryan/Mark Simmons Saab 900 2 1:05:41 9 Two WD Open 133 Sam Moore/J Peterson Arrow 3 1:05:43 4 Stock 190 Jake Dekovic/R Tulino Starion 4 1:08:02 10 Two WD Open 198 Scott Fuller/Sean Wade VW Rabbit 3 1:08:15 11 Two WD Open 191 Rod Koch/Todd Bane VW Type 3 3 1:08:31 12 Two WD Open 121 Tony Tavares/C Tavares FX-16 4x4 2 1:08:34 4 Four WD Open 188 Joe McMurray/Gary Burgess Chevy PU 6 1:09:15 13 Two WD Open 195 Dennis Chizma/Robert Kalb VW Rabbit 4 1:09:36 5 Stock 157 Edmundo Villegas/D Lanza Corolla 4 1:09:57 14 Two WD Open 199 Jeff Bruett/Deb Pearson Charger 3 1:10:30 6 Stock 177 Bob Scott/Chris Smith Celica 4 1:11:17 7 Stock 189 Benedikte Webb Datsun 510 6 1:24:39 8 Stock 125 J Fortaleza/R Concepcion Corolla 3 1:26:21 15 Two WD Open 192 Cres Andongo/R Acharon Mazda RX-7 4 1:33:15 9 Stock 162 G Tavares/E Bettencourt Toyota MR2 3 1:54:38 10 Stock 52 Ken White/Adrian Crane Mitsub PU 3 2:14:39 11 Stock 103 Harris Done/Larry Scott Mazda RX-7 2 2:33:54 12 Stock 18 Tony Chavez/Jose Soria Datsun 510 3 DNF 129 Ricky DelaCuesta/J Recto Dodge Colt 3 DNF 185 Peter Wilbur/Lance Schall Saab 99 3 DNF 139 T DelaCuesta/T Alcances Corolla 4 DNF 165 Marcus Clark/S Scott Mazda RX-2 4 DNF 164 Harry Manku/Ravi NNyotta Scirocco 5 DNF 35 Goran Ostlund/Ben Bradley Saab 99 2 DNF 27 F Cunningham/C Bradley Galant 2 DNF 186 A Cardenas/A Cardenas Datsun 510 4 DNF 183 Chito Solomon/C Rodriguez Corolla 4 DNF 136 Paul Furusho/P Skjerven Mazda RX-3 4 DNF 156 Joe Vondracek/E Quigley Charger 4 DNF 182 Jay Parcon/D Navarette Corolla 4 DNF Press Notes #4 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 15, 1993 - Noon (PDT) 12. The Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge Subaru Legacy overcame a plugged fuel filter - a problem caught during the press stage - and a miss at 6,000 RPM to finish in second place Friday night, two minutes behind Choiniere. The team replace ignition parts and some engine control chips this morning, and Chad looks to set his own pace today and be there if the competition breaks. 13. Leaders Choiniere and Becker have no problems as they await the restart this morning in their Audi Quattro S-2. Choiniere said that the car has more torque and horsepower than his previous mount - both features which serve him well at Rim. 14. Peter Cunningham/Joe Andreini, whose Acura Integra has a four minute lead in the Production class, wants to make sure he paces himself today, but is known for his "push to win, lift to lose" driving style. 15. Second place Production entry of Tony and Liz Shumaker will start with a co-driver change as Liz Shumaker took ill during yesterday's event. Liz, who borrowed what she thought was a normal dosage Dramamine patch from teammate Lon Peterson's co-driver Bill Gutzmann, was unaware that Bill had a double-dosage perscription. Although better this morning, Liz was not up for the rough Rim stages, Bill will step in to co-drive with Tony. 16. In the truck class, there is a terrific battle among all the top five competitors, with the GMC Sonoma Pickup of Guy Light/Dave White leading the Jeep Camanche Pickup of Jeff Hendricks/Noble Jones by only 19 seconds. R&E Racing in Lancaster built some suspension pieces for Light last night on short order to keep the truck in the rally. Roger Hull/Rob Cherry , whose truck is the only automatic vehicle in the rally, are third in their Mitsubishi Pickup, while Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson and Gary Gooch/Judi Gooch are fourth and fifth respectively - both in Mitsubishi Pick-ups. 17. In Production GT, the chase is suddenly wide open after Frank Cunningham's car broke, with newcomer Todd Bawden and veteran co-driver Cal Coatsworth leading the class in their Mitsubishi Eclipse. Bawden started dead last in the national, and has moved all the way up to eighth overall. Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Arruda are second after they received credit for their elongated time used when they stopped to help Lon Peterson put out his car fire on stage #1. Antonio Menendez/Jaun Goya are third and their re-built engine seemed to be holding up well. 18. The Japanese teams of K. Takaori/Y.Yamazaki (Mitsubishi Galant) and M. Yamanaka/A. Nishizawa (Mazda 323GTX) have been moved by series manager Rusty Campbell from Open class cars to Group A as they most nearly fit into that class (they are Group N cars in Japan). Along with the K. Kita/S. Ishikawa (Nissan March - Open class), the three Japanese teams are running in the U.S. for the first time. After yesterday's stages, Takaori's Mitsubishi is second in class behind DiMarco and fifth overall, while Yamanaka is third in Group A and 20th overall and Kita is eighth in Open and 16th overall. Takaori thinks his car is heavier than the top competitors, but he is looking forward to a competitive rally. 