Press Notes
by Andy Schupack
The 1995 Maine Summer Rally will be a Saturday event counting toward the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Championship. There will also be a Divisional co-efficient 3 event run in conjunction with the national; points will be awarded towards the 1995 Divisional Championship.
The National will consist of 5 special stages, ranging in lenght from 5 to 17 miles, each run twice, with a total stage length of 118 miles. The Divisional will be the first 8 stages totalling 83 stage miles. All stages will be run in opposite directions. There will be three 'dead-end' stages. All the stages are on gravel, logging roads owned by Boise Cascade Paper Co. and International Paper Co. The roads range from medium fast two lane to narrower and twistier 1.5 lane; most are of the latter variety.
Due to the small amount of hotel space in the Rumford area, competitors are urged to make their reservations early! The Madison Hotel is headquarters - First come, first served. Each entry will be responsible for making its own reservations; a listing is enclosed [but I did not post them, e-mail for details--BB].
A prize fund for the National will be established when more than 30 entries are received. Trophies will be awarded separately to Divisional entrants and classes. We have tried to make these trophies special.
The event will be generally similar to last year's, except that we have linked the stages to give more of a flow to the event. The shorter stages will start the event, with good spectating points for the service crews. One of last year's stages, which was dead end, is now being linked with another stage so as to avoid the turn around. A new stage, but on roads used by the winter event, will end the rally.
The entry fee is $375 for the National; for the Divisional alone the fee is $250; to compete in both events the fee is $425. If the national entry is not postmarked by July 10, 1995 add $50. Canadian funds will be accepted at par from legitimate Canadian competitors.
Schedule:
Friday, July 28
16:00 - 18:00 Registration Madison Hotel
19:00 - 22:00 Registration Madison Hotel
16:00 - 22:00 Scrutineering AutoTech
21:00 - ? Happy Hour Madison
Saturday, July 29
07:00 - 07:30 Registration/Scrutineering Madison Hotel
(by prior appointment only)
08:00 Parc Expose Downtown
09:00 Start of Rally Downtown
16:00 Approx. Dinner Break Oquossoc
23:00 Approx. finish Oquossoc
Sunday, July 30
08:30 Provisional Results Posted Madison Hotel
Breakfast available
09:30 Awards Madison
Organizers:
Chairman: John Buffum
Control Chief - Blue Mt.: Diane Houseal
Control Liason - New England: Ted Goddard
Registrar: Marianne Way
Communications: Brad Emery
MEDIA_ALERT
Event: 1995 Maine Forest Summer Rally, round #8 of the 1995 Michelin PRO
Rally series. Race cars from all around the U.S. and Canada will
compete at high speeds on the challenging logging roads of the
Boise Cascade Paper Co. and the International Paper Co. near
Rumford, Maine.
When: Friday - Saturday, July 28 - 29, 1995
Schedule_-_Friday
4:00 PM - Registration - downtown Rumford - in the Congress Street
area - for Fun and Wonder Rally to benefit Kid's
World of Fun and Wonder in Rumford
5:00 PM - Start - Fund and Wonder Rally - downtown Rumford
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM3 Registration - Madison's Hotel - Rumford
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM3
Schedule_-_Saturday
7:00 AM - 7:30 AM - Registrationn - Madison's Hotel3By appointment
Tech inspection - AutoTech 3 only
8:30 AM - Parc Expose - display of cars - downtown Rumford - in the
Congress Street area
9:00 AM - Start - Maine Forest Rally - downtown Rumford - Congress
Street
11:30 PM - Finish - Maine Forest Rally - Oquossoc
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Madison's Hotel, Route #2,
Rumford, Maine. Maps guiding spectators to viewing areas will
be available at the Rumford Chamber of Commerce, or at Madison's
starting Thursday, July 27.
Duration: 118 stage miles, 300 total miles, 10 stages
Rank: Full national PRO Rally, with one coefficient 3 divisional PRO
rally to run 83 stage miles with the national event. The
Maine Forest Rally is presented jointly by the New England Region of
the Sports Car Club of America and the Blue Mountain Region of the
SCCA. The National PRO Rally series is sponsored by Michelin Tire
Corporation, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America, and
administered by the American Rally Association.
