Round #3 - 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship June 4-6, 1993
Press Notes by Andy Schupack |
MEDIA ALERT Event: Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally (STPR) - Round #3 of the 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship. Race cars from around the world will compete at high speeds through the Pennsylvania State Forest near Wellsboro, Penn. When: Friday - Sunday, June 4 - 6, 1993 Schedule - Friday Noon - 8:00 PM - Registration - Baptist Church, Central and Pearl Streets - Wellsboro. 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM - Subaru Mobile Traction Center open - Central and Main Street - Wellsboro 1:00 PM - 8:30 PM - Scrutineering, Tioga County Fairgrounds 3:00 PM - Begin Special Olympics Rally Schedule - Saturday 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Late worker registration - Baptist Church - Wellsboro. 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM - Subaru Mobile Traction Center open - Central and Main Street - Wellsboro 9:50 AM - Parc Expose - display of rally cars - at the Green in downtown Wellsboro. 10:30 AM - First car starts daylight section of STPR. 11:00 AM - First car reaches Stoney Fork Water Crossing Spectator Point. 2:00 PM - Rotary Club Chicken Barbeque; St. Paul's Episcopal Church Hot Dog/Soda Booth - On the Green 3:40 PM - Second Parc Expose around the Green 4:50 PM - First car leaves for Evening Section of STPR 5:40 PM - First car leave to start Finger Lakes Divisional Forest Rally. 12:46 AM - (Sunday AM) First car finishes STPR Rally - downtown Wellsboro. Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Penn Wells Hotel, 62 Main Street, Wellsboro. A list of public viewing areas for the rally is available from the Penn Wells Hotel, or the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce, Main and Central Street, in Wellsboro. Duration: 139 stage miles, 324 total miles, 12 stages Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club and sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc. Presented by the Finger Lakes Region of the Sports Car Club of America, with the cooperation of the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of Forestry. Sponsored locally by Blossburg Beverage and Citizens & Northern Bank. Expected Top Entries: Chad DiMarco - '91 STPR and National champion, in his Subaru Legacy; Paul Choiniere -defending overall national and STPR champion -in his new Audi Quattro S-2 Coupe, won last event in Calif. in May; Bruno Kreibich, '91 Open class champion - in an Audi Quattro; Carl Merrill -finished second overall in the last '92 event in Maine - in his new 412 horsepower Ford Escort Cosworth; Tom McGeer, '92 Canadian champion, in a Subaru Legacy; Doug Shepherd, former Production champion, in a new Eagle Talon; Dick Corley -won his first rally ever at last year's Press-on-Regardless in Michigan - in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Jeff Zwart -1990 Open class champion -in his All-wheel drive Porsche Carrera 4; Lon Peterson -- amateur PRO Rally ace from Victorville in his first season of national PRO rally - a new Mitsubishi Eclipse in Production GT; Frank Cunningham - bought Tim O'Neil's Production GT championship winning car from '92 -in a Mitsubishi Galant; Peter Cunningham - Acura Integra -finished 2nd in Production class in '92; Vinnie Frontinan, leading Production GT, debuting his Toyota Celica GT4; Cal Landau, 1991 Production champ, debuts a new Mitsubishi Eclipse; Gary Gooch - 1992 Rally Truck class champion - in a new Mitsubishi pick-up. Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and video crews onto the course during the daylight part of the rally on Saturday. Anyone requiring supplied photos or video should contact Andy Schupack in the press room starting June 3. Rally cars going through water, rough terrain, and sliding at high speed through tight turns provide exciting visuals. Media Info: We will provide phone-ins on event information, driver interviews, and results. We will fax stories and agate Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We have B-roll available for TV. The press room will be located on the second floor of the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce, Central and Main Street, downtown Wellsboro. Contact: Andy Schupack - Subaru PRO Rally Championship media liaison: (717) 724-1926 (direct line - June 4 - 6) (401) 739-5677 (race results after June 6) 1993 SUSQUEHANNOCK TRAIL PRO RALLY ENTRY LIST - JUNE 4, 1993 Start Car Order # Class Driver/Hometown Co-Driver Car ----- --- ---- -------------------------------- ----------- ---------------- 1 5 Open Bruno Kreibich/Ridgewood, NY, John Buffum Audi Quattro 2 1 Open Paul Choiniere/Williston, VT, Jeff Becker Audi S-2 3 4 Gr.A Chad DiMarco/Huntington Beach, CA Erick Hauge Subaru Legacy 4 13 P-GT Tom McGeer/Georgetown, Ont. Trish Sparrow Subaru Legacy 5 11 Open Jeff Zwart/Woody Creek, CO Tony Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4 6 6 Open Carl Merrill/Ogunquit, ME Jon Wickens Escort Cswrth 7 3 Open Richard Corley/Burlington, VT Martin Headland Mits. Eclipse 8 14 Open Doug Shepherd/Plymouth, MI Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 9 10 P-GT Vicente Frontinan/Somerville, MA Frank Arruda Toyota Celica 10 9 Prod Peter Cunningham/Whitefish Bay, WI Joe Andreini Acura Integra 11 12 Open Henry Joy/Wilmette, IL Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse 12 15 P-GT Russ Hughes/Avon,NY John McArthur Mazda 323GTX 13 16 P-GT Frank Cunningham*/Boston, MA Charles Bradley Mitsu. Galant 14 94 P-GT Lon Peterson/Victorville, CA Bill Gutzmann Mitsu. Eclipse 15 18 P-GT Cal Landau/Coraopolis PA Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse 16 19 P-GT Steve Gingras/Duluth, MN Bill Westrick Mazda 323GTX 17 20 P-GT Jim Wilson/Northport, NY James Wilson Mitsubishi Galant 18 21 P-GT Tom Ottey/Columbus, OH Yorgi Bittner Mazda 323GTX 19 22 Truck Gary Gooch/Union City, CA Judi Gooch Mitsubishi Pickup 20 23 Open Rick Davis*/West Chester, PA Ben Greisler BMW 2002 21 24 Open Jon Kemp/Attica, NY Gail McGuire Audi Quattro 22 25 Open Bruce Newey*/Atlanta, GA Kennon Rymer Mazda RX7 23 26 Open Chris Czyzio*/Flushing, MI Eric Carlson Plymouth Arrow 24 27 Open L. Mark Stone/Somers, NY Marc Goldfarb Nissan Violet GTS 25 77 P-GT Ivan Orisek*/White Plains NY Olga Orisek Mitsu. Eclipse 26 28 P-GT Antonio Menendez/Mexico City, Mex. Juan Goya Mitsu. Eclipse 27 29 Prod Bob Elliott/Rutland, VT Mark Williams Volkswagen GTI 28 30 Truck Greg Healey*/Hartsville, SC John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 PU 29 31 P-GT Todd Bawden/Costa Mesa, CA Cal Coatsworth Mitsu. Eclipse 30 93 Prod Tony Shumaker/Mission Viejo, CA Liz Shumaker Mitsu. Eclipse 31 32 P-GT Richard Swenson*/Highland Lakes, NJ Rod Hendricksen Mazda 323 32 17 Truck Chad Dykes/San Diego, CA Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Truck 33 33 Prod Dick Casey*/Fairfax Station, VA Martin Dapot VW Golf GTI 34 34 Open Jacek Kotowski/Lawrenceville, NJ Marek Bulaj Dodge Omni GLH 35 35 Open Ken Beard/Stewartstown, PA Jim Miner Dodge Omni GLH 36 36 Prod Lesley Suddard*/Wilmington, DE Anne Thomas Dodge Omni GLH 37 37 P-GT Jacques Besner/ Jean-Sebastien Besner 38 38 Open Ed Maklenburg/Milford, MI Barbara Steencken Olds Omega 39 39 Open Dean Fry*/Mohnton, PA Don Kennedy Subaru 4WD Turbo 40 40 Open Andy Wos/Clifton, NJ Don Hogan Ford Explorer 41 41 Prod Peter Watt/Peterborough, Ont. Jennie MacKenzie Suzuki Swift 42 42 Open Jos. Gumkowski/Buffalo, NY Gordon Tracz Ford Escort 43 43 Open Carl Fisher/Lyndeboro, NH Ted Mendham Dodge Omni GLH 44 44 Open Scott Kreisler/Pottstown, PA John Bonasera Saab 99 45 45 Prod Damon Mayers/Taunton, MA Stephen Finney Toyota Corolla 46 46 Open Keith Kreisler*/Collegeville, PA Chris Erney Saab 900 Turbo 47 47 Prod John Lawless*/S. Weymouth, MA Phil Barnes Toyota Corolla 48 48 Open John Pezzi/Minoa, NY Gary Jones Volkswagen Jetta 49 49 Open Sylvester Stepniewski/Keansburg, NJ Adam Pelc VW Scirocco 50 50 P-GT Raymund Agcaoili/Edison, NJ TBA Mitsubishi Eclipse 51 51 P-GT Craig Sobczak/Marquette, MI Kevin DeLoughary Mazda GTX 52 52 Open Tom Barker*/Freeport, NY Gary Urhan Dodge Omni GLH 53 53 Open Gerald Sweet/Oak Ridge, NJ Stuart Spark Saab 99 54 54 P-GT Antonio Monteiro/Somerville, MA