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Round #8 - 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Championship September 27-28, 1996 Press Notes by Andy Schupack
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Announcing the 25th running of the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally,
Round 8 of the Michelin SCCA PRO Rally Championship. Also counting
toward the North American Rally Championship, with two Coefficient II
Divisional PRO Rallies counting toward the SCCA Divisional PRO Rally
Championship.
Brought to you by:
The Kroger Company
Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Portsmouth
CellularOne of Chillicothe
WFCB Radio-Chillicothe
Classic Brands / Budweiser
The Advertiser
The Community Common
Ryder Trucks
Headquarters & Accomodations:
The event will be headquartered at the Chillicothe Days Inn,
614-775-7000. A special room rate will be held until September 1
for those that indicate that they are with the event. Alternate
accomodations are at the TraveLodge (614-775-2500) which is about
10 minutes from Headquarters. Make your reservations EARLY...
The Route:
As is traditional in the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, the stages are
competitive and provide a wide range of driving challenges. The
1996 Sunriser 400 Forest Rally will consist of approximately 400
total miles with 95 miles of special stages. Roughly 40 miles of the
stages will be paved. The stages are contained primarily within
Ohio's State Forests, and simply put, are some of the finest rally
roads found in North America. Twisty and hilly, but equally smooth
and well maintained, the roads of Tar Hollow, and Scioto Trail State
Forests have earned the reputation for being a rallyist's delight.
These roads range from narrow twisty forest roads to wide, open,
smooth gravel and hard pan. Note, paved and gravel surfaces are
both found on many stages, with several all paved stages.
Organizers:
All questions should be directed to:
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, 5891 Honbury Court, Dublin, Ohio 43017.
Chairman: Dick Paddock 614-876-2277
614-876-6885 (Rally Office FAX/BBS)
Schedule: (Tentative)
August 1, 1996
Registration opens, materials mailed
Friday, August 30, 1996
(all activity in Columbus, Ohio)
Seeded Draw 2000
First price increase, deadline for Program
Friday, September 27, 1996
(At Days Inn Chillicothe, unless otherwise noted)
Information Room Open (154) 1000 - 2300
Press Orientation (Winner Conf. Center) 1200 - 1300
Press Stage / VIP Rides - Tar Hollow Forest 1400 - 1700
Registration (Winner Conf. Center) 1800 - 2200
Tech. Inspection (Ross Co. State Prison) 1830 - 2300
Worker Registration (Carnation Rooms) 1800 - 2300
Seed 6 School / Div Licensing School (Mt. Logan) 1900 - 2000
Welcome Party (Winner Conf. Center) 2000 - 0200
Medical Staff Briefing (Mt. Logan) 2000 - 2100
Worker Safety Briefing (Mt. Logan) 2100 - 2200
Stage Captains Meeting (Mt. Logan) 2200 - 2230
Starting Order Announced (Winner Conf. Center) 2300
Saturday, September 28, 1996
Worker Registration (Carnation Rooms) 0800 - 2000
Communications (HAM) Briefing (Mt. Logan) 0800 - 0830
Service Crew Briefing (Mt. Logan) 0900 - 0930
Worker Safety Meetings (Mt. Logan) 0830 - 0900
Kroger MTC IN Opens 0800
All cars must be in Parc Ferme at Kroger 0900
First Car Off (Kroger) 1001
Late Reg & Tech for Ohio Forest Rally II (Winner) 1200 - 1300
Meal & Fuel Stop - Jackson (End OFR I) 1500 - 1600
First Car Off Section 2 - OFR II 1601
Meal & Fuel Stop - Waverly 2000 - 2100
First Car Off Section 3 2101
First Car Finishes - End Sunriser & OFR II 0030
Post Event Party (Winner) 2200 - 0200
Results Posted ASAP (Winner)
Sunday, September 29, 1996
Breakfast 0700 - 1000
Awards (Wiinner Conf. Center) 1000 - 1200
Working the Event:
Of course, we are in need of workers. The 1996 Sunriser 400 will
require over 500 volunteer workers on the weekend of the event. Every
effort has been made to make working the event a pleasure, including
assuring that all workers will have opportunities to spectate. In
addition, we are working on several things as incentives to workers,
particularly those who provide a full stage crew. As with prior
events, worker assignments will be issued on a first-come first-served
basis with the premium locations and the best "gifts" going to the
earliest to register.
Should you, or a friend, be interested in working, contact the Chief of
Controls or Rally Office at the numbers provided earlier or send names,
addresses, and shirt sizes to: Sunriser 400 Forest Rally, 5891 Honbury
Court, Dublin, OH, 43017. You will be sent more information at that
time. If by some chance you have no experience as a worker, we will
gladly train you at the event. Experienced workers will be teamed with
new people to assure that nobody is left "stuck in the woods" with no
idea what to do. If you have never done it before, working provides one
of the best ways to get close to the action. NOTE: Should you plan to
bring minors with you, SCCA requires that we receive a Minor Waiver
Form. Please obtain one from your local SCCA Regin, or contact the
Registrar to have one sent to you before the event.
Press & Practice Stage:
On Friday afternoon we will be running a short (2 mile) stage for
the purpose of promotional photography, and as an opportunity for
competitors to give a ride to sponsors, and to allow winners of a
Kroger contest to take a ride in a rally car. In order to participate
in the Press and Practice Stage you should contact the Press Officer
or Rally Officer no later than September 15. If you participate, you
will be required to provide one or more rides to Kroger VIP's.
Event Programs:
The Sunriser 400 Committee will be publishing an event program to
celebrate teh 25th running of the event. The program, and an
associated newspaper insert, will be distributed to over 100,000
households in southern Ohio. In order to be included in the official
entry list that is included in those publications, and / or to have
photographs and bio's included in the event program, you must have
copy to the event by August 28. All printed materials go to press
on September 4.
