<========== Press Notes ==========>
By Andy Schupack
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #1
July 26, 1996, 10:00 AM
1. Welcome to Rumford, Maine, site of the third annual Maine
Forest Summer Rally, round #6 of the 1996 SCCA/Michelin
PRO Rally series. This is actually the eighth PRO rally
running through the Boise Cascade, Seven Islands, and
International Paper forest here in Western Maine, as
there have been five Maine Forest Rallys in December.
This year, however, in order to give the West Coast
competitors a chance to host the final awards banquet,
the final rally of the season will be November 8 - 10 in
Olympia, Washington. Rally fans and competitors will not
be without a Maine winter event, however, as
December 7 - 8 has been set for a coefficient 3
divisional PRO Rally. Northeast divisional steward
and veteran competitor Bob Elliott will be the organizer
of the event.
2. Carl Merrill of nearby Ogunquit, ME will be here as
defending champion, having won this event last July when
the two favorites, Henry Joy IV and Paul Choiniere DNF'd.
Joy had debuted his new Mitsubishi Lancer, but on the
first stage, the car went off the road and suffered a
punctured oil pan. Choiniere burst a heater hose and
overheated on an early stage, and despite being towed
into service by Pat Ayers, was unable to repair the
damage. Both Joy and Choiniere went on to win events
later in the year.
3. Merrill will be back in his familiar lavendar Ford Escort
Cosworth this weekend - his first US PRO rally with the
car since rolling it at the Michelin Rocky Mountain Rally
in Alberta, Canada. The car sustained such damage that
it was unavailable for the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally,
the last event in the SCCA Michelin PRO Rally series,
held June 1-2, in Wellsboro, PA. For STPR, Merrill kept
up his points chase by entering the event in the ex-Paul
Choiniere championship winning Audi Quattro S-2,
finishing fourth overall, third in class.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #2
July 26, 1996, 10:30 AM
4. Weather is always a factor in any PRO rally and this one
should have plenty. Predictions for tonight's stages
call for rain until early evening, then slowly clearing
with lows in the low 60s. Tomorrow should be hazy and
humid with highs in the mid 80s. There's a slight chance
of passing thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon.
5. The saga of who will not be here is beginning to unfold.
- In the Open class, Tom Ottey and co-driver Pam McGarvey
will again be missing from the field. At the Rim of
the World PRO Rally, their ex-Rod Millen 4-wheel drive
Hyundai Elantra overheated, probably related to engine
problems suffered in the earlier Wild West PRO Rally
in which they DNF'd. A careful teardown of the engine
revealed major mechanical troubles and the pair pulled
out of the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally. They have
since done their repairs, but are now chasing an
elusive oil leak and have once again withdrawn from
competition.
- Bob Elliott and Mark Williams thought they would be
here, but it turned out that Elliott's back-up
Production class VW GTI was not as ready to race as he
thought. Elliott's primary car was damaged at Mount
Washington's Climb to the Clouds. On his first run up
the mountain, Elliott suffered a slow roll! The car
was not so damaged that after being pushed back over
onto its wheels, it couldn't run, and Elliott won his
class there for the sixth straight year. However, when
he dusted off the back-up car, Elliott discovered that
it, too, was not in shape to withstand a 118 mile run
through the woods.
- Also missing from the Production class will be the
Honda Prelude entry of Greg and Sonia Trepetin who are
staying at home this weekend to be with their family.
Greg's mother is very ill, so they have chosen not to
come to Maine.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #3
July 26, 1996, 12:30 PM
6. A recent transfer from the divisional ranks to national
is the former U2, now Production class Ford Escort entry
of brothers Charlie and Hughie Langan, of Philadelphia,
PA. The pair had a good showing recently at STPR, moving
up well into the competitive field.
7. The Maine Forest Rally this year will feature two asphalt
half-mile stages in downtown Rumford, mostly on property
owned by the Boise Cascade Paper Company, but also
hitting on the city streets. "This will be really
exciting for the spectators," said rally organizer John
Buffum. "It's something I've been working on for 3 or 4
years, and finally we are going to be able to do it."