TBA Mitsu. Galant 55 55 Prod Mike Risley/Halifax, N.S. Rick Carroll Honda CRX SI 56 56 Open William Siess/Troy, MI Judith Siess Dodge Omni 57 57 Open Gerry Brinkman/Freehold, NJ Robert Barrall Subaru DL 4WD 58 58 Open Brian Pepp*/Marquette, MI Dean Rushford Mazda RX7 59 59 P-GT Doug Beaulieu/Westport, MA Doug Beaulieu, Sr. Mitsu. Eclipse 60 171 Open Paul Barrows/Rochester, NY Jason Aroesty Toyota Corolla 61 172 Open Filipe Graca/Hillside, NJ Antonio Paz VW Golf GTI 62 173 Open Roland McIvor/Beaver Falls, PA Ellen Santarcangelo Mitsu.Ecl 63 174 Open Richard Paddock/Hilliard, OH Karen Finnerty Jeep Cherokee 64 175 Open John Shirley/Knoxville, TN Jim Hurley Triumph TR-8 65 176 Open John Pizzagalli/S. Burlington, VT Josh Cantrell VW GTI 66 178 Open Kurt Thiel/Rochester, NY George Thompson VW GTI * Driver entered in Divisional as well as National event For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack Rally Headquarters Press Room (717) 724-1926 (June 4 - 6) ROCHESTER AREA SUBARU DEALER TO USE PRO RALLY SP0NSORSHIP TO SHOW PERFORMANCE AND TRACTION OF SUBARUS IN ALL CONDITIONS VICTOR, NY -- June 4 -- When Emerson Fittipaldi brought his 200 MPH racer into victory lane at last weekend's Indy 500, most people were pretty impressed, but Kitty Van Bortel, owner of Van Bortel Subaru in Victor, points out that, while Emerson's speed was great, his traction on wet or slippery pavement would not pass the test of typical Rochester/Southern Tier driving conditions. So Van Bortel Subaru has announced its sponsorship of the Sube Sports-Team Subaru Legacy of Chad DiMarco for the upcoming Subaru PRO Rally Championship in Wellsboro, Penn., June 4 - 6. DiMarco's 300 horsepower Subaru Legacy, which will race through the Pennsylvania State Forests at more that 120 miles-per-hour, has the all-wheel drive system to give it high performance with traction. "In this part of the country, fancy cars with lots of horsepower just end up on the side of the road or off in a ditch when we get one of those instant snow or rain storms," said Ms. Bortel, "so, as a Subaru dealer, we have had great success selling all-wheel drive vehicles which provide both performance and traction for reliable transportation." She explained that, 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 one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 12 stages which range in length from four to 12 miles. Speeds of more than 120 miles-per-hour could be reached on long straight- aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times winning the event. This year's Subaru PRO Rally event in Wellsboro, Penn., which will cover 324 miles including 139 competitive speed stage miles through the Pennsylvania State Forest, will feature a variety of smooth and twisty roads from hard-packed to loose gravel for use as the "race course." The drivers stay on the existing roads and do not blaze their own trails. The roads feature the famous Stoney Creek Water Crossing and views of the Pennsylvania "Grand Canyon of the East." Other Subaru PRO Rally events around the country, which pit Audis, Mitsubishis, Porsches, Fords, Toyotas, Subarus and other top marques against each other, run in conditions ranging from a Maine blizzard to the scorching deserts of Arizona. And the Van Bortel Subaru Legacy, driven by Huntington Beach, Calif.'s Chad DiMarco, is no ordinary PRO Rally car. DiMarco, who, along with co-driver Erick Hauge, has won one overall national championship and three straight Group A class titles in the past three years. His turbocharged, 300 horsepower Subaru Legacy will go through the woods this weekend in excess of 120 miles-per-hour - and stay on the road even if conditions are slick. Van Bortel Subaru in Victor, a Subaru dealer since 1991, has built a reputation for being unique because Ms. Van Bortel insists on selling to everyone for the same price. Her reputation for quality service and low prices has earned Van Bortel Subaru the position of ninth largest Subaru dealer in the country. "Why should someone pay more or less for a car because they know how to bargain, or because they paid a couple of