Course Maps:
A detailed book of course mas will be published for distribution at
the event. These maps will show all transits, stages, spectator
points, service areas, etc., including First Car Due times. Limited
copies will be available during the event at the Information Room. If
you would like to reserve copies, indicate the number desired and send
it to: Sunriser 400, 5891 Honbury Court, Dublin, OH, 43017. Include
$5.00 per map set with your reservation. Price at the event will be
$8.00 each. Those wishing to obtain USGS maps of the area will need
coverage for the eastern half of Ross County, all of Jackson and
Vinton Counties, Southern Hocking County, Southern Pickaway County,
and northern Pike County.
MEDIA_ALERT
Event: Sunriser 400 Forest Rally - Round #8 of the 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series. Race cars from around the world will compete at
high speeds through the Zaleski, Tar Hollow and Scioto Trail State
Forests near Chillicothe, Ohio.
When: Friday, September 27, 1996
Schedule
11:00 AM - Tech inspection and registration for competitors
involved in media stage - Days Inn Chillicothe.
noon - Media interviews - Days Inn
1:00 PM - Leave Days Inn for media stage (including rides
in top cars)
2:00 PM - Media stage begins - Tar Hollow Forest
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM - General registration - Days Inn
6:30 PM - 11:00 PM - General tech inspection - Ross County prison
Saturday, September 28, 1996
8:00 AM - Park Expose - display of cars - MTC opens - Kroger
parking lot - N. Bridge Street - Chillicothe
9:00 AM - Park Ferme - display of cars continues/all cars
must be in lot/no more service top be performed -
Kroger parking lot
10:01 AM - First car starts Sunriser 400 Forest Rally - Kroger
parking lot
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Meal and service stop/end of Ohio Forest
Rally I divisional event - Jackson, Ohio
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Meal and service stop - Waverly, Ohio
12:30 AM (Sunday) - Finish, Sunriser 400 Forest Rally and
Ohio Forest Rally II divisional event
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Days Inn, 1250 North Bridge
Street, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601, (614) 775-7000.
Duration: 100 stage miles, 400 total miles, 16 stages
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America,
and sponsored nationally by Michelin Tire Company. Presented by
the Sunriser 400 Committee and the River Cities Region of the SCCA.
Sponsored locally by The Kroger Company, Pepsi-Cola Bottling
Company of Portsmouth, Budweiser (Classic Brands Distributing).
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at the
Days Inn - Room 216 - starting Thursday, September 26.
Series spokes-people are also available through the press
room including car owner John Buffum, former 11-time national
champion and former Sunriser winner, event organizer Dick
Paddock, defending series champion Paul Choiniere, Columbus
residents and husband/wife team of Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey -
the fastest local competitors, and Hungarian driver Maruzsi
Laszlo, from Budapest, in his first-ever U.S. event.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - defending overall five-time
national and 3-time Sunriser champion - in his '96 Hyundai Elantra;
Carl Merrill -winner of the Wild West event in April - in his 400 hp
Ford Escort Cosworth; Doug Shepherd - in a 300 hp Eagle Talon -always
fast at any event he enters; Selcuk Karamanoglu, in an Eagle Talon,
first to clinch '96 class title; Cal Landau, 1990 Production champion
and defending Production GT titleholder, in a Production GT
Mitsubishi Eclipse; Sam Bryan, in a new factory Group 5
Saab 900 turbo, trying to finish his first rally in that new car;
Ralph Kosmides, in a factory Group 5 Toyota Supra, currently the
class leader; Mike Whitman, in the country's fastest Datsun 510,
leading Group 2; Lon Peterson, from Victorville, Calif., currently
leading Production class, in a Kia Sephia; Jim Anderson, from Mebane,
NC, second in Production in a Honda Prelude VTEC.
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and
video crews onto the course during the daylight part
of the rally Saturday. Anyone requiring supplied photos or video
should contact Andy Schupack in the press room starting
September 26. Rally cars going through mud, over yumps and 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 Saturday and Sunday. We have B-roll
available for TV. The press room will be located in the Days
Inn, Chillicothe, Rm. 216.
Contact: Andy Schupack - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
media liaison:
(614) 775-7000, Rm. 216, or (614) 775-9724 - direct
dial (September 26 - 29)
(401) 739-5677 (before Sept. 26 and after Sept. 29)
HOW A PRO RALLY 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 - different from
World Rally, where practice is allowed. The cars start at one-minute
intervals and race against the clock over 10 - 25 stages which range in
length from four to 25 miles. Most of the rallies include night stages,
making it necessary for competitors to adjust their driving style. 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.
# # #
1996 Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally - Entry List
Round #8 - 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Preliminary Start Order/Entry List (September 19, 1996)
Car National
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin
1 Paul Choiniere John Buffum Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
15 Selcuk Karamanoglu Yorgi Bittner Eagle Talon Open
Bath, ME Plain City, OH Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elantra Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone
14 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Open
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin
7 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
4 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
30 Maruisi Laszio To be determined Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Budapest, Hungary
21 Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group 5
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin
16 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Bothell, WA Michelin
10 Mike Hurst Lynn Dillion Porsche 911 Group 5
Pendleton, IN Evansville, INN Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica Turbo Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
18 Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow Group 5
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin
39 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 Group 2
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA Michelin
29 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Michelin
22 Lon Peterson Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia Prod.
Victorville, CA Ontario, CA Toyo
19 Jim Anderson Martin Depot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin
66 Tad Ohtake To be determined Ford Escort GT Prod.
Dearborn, MI
42 John Vanlandingham Tom Gillespie Saab 96 Group 2
Stoneham, MA Cedar Rapids, IA Michelin
20 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 Pick-up Prod.
Poughkeepsie, NY S. Easton, MA BFGoodrich
25 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift GT Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Bridgestone
26 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI
43 Jacek Kotowski To be determined Eagle Talon TSI PGT
Lawrenceville, NJ Michelin
# # #
1996 Thunder Ridge Rally and Ohio Forest Divisional Rallies
149 Ed Mucklow Mark Bowers Mitsubishi Starion Div.
S. Charleston, WV Afton, VA
113 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW GTI Div.