Some of the special issues surrounding the holding of
such a stage are the question of teams having to spend
extra money to buy performance street tires, and the more
important issues of traffic control and spectator safety.
The former is being handling by preceding the stage with
a Parc Ferme, where the cars will all be impounded and
service is prohibited. This means the cars will have to
run on the same tires they used on the final stage in the
woods. And as for the traffic and spectator issues, that
will be handled by the Rumford Police. "I've been
working closely with the Assistant Chief of Police,"
explained Buffum. "We walked the course and he was very
pleased. It will be up to him, for example, to make sure
no one uses the drive-through at the Dunkin' Donuts."
The rain this evening, though, could make this an even
more exciting pair of stages!
8. The big issue looming for tomorrow is the lake that has
formed in the middle of special stages 9 and 11. Really
it's not a new body of water, but rather it's an
extension of nearby Parmachenee Lake which has spilled
over its banks and is flooding the road. The section
affecting the special stages is some 12-15 inches deep
and extends for 100 yards. "This makes the STPR water
crossing look like a puddle," laughed John Buffum.
Rallyists are being handed a bulletin which cautions,
"The correct way to drive through it is to STOP before
it, then procede at a constant 1-2 MPH (seriously this
slowly) thru the water."
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #4
July 26, 1996, 9:45 PM
Maine Forest Rally - Results after Friday Night (4 Stages)
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
(min.1/100)
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Hyundai 13.85 Open
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 14.09 Open
15 Pat Ayer/Ray Cadieux Quattro 14:56 Open
18 Noel Lawler/C. Bradley Galant 14.65 Open
14 S Karamanoglu/Y Bitner Eagle Talon 14.87 GT
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Eclipse 15.23 GT
8 Kreibich/Hendricksen Quattro 15.27 Open
22 Mike Whitman/Ben Bradley Datsun 510 15:44 Group 2
19 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 15.62 Group 5
11 J. Pizzagalli/Erick Hauge VW GTI 15.68 Group 2
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 15.86 Group 5
23 G. Sweet/Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS 15.98 Group 2
31 Jim Anderson/Martin Depot Honda Prelude 16.03 Prod.
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911s 16.12 Group 5
37 Jacek Kotowski/Dick Casey Eagle Talon 16.13 GT
24 Dave Peterson/John Golden VW GTI 16.14 Group 2
29 Kurt Thiel/George Anderson VW GTI 16.28 Group 2
34 Leslie Suddard/Anne Thomas Dodge Charger 16.31 Group 5
41 Chris Havas/Peter Watt VW GTI 16.32 Group 2
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Supra 16:42 Group 5
36 Pete Pollard/T.S. Pollard VW GTI 16.43 Prod.
28 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 16.50 Group 2
35 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy 16.59 Open
20 Frontinan/Cunningham VW Corrado 16.64 Group 5
30 Vanlandingham/Walden Saab 96 16.64 Group 2
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 16.12 Group 5
38 Curran/McGirl Mustang 17.63 Group 5
44 Langan/Langan Ford Escort 18.44 Prod.
40 Shirley/Russell Triumph TR-8 18.94 Group 5
42 Kreisler/Bonasera Nissan 200SX 22.07 Group 2
DNF
39 Liebl/Binkley Mazda RX-7 Rollover
26 Hadjiminas/Burgess Audi 90 Engine
32 Healey/MacLeod Dodge Ram Engine
DNS
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Transmission
43 Tim O'Neal Dodge Shadow No co-driver
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elant. Engine
25 Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI Repairs incomplete
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #5
July 26, 1996, 9:00 PM
9. Tim O'Neal was entered in the national but without a co-
driver. The hours before the close of registration were
spent interviewing and searching, but at the last minute
he pulled out of the rally. Expectations, though, are
that when registration for the Boise Cascade Divisional
opens tomorrow, O'Neal will be first in line with Walt
Stone as his co-driver.