dollars to get one of those dealer invoice guides," she asked. Besides sponsoring DiMarco's car at the Subaru PRO Rally Championship event in Wellsboro June 4 - 6, the race car will on display at Van Bortel's Service Clinic on Saturday, June 12 at the dealership in Victor, from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Press Notes #1 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, Wellsboro, Penn. Round #3 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship June 5, 1993 - 1:00 PM 1. With so many cars and so many story lines to follow at the 17th running of the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally (STPR), we'll get the news going first - as the rally has just started - and digress as time allows to get into the class-by-class battles. 2. Although Thursday and Friday were 70 degree, sunny days in North Central Pennsylvania, this morning broke cold and rainy, with the temperature at 55 degrees and a light, but steady rain falling on the 71 starters for the event. With the lack of rain over the last several weeks, however, the famous Stony Fork water crossing, the end of stage #1, was fairly low early this morning. Last year, rain during the week preceding the rally forced closure of that stage because the water was too deep. 3. Besides the overall 71 starter figure, the number of national entries is up from last year (64) and the addition of a divisional rally has helped swell the STPR entry list to its present size. 4. We have a report on top times from the end of stage one, which ends in the middle of the creek at Stony Fork. Somewhere between the start of the rally on the Wellsboro Green and the start of stage #1, driver Bruno Kreibich and co-driver John Buffum swapped positions, and Buffum drove the stage in Bruno's Audi Quattro. Buffum, who won the opening event of the 1993 Subaru PRO Rally Championship earlier this year standing in for Paul Choiniere while Paul's wife gave birth to their third son, is not expected to run the whole rally, but has given Bruno the lead after stage #1. 5. Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche Carrera 4, which currently leads the Subaru PRO Rally championship after two events, will probably not have the lead at the end of this one. Zwart overcooked the car on a downhill stretch of stage #1, going of the road and "banging all four corners" of his newly painted Valvoline racer. Although most of the damaged seemed repairable, the team broke a half-shaft, and did not have a suitable replacement, so the Zwart for forced to retire from the rally. 6. Also retired is the Production GT entry of Antonio Menendez/ Juan Goya from Mexico City in their Vermont Sports Car-prepared Mitsubishi Eclipse. Menendez also ran off the course on stage #1 and bent the frame of his car. We'll get further details when we talk to the driver later on. 7. Selected times for the front-runners after stage #1: Driver/Co-driver Class Car Time (min.1/100) Kreibich/Buffum* Open Audi Quattro 5.59 Choiniere/Becker Open Audi S-2 Quattro 5.69 DiMarco/Hauge Open Subaru Legacy 5.70 Corley/Headland Open Mitsubishi Eclipse 5.86 Merrill/Wickens Open Ford Escort Cosworth 5.91 McGeer/Sparrow P-GT Subaru Legacy 6.06 Shepherd/Gladysz Open Eagle Talon 6.17 *Buffum drove stage #1 8. The DiMarco/Hauge Subaru Legacy is now reported to be leading the pack at the end of stage #2, but we will probably not get official times until the end of stage #4, where there will be a reseed (reorder of the cars in downtown Wellsboro based on times). 9. Speaking of DiMarco/Hauge, the team is sponsored this weekend by Van Bortel Subaru of Victor (near Rochester) New York. For those of you who live in the Rochester area, you might want to head over to Van Bortel's on Saturday, June 12, from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, when DiMarco and crew chief and car builder Jazz Rathburn will be hosting a service clinic. The National Championship Group A Subaru Legacy rally car will be on display, and Chad and Jazz will be signing autographs, talking about racing and rally, and working with the Van Bortel service department to talk to customers about Subaru. The phone number at Van Bortel Subaru is (716) 924-5230 if you need further details. 