Lake Orion, MI Lake Orion, MI
126 Michael Burke Mark McCombs Audi 4000 Quattro Div.
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Pirelli
151 Douglas Davenport Lynn Dillon VW GTI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Evansville, IN Bridgestone
145 Eric Schroeder Jennie Mynhier VW Jetta GLI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN Peerless
148 Jeffrey Harty Dave Bruce Toyota MR2 Div.
Garrett, IN South Point, OH Michelin
150 Michael Bodnar D.J. Bodnar Audi Quattro 4000 Div.
Southfield, MI Farmington Hills, MI
144 Alan Fahrner Kevin West Volkswagen GTI Div.
Canton, OH Bolivar, OH BFGoodrich
147 Jerzy Bajno Adam Pelc VW Scirocco Div.
Floral Park, NY Brooklyn, NY Michelin
170 Craig Belcher Al Kintigh Datsun PL510 Div.
Roseville, 0H Minneapolis, MN Cooper
150 David Rudy Shawn Meyers Mercury Lynx Div.
Dayton, OH Brookville, FL Bridgestone
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack - (401) 739-5677/until 9/25
(614) 775-9724 - press rm.
9/26 - 9/29
'96 SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY SERIES STARTS HOME STRETCH AS RACERS
RUMBLE INTO CHILLICOTHE FOR SUNRISER 400 FOREST EVENT SEPT. 27 - 28
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - Sept. 23 -- More than 400 race drivers, crew, workers
and officials will descend on Chillicothe next weekend as round #8 of the
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series - the Sunriser 400 Forest Rally - will roar
through the Zaleski, Tar Hollow, and Scioto Trail State Forests
September 27 and 28.
Paul Choiniere, from Shelburne, Vermont, along with co-driver Jeff Becker,
have dominated the series in the recent past, winning the overall national
title five of the last six years, including the last four in a row. Last
year, they faced the stiffest competition at Sunriser in years, winning
the event by less than 30 seconds in his all-wheel-drive, turbocharged
Hyundai Elantra. So far this year, the pair has won four events and again
sit atop the point standings going into the Ohio event.
On the other hand, Carl Merrill, from Ogunquit, Maine, along with co-
driver John Bellefleur have been chasing Choiniere this year, grabbing a
win at Olympia, Wash., and top three finishes almost everywhere else.
Merrill's 400-hp Ford Escort Cosworth has undergone extensive repairs after
a heavy crash during a Canadian event in May. In fact, at a recent event
in Pennsylvania, Merrill had to borrow an ex-Choiniere car to compete in
the rally.
Another car which will challenge Choiniere and Merrill in the overall
class is the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd, from Plymouth, Michigan,
along with co-driver Peter Gladysz. Shepherd and Gladysz, both Chrysler
engineers, would have won the event last year except for a flat tire late
in the event.
The local favorite in the Open class is the Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey husband
and wife team, from Columbus, Ohio, in their Hyundai Elantra. Ottey, a
former national champion, has the skill to keep up with the leaders, but
mechanical woes with the car have prevented a run for the title in '96.
The final entry in the Open class is the Eagle Talon of Selcuk Karamanoglu
and co-driver Yorgi Bittner (Bittner is from Plain City, Ohio).
Karamanoglu, who has already clinch the national championship in the
Production GT Class, is moving into the Open class for this event as he is
still in contention for the overall title, and will be allowed run without
some of the restrictions mandated by the Production GT class.
What is PRO Rally?
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
- different from World Rally, where practice is allowed. At Sunriser, the
cars start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock over
16 stages of closed state forest roads which range in length from four to
10 miles. The teams achieving the fast combined times wins.
Most PRO rallies include night stages, making it necessary for competitors
to adjust their driving style. At many events, speeds of more than 120
miles-per-hour can be reached on long straight-aways.
Local activities and schedule
Activities get underway on Friday, September 27, with the tech inspection
for all the race cars at the Ross County Prison From 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM.
At the Days Inn Chillicothe, 1250 N. Bridge Street, volunteer worker
registration will take place Friday evening from 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM. Not
only is working the rally the best way to see the cars race, but all
workers will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of the Kroger Company and a
chance to win one of the two sets of Michelin tires being given away in a
worker-only raffle. Workers are also invited to attend the Welcome and
Post-event parties at the Days Inn.
On Saturday morning, the cars will start lining up in the parking lot of
the Kroger on N. Bridge Street starting at 8:00 AM, with the first car
heading for the forest by 10:00 AM. Spectator information on where to
see the cars race in the woods is available at the Kroger stores in
Circleville, Jackson, Wellstone, Chillicothe, Waverly, Portsmouth,
and Wheelersburg.
The rally ends just after midnight on Sunday morning, with the cars
finishing at the Days Inn Chillicothe. As always, admission to all
rally activities is free.
Other competitors:
Besides the fastest, overall competitors, there are less exotic cars
running in different classes which allow less modifications. The cars
mentioned above are all four-wheel-drive, turbocharged, highly-modified
racers, while various Production classes allow very few changes to the
stock vehicles driven on the street.
A popular new class in the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series for 1996 is the
Group 5 class, and the competition has been fierce after seven
events. The Group 5 class is for two-wheel-drive cars, but allows the
Open-class-style rules for free engine, brakes, transmission and
suspension modifications.
The stars of this new class at Sunriser should be a powerful Toyota Supra,
a converted 4WD Toyota Celica, the country's fastest Saab 900, a Dodge
Shadow, a BMW M-3 and a vintage Porsche 911.
Sam Bryan, from Kent, Washington, and his co-driver Rob Walden, will be
entering a sophisticated Group 5 Saab 900 turbo, with 12" brakes, 300
horsepower, and electronic engine controls. The driver is no slouch,
either, as Sam won the Group 2 title with a small-engined Saab last
year.
The Toyota contingent will be led by the Toyota Supra of Ruby's Diner
partner Ralph Kosmides, from Newport Beach, Calif., and his co-driver Joe
Noyes. Kosmides' car is more stock that Bryan's, but still puts out more
than 235 horsepower and will have plenty of speed for the Ohio State
Forests. Last year's Group A Champion Bruce Newey, with co-driver Matt
Chester, will be running last year's car, a Toyota Celica Turbo, converted
to Group 5 from the now-defunct Group A class.