10. The SAAB 900 Turbo of Sam Bryan/Rob Walden will not start
the rally. During the afternoon, it became apparent that
there was trouble in the gearbox. A closer investigation
revealed that a tooth had broken off the final drive gear
in the X-Trac gearbox. The car was brought to Parc
Expose in downtown Rumford to be shown off to the fans,
but it did not leave at its appointed minute.
11. 33 cars left the downtown area headed for the logging
roads just north of town. The withdrawal of Sam Bryan's
SAAB 900 left Rob Walden available to act as co-driver
for John Vanlandingham in his 1969 SAAB 96. Up until
then, it had looked as if Vanlandingham would spend
another rally on the sidelines (he had gone to STPR in
June without a co-driver and unfortunately, the rally
started without him.) Bryan, although disappointed for
himself, was at least philosophical about his co-driver's
contribution to allowing another SAAB to run.
12. Out of the rally on the first stage were the Mazda RX-7
of David Liebl and L. Ed Binkley which went off the
course and rolled. Also left on the sidelines was the
Audi 90 Quattro of Sakis Hadjiminas and Tom Burgess who
lost their engine.
13. Already a second engine has let go. Greg Healey and John
MacLeod finished the first two stages in their Dodge Ram
50 Pick-up, but Healey claimed he was low on power during
the first and almost dead in the water on the second, and
by the time they got back to town, the engine was gone.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #6
July 26, 1996, 9:00 PM
14. The remaining 30 cars appeared in Parc Ferme back in
downtown Rumford to prepare for the two asphalt stages.
Most competitors commented on how slippery the first two
stages had been. The rain which ended during the
afternoon had left the roads damp, but not muddy.
However, each car that went through tossed more dirt off
to the side and more and bigger rocks and even boulders
were being exposed as the stages went on. Several of the
competitors were seen checking under the cars for damage.
15. Carl Merrill pulled into Parc Ferme and immediately
lifted the hood. What he found was a huge smear of oil
on the underside of the hood, all over the engine, and
dripping down the front bumper. What he didn't find was
an oil cap! Paper towels took care of most of the
overflow, but this was Parc Ferme and he could not do
repairs. According to co-driver, John Bellefleur, they
had been smelling burning oil since the end of the second
stage. Neither knew how much oil had been lost or if
there was any damage to the engine.
16. Bruce Newey came into Parc Ferme quite late. Reports
from other drivers were that he was overheating and that
he had gone off and hit something. When he finally
arrived, he admitted that he had broken a strut. But
again, it was Parc Ferme. Newey drove the last two
asphalt stages with broken equipment, but still posted
some mid-field times. Overnight, the car will be
repaired.
17. The crowd in the downtown area stood through heavy
downpours to watch the PRO rally cars finish up their
final stages of the Friday portion of the rally. Just
before the flying finish the cars had to pass through a
90 degree right hand turn followed immediately by a 90
degree left hand turn. Many of the competitors thrilled
the spectators by sliding sideways on the city streets.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #7
July 26, 1996, 11:30 PM
18. Quickest on the two special asphalt stages tonight was
Noel Lawlor and Charles Bradley in a Mitsubishi Galant.
Lawlor has abundant road racing experience, having
competed last year in IMSA's Supercar series. He also
credits his early rally experience in Ireland, where
rallying is done on pavement, with teaching him the fast
way around on asphalt.
19. 24 hundredths seems to be the number of the evening, as
the leaders are separated by that amount in three of the
five classes. Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker's 1996 Open
class Hyundai Elantra is leading the rally overall,
having won the first two stages and posting second and
third fastest times through the downtown stages. Carl
Merrill and John Bellefleur are just 24 hundredths behind
going into the long stages tomorrow. In the Production
GT class, Selcuk Karamanoglu/Yorgi Bitner lead Cal
Landau/Eric Marcus by 0.36 seconds. Group 2 has Mike
Whitman and Ben Bradley besting John Pizzigalli and Erick
Hauge by 0.24 seconds, and Group 5 leaders Henry and
Cindy Krolikowski are 0.24 seconds faster than Rick Davis
and Ben Greisler. And in the sparsely entered Production
class Jim Anderson and Martin Depot are ahead of Pete
Pollard and Tracey Smith-Pollard. Their margin is 0.4
seconds, but within that small gap are 8 other
competitors.