10. The McGeer/Sparrow Subaru Legacy is the defending overall Canadian national rally champion. Tom McGeer, an airline pilot from Georgetown, ONT., is running his second American rally after finished seventh overall and second in class at the Maine Forest Rally in December, 1992. 11. Choiniere's new Audi S-2, which really dominated the Rim of the World Rally in Palmdale, CA, three weeks ago, is a 2.3-liter, 5-cylinder, turbocharged racer producing more than 300 horsepower. Press Notes #2 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, Wellsboro, Penn. Round #3 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship June 5, 1993 - 6:00 PM 12. Unofficial times after four stages show the following top cars: Car # Class Driver/Hometown Co-Driver Car Time in min.1/100 min. -- ---- --------------------------------- --------------- -------- ---------------------- 1 Open* Paul Choiniere/Williston, VT Jeff Becker Audi S-2 33.25 4 Gr.A* Chad DiMarco/Huntington Beach, CA Erick Hauge Subaru Legacy 33.32 6 Open Carl Merrill/Ogunquit, ME Jon Wickens Ford Escort Cswrth 33.74 3 Open Richard Corley/Burlington, VT Martin Headland Mits. Eclipse 33.86 5 Open Bruno Kreibich/Ridgewood, NY John Buffum Audi Quattro 34.01 19 P-GT* Steve Gingras/Duluth, MN Bill Westrick Mazda 323GTX 34.44 14 Open Doug Shepherd/Plymouth, MI Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 34.53 13 P-GT Tom McGeer/Georgetown, Ont. Trish Sparrow Subaru Legacy 34.93 10 P-GT Vicente Frontinan/Somerville, MA Frank Arruda Toyota Celica 35.36 32 P-GT Todd Bawden/Costa Mesa, CA Cal Coatsworth Mitsu. Eclipse 35.56 94 P-GT Lon Peterson/Victorville, CA Bill Gutzmann Mitsu. Eclipse 36.06 27 Open L. Mark Stone/Somers, NY Marc Goldfarb Nissan Violet GTS 36.33 12 Open Henry Joy/Wilmette, IL Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse 37.07 88 P-GT Sakis Hajiminas, Floral Park, NY Tom Burgess Mitsu. Eclipse 37.20 15 P-GT Russ Hughes/Avon,NY John McArthur Mazda 323GTX 37.23 18 P-GT Cal Landau/Coraopolis PA Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse 37.38 21 P-GT Tom Ottey/Columbus, OH Yorgi Bittner Mazda 323GTX 37.49 24 Open Jon Kemp/Attica, NY Gail McGuire Audi Quattro 37.56 33 P-GT Richard Swenson*/Highland Lakes, NJ Rod Hendricksen Mazda 323 38.05 9 Prod* Peter Cunningham/Whitefish Bay, WI Joe Andreini Acura Integra 38.26 37 Open Ken Beard/Stewartstown, PA Jim Miner Dodge Omni GLH 38.80 20 P-GT Jim Wilson/Northport, NY James Wilson Mitsubishi Galant 38.90 93 Prod Tony Shumaker/Mission Viejo, CA Liz Shumaker Mitsu. Eclipse 39.32 53 P-GT Craig Sobczak/Marquette, MI Kevin DeLoughary Mazda GTX 39.59 30 Prod Bob Elliott/Rutland, VT Mark Williams Volkswagen GTI 39.66 17 Truck*Chad Dykes/San Diego, CA Pat Hanson Mitsubishi Truck 40.32 22 Truck Gary Gooch/Union City, CA Judi Gooch Mitsubishi Pickup 41.47 * class leaders 13. Paul Choiniere, Chad DiMarco, Carl Merrill, and Dick Corley, the top four after four stages, all say their cars are running well. For Corley, a rising star in PRO Rally after his first win - and the first overall win ever by Mitsubishi at last year's POR - there was the surprise announcement that he will be leaving the series for the year after this event. He has sold his car to a Mexican team who will rally it South of the Border, and Corley and his wife will "go deep sea fishing for the rest of the year." The Vermont Sports Car team will continue to prepare the Production GT Eclipse for Antonio Menendez. 14. For the second rally in a row, Frank Cunningham/Charles Bradley in their Mitsubishi Eclipse are out the rally early - this time electrical problems. Press Notes #3 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, Wellsboro, Penn. Round #3 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship June 5, 1993 - 11:00 PM 15. Other DNFs through stage #4: --Greg Healy/John MacLeod, Dodge Ram 50 Pickup, crash. --Tim Maskus/Doug Trott, Audi Quattro, engine (fixed in time for stage five restart - will run divisional). 