They will be challenged by a Dodge which become very competitive under the
new Group 5 rules. The Dodge Shadow of Henry and Cindy Krolikowski, which
won Group 5 at the season opener in South Carolina, and the most recent
events in Pennsylvania, Maine, and Minnesota, will challenge the new model
entries.
The Porsche 911 of Mike Hurst, now with two finishes under its belt, is a
threat to challenge in Group 5, as is the BMW M-3 of Rick Davis.
All the Group 5 cars were forced to run against the 4WD cars in Open class
before the advent of Group 5.
In Production GT - the class for stock production cars with 4WD and
turbocharged engines, Selcuk Karamanoglu - a resident of Maine after
coming to the U.S. from his native Turkey - has already clinched the title,
leaving the Mitsubishi Eclipse of Cal Landau to run it the class by
himself. Landau, the '95 Production GT champion, has been unable to defeat
Karamanoglu in any of their head-to-head meetings this year.
In the Production class, class leader Lon Peterson and his Kia Sephia
are making the trip to Ohio to battle the Honda Prelude VTEC of Jim
Anderson - currently right behind Lon in the points. The two ran neck-and-
neck several weeks ago, with Anderson edging Peterson by only a couple of
seconds. They will be challenged by last year's Production champion
Tad Ohtake in his Ford Escort GT, and newcomer Al Kaumeheiwa in his
Dodge Neon.
The Group 2 battle has had several winners already this year, but class
points leader Mike Whitman, from Farmington, NM, with his Datsun 510
(winner at the California, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Minnesota events)
can all, but clinch his first national title with a win in Ohio.
The 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series consists of eleven events, and is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America. The 1996 Sunriser 400 PRO Rally is presented by
the Sunriser 400 Committee, and the River Cities Region of the SCCA.
Local sponsors include The Kroger Company, Pepsi-Cola, and Budweiser.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #1
September 26, 1996 - 9:00 PM
1. Welcome to Chillicothe, Ohio - 50 miles south of
Columbus - for the Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally, round
#8 of the 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series. This is
one of the competitors' favorite rallies, with its mixed
tarmac and gravel stages, its smooth, but slippery roads,
and tight turns that challenge the most skilled drivers.
This will be the 25th running of the event, which took a
hiatus from the PRO Rally schedule from
1991 - 1933 due to loss of sponsorship, but came back in
1994 with the help of The Kroger Company, Classic Brands
(Budweiser), Pepsi-Cola, and The Advertiser newspaper.
2. The weather should be ideal for the drivers for this
Saturday-only rally, with damp conditions on Thursday and
Friday (we've already had a downpour this afternoon)
eliminating any dust, but Saturday's partly-cloudy
forecast giving competitors good running conditions. It
will be a little on the humid side, with temperatures in
the upper 70s F.
3. Several off-the-field events over the last several weeks
deserve noting:
--Sandee Mourey, the SCCA Rally/Solo marketing manager,
has left the SCCA national office staff as of
September 1. No replacement has been named as of now,
and her administrative duties have been assumed by Doug
Reed, club racing marketing manager.
--Doug Plumer of Replica Productions, Cambridge, Mass.,
producer of the SportsChannel programs this year, has
received verbal approval from ESPN2 (he's still waiting
for a formal written contract, but expects it shortly)
to go out to sell advertising based on coverage for all
the national events for 1997. These 1/2-hour shows
would run on weekend afternoons - a great time slot.
The advertising slots would be a great opportunity for
a sponsor to get national exposure in conjunction with
PRO Rally. Plumer can be reached at (617) 492-7444.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #2
September 26, 1996 - 9:00 PM
4. This is the magic event which starts that end-of-the-year
PRO Rally version of the Wild Card - dropping points.
Only the best six finishes count for championship points,
so drivers who are competing in their seventh event will
get to keep points here only if they are better than the
lowest of their previous scores.
Example: Series leader Paul Choiniere has a first at the
60 percent Sand Hills event (12 points, but no
starting points), three national wins (22
points each), a third at Ojibwe (14 points),
and a fourth at Wild West (12 points). If he
wins here, he gets 22 points, but then has to
drop one of his 12 point events. He would drop
the Wild West finish, because he only drops 10
points since you retain your two starting
points even if you drop an event. he currently
has 104 points, so if you add 22, then drop 10,
you get a total of 116.
If Carl Merrill wins, he would net 13 points
(as his lowest current total is 9 w/o starting
points at Sand Hills), and he would then have
104 points. If Paul finishes second behind
him, he would net seven points to give him a
total of 111 -and really tighten up the race
for the championship.
5. While we're running down the Open class entry and the run
for the championship, let's note that Selcuk Karamanoglu
has moved his recently-crown Production GT Championship
car into the Open class in order to make a run at the
overall title. Selcuk sits right behind Merrill in third
place in the overall standings, and some hard driving and
a couple of breaks could keep him in the hunt.
Unburdened by the Production GT intake and turbo
restrictions, we could see the hard-driving Mainer go
even faster here in Ohio.
6. Doug Shepherd will also be here in his Eagle Talon, which
is not in the championship hunt, but is competitive
whenever he is able to run. In the last four national
events he has run over the past two years, he has come
within a whisker of winning each one. He hopes to break
through with a victory at Sunriser.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #3
September 26, 1996 - 9:45 PM
7. In Group 5, the points-dropping game will not affect the
leaders for this event, as leader Ralph Kosmides has five
finishes and second-place Henry Krolikowski four.
Kosmides, in the Toyota Supra, accumulated his points
early in the season, but feels he is driving his best in
the most recent events. The Krolikowski Dodge Shadow,
which has been flawless in the last three events while
scoring wins and beating the fastest cars in the class.