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at the
Madison's Hotel starting Thursday afternoon, July 27. Any
needs before then should be directed to Andy Schupack at the
phone number listed below.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - defending overall three-time
national and 2-time Maine champion - in his Hyundai Elantra; Carl
Merrill - with an updated '95 model - in his 400 hp Ford Escort
Cosworth; Doug Shepherd, former national co-driver champ, in an Eagle
Talon; Henry Joy - second in past two '95 events - in a new right-
hand-drive Mitsubishi Lancer; Bruno Kreibich, veteran PRO Rally
competitor, in an Audi Quattro; Peter Moodie - Jamaican rally
champion and defending Group A titleholder - in an updated Mazda
323GTR; Selcuk Karamanoglu -Turkish rally champion now from Bath, ME
-defending Production GT champion in an Eagle Talon; Cal Landau,
1990 Production champion, in a Production GT Mitsubishi Eclipse;
Janice Damitio, from Washington State, currently leading Production
GT class, could become first woman to win PRO Rally title, in a
Toyota AllTrac.
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 July 27. Rally cars going
through mud, over yumps, and on gravel 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. Press room will be located at Madison's
Hotel, Route 2, Rumford, Maine.
Contact: Andy Schupack - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
media liaison:
(401) 739-5677 (before July 27 and after July 30)
(207) 369-0403 (July 27 - 30, direct line)
# # #
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 8 - 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.
# # #
1995 Maine Forest Summer Rally - Entry List
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
National PRO Rally - Entry/Start List
*notes running Divisional as well
Car
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
4 Henry Joy IV Christopher Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse Open
Atlanta, MI Burbank, CA Michelin
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
8 Frank Sprongl Barry Latreille Eagle Talon Open
Mississauga, ONT Williamstown, ONT Michelin
6 Peter Moodie Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Michelin
12 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open
Ridgewood, NY Clinton, NJ Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone
10 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Group 2
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
15 Pat Ayer Diane Houseal Audi Quattro Open
Burlington, VT Trenton, NJ Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Kennon Rymer Toyota All-trac Group A