16. After warning several drivers (as many as seven between Friday and Saturday), the Wellsboro Police handed out a speeding citation to the Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI on the transit stage between the Wellsboro service and stage five. It is up to the organizer to assess the road point penalties. 17. The European Rally Car two-car team of Sakis Hajiminas/Tom Burgess and Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek are both out of the rally after seven stages. Sakis' Mitsubishi Eclipse suffered massive electrical failure due to an alternator problem, while Ivan, trying to steer his Eclipse around a slower car that he had caught, went over an embankment, did one complete flip, and landed in a creek on stage six. Although the car landed on its wheels, the force was enough to cause co- driver Olga to loose her glasses "downstream." 18. The second top-five runner is out of the event. The Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth came to the start of stage six and was unable to start their race car. The electrical system died completely, and, for the second time in two rallies, Merrill was forced to drop out. 19. After nine stages, here are the unofficial times for the leaders: Driver/Co-driver Class Car Time (min.1/100) Choiniere/Becker Open Audi S-2 Quattro 109.02 Kreibich/Buffum* Open Audi Quattro 109.83 DiMarco/Hauge Gp.A Subaru Legacy 110.72 Corley/Headland Open Mitsubishi Eclipse 113.50 *Buffum drove stages #1, #6, #7 and #9 20. A showdown seems to be brewing between DiMarco and the Kreibich/Buffum team over the legality of a co-driver and driver swapping seats during a rally. DiMarco says that the driver-swapping should mean that neither Bruno or Buffum should score any points, and has indicated he is ready to protest any results to the contrary. It is not clear whether Rusty Campbell, as SCCA national PRO rally series manager, or the pre-appointed protest committee, will end up ruling on the issue. 21. Todd Bawden/Cal Coatsworth Mitsubishi Eclipse, which finished fourth overall and first in class at the recent Rim of the World rally, is out of this event after rolling his vehicle on stage #6. 22. With Greg Healy out of the Truck class race, it looks like someone will finally be able to collect the $2,500 Mitsubishi contingency money . In the first two events, even though the Guy Light/Dave White GMC Sonoma Pickup team was the only non-Mitsubishi entered, they managed to win both times and deprive the others of a chance to win the money. Unfortunately for the Gary and Judi Gooch team, the Mitsubishi of Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson has the upper hand after seven stages as the Goochs started stage #5 more than one minute behind, and then lost five more minutes on stage #6 changing a flat tire. 23. The Doug Shepherd/Pete Galdysz Eagle Talon was up as high as fifth place until an off-road excursion damaged the front end of the car on stage #8. On the transit between #8 and #9, they had a flat tire, and then checked into #9 a minute late - all putting them fairly far back in the rally. 24. With the scoring crew out of touch until final results time, we have not been able to follow the close Production GT or Production battles, but we know that Gingras/Westrick, Peterson/Gutzmann, McGeer/Sparrow, and Frontinan/Arruda are all still in the hunt in GT. Press Notes #4 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, Wellsboro, Penn. Round #3 of the Subaru PRO Rally Championship June 6, 1993 - 3:30 AM 25. The 17th edition of the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally is officially over, but the final results might be in question for some time. Here's what we do know: Driver/Co-driver Class Car Time (min.1/100) Choiniere/Becker Open Audi S-2 Quattro 140.19 Kreibich/Buffum* Open Audi Quattro 140.72 DiMarco/Hauge Gp.A Subaru Legacy 141.79 Shepherd/Gladysz Open Eagle Talon 143.99 * Buffum drove stages #1, #6, #7, #9, #11 and #12 The rest of the results - based on the slow response we have had all day from scoring - probably won't be available until well into the morning. 