19. The Henry Joy/Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse Open class racer - the ex-Carl Merrill car which almost won this event last year - is currently running sixth overall, and co-driver Jimmy Brandt is overJOYed with Henry's improvement in driving after only two rallies in the new car. Joy/Brandt ran a Mazda 323GTX last year. 20. The Dick Corley/Martin Headlund Mitsubishi Eclipse, in addition to their two flat tires last night, lost their their rear brakes as well. But team manager Lance Smith reports that the car shows no ill effects from the trama of breaking their motor mounts during yesterday's press stage. 21. The B.J. Beal/Stuart Beal Mazda 323GTX - the ex-Rod Millen Asia Pacific car which won Rim in 1991 - has removed the trick, 6-gear, push-botton shifter from the car in favor a more conventional gearbox because the Group A transmission was "confusing" to drive. Beal's problem least night, however, revolved around a flat tire on stage four which dropped the team down to 11th place. Press Notes #5 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 15, 1993 - 8:00 PM (PDT) 22. As the cars have finished eight stages, we have the following "shorts" to report: --Choiniere/Becker lost their power steering in the Audi Quattro S-2, but the Libra Racing crew was working hard to repair it at service. With the tight, twisty course, this would be a major handicap if not fixed. --The miss at 6,000 RPM is back in the DiMarco/Hauge Subaru Legacy, so the team will turn the turbo boost way down to just try and finish. --The Dick Corley/Martin Headland Mitsubishi Eclipse has lost their turbo, and is way down on power. --The Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4 lost its skid plate "somewhere" on stage five or six, and Millen Motorsports crew took a ramp from the race trailer and welded part of it on as a temporary fix. 23. Here are some times (not at all complete, so don't take these as official standings, but the top five are probably correct) after eight stages: Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time Choiniere/Becker Audi Quattro S-2 Open 1:49:48* DiMarco/Hauge Subaru Legacy GpA 1:54:13* Zwart/Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4 Open 1:56:42 Joy/Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 2:01:12 Takaori/Yamazaki Mitsubishi Galant GpA 2:01:43 Bawden/Coatsworth Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 2:02:30* Corley/Headland Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 2:03:05 Frontinan/Arruda Mitsubishi Galant GT 2:03:18 Griffin/Griffin Volvo 142 Open/Div. 2:03:43* Cunningham/Andreini Acura Integra Prod 2:06:03* Light/White GMC Sonoma Truck 2:07:39* * indicated class leaders 24. More shorts: --The Frontinan/Arruda Mitsubishi Galant GT car is grinding badly in first gear. --The Frank Cunningham/Charles Bradley Mitsubishi Galant - a DNF yesterday with an electrical problems (correction from a previous report of a blown head gasket) - started the divisional rally today, but a turbo fire did them in. --Production GT leader Todd Bawden/Cal Coatsworth in their Mitsubishi Eclipse lost their cooling fan, but are affecting repairs. --B.J. Beal/Stuart Beal, whose Mazda 323GTX had moved up as high as seventh place after five stages, broke a half shaft during stage five and were stranded at the end of five. By the time the service crew could get to the car and repair it, it was too late to continue. --For second place in the Rally Truck class, the Roger Hull/Rob Cherry Mitsubishi Pick-up is only 1/100th of second ahead of the Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Pickup. 25. Here are the results of the Budweiser Daylight Dash - class awards for the fastest national competitors today leading up to the Lake Hughes service break: Driver/Co-driver Car Class Choiniere/Becker Audi Quattro S-2 Open DiMarco/Hauge Subaru Legacy GpA Bawden/Coatsworth Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Cunningham/Andreini Acura Integra Prod Light/White GMC Sonoma Truck Press Notes #6 Rim of the World PRO Rally Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship May 16, 1993 - 3:00 AM (PDT) 26. The 1993 Rim of the World PRO Rally is history, and Paul Choiniere has won his second straight Rim win with co- driver Jeff Becker. Driving the Libra Racing Audi Quattro S-2 for the first time, Choiniere scored a three-minute win over the Subaru Legacy of Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge despite losing his power steering with four stages to go. 27. The DiMarco/Hauge second place overall and first in Group A represents Chad's best finish at Rim in several years. DiMarco won stages #9 and #10, and might have come closer to an overall win if a persistent engine miss at 6,000 RPM had not caused him to dramatically lower the boost. 