Atlanta, GA Knoxville, TN Michelin
17 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
18 Bob Elliott Mark Williams VW GTI Prod.
Rutland, VT N. Potomac, MD Bridgestone
20 Jon Kemp Brian Maxwell Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Port Hope, ONT Michelin
21 Carl Fisher Ted Mendham Dodge Omni Open
Greenville, NH Lyndeboro, NH Michelin
39 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 Open
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI Michelin
21* Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group A
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin
71 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac P-GT
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
25 Jon Pizzagelli Lance Smith VW GTI Group 2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
40 Kurt Thiel George Anderson VW GTI Group 2
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY Michelin
26 Jim Anderson Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin
30* Lesley Suddard Anne Thomas Dodge Charger Open
Wilmington, DE Nashua, NH Michelin
31 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark SAAB 99EMS Group 2
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ Colway
35 Jeff Bother Tom Beltman Mitsubishi Open
Grand Rapids, MI Walker, MI
32 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
N. Potomac, MD N. Potomac, MD Michelin
41 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Bridgestone
34* Dean Fry Donald Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open
Mohnton, PA Shillington, PA Colway
36 Keith Kreisler Greg Usavage Mazda 323GTX Open
West Chester, PA Perkiomenville, PA Michelin
37 John Vanlandingham Saab 96 Group 2
Cambridge, MA Michelin
38 Dave Konetski Glenn Koehler Toyota Celica Group 2
Andover, MN Ruch City, MN
1995 Boise Cascade - Divisional only entrants
52 Chris Havas John Springer VW Golf U2 Div.
Richmond, VT Burlington, VT
56 S. Stepniewski Adam Pelc VW Scirocco U2 Div.
Keansburg, NJ Brooklyn, NY
57 Carlos Filipe Nelson Barbosa VW GTI U2 Div.
New Bedford, MA New Bedford, MA
53 Gerry Brinkman Robert Barrall VW GTI U2 Div.
Freehold, NJ Bethlehem, PA
54 Gail McGuire Sandra Latreille Ford F-150 Pick-up O4 Div.
Avon, NY Williamstown, ONT BFGoodrich
55 Arthur Wojcik Igor Cukrowski Ford Escort U2 Div.
Maspeth, NY Jackson Heights, NY
58 Lou Datillio Audi Quattro 04 Div.
Northhampton, NH
# # #
Press Notes #1
Maine Forest Summer Rally, Rumford, Maine
Round #8 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
July 28, 1995 - 9:00 AM
1. Welcome to Southern Maine and the first running of the Maine Forest
Summer Rally, round #8 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series. This is
actually the sixth rally run over the Boise Cascade Paper Division
forest roads since the event's inception in 1991, but this is the first
time a full national rally has been run in the summer. All the
previous national rallies have been in December, with last year's
summer rally being a co-efficient 3, or 60 percent national points.
Except for a couple of roads which were used for last year's divisional
event, most of the these Boise Cascade logging roads have been covered
with snow and ice every time the competitors have seen them, so this is
really a new rally for everyone.
The weather in Rumford has been hazy, hot and humid, with the highs in
the mid-80s and lows in the low 70s at night. Dust, never a problem in
the winter event because of the frozen tundra and snow, might come into
play this weekend unless the threatened scattered thunder storms for
Friday night and Saturday come to pass. Organizer John Buffum and
series steward Tom Grimshaw are prepared to go to two minute intervals
between cars if the dust becomes too much.
2. One beneficiary of possible dusty conditions could be the new
Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution II of Henry Joy/Chris Griffin. Built
by T.A.D. Motorsports' Murray Thomas, this is essentially the same
Group A-spec car which has done very well on the World Rally circuit.
Running in the Open class here in the U.S. to take advantage of the
larger intake restrictor, the Lancer develops 370 horsepower at 6250
RPM, and is powered by a two liter, double overhead cam, turbocharged
intercooled four cyclinder Mitsubishi engine with Autronic Fuel
Management which can also capture and report performance data.
Joy, with his new FIA driver's seed, will be first on the road for this
event, and could maintain that position by recording some fast times
early and keeping all the dust behind him. At other events where dust
is a factor, the top drivers estimate that being first on the road
could be worth up to one minute of time on a long stage. Joy has three
second-place finishes in a row on the circuit with his former mount, a
similarly-powered Mitsubishi Eclipse. He has put more than 60 test
miles on the new car, and says he is used to the right-hand-drive
position and is ready to break through for his first national PRO Rally
win. At the last event in Pennsylvania in June, Joy was the fastest
entry on the course, but a timing penalty ruined his chance for a win.
3. The other top storyline for the weekend is the amazing success of the
Libra Racing Hyundai Elantra of Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker. Choiniere,
who has dominated the circuit for the last four years, winning the
overall championship in 1990 and 1992 - 94, has stepped into this new
car in 1995 and has simply won every event he has entered. A victory
this weekend will clinch his fourth championship in a row, a great
accomplishment considering the quality of the competition this year and
the teething problems in developing a new race car. In fact, even if
Henry Joy, currently second place in the point standings, finishes
second this weekend, Choiniere clinches the title.
4. Although the field for this year's event is a little smaller than
previous years, the quality of competition is the best in years.
Besides Choiniere and Joy, five other teams have a real shot to win the
overall event.
--Carl Merrill, the only entrant from Maine, will be trying to crack
the winners circle for the first time at the Maine Forest Summer
Rally. Merrill, along with co-driver John Bellefleur, will pilot a
400 horsepower Ford Escort Cosworth over the Boise Cascade roads, and
hopes to have better luck than he did during last summer's
divisional, when he missed a turn and went off the road at high
speed, causing major car damage. He was third in the winter rally in
December behind Canadian Frank Sprongl and Choiniere.