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #8
July 27, 1996, 10:00 AM
21. More details on the Sakis Hajiminas DNF. The car, which
had a new Audi V-6 twin turbo motor which was rated at
more than 350 horsepower, did not lose its engine, but
hit a piece of wood on stage #1. The oil cooler bent,
severing the oil return line and draining the engine.
Sakis doesn't think there is any engine damage, however.
22. Carl Meriill's Ford Escort Cosworth seems to have
suffered no damage from the "oil cap" incident on
Friday, with the crew finding the cap wedged on top of
the skid plate. Merrill was so focused on getting good
times that he even forgot the place on stage #2 where he
stuffed his car two years ago, claiming he "didn't even
remember where it was until I was through it."
23. Tim O'Neal, entering the divisional rally this morning
with co-driver Walter Stone, still has his sights set on
running FIA World Championship rally some day. O'Neal
said he has marketing people working on a sponsorship
package that will hopefully put him in a seat in the
next year or two.
24. The Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Cunningham VW Corrado
completed its first day of rallying, but Vinnie will be
wheeling the car around today with a bent rear axle as
the result of a rock in the apex of a turn on stage #1.
He said he thinks the car has enough power to be
competitive in Group 5, but the fact that it is so light
in the rear requires a different driving technique than
Vinnie's old Toyota Celica.
25. The Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Domino's Pizza Mitsubishi
Eclipse is running well despite the fact that the turbo
boost was set on the "low" position by mistake. Also,
Landau reported that last night after stage #4, series
steward Tom Grimshaw checked all three leading
Production GT Eclipse/Talon gearboxes, and found all
three to be "identical," so all three competitors were
ruled legal. At a recent Canadian event, Selcuk
Karamanoglu's engine was ruled illegal for Production GT
as the mass flow sensor on the intake - used as part of
the HKS Turbo system - had to be modified.
26. The Group 2 leaders Mike Whitman/Ben Bradley in a Datsun
510, looking for their second straight win on Eastern
soil, took over the points lead last month at STPR, and
looking for a victory here to vault them into a
championship position. Whitman would like to run with
the overall leaders in a 4WD turbo if he can work out
the money arrangements for 1997.
27. Running his first U.S. rally since 1992, Noel Lawler
has found that the hardest part of shaking off the
layoff is concentration and commitment to the course for
every moment he is driving. The Mitsubishi Galant he is
driving has been prepared by Vermont Sports Car and
features a Group A-style transmission, but the motor is
stock, so Noel is a little down on horsepower to run
with the other Open class cars.
28. Group 5 leaders Henry and Cindy Krolikowski said the
Maine course - it's their first time here - reminds them
of the Lake Superior PRO Rally in Michgan, rough and
challenging. They are looking for their third Group 5
win, having swept the field at STPR and South Carolina.
29. Leslie Suddard/Anne Thomas in their Dodge Charge
suffered exhaust problems yesterday, separating the
exhaust from the header pipe during the early part of
stage #1. Right near the end of stage #2, the pipe fell
off the car, and Leslie had to run (on foot) back up the
stage to recover the part.
30. The John Shirley/Kendall Russell Triumph TR-8, a winner
in the 1978 Canadian national rally championship, is
running much better than its debut in South Carolina in
March, where the car overheated almost before it got a
chance to run.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #9
July 26, 1996, 2:45 PM
Maine Forest Rally - Results after Sat./2nd Service (8 stages)
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
(min.1/100)