26. The problem with the Kreibich/Buffum situation persists. According to Buffum, it is perfectly acceptable from the driver and co-driver to switch as will, and, while it might mean that neither earns driver points, the entrant still finishes second and entrant behind it (DiMarco/Hauge) finishes third with third place driver and entrant points. DiMarco feels that, when Buffum took the wheel of Bruno's car on stage #1, he violated the rule which states that driver and co-driver cannot switch places in order to gain a time advantage for their team. Furthermore, he feels that the car's results should not be counted at all, giving him a second-place overall finish. 27. Rusty Campbell, the event organizer as well as the series manager, has to separate those two roles in order to deal with the problem. The organizing committee, led by co-organizer John Robinson will deal with the question first, and make a ruling. Then Rusty, as the series manager, will make a judgement on that ruling. Then, if anyone is unhappy, they can file a protest through regular channels. 28. The Tony Shumaker/Liz Shumaker Mitsubishi Eclipse hit a tree, went over an embankment, and ended up in a gully in the middle of stage #10. Several hours after the rally was finished, the Dave Wolin Team Mitsubishi crew was calling a tow trucks to get the car removed. 29. Dick Corley/Martin Headland, a cinch for fourth place overall in their Mitsubishi Eclipse, hit a tree stump at high speed, severely damaging the suspension on stage #10. Corley was forced to drop out of the rally. 30. The Peter Cunningham/Joe Andreini Acura Integra GS-R becomes the only entry for the 1993 season to win its class in all three rallies - in the Production class. For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack Rally Headquarters Press Room (717) 724-1926 (June 6 only) (401) 739-5677 (after June 6) CHOINIERE CONTINUES AUDI WIN STREAK AT STPR WELLSBORO, Penn. -- June 6 -- The new Audi S-2 Quattro is now three for three on the Subaru PRO Rally Championship trail as defending champion Paul Choiniere, from Burlington, VT, and co-driver Jeff Becker bested a field of 71 drivers to win the 17th running of the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally (STPR) here. Choiniere's closest competition came from his step-father - John Buffum -- who was entered as a co-driver and swapped seats at the last minute with car owner Bruno Kreibich in Kreibich's Audi Quattro. Buffum and Kreibich split the driving chores, a violation of PRO Rally rules, and - although allowed to keep their second place finish at the event, were barred from collecting championship points in the season standings. Choiniere/Becker beat Kreibich/Buffum by 31 seconds. Third - but collecting second place overall points - was the Van Bortel Subaru Legacy of three-time Group A champion Chad DiMarco, from Huntington Beach, Calif., with co-driver Erick Hauge. DiMarco, who won this event as well as the overall championship in 1991, finished a little over a minute behind Buffum, and moves into second place Choiniere in the overall standings. The finish also marked his second straight class win in Group A - where he leads by 27 points. Doug Shepherd, an engineer for Chrysler Corporation in Detroit and former national champion, finished fourth in an Eagle Talon with co-driver Pete Gladysz despite an off-road shunt and a flat tire late in the event. In the rally, run on the smooth, but slick roads of the Pennsylvania State Forest in North Central Pennsylvania, there were no major incidents, but lots of mechanical breakdowns and bent body parts. Only 40 of the 71 cars which started the rally actually finished. Several of the notable DNF's (Did not Finish) included: --The 400 horsepower Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens from Ogunquit, Maine (failed electrical system - stage #6). --The Porsche Carrera 4 of Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe, from Aspen, Colo. (crashed and broke a half-shaft - stage #1). --Dick Corley/Martin Headland, from Burlington, Vermont, in a Mitsubishi Eclipse (hit a tree stump and broke the suspension - stage #10). --Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson, from