--Speaking of Sprongl, who has won the winter rally here in both '92
and '94, he will make his first U.S. appearance of the year this
weekend driving the Open class Eagle Talon belonging to Sandra and
Barry Latreille. Barry will be his co-driver.
--After a victory at the Doo Wop PRO Rally in Washington state earlier
this year and a second place at Rim of the World in California, the
Jamaican team of Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell brings their Mazda
323GTR to Maine with mixed emotions. They had high hopes of
challenging Choiniere for the overall title this year, but DNFs at
the Wild West and Susquehannock Trail events have dashed their hopes
for that goal. Still, Moodie is one of the fastest drivers on the
circuit, and could win it all this weekend with a mistake-free run.
--Bruno Kreibich and co-driver Rod Hendricksen are perhaps the most
experienced PRO Rally team here this weekend, with more than 40 years
of rally time between them. Rumford is the site of one of Bruno's
career highlights - clinching the Open class championship in 1991
with a second-place finish. His Audi Quattro is always competitive
and well-prepared, and the other top runners always keep a wary eye
out for him in the standings.
--This has been a hurry-up-and-wait year for Tom Ottey and his wife and
co-driver Pam McGarvey, who have done extremely well in their Mazda
323GTX. Ottey, who won the Production GT championship in 1990,
upgraded the car to the Open class this year to gain points in
anticipation of taking delivery of a Hyundai Elantra. The Elantra,
owned by Executive Motors in Kingston, Jamaica, was originally built
by Millen Motorsports for Peter Moodie. Ottey has finally taken
possession of the car, but it was not ready for this event, so he and
Pam will run the Mazda again. Ottey/McGarvey's best finish so far
this year was a second-place behind Choiniere in South Carolina in
February.
Final entry list:
1995 Maine Forest Summer Rally - Entry List
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
National PRO Rally - Entry/Start List
Final Entry List - Start Order
*notes running Divisional as well
Car
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
4 Henry Joy IV Christopher Griffin Mitsubishi Lancer E-2 Open
Atlanta, MI Burbank, CA Michelin
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
8 Frank Sprongl Barry Latreille Eagle Talon Open
Mississauga, ONT Williamstown, ONT Michelin
6 Peter Moodie Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Michelin
12 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open
Ridgewood, NY Clinton, NJ Michelin
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone
9 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Cunningham Toyota Corolla Prod.
Somerville, MA Boston, MA Michelin
10 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Group 2
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
15 Pat Ayer Ray Cadieux Audi Quattro Open
Burlington, VT St. Lazare , QUE Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Kennon Rymer Toyota All-trac Group A
