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Round #10 - 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Championship October 21-22, 1994
Press Notes by Andy Schupack |
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
(401) 739-5677
or
Kevin DeLoughary
(906) 428-9198
LAKE SUPERIOR PRO RALLY CONTINUES OCTOBER TRADITION
IN MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA
HOUGHTON, Mich. -- June 30 -- The Lake Superior Region of the
Sports Car Club of America is proud to announce that, after
45 years of just being a tenant, it is buying a house.
The region, headquartered locally in the Upper Peninsula,
will take over the famous Press on Regardless PRO Rally and
change the name to the Lake Superior PRO Rally, but retain
the October 22 - 23, 1994 date.
"This rally will be POR as it always was," said Kevin
DeLoughary, PRO Rally co-driver and local organizer from
Gladstone, Mich., "only the name has been changed to reflect
the new local management of the event.
The Detroit Region of the SCCA has presented the event for
more that four decades, but found that running an event more
than 500 miles away from its home base was just too
difficult. DeLoughary points out that Detroit Region workers
will still come up to help for the event, but the local
management will help make coordination easier. The Detroit
Region hopes to put on their own event closer to home in
future years.
"The Detroit Region has rights to the name 'Press on
Regardless' so we had to change the name, but it will be the
same great rally through the Keweenaw and Cooper Country,"
said DeLoughary.
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 - unlike World Rally where
practice is allowed. The cars then start at one-minute
intervals and race at top speed against the clock over
competition stages - in this case the closed forest
roads in five separate state forests in the UP.
Speeds of more than 120 miles-per-hour can be reached on
long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest
combined times over the competition stages winning
the event. Drivers stay on the existing roads, and never
blaze their own trails.
The Lake Superior PRO Rally will be round #10 of the 1994
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series.
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events run around the country, in
conditions from the blazing Arizona desert in July to the frozen
tundra of Maine in December, and pit Audis, Mitsubishis, Porsches,
Fords, Toyotas, Subarus and other marques against each other.
The 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series consists of eleven events,
and is sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, with field
administration by the American Rally Association, and series sanction
by the Sports Car Club of America.
Headquarters for the Lake Superior PRO Rally will again be in
Houghton, with the cities of Houghton and Hancock playing a
major role in promoting the event, which brings more than 600
people and several million dollars into the UP each year.
Those interested in working the Lake Superior PRO Rally
should contact DeLoughary at 413 South 10th, Gladstone,
Michigan 49837 (906) 428-9198.
MEDIA ALERT
Event: The first running of the Lake Superior PRO Rally (formerly the
Press on Regardless PRO Rally), Round #10 of the 1994 SCCA/Michelin
PRO Rally series. Race cars from around the world will compete at
high speeds on the challenging forest roads in the Upper Pennisula
of Michigan, both south in the Baraga area and north in the Keweenaw
Peninsula.
When: Friday - Saturday, October 21 - 22, 1994
Schedule_-_Friday
9:00 AM - 2:30 PM - Registration - Dee Stadium - Houghton
Tech inspection - Dee Stadium - Houghton
10:00 AM - Media Stage - Superior Sand & Gravel, Hancock
followed by lunch (invitation only)
3:00 PM - ParcExpose - a display of cars - Dee Stadium
4:00 PM - First car starts Section I - Lake Superior
PRO Rally - from Dee Stadium
Schedule_-_Saturday
2:45 AM - Finish - Section 1, Lake superior PRO Rally
11:00 AM - Parc Expose - Calumet
noon - First car starts Section II - Lake Superior PRO Rally -
Calumet
6:20 PM - Finish - Lake Superior PRO Rally
Schedule_-_Sunday
9:00 AM - Awards - Dee Stadium, Houghton
Where: Rally headquarters will be at Dee Stadium indoor arena in
Houghton, Michigan. Maps guiding spectators to viewing areas will
be available starting Friday morning.