San Diego, CA, in a Mitsubishi Pickup (were leading the class when the truck went off the road). Other class winners included Tom McGeer/Trish Sparrow, from Georgetown, Ontario (Canada) - the defending Canadian national champions - in a Subaru Legacy (fifth overall and the Production GT winners); Peter Cunningham/Joe Andreini, from Whitefish Bay, Wisc. - third victory in a row for their Acura Integra (ninth overall and Production class winners); and Gary Gooch/Judi Gooch from Union City, Calif. - defending Rally Truck class champions - in a Mitsubishi Pickup (Rally Truck class winners). How a Subaru PRO Rally event works 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 one-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 are reached on long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times winning the event. The year's event, which covered 324 miles including 139 competitive stage miles through the Pennsylvania State Forest, featured a variety of smooth and twisty roads from hard-packed to loose gravel. The route included famous Stony Fork Creek Water Crossing and views of the Pennsylvania "Grand Canyon of the East." The Subaru PRO Rally Championship is a nine-event series sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America and sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc. The next stop for the Subaru PRO Rally Championship circuit will be Prescott, Arizona, for the Prescott Forest Rally, July 31 - August 1. # # # Round #3 - Subaru PRO Rally Championship Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally - Final Results June 6, 1993 Car Time # Class Driver/Hometown Co-Driver Car (min.1/100th min.) -- ---- --------------------------------- --------------- ----------------- ------ 1 Open* Paul Choiniere/Williston, VT Jeff Becker Audi S-2 140.19 5 Open John Buffum/Burlington, VT Bruno Kreibich Audi Quattro 140.72 4 Gr.A* Chad DiMarco/Huntington Beach, CA Erick Hauge Subaru Legacy 141.79 14 Open Doug Shepherd/Plymouth, MI Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 145.75 13 P-GT* Tom McGeer/Georgetown, Ont. Trish Sparrow Subaru Legacy 148.43 10 P-GT Vicente Frontinan/Somerville, MA Frank Arruda Toyota Celica 149.39 27 Open L. Mark Stone/Somers, NY Marc Goldfarb Nissan Violet GTS 153.84 12 Open Henry Joy/Wilmette, IL Jimmy Brandt Mitsubishi Eclipse 154.94 9 Prod* Peter Cunningham/Whitefish Bay, WI Joe Andreini Acura Integra 157.25 33 P-GT Richard Swenson/Highland Lakes, NJ Rod Hendricksen Mazda 323 158.18 24 Open Jon Kemp/Attica, NY Gail McGuire Audi Quattro 4000 161.50 15 P-GT Russ Hughes/Avon,NY John McArthur Mazda 323GTX 161.58 30 Prod Bob Elliott/Rutland, VT Mark Williams Volkswagen GTI 165.74 20 P-GT Jim Wilson/Northport, NY James Wilson Mitsubishi Galant 166.59 45 Open Carl Fisher/Lyndeboro, NH Ted Mendham Dodge Omni GLH 168.43 47 Prod Damon Mayers/Taunton, MA Stephen Finney Toyota Corolla 176.36 41 Open Dean Fry/Mohnton, PA Don Kennedy Subaru 4WD Turbo 175.36 50 Open John Pezzi/Minoa, NY Gary Jones Volkswagen Jetta 175.54 62 Open Walter Stone/Gorham, NH Frank Dore VW Rabbit 176.58 22 Truck*Gary Gooch/Union City, CA Judi Gooch Mitsubishi Pickup 178.24 94 P-GT Lon Peterson/Victorville, CA Bill Gutzmann Mitsu. Eclipse 179.50 28 Open Brian Pepp/Marquette, MI Dean Rushford Mazda RX7 179.56 55 Open Gerald Sweet/Oak Ridge, NJ Stuart Spark Saab 99 181.83 39 P-GT Jacques Besner/Montreal, ONT Jean Besner Subaru Legacy 182.66 40 Open Ed Maklenburg/Milford, MI Barbara Steencken Olds Omega 182.72 61 P-GT Doug Beaulieu/Westport, MA Doug Beaulieu, Sr. Mitsu. Eclipse 188.82 44 Open Jos. Gumkowski/Buffalo, NY Gordon Tracz Ford Escort 189.18 43 Prod Peter Watt/Peterborough, Ont. Jennie MacKenzie Suzuki Swift 189.30 57 Prod Mike Risley/Halifax, N.S. Rick Carroll Honda CRX SI 191.37 42 Open Andy Wos/Clifton, NJ Don Hogan Ford Explorer 191.56 49 Prod John Lawless/S. Weymouth, MA Phil Barnes Toyota Corolla 201.14 58 Open William Siess/Troy, MI Judith Siess Dodge Omni 207.87 54 Open Tom Barker/Freeport, NY Gary Urhan Dodge Omni GLH 262.86 35 Prod Dick Casey/Fairfax Station, VA Martin Dapot VW Golf GTI 658.63 * Indicates class winner |