Atlanta, GA Knoxville, TN Michelin
17 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
18 Bob Elliott John Hart VW GTI Prod.
Rutland, VT Rutland, VT Bridgestone
20 Jon Kemp Brian Maxwell Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Port Hope, ONT Michelin
21 Carl Fisher Ted Mendham Dodge Omni Open
Greenville, NH Lyndeboro, NH Michelin
39 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 Open
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI Michelin
22* Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group A
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin
24 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac P-GT
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
25 Jon Pizzagalli Lance Smith VW GTI Group 2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
40 Kurt Thiel George Anderson VW GTI Group 2
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY Michelin
26 Jim Anderson Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin
28* Lesley Suddard Anne Thomas Dodge Charger Open
Wilmington, DE Nashua, NH Michelin
31 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS Group 2
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ Colway
35 Jeff Bothee Tom Beltman Mitsubishi Celeste Open
Grand Rapids, MI Walker, MI
23 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
N. Potomac, MD N. Potomac, MD Michelin
41 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Bridgestone
34* Dean Fry Donald Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open
Mohnton, PA Shillington, PA Colway
36 Keith Kreisler Greg Usavage Mazda 323GTX Open
West Chester, PA Perkiomenville, PA Michelin
37 John Vanlandingham Debbie Sweet Saab 96 Group 2
Cambridge, MA Oakridge, NJ Michelin
38 Dave Konetski Glenn Koehler Toyota Celica Group 2
Andover, MN Ruch City, MN
1995 Boise Cascade - Divisional only entrants
52 Chris Havas John Springer VW Golf U2 Div.
Richmond, VT Burlington, VT
56 S. Stepniewski Adam Pelc VW Scirocco U2 Div.
Keansburg, NJ Brooklyn, NY
57 Carlos Filipe Nelson Barbosa VW GTI U2 Div.
New Bedford, MA New Bedford, MA
53 Gerry Brinkman Robert Barrall VW GTI U2 Div.
Freehold, NJ Bethlehem, PA
54 Gail McGuire Sandra Latreille Ford F-150 Pick-up O4 Div.
Avon, NY Williamstown, ONT BFGoodrich
55 Arthur Wojcik Igor Cukrowski Ford Escort U2 Div.
Maspeth, NY Jackson Heights, NY
58 Lou Datilio Chris Locke Audi Quattro 04 Div.
Northhampton, NH Sandy Hook, CT
59 Stephen Sanzone Heath Lachman VW Scirocco 02 Div.
Holliston, MA Norwalk, CT
60 Chris Sanborne Bob D'Amato Audi Quattro U2 Div.
Hennlke, CT Meriden, CT
# # #
Press Notes #2
Maine Forest Summer Rally, Rumford, Maine
Round #8 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
July 29, 1995 - 9:00 AM
5. As the rally drivers headed to downtown Rumford for the start of the
Maine Forest Summer Rally, rain showers offered a welcome break to the
hot and humid weather which has gripped New England for more than a
week. The day promises to be warm and muggy, but the cloud cover and
the dust-dampening showers are good news for the drivers.
6. One of last night's dramas included the motor replacement project
undertaken involuntarily by the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden crew after they
burned a piston testing their Group 2 Saab 900. They spent all evening
working on the car, arriving well after midnight, but were ready to run
for this morning's start.
7. 39 cars, including 30 national cars, took the green flag from River
Valley Chamber of Commerce President Cheryl Dixon and headed for the
first stage at Bunker Pond. This is a turn-around stage (Stage #1 is
north and stage #2 is south), and at last year's divisional, this stage
left L. Mark Stone's Nissan in a stream and Carl Merrill's Escort in a
ditch.
8. Besides the terrific overall battle which we already described, there
are a couple of interesting class battles as well as the series enters
its "points-dropping" phase of the national championship chase. The
best six finishes of the 11-event series count towards the
championship, so as competitors run more than six events, they have to
start dropping their lower finishes. For the top runners, this is
their sixth event, but starting next month in Minnesota, it gets
interesting. For instance, if Henry Joy wins here, and then wins in
Minnesota, he would count the Minnesota win, but drop the 4.8 points
(his lowest score) from the Doo Wops so his best six scores would be
showing. If he won again at Lake Superior in October, he would count
the 22 points there, but have to drop the 10 points he earned at
Sunriser (he keeps the two Sunriser starting points) for a net gain of
12 points.
9. Here's a round-up of the classes:
--In Group A, a class which will be dropped next year because of the
lack of numbers of entries, the two combatants here this weekend are
right in the middle of the points chase. The Bruce Newey/Kennon
Rymer Toyota Celica All-trac, which won its maiden '95 voyage last
month in Pennsylvania, can take the class points lead with a win this
weekend, as can the BMW M-3 of Rich Davis/Ben Greisler.
--The Production GT battle will also be focused on two cars - the
class-leading Toyota Celica All-trac of Janice Damitio/Amity
Trowbridge and the Mitsubishi Eclipse of Cal Landau/Eric Marcus.
Landau, who won the class here in December, is 26 points behind
Ms. Damitio in the standings and is the faster of the two drivers,
but Janice has shown surprising speed and consistency all year, and
could go a long way to becoming the first female SCCA PRO Rally
national champion ever with a win this weekend.