Duration: 165 stage miles, 288 total miles, 20 stages
Rank: Full national PRO Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of
America, administered by the American Rally Association, and
sponsored nationally by Michelin Tire Company. This PRO Rally event
is presented and organized by the Lake Superior Region of the Sports
Car Club of America.
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at Dee
Stadium starting Thursday morning, October 20. All drivers
will be at the Parc Ferme and Expose sessions listed above.
Several spokes-people, including rally organizer Kevin
DeLoughary from Gladstone, past POR winner and defending
overall champion Paul Choiniere from Burlington, VT, and local
rally drivers Bryan Pepp, Craig Sobczak, and Steve Gingras from
Marquette, are all available for interviews, both by phone and
in person.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - '92 and '93 defending overall
national champion - current points leader - in his Audi Quattro S-2;
Carl Merrill - last year's winner - expecting to debut a 450 hp
Chevy S-10 pickup; Jeff Zwart - has won three events this year - won
his class at Pikes Peak in July - in a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (North
America's only 4WD Porsche race car); Henry Joy - several top five
finishes - looking for first PRO Rally win ever - second in
Washington State earlier in the year - in an Open Class Mitsubishi
Eclipse; Tony Takaori - Japanese driver currently living in U.S. -
has right-hand drive Mitsubishi Galant - top contender in Group A;
Peter Moodie - Jamaican champion rally driver - in Rod Millen-built
Group A Mazda 323GTX; Selcuk Karamanoglu - Turkish Rally champion now
living in Maine - has clinched Production GT class championship in
his Mitsubishi Eclipse; Craig Sobczak, Marquette resident - fastest
local racer - in a Production GT Mazda 323GTX; Goran Ostlund
- originally from Sweden/now lives in El Salvador - brings class-
leading Saab 99 - has clinched '94 Group 2 championship; Jim Anderson
-leading Production class contender from North Carolina - in a Honda
Prelude; Vinnie Frontinan - Portuguese-born Group A driver - in his
Group A Toyota Alltrac. Dave Turner - off-road racer from
California - could clinch Production class title in his Mitsubishi
Eclipse; Brian Pepp - Marquette resident - took a surprise second
place in his Group 2 Mazda RX-7 at recent Minnesota event; Steve
Gingras, Marquette native now living in Duluth, with a new Production
GT Mitsubishi Eclipse 4WD.
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 or Kevin Ericson in the press room starting October 20.
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. Press room will be located at Dee
Stadium in Houghton, and will open on Wednesday afternoon.
Contact: Andy Schupack - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
media liaison:
(401) 739-5677
Kevin Ericson - Lake Superior PRO Rally local contact
(906) 482-7700
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.
# # #
LAKE SUPERIOR PRO RALLY - ROUND #10 OF THE SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY SERIES
October 21-22, 1994
Houghton, Michigan - Entry List
Final Entry/Start List
Start Car Driver/ Hometowns Vehicle/Class
Pos # Co-Driver Division
1 1 John Buffum Colchester, VT Audi Quattro S-2/Open
Jeff Becker Great Neck, NY National
2 4 Jeff Zwart Woody Creek, CO Porsche Carrera 4/Open
Martin Headland Calgary, Alberta National
3 9 Doug Shepherd Plymouth, MI Eagle Talon/Open
Pete Gladysz Troy, MI National
4 5 Henry Joy Atlanta, MI Mitsubishi Eclipse/Open
Brian Maxwell Port Hope, ONT National
5 19 Chris Issa Kingston, Jamaica Audi Quattro/Open
Dan Sprongl Mississauga, ONT National