The Saab 900 turbo of Sam Bryan, coming off a
disappointing DNF after crashing at Ojibwe, has no chance
for the championship, but hopes to finish his first rally
of the season here. Another car which can be competitive
here, but has no chance for the title this year is the
Bruce Newey Toyota Celica, which was third behind
Krolikowski and Kosmides at Ojibwe.
8. The Production GT season points chase is over already,
with Selcuk Karamanoglu's Eagle Talon having gone
undefeated, scoring five national wins and a 60 percent
victory - at which he won the event overall as well.
This leaves the Cal Landau Mitsubishi Eclipse to run
alone as a PGT points contender. This is Selcuk's second
National Championship in three years.
9. Another class championship might be sewn up this weekend
as Group 2 points leader Mike Whitman will look to score
his fifth straight win in his Datsun 510. Third place
points belong to the Datsun 510 of Pete Lahm, who hopes
to pass Dave Peterson's VW GTI. Peterson has decided not
to run the rest of the season.
10. In the Production class, the two top combatants are here
this weekend to slug it out for the title. Lon Peterson
leads the class in his Kia Sephia, with victories at Doo
Wop and Wild West, while second-place Jim Anderson has
won STPR and Ojibwe in his Honda Prelude VTEC. In the
last two event, Anderson has edged Peterson by just a few
seconds, with Peterson's rally experience being balanced
against Anderson's superior horsepower.
11. Former Pennsylvania (Tiadaghton) organizer Boyd Smith has
entered an Audi 4000 Quattro for Hungarian rallycross
champion Maruzsi Laszlo, from Budapest. Laszlo, the
first Hungarian rally driver ever to compete in the U.S.,
is 38 years-old, and has been rallying since 1977.
# # #
1996 Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally - Entry List
Round #8 - 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Preliminary Start Order/Entry List (close of registration)
Car National
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
1 Paul Choiniere John Buffum Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin
15 Selcuk Karamanoglu Yorgi Bittner Eagle Talon Open
Bath, ME Plain City, OH Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elantra Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone
14 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Open
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin
7 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
4 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
21 Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group 5
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin
16 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Bothell, WA Michelin
10 Mike Hurst Rob Bohn Porsche 911 Group 5
Pendleton, IN Noblesville, IN Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica Turbo Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
18 Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow Group 5
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin
39 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 Group 2
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA Michelin
29 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Michelin
22 Lon Peterson Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia Prod.
Victorville, CA Ontario, CA Toyo
19 Jim Anderson Martin Depot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin
35 Mike Villamure Reny Villamure VW Beetle Group 5
Westland, MI Flat Rock, MI Michelin
20 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 Pick-up Prod.
Poughkeepsie, NY S. Easton, MA BFGoodrich
25 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift GT Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Michelin
28 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI Michelin
77 Jay Kowalik Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic Prod.
London, OH E. Liberty, OH Michelin
31 Craig Kazmierczak Diane Sargent Mazda RX-7 Group 5
Ann Arbor, MI Duluth, MN Bridgestone
32 John Shirley Kendall Russell Triumph TR-8 Group 5
Knoxville, TN Knoxville, TN Michelin
# # #
1996 Thunder Ridge Rally and Ohio Forest Divisional Rallies
149 Ed Mucklow Mark Bowers Mitsubishi Starion Div.
S. Charleston, WV Afton, VA Michelin
113 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW GTI Div.
Lake Orion, MI Lake Orion, MI Bridgestone
126 Michael Burke Mark McCombs Audi 4000 Quattro Div.
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Pirelli
151 Douglas Davenport Lynn Dillon VW GTI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Evansville, IN Bridgestone
145 Eric Schroeder Jennie Mynhier VW Jetta GLI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN Peerless
148 Jeffrey Harty Dave Bruce Toyota MR2 Div.
Garrett, IN South Point, OH Michelin
150 Michael Bodnar D.J. Bodnar Audi Quattro 4000 Div.
Southfield, MI Farmington Hills, MI
144 Alan Fahrner Kevin West Volkswagen GTI Div.
Canton, OH Bolivar, OH BFGoodrich
147 Jerzy Bajno Adam Pelc VW Scirocco Div.
Floral Park, NY Brooklyn, NY Michelin
170 Craig Belcher Al Kintigh Datsun PL510 Div.
Roseville, 0H Minneapolis, MN Cooper
146 David Rudy Shawn Meyers Mercury Lynx Div.
Dayton, OH Brookville, FL Bridgestone
152 Ted Grzelak Dan Gildersleeve Mazda RX-7 Div.
Clinton Township, MI Channing, MI
155 Arthur Wojcik Mariej Salamon Ford Escort Div
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #4
September 28, 1996 - 7:00 AM
12. The Tad Ohtake Ford Escort GT Production car will be a
no-show for the weekend as he couldn't get replacement
parts in time - and he works for the factory!
13. The John Vanlandingham Saab 96, one ofthe most popular
sights with any rally crowd, will not make it to
Sunriser because his tow vehicle lost its transmission
near the Massachusetts/New York border, and parts were
not readily available.
14. In drizzly conditions in the Tar Hallow State Forest
Friday afternoon, several cars gave the media and some
lucky Kroger employees who won an internal contest
rides in their rally cars. Carl Merrill took the
Frontiervision Cable news anchor on the ride of her
life, narrowly avoiding the ditch where he went off with
a Columbus sports reporter two years ago. Carl did
suffer a flat tire, however, and seemed thankful that
the press stage wasn't going to be part of the rally.
15. Saturday morning's weather has brought a continuation of
the rain that fell almost all day Friday, but the
forecast calls for the parcipitation to end by noon,
with partial clearing by mid-afternoon, high 65 degrees
F. Tonight should be clear, with lows in the mid-40's.
Although these hard-packed gravel and tarmac stages
should remain fairly mud-free, national steward Tom
Grimshaw reported that he found the stages very slippery
when he pre-ran the course on Wednesday and Thursday.
16. The Maruisi Laszio Audi Quattro 4000 entry will not
start the rally as the car's Haltech fuel management
system could not be fixed in time. Laszio, who would
have been the first Hungarian to run a U.S. PRO Rally,
hopes to drive at the lake Superior PRO Rally in three
weeks in Houghton, Michigan.