--In Group 2, points leaders Sam Bryan/Walden have made the trip from
the Seattle area in the Saab 900, and could pull away from the
closely-bunched pack with a win today - especially with West Coasters
Bill Malik, Dave White, Dave Peterson not in attendance. But the
Sunriser 400 winners Kurt Thiel/George Thompson are here in their VW
GTI, and a win for them could vault them into first place. Other
Group 2 contenders include the VW GTI of Jon Pizzagalli/Lance Smith
(third this year at Sunriser) and Gerry Sweet/Stuart Spark's Saab 99
(second last month at STPR).
--The Production class points outlook is also tightening up, and will
become even closer at the conclusion of this event as points leader
Tad Ohtake is not here. But ready to close in on the points lead is
the second-place Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTECH, which
can tie Ohtake with a win today. But Anderson will have his hands
full fending off the fast VW GTI of Bob Elliott/John Hart (Sunriser
winners), the Greg Trepetin/Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTECH
(third at both Sand Hills and Sunriser), the Peter Watt/Dick Casey
Suzuki Swift (fourth at STPR), and the Vinnie Frontinan/Frank
Cunningham Toyota Corolla (leading at STPR before it crashed).
--The Rally Truck class, which will also be eliminated next year as it
becomes part of the Production class, has no entries this weekend.
Dave Turner/Ben Bradley currently lead the class in a Mitsubishi
Pick-up (wins at Rim of the World and Prescott), while Greg
Healey/John MacLeod are second in their Dodge Ram 50 pick-up
(a win at Sunriser).
10. The Maine Forest Summer Rally has only completed nine of its 112 stage
miles (stages #1 and #2), but one of the pre-rally favorites is
already out of the event. The new Mitsubishi Lancer of Henry
Joy/Chris Griffin went off the road and hit an embankment early on
stage #1, pushing the oil cooler into the chassis and causing the DNF.
Joy and Griffin moved the oil lines to by-pass the cooler, but the car
had already lost too much oil, and with the turn-around stage
situation, it would have been too long to get to service after #2.
# # #
Press Notes #3
Maine Forest Summer Rally, Rumford, Maine
Round #8 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
July 29, 1995 - noon
11. With two of 12 stages completed, here are the top competitors in the
Maine Forest Summer Rally:
Driver/co-driver Car Class Time_(min/1/100th)
Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open 9.67
Ayer/Cadiuex Audi Quattro Open 9.83
Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Elantra Open 9.86
Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 10.13
Kemp/Maxwell Audi Quattro 4000 Open 10.26
Ottey/McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 10.37
Sprongl/Latreille Eagle Talon Open 10.37
Kreibich/Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open 10.43
Elliott/Hart VW GTI Prod. 10.74
Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse P-GT 10.79
Frontinan/Cunningham Toyota Corolla Prod. 10.92
Bryan/Walden Saab 900 GP-2 10.93
Newey/Rymer Toyota All-trac GP-A 10.97
Sweet/Spark Saab 99 GP-2 11.04
Pizzagalli/Smith VW GTI GP-2 11.05
Thiel/Thompson VW GTI GP-2 11.24
Anderson/Depot Honda Prelude VTECH Prod. 11.25
Davis/Greisler BMW M-3 GP-A 11.25
Vanlndingham/Sweet Saab 96 GP-2 11.46
Fry/Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open 11.64
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac P-GT 11.66
Redner/Redner Mazda RX-7 Open 12.21
Watt/Casey Suzuki Swift Prod. 12.29
12. Besides Joy, other stage #1/#2 incidents included:
--Dave Konetski/Glenn Koehler Toyota Celica, DNF after going off the
road and snapping the rear axle.
--Lesley Suddard/Anne Thomas Dodge Charger, DNF after going off the
road to avoid a stuck divisional car and rolling their race car on
stage #2.
--Carl Redner/Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 drove off the road on stage #1
and got stuck, for about 15 minutes, but got back on and continued.
--Janice Damitio/Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac sideswiped at tree
on stage #1, losing about 30 seconds to P-GT rival Cal Landau, but
is continuing.