6 52 Peter Moodie Kingston, Jamaica Mazda 323GT-R/Group A
Michael Fennell Kingston, Jamaica National
7* 12 Steve Gingras Duluth, MN Mitsubishi Eclipse
Bill Westrick Rochester, MI National/Divisional
8 21 Greg Lund Duvall, WA Mazda 323GTX/Group A
Lynne Lund Duvall, WA National
9 14 Cal Landau Coraopolis, PA Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT
Eric Marcus Dayton, OH National
10 15 Tom Ottey Columbus, OH Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Pam McGarvey Columbus, OH National
11 16 Sam Bryan Kent, WA Saab 900/Group 2
Rob Walden Seattle, WA National
12* 24 Goran Ostlund San Salvador, El Sal. Saab 99/Group 2
Steve Baker Snohomish, WA National/Divisional
13 17 Reny Villemure Flat Rock, MI VW Beetle/Group 2
Mike Villemure Westland, MI National
14 18 Walter Peterson Olds, Alberta Honda Prelude/Production
Harry Pressey St. Thomas, Ontario National
15* 51 Bob Elliott Rutland, VT VW GTI/Production
Mark Williams Gaithersburg, MD National/Divisional
16* 20 Mitch McCullough Atlanta, GA Mazda 323GTX/Open
Scott Webb Seal Beach, CA National/Divisional
17 22 Craig Sobczak Marquette, MI Mazda 323 GTX/GT
A. K. Kaumeheiwa Brighton, MI National
18* 63 Rees Harris S. Burlington, VT Mazda 323GTX/Prod. GT
Constantine Manotopoulos Staten Island, NY National/Divisional
19 8 Bruce Newey Atlanta, GA Mitsubishi Galant/Group A
Ken Cassidy Mesa, AZ National
20 45 Rick Davis Westchester, PA BMW M3/Group A
Ben Greisler Philadelphia, PA National
21 25 Chris Czyzio Flushing, MI Plymouth Arrow/Open
Eric Carlson Stoughton, WI National
22 11 Gail Truess Brooklyn, MI Chevrolet Citation/Open
Cindy Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI National
23* 26 Mike Hurst Pendleton, IN Nissan 200 SX/Group 2
Rob Bohn Noblesville, IN National/Divisional
24 94 Dave Turner Hemet, CA Mitsubishi Eclipse/Prod.
Bill Gutzmann Ontario, CA National
25* 28 Jeff Hendricks Prescott, AZ Jeep Comanche/Truck
Noble Jones Prescott, AZ National/Divisional
26 23 Robert Parks Bloomfield Hills, MI Alfa Romeo Milano/Gp. A
Jerry Tobin Grosse Isle, MI National
27* 29 Wayne Prochaska Flushing, MI VW GTI/Group 2
Annette Prochaska Flushing, MI National
28 30 Bryan Pepp Marquette, MI Mazda RX-7/Group 2
John McArthur Honeoye Falls, NY National
29 66 Tad Ohtake Dearborn, MI Ford Escort/Production
Bob Martin Goodrich, MI National
30 31 Jim Anderson Carrboro, NC Honda Prelude VTEC/Prod.
Ben Bradley Portland, OR National
31 32 Carl Redner Walled Lake, MI Mazda RX-7/Open
Nancy Redner Walled Lake, MI National
32* 34 Gerald Sweet Oakridge, NJ Saab 99/Group 2
Stuart Spark Woodcliff Lake, NJ National
33* 38 Jon Pizzagalli Winooski, VT VW GTI
John Springer Burlington, VT Divsional
34* 13 Larry Schmidt Westminster, CO Mazda 323GTX
Joe Andreini Grosse Pointe Park, MI Divisional
35* 35 Rui Brasil San Jose, CA Audi Quattro
John Elkin Lytle Creek, CA Divisional
36* 36 Scott Justus Fayetteville, AK Chevy S-10 Blazer
Yorgi Bittner Plain City, OH Divisional
37* 37 Robert Burdis Indian Hills, CO VW Rabbit
James Burdis Morrison, CO Divisional
38* 39 Dave Thomas St. Charles, MO Mazda RX-7
Jim Hurley Knoxville, TN Divisional
39* 40 David Payne Norcross, GA Toyota Corolla
Mike Bryant Lawrenceville, GA Divisional
40* 33 David Peterson Aspen, CO VW GTI
Jimmy Brandt Lake Odessa, MI Divisional
41* 41 Todd Jarvey Maple Grove, MN Dodge Charger
Richard Faber Blaine, MN Divisional
42 42 Marvin Lummen Grand Rapids, MI Dodge Omni
John Atsma Grand Rapids, MI Divisional
43 43 Colin McCleery Zeeland, MI Ford Merkur XR4
Tom Beltman Walker, MI Divisional
* eligible for divisional runoffs
Press Notes #1
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 21, 1994, 8:00 PM EST
1. Welcome to the first running of the Lake Superior PRO Rally in
