My first exposure to rallying was a 1972 benefit gimmick event, but shortly after spending consecutive weekends at the 1975 Big Bend Bash ProRally and a TSD rally, it became clear that stage rallying would consume me from then on. In 1977, while working as caretaker at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, I ran my first ProRally, the Sunriser 400, finished it, winning Seed 7, and logged a single point in the national championship that year.
Rallies were then run in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas. My Peugeot 504 V-6 wound up totaled on a tree at the 1983 STPR, temporarily ending my rally driving career but not my involvement with the sport. In 1985 I was CMC Motorsports' Crew Chief and car builder. I prepared the Omnis that John Crawford and Joe Andreini used to secure the 1986 Production Driver and Codriver championships, respectively, and I also massaged the Dodges that Crawford used to win the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Production titles in 1986. I held a ProRally license from 1977-1983 and currently hold a ClubRally license.
After some time away from motorsports, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing and Information Systems, I returned to club racing with a BMW 2002 ITB racer. In spite of considerable success in club racing, I still longed to rejoin the ranks of ProRally driver, so I organized a coefficient 1 rallysprint at Hallett in 1998 and won that event with a Dodge RAM 50 pickup constructed in just three weekends.
For 1999, I will be campaigning a 1986 Dodge RAM 50 pickup truck running in the Production class. It has a bone stock 2.6 liter engine and 5-speed transmission.
Current sponsors include: Rally Distributing, Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, and Stephens Racing.
"Mad Mike" can be reached at: mehalley@realautosport.com
Phone: 918-865-7046