17. Another DNS is Jacek Kotowski's Production GT Eagle
Talon, which could not make it to the event.
18. The bad luck continues for the Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey
Hyundai Elantra. While preparing the car for this
event, Ottey lost a turbo in testing earlier in the
week, and a replacement part was being installed late
Friday night in their Columbus shop - some 50 miles
away. Still, they hope to finish the car and make it to
the Saturday morning start.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #5
September 28, 1996 - 11:00 AM
19. 37 cars (25 National and 12 Divisional) started the 25th
running of the Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally from the
parking lost of the Bridge Street Kroger in Chillicothe.
Although almost three inches of rain fell overnight, the
rain stopped just prior to the 10:01 AM start, and the
revised forecast calls for clearing skies by noon.
20. Jeff Becker, Paul Choiniere's regular co-driver in the
series-leading Hyundai Elantra, has been suffering from
sciatic nerve problems since July. He came to Sunriser
this weekend to compete with Paul, but his back
continued to give him problems and it was the doctor's
opinion that he should not risk competing. John Buffum,
Choiniere's car owner and former national champion, will
substitute for Becker as he did at the last event in
Minnesota.
21. The Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 turbo has been
reskinned after its rollover in Minnesota, and the team
looks forward to its first finish of the season.
22. The Group 5 BMW M-3 of Rick Davis/Ben Greisler has been
sold (pending a finish in one piece here), according to
car owner Davis. With the help of current sponsor
Otto's BMW, Rick hopes to build a Group 5 BMW 318i for
the 1997 season.
23. For those of you familiar with the Sunriser stages, the
one-day format - a first-ever for this rally - breaks
down like this as follows. The cars will run 16 stages
with two major meal stops. The first group of stages
include (in order)
Haynes Hollow, Sugar Run, Thunder
Road, Moonshine Express, Practice 1, and Cooper Hollow 1
before the cars come into the Meal Stop in Jackson,
where there will be a reseed. The cars will then run
Cooper Hollow 2, Practice 2, Bolster Hollow, America
Best, Webb Hollow and Practice 3 before coming into the
Waverly Meal Stop, where there will be another reseed.
Hatfield, Vista, and Mt. Pisgah will then be run and the
cars will come back into Waverly for service. The cars
will then run the final stage - Buckeye Trail - before
finishing at the Days Inn.
# # #
1996 Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally - Entry List
Round #8 - 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Final Start Order/Entry List
Car National
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
1 Paul Choiniere John Buffum Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin
15 Selcuk Karamanoglu Yorgi Bittner Eagle Talon Open
Bath, ME Plain City, OH Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elantra Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone
14 Doug Shepherd Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon Open
Plymouth, MI Troy, MI Michelin
7 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
4 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
21 Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group 5
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin
16 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5
Newport Beach, CA Bothell, WA Michelin
10 Mike Hurst Rob Bohn Porsche 911 Group 5
Pendleton, IN Noblesville, IN Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica Turbo Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
18 Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow Group 5
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin
39 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 Group 2
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA Michelin
29 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Lake Odessa, MI Michelin
22 Lon Peterson Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia Prod.
Victorville, CA Ontario, CA Toyo
19 Jim Anderson Martin Depot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin
35 Mike Villamure Reny Villamure VW Beetle Group 5
Westland, MI Flat Rock, MI Michelin
20 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 Pick-up Prod.
Poughkeepsie, NY S. Easton, MA BFGoodrich
25 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift GT Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Michelin
28 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI Michelin
77 Jay Kowalik Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic Prod.
London, OH E. Liberty, OH Michelin
31 Craig Kazmierczak Diane Sargent Mazda RX-7 Group 5
Ann Arbor, MI Duluth, MN Bridgestone
32 John Shirley Kendall Russell Triumph TR-8 Group 5
Knoxville, TN Knoxville, TN Michelin
# # #
1996 Thunder Ridge Rally and Ohio Forest Divisional Rallies
149 Ed Mucklow Mark Bowers Mitsubishi Starion Div.
S. Charleston, WV Afton, VA Michelin
113 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW GTI Div.
Lake Orion, MI Lake Orion, MI Bridgestone
126 Michael Burke Mark McCombs Audi 4000 Quattro Div.
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Pirelli
151 Douglas Davenport Lynn Dillon VW GTI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Evansville, IN Bridgestone
145 Eric Schroeder Jennie Mynhier VW Jetta GLI Div.
Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN Peerless
148 Jeffrey Harty Dave Bruce Toyota MR2 Div.
Garrett, IN South Point, OH Michelin
150 Michael Bodnar D.J. Bodnar Audi Quattro 4000 Div.
Southfield, MI Farmington Hills, MI
144 Alan Fahrner Kevin West Volkswagen GTI Div.
Canton, OH Bolivar, OH BFGoodrich
147 Jerzy Bajno Adam Pelc VW Scirocco Div.
Floral Park, NY Brooklyn, NY Michelin
170 Craig Belcher Al Kintigh Datsun PL510 Div.
Roseville, 0H Minneapolis, MN Cooper
146 David Rudy Shawn Meyers Mercury Lynx Div.
Dayton, OH Brookville, FL Bridgestone
152 Ted Grzelak Dan Gildersleeve Mazda RX-7 Div.
Clinton Township, MI Channing, MI
155 Arthur Wojcik Mariej Salamon Ford Escort Div
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #6
September 28, 1996 - 2:45 PM
24. A correction on the number of starters. There were 35
starters at the Krogers in Chillicothe as the Alan
Fahrner/Kevin West VW GTI divisional entry did not make
the field due to tow vehicle problems (the other
"missing" vehicle was reported due to a paperwork
miscount). Fahrner has since arrived, and will join the
rally to run the second divisional event.
25. After stage #1, there are only 34 cars running as the
Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Group 2 Datsun 510 ran far off
the road, went into a gully, and hit a tree near the
Picnic Point spectator area. The drivers were okay, but
the car needed to be towed out of the gully and is done
for the day.