Houghton, Michigan, round #10 of the 11 events which constitute the
1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series. This rally, formerly called the
Press on Regardless PRO Rally, was forced to change its name when the
Detroit Region of the SCCA, which holds the rights to the name Press of
Regardless, decided it couldn't field a committee to organize the '94
event. The Lake Superior Region, led by organizer Kevin DeLoughary of
Gladstone, Michigan, has taken on the event, but the Detroit Region has
chosen to retain the name Press on Regardless (running a time-speed-
distance event last month named POR). Thus, the name Lake Superior PRO
Rally. The same old tough POR Stages - Mandan, Beacon Hill, and
Brockway Mountain and others - are still here, however, and everyone
still expects the rally through the Keweenaw to take a bite out of many
a rally car.
2. The weather - usually an issue in the Upper Pennisula in late October -
should be nice for the rally, with sunny skies during the day Friday,
cloudy and unseasonably warm (in the 50's) Friday night, and cloudy
with a chance of rain - but still warm - on Saturday.
3. While there is much rally news to report here, there is also some
"off the field" activity happening, so let's get up to date.
--On Wednesday, John Buffum's Libra Racing team signed a contract with
Hyundai Motor America for 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally champion Paul
Choiniere to run a 2-liter, turbocharged Hyundai Elantra in the 1995
national series. Hyundai, in announcing the signing, said they hope
their first season-long foray into motorsports will help strengthen
the quality image Hyundai is trying to build with the Elantra.
--Several of the top competitors are not here this weekend. The Vinnie
Frontinan/Frank Arruda Toyota Celica Alltrac has given up its pursuit
of the Group A championship for this year at it is still experiencing
theething problems. The team wants to do more testing before the
Maine Forest Rally in December, a home event for the New England-
based team. The Carl Merrill/John Bellifleur Ford Escort Cosworth,
the overall winner at this event last year, blew its engine last
week at an Canadian rally and could not affect repairs in time for
this rally. Selcuk Karamanoglu, who has already clinched the
Production GT championship for the season, crashed his Mitsubishi
Eclipse at the same Canadian event, and is finished for the season.
--Although Paul Choiniere's Audi Quattro S-2 is here, Choiniere is not
as a family commitment has kept him home in Vermont. Step father,
car owner and 7-time POR winner John Buffum has stepped into the
driver's seat to run the car along with co-driver Jeff Becker.
Even though Choiniere has clinched the overall title, Becker still
needs additional points to clinch the co-driver's title as he missed
a rally earlier in the year.
4. The Friday night protion of the rally will also include the SCCA
Divisional PRO Rally national runoffs, with regional champions from all
over the country converging on the Lake Superior event to determine
national divisional champions in three classes.
5. There are many drivers in the rally with local roots, including:
--Wayne and Annette Prochaska (both Michigan Tech University graduates).
--Steve Gingras, former Marquette resident now living in Duluth.
--Craig Sobczak lives in Marquette.
--Gail Truess is a Michigan Tech graduate.
--Joe Andreini is a Michigan Tech graduate.
Press Notes #2
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 21, 1994, 10:00 PM EST
6. In order catch up with the rally, we will skip the usual pre-rally
class-by-class analysis for now and cover that a little later.