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Hyundai 44.74 Open
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 45.26 Open
18 Noel Lawler/C. Bradley Galant 47.11 Open
14 S Karamanoglu/Y Bitner Eagle Talon 47.80 GT
8 Kreibich/Hendricksen Quattro 48.56 Open
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Eclipse 49.21 GT
19 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 49.93 Group 5
22 Mike Whitman/Ben Bradley Datsun 510 50.21 Group 2
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911s 51.23 Group 5
11 J. Pizzagalli/Erick Hauge VW GTI 51.33 Group 2
36 Pete Pollard/T.S. Pollard VW GTI 51.53 Prod.
31 Jim Anderson/Martin Depot Honda Prelude 51.53 Prod.
37 Jacek Kotowski/Dick Casey Eagle Talon 51.62 GT
23 G. Sweet/Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS 51.62 Group 2
41 Chris Havas/Peter Watt VW GTI 51.74 Group 2
28 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 51.83 Group 2
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 51.86 Group 5
24 Dave Peterson/John Golden VW GTI 51.89 Group 2
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Supra 51.90 Group 5
29 Kurt Thiel/George Anderson VW GTI 51.99 Group 2
34 Leslie Suddard/Anne Thomas Dodge Charger 52.25 Group 5
30 Vanlandingham/Walden Saab 96 53.33 Group 2
35 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy 53.99 Open
20 Frontinan/Cunningham VW Corrado 54.35 Group 5
38 Curran/McGirl Mustang 56.46 Group 5
44 Langan/Langan Ford Escort 57.16 Prod.
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 57.24 Group 5
42 Kreisler/Bonasera Nissan 200SX 61.94 Group 2
DNF
39 Liebl/Binkley Mazda RX-7 Rollover
26 Hadjiminas/Burgess Audi 90 Engine
32 Healey/MacLeod Dodge Ram Engine
15 Pat Ayer/Ray Cadieux Quattro Crash
40 Shirley/Russell Triumph TR8 Radiator cap/cooling
DNS
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Transmission
43 Tim O'Neal Dodge Shadow No co-driver
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elant. Engine
25 Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI Repairs incomplete
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #10
July 27, 1996, 3:00 PM
31. At the stage #8 service in Oquossoc, the Carl
Merrill/John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth found
itself 29 seconds behind the Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker
Hyundai, but Carl was enthusiastic about how the car was
running. He felt he could catch Paul if he did a little
better job driving the car.
32. Production GT leader Selcuk Karamanoglu feels that his
car is slower after the change in the HKS system.
33. The Sam Bryan Saab team might be non-competitors after
the DNS yesterday, but that doesn't mean the team is not
involved in the event. Sam is driving the service van
for Group 2 competitor Dave Peterson, while Rob Walden
stepped in to co-drive for John Vanlandingham in the
Group 2 Saab 96. The two service crew members are also
helping out with other cars. Bryan's Saab 900 turbo
will go to T.A.D. Motorsports in Chicago for its X-trac
transmission repair before the next rally in Minnesota.
34. The Gerry Sweet/Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS is running here
this weekend with a new transmission - a close ratio
five-speed dogbox which was used by Sam Bryan in last
year's Group 2 championship run. Sweet said that close
ratios require more shifting, but the 20 year-old
transmission seems to be doing its job. The team is
about one minute off the Group 2 lead.
35. The Bruno Kreibich/Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro is
Bruno's hillclimb car which he rolled three weeks ago at
the Mt. Washington event (his regular 1983 Audi Quattro
is for sale). The hillclimb car has more horsepower at
5,000 RPM, but Bruno has had to adjust his driving style
to make sure he is in the right gear when the horsepower
kicks in. Bruno is fifth after 8 stages.
36. More exhaust problems for the Leslie Suddard/Anne Thomas
Dodge Charger. Rock hammered the repair system shut on
the very first stage on Saturday, leaving the only woman
driver in the event with no turbo boost. Finally, the
pipe was dragging after Leslie loosened the clamp, but
couldn't get the pipe off, but the road surface did the
rest, and the team lost the pipe in the woods.
37. Paul Choiniere, with a 29-second lead, has been putting
a couple of seconds on Merrill on each stages, and feels
that - all things remaining the same - that he will
continue to drive conservatively rather than taking
chances to try to build a big lead. Choiniere said he
is now comfortable with the '96 chassis as it is a
little stiffer than last year's car. He said the big
adjustment was from the Audi Quattro - which he had
driven since 1989 - and any car he would have switched
to. Everything was instinctive on the Audi, while he
has had to learn how the Hyundai reacts in different
situations. According to Choiniere, you can learn 90
percent of what a car can do fairly easily, but it's the
last 10 percent that requires time and experience.