26. Another tough outing for the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab
900 turbo Group 5 entry, which is out of the rally after
stage #3 with engine problems. More details as soon as
they become available.
27. The Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth is
having all kinds of trouble through three stages,
including electrical problems and a small fire which
came up through the shifter boot. Merrill finished dead
last on stage #1, and is currently 15th overall in the
event.
28. Stage #3 was very slippery, with almost everyone
including rally leaders Paul Choiniere/John Buffum's
Hyundai Elantra spinning at least once. Both the Greg
Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 truck and the Mike
Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 spun and went off the
road. Although both vehicles continued, they fell way
behind the field - we'll let you know how far as we get
more complete results.
29. The rally is running about 55 minutes late at the end of
stage three - the organizer hopes to make up some time
at the Jackson Meal Stop/Service after stage #6.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #7
September 28, 1996 - 3:00 PM
30. Standings after five stages for the national event:
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
1 Paul Choiniere/John Buffum Hyundai Elan 22.34 Open
14 Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 23.20 Open
15 S Karamanoglu/Y Bitner Eagle Talon 23.39 Open
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elan 23.88 Open
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclips 24.45 GT
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 24.46 Group 5
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 24.95 Group 5
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra 25.04 Group 5
19 Jim Anderson/Anne Thomas Honda Prelude 25.13 Prod.
18 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 25.20 Group 5
32 John Shirley/Kend Russell Triumph TR-8 25.41 Group 5
22 Lon Peterson/B. Gutzmann Kia Sephia 25.52 Prod.
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911s 25.64 Group 5
77 Jay Kowalik/Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic 25.91 Prod.
35 Mike Villemure/Reny Ville VW Beetle 26.30 Group 5
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 26.56 Open
Incomplete times
39 Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 Group 2
28 Al Kaumeheiwa/ C. Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
20 Greg healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50
DNF
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Engine SS#3
29 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Crash SS#1
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #8
September 28, 1996 - 5:45 PM
31. After running five strong stages, the Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai
Elantra quit right at the beginning of stage #6. Greg Healey gave
them a tow through the entire length of stage #6, saving them from a
DNF and giving them a chance to fix the problem - probably
electrical - at service.
32. The reason the Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 went off the
road on stage #3 was that they went straight at a left-hand turn,
losing about 12 minutes to the field. Minimal damage was done to the
car, and their times on #4 - #6 show that Whitman is again running
strongly.
33. Standings in press note #30 are after three stages, not five. Also,
Martin Dapot, not Anne Thomas, is co-driving for Jim Anderson.
34. Standings after six stages for the national event:
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
1 Paul Choiniere/John Buffum Hyundai Elan 37.27 Open
14 Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 39.01 Open
15 S Karamanoglu/Y Bitner Eagle Talon 39.16 Open
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclips 41.06 GT
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 41.61 Group 5
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 42.12 Group 5
18 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 42.19 Group 5
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra 42.22 Group 5
19 Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude 42.27 Prod.
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911s 42.42 Group 5
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 43.20 Open
32 John Shirley/Kend Russell Triumph TR-8 43.20 Group 5
77 Jay Kowalik/Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic 44.18 Prod.
35 Mike Villemure/Reny Ville VW Beetle 44.30 Group 5
22 Lon Peterson/B. Gutzmann Kia Sephia 44.53 Prod.
31 Craig Kazmeirczak/D Sarg Mazda RX-7 48.09 Group 5
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elan 49.81 Open
39 Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 53.57 Group 2
28 Al Kaumeheiwa/ C. Sobczak Dodge Neon 57.26 Prod.
20 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 59.41 Prod.
DNF
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Engine SS#3
29 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Crash SS#1
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #9
September 28, 1996 - 8:00 PM
35. More on the Sam Bryan/Saab DNF. Bryan said the car starting running
warm during stage #1, and they began to blow smoke both outside and in
during the stage on ss#2. Although they know that they blew a head
gasket, they won't be able to tell exactly what went wrong until they
get the car home and take the motor apart.
36. The rally is back on time after the Jackson Meal Stop as the organizer
has scratched stage #7 - Cooper Hollow 2 - and the cars went right
from service to stage #8. The rally, already under the usual 100
stage miles required for a national event, but eligible for full
national status via a sanction exception from Series Steward Grimshaw,
lost another 5 miles with the cancellation of #7. This means that the
rally will be 84.8 stage miles in length.
37. With the rally more than half over (after stage #8), the Paul
Choiniere/John Buffum Hyundai Elantra has one minute, 53-second lead
over the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz, while the
Karamanoglu/Bittner Eagle Talon is only eight seconds behind Shepherd.
The Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse, running alone in the lead of
Production GT, is fourth overall and two minutes back of Selcuk, while
Group 5 leader Bruce Newey is fifth overall in his Toyota Celica,
another 17 seconds back. However, the next three Group 5 competitors
aren't that far back from Newey (less than a minute), and really close
to each other - those being the Krolikowski Dodge (45.63), the Davis
BMW (45.74), and the Kosmides Toyota (45.89).
Despite their time-consuming "off" early in the event, the Mike
Whitman/Paula Gibeault Group 2 Datsun 510 is headed for a victory and
Whitman's first national PRO Rally championship as their main
competition - the Lahm/Brandt Datsun 510 crashed on stage #1.
The Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC leads Production by
a wide margin - more than two minutes - over the Jay Kowalik/Jeff
Wheeler Honda Civic. The Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia is
another 21 seconds
38. Despite all their efforts to keep the car running, it looks like the
Ottey/McGarvey Hyundai Elantra has finally quit, losing the turbo that
was installed just last night.
39. More on the Lahm/Brandt crash. Lahm went off the road into a gully at
full speed when his wheel hooked a culvert, sending the rear fender
into a tree, spinning the car around, and sending the front end into
another tree. Lahm and Brandt are sore, but okay, and they were taken
to the hospital for X-Rays, which were negative. Lahm said he hopes
the car is not totalled, but he's not optimistic.