7. 43 cars took the countdown inside Dee Stadium to start the first-ever
Lake Superior PRO Rally at 4:00 PM on Friday afternoon, including 18
cars running for the SCCA Divisional PRO Rally national championship.
The weather was beginning to cloud up, but was still warm (60 degrees),
with no rain scheduled until at least tomorrow morning.
8. Disaster struck almost immediately for several of the top rally cars on
the first stage in Baraga. The Jeff Zwart/Martin Headland Porsche 911
Carrera 4 lost its rear suspension and both rear wheels - dragging
their Porsche on its skid plate down the stage. Needless to say, they
are out of the event, and finished for the season. Zwart has clinched
second place overall for the season, and is also in the top 15 in the
Porsche Cup standings - a competition which the Porsche factory runs
with Porsche drivers all over the world - based on his fine PRO Rally
finishes this year. Zwart won the Doo Woop PRO Rally and the Wild West
PRO Rally - both in Olympia, Washington - and the Prescott Forest PRO
Rally in Arizona.
9. Chris Issa, the Jamaican driver who has won the big rally in Kingston
the last two years, is also out of the event after running off the road
in his Audi Quattro on stage #1. Other DNF's (Did Not Finish) include:
--Ohtake/Martin Ford Escort GT (fuel feed problems)
--Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse (broken suspension)
--Prochaska/Prochaska VW GTI (crash)
--McCullough/Webb Mazda 323GTX (lost engine oil)
10. With six stages completed, the John Buffum/Jeff Becker Audi Quattro S-2
leads the Lake Superior PRO Rally by two minutes, with the Eagle Talon
of Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz second and the Mazda 323GT-R of Peter
Moodie and Michael Fennell third. Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick is
leading the Production GT class and the divisional national as well as
fourth overall in the event. Gingras' progress might be slowed as the
evening goes on, however, as he took off his glasses and left them on
the top of his Mitsubishi Eclipse during a service, and drove off
without them.
11. Because of local traffic on the stage roads, stages #3 and #6 were
cancelled and became transit stages.
Press Notes #3
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 22, 1994, 2:00 PM EST
12. After the first night of competition, the John Buffum/Jeff Becker Audi
Quattro S-2 has a four minute lead over the Eagle Talon of Doug
Shepherd and Pete Gladysz. Shepherd has come close to winning the POR
rally each of the last three years, with his car splitting a
transmission case on the last stage while leading the rally in '91;
debuted his Eagle Talon and was contending for the lead when he blew
his engine in Copper Harbor in '92; and scoring the fastest times last
year, but losing to Carl Merrill because of penalty points assessed
related to two flat tires.
13. In third place is the similarly hard-luck team of Henry Joy/Brian
Maxwell, which, in the last three events, has barrel-rolled (Ohio),
blew engine during fuel management testing before the rally
(Minnesota) and had an engine fire (Pennsylvania). Joy hopes that
today's final segment of the rally will get him back into the top
three - a place he has visited only once this year (Washington).
14. In the Divisional PRO Rally national championship runoffs (run last
night in conjunction with the Lake Superior PRO Rally), three national
champions were crown. In the Over 2.0 liter class, the Bob
Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI scortched their nearest competitor by
almost seven minutes, while the Saab 99 of Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker
won the Under 2.0 liter class and Rees Harris/Constantine Manotopoulis
Mazda 323GTX took the four-wheel-drive class despite a six-minute tire
change on the last stage.
15. In the Group A class, the Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda 323GT-R
has a four-minute advantage of the right hand-drive Mitsubishi Eclipse
of Bruce Newey/Ken Cassidy (in the car owned by Tony Takaori). Moodie
is running sixth overall, but would be third overall without the five
minute pernalty incurred for being late to a time control. In third
place is the season class leaders Rick Davis/Ben Greisler in their
BMW M-3. If the current standings hold, Davis would have 88 points
and Moodie 82 going into final event in Maine (Davis currently has 83
points, and would get 14 points for a third place finish, but since
only the top six finishes count for the championship, he would have to
drop the nine points he scored in South Carolina - his worst finish -
so he would only net five points.). Moodie had not planned to attend
the Maine Forest Rally, but...