38. Former national champion co-driver Erick Hauge - now co-
driving for Jon Pizzagalli in the Group 2 VW GTI - is
back on the circuit after a couple of years away, and
points out that the co-driver has to take some time to
regain his skills just like an idle driver might. He
said that he and Jon are still learning to communicate
well, but they feel increasingly comfortable with each
other. Pizzagalli was second in class after stage #8.
39. The Kurt Thiel/George Thompson VW GTI hit a rock on
stage five and bent an axle, but was replacing it at
service after stage #8.
40. The Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Cunningham VW Corrado lost
a wheel on stage #5 after loose lug nuts caused the
wheel to rip off the hub. The team affected repairs,
but lost four minutes to the field on the stage.
41. The Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 was running stage
for stage with the Group 5 leaders before a flat tire on
stage #7 set them back several minutes.
42. The Production class leaders Jim Anderson/Martin Depot
lost their left front shock as it collapsed completed
during stage #7. The team, with help from Greg Healey
and Sam Bryan's crew, put stock shocks on the front to
replace the aftermarket ones that broke, but the car
DNFed on the transit going to stage 9.
43. The Triumph TR-8 is a DNF, having lost its radiator cap
on stage 5 and lost all its coolant.
44. The Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5 team
has shaken off the effects of the off-road shunt that
caused its DNF last month in Pennsylvania, and is headed
for a top four finish in Group 5. The had to replace a
leakly oil cooler which was struck by a rock, but seem
to be running on target. Kosmides currently leads the
Group 5 points over rally leader Henry Krolikowski.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #11
July 27, 1996, 8:00 PM
45. The last two stages of the Maine Forest PRO Rally and
the surprise finish are some of the most bizarre turn of
events this reporter has seen in the six years he has
covered the PRO Rally series. Here is the sequence of
events involving the top five competitors from the end
of stage #10 until the end of the rally on stage #12:
46. Third place-runners Noel Lawler/Charles Bradley in their
Open class Mitsubishi Galant were running third when
their turbo let go on stage #9, causing a DNF.
47. The Choiniere/Becker Hyundai Elantra came into service
after stage #10 with a broken transmission case - with
all four bolts stripped. The car started making noise
on stage #9, and wouldn't get into gear after stage #10.
After pushing the car out of the control zone after
stage #10, Choiniere got a tow from Selcuk into service.
The Libra Racing crew removed the stripped bolts - no
easy task - and got one bolt in to hold the case
together when the car left service to go to stage #11 -
dripping fluid and coughing all the way. The crew was
not optimistic about the car finishing the rally, and
Choiniere thought - if he drove conservatively - he
could salvage a second or third place if he could limp
to the finish.
After 10 stages, Choiniere had a 1:04 lead over
Merrill/Bellefleur.
48. On stage #11, Merrill blew by Choiniere on the early
part of the stage (thus making up a full minute on him),
and was on his way to victory over the ailing Hyundai
when Merrill's turbo let go four miles from the end of
the stage. Carl lost all his power, and some of the
lead he had built up on Paul. On stage #12, Choiniere
decided that, if could push just a bit, he could
catch the wounded Escort and win the event - although
pushing it could cause a DNF.
The gamble paid off as the two failing Open class cars
came down the mountain. Choiniere passed Merrill midway
through #12, regaining the lead, and then third-place
finisher Karamanoglu passed both Paul and Carl to close
the gap. Even Bruno Kreibich - the fourth place car,
caught Paul and Carl at the end.
50. With his victory, Choiniere now has 90 points in the
overall championship battle, with Merrill earning 74
points and Karamanoglu 72 - after six of 11 events
completed.
51. Other class winners included Karamanoglu and Bittner in
Production GT; Krolikowski/Krolikowski in Group 5;
Whitman/Bradley in Group 2; and Pollard/Pollard in
Production. More details to come.