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #10
September 28, 1996 - 10:30 PM
40. The John Shirley/Kendall Russell Triumph TR-8, which was tied
with the Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth after six
stages, was running a terrific rally when the transmission gave out
after stage #8. They burned the clutch out getting the car to
the end of the stage, but were very pleased with their performance, as
they were within a few seconds of Mike Hurst's Porsche when they
broke.
41. The Craig Kazmeirczak/Diane Sargent Mazda RX-7 Group 5 car locked up
its differential on stage #10, is out of the event.
42. Standings after 12 stages for the national event:
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
1 Paul Choiniere/John Buffum Hyundai Elan 60.11 Open
15 S Karamanoglu/Y Bittner Eagle Talon 62.25 Open
14 Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle Talon 62.87 Open
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsu. Eclips 66.11 GT
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 67.51 Group 5
18 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 67.66 Group 5
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra 67.69 Group 5
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 67.75 Open
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 68.24 Group 5
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911S 68.24 Group 5
19 Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude 68.89 Prod.
35 Mike Villemure/Reny Ville VW Beetle 71.68 Group 5
77 Jay Kowalik/Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic 71.93 Prod.
22 Lon Peterson/B. Gutzmann Kia Sephia 79.41 Prod.
39 Mike Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 79.42 Group 2
28 Al Kaumeheiwa/ C. Sobczak Dodge Neon 84.79 Prod.
20 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 88.01 Prod.
DNF
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Engine SS#3
29 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Crash SS#1
32 John Shirley/Kend Russell Triumph TR-8 Transmiss SS#8
31 Craig Kazmeirczak/D Sarg Mazda RX-7 48.09 SS#10
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elan 49.81 SS#8
# # #
Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally
Chillicothe, Ohio
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #11
September 29, 1996 - 2:00 AM
43. The 25th running of the Sunriser 400 Forest PRO Rally is now history,
and the past and present masters combined for an important win in the
chase for the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally season title. Paul Choiniere,
the national champion for five of the last six years, combined with
substitute co-driver, step-father, car owner and 11-time national
driver's champion John Buffum to guide their Hyundai Elantra to a
2-1/2-minute victory.
Choiniere drove a perfect rally on the fast and slippery roads in
the state forests of Southern Ohio in an event where much of the field
slid off the road more than once. Buffum had to substitute for
regular co-driver Jeff Becker for the second event in a row as Becker
continues to experience back problems which he first felt back in
July. Jeff came to the event, but was unable to compete because of
the sciatic nerve problem.
Veterans Doug Shepherd and Pete Gladysz were in second place with
their Eagle Talon for much of the event, but Selcuk Karamanoglu and
Yorgi Bittner, also in an Eagle Talon, caught and passed
Shepherd/Gladysz with five stages to go to secure second place.
The Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse won the Production GT
Class and were fifth overall, while the Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur
Ford Escort Cosworth - which had problems all day - finished fifth.
Although losing loads of time early in the event, the Mike
Whitman/Paula Gibeault Datsun 510 won the Group 2 class and Whitman
clinched the season championship.
The Production class win went to the Jim Anderson/Martin Depot Honda
Prelude VTEC for the second event in a row, while Henry and Cindy
Krolikowski took Group 5 for the fourth time in a row in a Dodge
Shadow. All the top points leaders in Group 5 were on the same minute
with only a few stages to go, but the Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota
Celica hit a burm; the Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra went off
the road; and the Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 went into a ditch
and DNFed on the last stage.
27 of the original 35 starters finished the event.
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack - (401) 739-5677/after 9/29
(614) 775-9724 - press rm.
9/29 until 3:00 PM
CHOINIERE TAKES BIG STEP TOWARDS '96 SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
WITH CONVINCING WIN AT FAST, SLICK SUNRISER 400 FOREST EVENT
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - Sept. 29 -- With two competitors breathing down his
neck in the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally point standings, defending champion
Paul Choiniere, from Shelburne, Vermont - along with co-driver and former
rally champion John Buffum - showed why he is the best by thrashing the
Sunriser 400 Forest Rally field by more than 2-1/2 minutes in the damp,
slippery but fast Ohio State Forests here.
Choiniere, who had only a slight lead in the season points despite his four
victories thus far, put himself in perfect position to clinch his fifth
national title in six years as his car responded perfectly to the task at
hand.
"The roads here are very fast, but very narrow - with lots of pavement
as well as the usual gravel conditions - so my precise, controlled style
of racing meant that our Hyundai Elantra had to run its best for us to take
the win, and we were very pleased with its performance," said Choiniere,
whose previous victories this year were in South Carolina, California,
Pennsylvania, and Maine.
Paul's perfect performance left the Eagle Talons of Selcuk
Karamaoglu/Yorgi Bittner and Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz to duke it out
for second place, with Selcuk gaining the upper hand to clinch second
by 17 seconds, with Shepherd taking third.
In the other classes, Cal Landau/Eric Marcus won the Production GT
class in their Mitsubishi Eclipse; Henry and Cindy Krolikowski outdrove
a terrific field of Group 5 cars (five cars were on the same minute late
in the event) to win that class in a Dodge Shadow; Jim Anderson/Martin
Dapot won their second straight Production class victory in a Honda
Prelude VTEC; and Mike Whitman clinched his first national PRO Rally title
by winning Group 2 with co-driver Paula Gibeault in a Datsun 510.
Significant DNFs included the Saab 900 turbo of Sam Bryan/Rob Walden,
who lost their engine, and Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey - the local favorites
from Columbus - who lost the turbo in their Hyundai Elantra. Also,
the Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth, second to Choiniere
in the point standings, finished a distant fifth after many electrical
problems and a driver's compartment fire.
The 1996 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series consists of eleven events, and is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America. The 1996 Sunriser 400 PRO Rally was presented by
the Sunriser 400 Committee, and the River Cities Region of the SCCA.
Local sponsors include The Kroger Company, Pepsi-Cola, and Budweiser.
The next event on the schedule is the Prescott Forests Rally in
Prescott, Arizona.
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