Press Notes #4
Maine Forest Summer Rally, Rumford, Maine
Round #8 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
July 29, 1995 - 7:00 PM
13. A correction the Lesley Suddard report - she did roll her car, but was
able to get back in the event before she was timebarred. She said she
was on the edge going over a crest she encountered the Sanzone/Lachman
Scirocco stuck, blocking the middle of the road. She got off the road
to avoid the collision, but hit a ditch and then rolled after striking
a banking. The body damage was mostly sheetmetal, and crew chief Ken
Beard said she should be fine for the rest of the event. The real
problem is that Ms. Suddard is now in last place, 30 minutes behind
the field.
14. Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker have joined Henry Joy and Chris Griffin
on the sidelines as their Hyundai Elantra broke a belt on stage #3,
causing the water pump to cease operation and the car to overheat.
Pat Ayers in Choiniere's old Audi towed them to the end of stage #3,
and they started stage four, but the temp gauge zoomed way up again,
and Choiniere was forced to shut the car off - his first DNF since
the Wild West PRO Rally in Washington in April, 1994. This also means
that Choiniere cannot clinch the '95 championship at this rally, but,
with several others still in the running, we will wait until the end
of the event to calculate the possibilities.
15. Right after Pat Ayer, who had been running in the top five, gave
Choiniere a tow, he went off the course on stage #5, breaking the
front axle and a strut, causing a DNF.
16. With six of 12 stages completed, here are the top competitors in the
Maine Forest Summer Rally:
Driver/co-driver Car Class Time_(min/1/100th)
Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open 40.85
Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 41.81
Kreibich/Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open 43.46
Ottey/McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open 43.82
Kemp/Maxwell Audi Quattro 4000 Open 43.94
Sprongl/Latreille Eagle Talon Open 44.40
Newey/Rymer Toyota All-trac GP-A 45.13
Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse P-GT 45.40
Elliott/Hart VW GTI Prod. 45.47
Frontinan/Cunningham Toyota Corolla Prod. 47.18
Davis/Greisler BMW M-3 GP-A 47.29
Thiel/Thompson VW GTI GP-2 47.37
Damitio/Trowbridge Toyota All-trac P-GT 48.04
Anderson/Depot Honda Prelude VTECH Prod. 48.35
Vanlndingham/Sweet Saab 96 GP-2 48.45
Fry/Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open 49.84
Redner/Redner Mazda RX-7 Open 50.03
Kreisler/Usavage Mazda 323GTX Open 50.39
# # #
Posted July 30, 1995:
1995 Maine Forest Summer Rally
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
National PRO Rally - Final Results
*notes ran Divisional as well
Car Class/
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Time
3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Thornhill, ONT Michelin 1:57:41