# # #
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #12
July 27, 1996, 11:45 PM
Maine Forest Rally - Preliminary National Results
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE Class
(min.1/100)
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Hyundai 115.53 Open
3 Carl Merrill/J Bellefleur Escort 116.89 Open
14 S Karamanoglu/Y Bitner Eagle Talon 117.24 GT
8 Kreibich/Hendricksen Quattro 199.50 Open
7 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Eclipse 120.59 GT
19 Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow 122.82 Group 5
22 Mike Whitman/Ben Bradley Datsun 510 123.50 Group 2
11 J. Pizzagalli/Erick Hauge VW GTI 125.35 Group 2
24 Dave Peterson/John Golden VW GTI 126.37 Group 2
10 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911s 126.72 Group 5
23 G. Sweet/Stuart Spark Saab 99EMS 126.95 Group 2
36 Pete Pollard/T.S. Pollard VW GTI 127.04 Prod.
16 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Supra 127.08 Group 5
21 Rick Davis/Ben Greisler BMW M-3 127.11 Group 5
41 Chris Havas/Peter Watt VW GTI 127.14 Group 2
29 Kurt Thiel/George Anderson VW GTI 127.48 Group 2
28 Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 127.90 Group 2
30 Vanlandingham/Walden Saab 96 129.31 Group 2
20 Frontinan/Cunningham VW Corrado 130.64 Group 5
35 Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy 134.05 Open
38 Curran/McGirl Mustang 135:31 Group 5
44 Langan/Langan Ford Escort 138.34 Prod.
42 Kreisler/Bonasera Nissan 200SX 148.97 Group 2
DNF
39 Liebl/Binkley Mazda RX-7 Rollover
26 Hadjiminas/Burgess Audi 90 Engine
32 Healey/MacLeod Dodge Ram Engine
15 Pat Ayer/Ray Cadieux Quattro Flat tire/crash
40 Shirley/Russell Triumph TR8 Radiator cap/cooling
18 Noel Lawler/C. Bradley Galant Turbo
31 Jim Anderson/Martin Depot Honda Prelude Strut
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica Overheated
37 Jacek Kotowski/Dick Casey Eagle Talon
34 Leslie Suddard/Anne Thomas Dodge Charger
DNS
4 Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 Transmission
43 Tim O'Neal Dodge Shadow No co-driver
33 Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Hyundai Elant. Engine
25 Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI Repairs incomplete
Maine Forest Rally
Rumford, Maine
Round #6 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
Press Notes #13
July 30, 1996, 10:00 AM
52. Some post-event items:
--For those of you who collect a whole set of press
notes, there is no note #20.
--The Lesley Suddard/Anne Thomas Dodge Charger, after
its exhaust problems, had to retire after a faulty
fuse disabled the cooling fan and caused the car to
overheat. Suddard thinks the fuse box got wet during
the "portage" through the lake.
--Two of the finishing Group 5 cars limped to the end,
with the Davis/Greisler BMW M-3 suffering fuel pump
problems and the Hurst/Bohn Porsche 911S losing its
clutch cable.
--The Jacek Katowksi/Dick Casey Eagle Talon lost a wheel
on stage #9, and was a DNF.
53. The Choiniere/Becker Hyundai transmission was in such
bad shape that the crew had to push the car onto the
trailer after the rally - it would not go into first
gear.
54. This was the first time since Press On Regardless/1994
that the rally lead has changed on the last stage. At
that POR event, John Buffum was driving Choiniere's car
when a wheel came off on the next-to-last stage,
allowing the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd to take the
lead with one stage remaining. Shepherd then lost his
transmission, and Buffum passed him for the win.
55. The Maine Forest Rally TV show, 30 minutes in length, is
being produced by Replica Productions, of Cambridge,
Mass. The producer's name is Doug Plumer, and his phone
number is (617) 492-7444. The show will run first on
SportsChannel New England on the following dates:
August 8, 11:00 PM
August 10, 11:30 PM
August 17, 8:30 PM
August 27, noon
Call your local cable operator to find out when the
SportsChannel affiliate in your area will run the show.
Maine Forest 1996