28. Here is the finishing order for the National Rim of the World PRO Rally - Round #2 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship: CAR # (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR TIME CLASS (hrs:min:sec) 1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Quattro S2 2:50:24 Open 4 Chad DiMarco/Erick Hauge Legacy 2:53:55 Group A 11 Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche 2:58:07 Open 60 Todd Bawden/C Coatsworth Eclipse 3:02:49 GT 12 Henry Joy/Jimmy Brandt Eclipse 3:02:58 Open 10 V Frontinan/F Arruda Galant VR4 3:04:04 GT 3 Dick Corley/M Headland Eclipse 3:06:20 Open 32 Jeff Griffin/C Griffin Volvo 142 3:08:01 Open 9 P Cunningham/J Andreini Acura 3:09:36 Production 36 Mike Whitman/K Linville Datsun 510 3:10:03 Open 46 Antonio Menendez/J Goya Eclipse 3:12:15 GT 41 Rui Brasil/Frank Nunes Quattro 3:13:01 Open 24 Guy Light/David White GMC PU 3:16:13 Rally Truck 93 Tony Shumaker/B Gutzmann Eclipse 3:16:48 Production 42 M Yamanaka/A Nishizawa Mazda 323 3:17:13 Open 7 Roger Hull/Rob Cherry Mitsub PU 3:17:19 Rally Truck 33 Erik Thompson/Cam Jackson Volvo 142E 3:17:35 Open 23 Gary Gooch/Judi Gooch Mitsub PU 3:21:40 Rally Truck 45 Gerry Valentini/Mike Neff Subaru 4x4 3:40:58 Open 49 Sam Bryan/Mark Simmons Saab 900 3:46:20 Open 48 Kazushi Kita/S Ishikawa Nissan S/T 4:02:31 Open 52 Ken White/Adrian Crane Mitsub PU 4:52:01 Rally Truck # # # For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack Rally Headquarters Press Room (805) 267-1725 (May 16 Only) or (401) 739-5677 after May 16 SERIES RIVALS MAKE SEASON DEBUT TO SWEEP RIM RALLY PALMDALE -- May 16 -- In 1990, Burlington, VT's Paul Choiniere swept to victory as the 1990 U. S. PRO Rally champion. In 1991, it was Huntington Beach, CA's Chad DiMarco who reigned supreme in his Subaru Legacy. For '92, it was Choiniere again. This year, both drivers missed the opening event of the Subaru PRO Rally championship event at Olympia, Washington, but the rivalry started again for '93 as Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker bested DiMarco and co- driver Erick Hauge by three-and-a-half minutes. Choiniere was able to hold off DiMarco despite losing his power steering with four stages to go in the twisty desert rally, while DiMarco kept his second place position - including two stage wins - despite ignition problems. Jeff Zwart and Tony Sircombe from Newport Beach are third in the Porsche Carrera 4, while rookie driver Todd Bawden, with veteran co-driver Cal Coatsworth was a surprise fourth. Choiniere, who missed the season-opening event in Olympia, Washington, because his wife seemed to be in the final stages of labor (which turned out to be false), was able to attend this event because he is now the proud father of a new son - Tanner - born earlier this week. Among the top rally cars that broke during the grueling two-day event was the 400 horsepower Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill and Jon Wickens, from Ogunquit, Maine - one of the pre-event favorites. The cooling fan punctured Merrill's radiator, cuasing the car to lose water and overheat. Local favorite Lon Peterson and Bill Gutzmann from Victorville, CA, another pre-rally favorite, dropped out early due to an engine fire in their Mitsubishi Galant. Other class winners include Todd Bawden/Cal Coatsworth from Corona del Mar, CA, in a Mitsubishi Eclipse (Production GT); Peter Cunningham/Joe Andreini from Whitefish Bay, WI, in a Acura Integra (Production); Guy Light/Dave White from Carson City, NV in a GMC Sonoma Pick-up (Rally Truck), and Jeff Griffen/Chris Griffin from Tujunga, CA in a Volvo 142 (divisional, or local class). In a PRO Rally, each team consists of a driver and a co-driver (or navigator), and the exact course is kept secret until just before the event. The cars start at two-minute intervals and race against the clock over 12 stages which range in length from four to 12 miles. Speeds of more than 100 miles-per-hour could be reached on long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times winning the event. The year's event, which covered 278 miles including 100 competitive stage miles through the Angeles National Forest north of L.A., featured a variety of roads from hard-packed to loose gravel to very rough surfaces which can be tough to negotiate when dust and fog impairs night vision. The next rally - Round #3 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship, will be the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania June 4 - 6. |