12 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open
Ridgewood, NY Clinton, NJ Michelin 2:02:12
33 Tom Ottey Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX Open
Columbus, OH Columbus, OH Bridgestone 2:03:18
17 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin 2:09:15
96 Bruce Newey Kennon Rymer Toyota All-trac Group A
Atlanta, GA Knoxville, TN Michelin 2:10:41
20 Jon Kemp Brian Maxwell Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Port Hope, ONT Michelin 2:11:07
9 Vinnie Frontinan Frank Cunningham Toyota Corolla Prod.
Somerville, MA Boston, MA Michelin 2:11:44
22* Rick Davis Ben Greisler BMW M-3 Group A
West Chester, PA Philadelphia, PA Michelin 2:13:49
37 John Vanlandingham Debbie Sweet Saab 96 Group 2
Cambridge, MA Oakridge, NJ Michelin 2:16:21
24 Janice Damitio Amity Trowbridge Toyota All-trac P-GT
Montesano, WA Seattle, WA Michelin 2:17:35
31 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS Group 2
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ Colway 2:17:57
39 Carl Redner Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 Open
Walled Lake, MI Walled Lake, MI Michelin 2:18:10
26 Jim Anderson Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Mebane, NC Reston, VA Michelin 2:18:48
34* Dean Fry Donald Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open
Mohnton, PA Shillington, PA Colway 2:24:35
23 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
N. Potomac, MD N. Potomac, MD Michelin 2:24:40
35 Jeff Bothee Tom Beltman Mitsubishi Celeste Open
Grand Rapids, MI Walker, MI Bridgestone 2:28:33
41 Peter Watt Dick Casey Suzuki Swift Prod.
Peterborough, ONT Fairfax Station, VA Bridgestone 2:31:12
36 Keith Kreisler Greg Usavage Mazda 323GTX Open
West Chester, PA Perkiomenville, PA Michelin 2:47:10
Did_Not_Finish
4 Henry Joy IV Christopher Griffin Mitsubishi Lancer E-2 Open
Atlanta, MI Burbank, CA Michelin
38 Dave Konetski Glenn Koehler Toyota Celica Group 2
Andover, MN Ruch City, MN
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Elantra Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
8 Frank Sprongl Barry Latreille Eagle Talon Open
Mississauga, ONT Williamstown, ONT Michelin
6 Peter Moodie Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Michelin
10 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Group 2
Kent, WA Seattle, WA Michelin
15 Pat Ayer Ray Cadieux Audi Quattro Open
Burlington, VT St. Lazare , QUE Michelin
18 Bob Elliott John Hart VW GTI Prod.
Rutland, VT Rutland, VT Bridgestone
25 Jon Pizzagalli Lance Smith VW GTI Group 2
Shelburne, VT Colchester, VT Michelin
40 Kurt Thiel George Anderson VW GTI Group 2
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY Michelin
21 Carl Fisher Ted Mendham Dodge Omni Open
Greenville, NH Lyndeboro, NH Michelin
28* Lesley Suddard Anne Thomas Dodge Charger Open
Wilmington, DE Nashua, NH Michelin
ONLY MAINE ENTRANT WINS SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY EVENT IN RUMFORD
RUMFORD, Maine -- July 30 -- Ogunquit's Carl Merrill, who has won SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events all over the U.S. and Canada, scored his first victory ever in his native state as his 400 horsepower Ford Escort Cosworth won the Maine Forest Summer Rally here by more than four minutes.
"Last year I went off the road at 100 mph and hit a ditch; the year before I broke a differential; and the year before that I was second, but it was frustrating to always finish poorly at a race so close to home," said Merrill, who owns several hotels and restaurants in Ogunquit.
Pre-race favorite Paul Choiniere, from Shelburne, Vermont, could have clinched the season championship with a win here, but a broken belt lead to water pump failure and the end of the rally for Paul. Earlier in the event, Henry Joy, from Atlanta, Michigan, second behind Choiniere in the point standings, hit a rock and punctured the oil cooler on his new Mitsubishi Lancer on stage #1 after the car made its national debut here.
Merrill was nursing a 25-second lead over the Mazda 323GTR driven by Jamaican rally champion Peter Moodie when Carl put together his best stage of the rally, putting an additional 40 seconds between him and Moodie on the next to last stage. Moodie tried to make up the difference on the last stage, ran off the road, and was unable to continue.
Bruno Kreibich, from Queens, NY, was second in an Audi Quattro, and Tom Ottey, from Columbus, OH, finished third in a Mazda 323GTX.
In the other classes, Eric Marcus, from Coraopolis, Penn, won the Production GT class in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Bruce Newey, from Atlanta, GA was first in the Group A class in a Toyota All-trac; John Vanlandingham, from Cambridge, MA, won Group 2 in a Saab 96; and Vinnie Frontinan, from Somerville, MA, was victorious in the Production class in a Toyota Corolla.
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. The cars start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 6 - 24 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.
The Maine Forest Summer Rally, round #8 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series, had a total of 112 stage (or racing) miles through the Boise Cascade Paper forest and International Paper forest near Rumford. The next event will be August 25 - 26 in Bemidji, Minnesota. The series finished back in Rumford, Maine, on December 1 - 2, for the Maine Forest Winter Rally.