16. In Production GT, the Tom Otty/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX is trying to
improve on its already impressive finish at the last event in Ohio.
They are currently first in Production GT and fourth overall, with
Rees Harris/Constantine Manotopoulis Mazda 323GTX second. The other
top contenders for Production GT - the Landau/Marcus Mitsubishi
Eclipse, the Sobczak/Kaumeheiwa Mazda 323GTX, and the Gingras/
Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse - are all running today as divisional cars
because they suffered DNF's on Friday night.
17. In Production, the Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW GTI has a huge lead
(seven minutes) over the Canadian Team of Walter Peterson and Harry
Pressey. Peterson is here to run his second U.S. event so he can
qualify for the points chase in the North American Rally
Championship, which requires a competitor to run at least two events
in both countries. If the Mitsubishi Eclipse of Dave Turner/Bill
Gutzmann, currently in fourth place in the class, can maintain its
position, the pair can clinch the Production class national title for
1994. Their main competition - the Honda Prelude of Jim Anderson/
Ben Bradley - is currently running third, but would have to finish
first in class to retain any hope of competing for the title.
By the way, as a new CompuServe subscriber, Kay Gutzmann - Bill's
wife - is following the competition at home (these notes are being
filed on CompuServe as well as being distributed at the event.
18. A familiar senario in Group 2 is developing, with the newly-crown
champions Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker in their Saab 99 leading the
class over teammates Sam Bryan/Rob Walden in their Saab 900. Bryan
is looking to move into second place in the overall standings with a
top two finish this weekend. Marquette's Brian Pepp in a Mazda RX-7
is less than a minute behind Bryan in third place in class.
19. The Prescott, Arizona rally veterans Jeff Hendricks and Noble Jones
will clinch the Rally Truck championship if they can finish (and
thus, win) the rally in their Jeep Camanche pickup.
20. 33 cars, including 24 national entries, started the final leg of the
Lake Superior PRO Rally in Calumet, Michigan at noon Saturday. The
more famous POR stages - Mandan Road, Delaware Mines, and Brockway
Mountain - will all run this afternoon, with the rally concluding at
6:20 PM.
21. The Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse, running the divisional
today after a DNF yesterday, is off the road on stage #16, and is out
of the event.
22. The Brockway Mountain stage - an asphalt stages - is about to begin
with a big crowd and a thunderstorm. Henry Joy and Peter Moodie had
changed to slick (road racing) tires, but might have to change that
if the rain keeps up. Everyone else has stayed on the Michelin XGT
all-season rally tires for the stage. The first couple of cars ran
the stage in dry conditions, but the others are likely to get
significantly slower times.
23. In the Copper Harbor service area, the Bob Elliott/Mark Williams VW
GTI is suffering with no oil pressure. if they can't find the
problem before they are time-barred at service, they will drop out of
the event. Even if they find the problem, they have already incurred
damaging road points.
24. The second-place car overall - Doug Shepherd/Pete Gladysz Eagle
Talon, has a hole in the transmission and will proceed with caution
to make sure they finish the rally.
Press Notes #4
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 22, 1994, 8:00 PM EST
25. The first running of the Lake Superior PRO Rally is now history,
and, although the results are not that surprising, the way they
happened is certainly a shocker. John Buffum, from Colchester, VT,
and co-driver Jeff Becker won the event in their Audi Quattro S-2.
But it wasn't easy. Buffum had cruised to a five minute lead when
the rally entered the final two Mandan Road stages. The rain had
picked up and the rough stage became both slippery and rough. Buffum
lost his left rear wheel and slid off the course, giving the lead to
the Eagle Talon of Doug Shepherd and Pete Gladysz. Buffum lost
almost seven minutes as the tire flew off the car and landed near a
group of spectators, who retrieved it and help the team on their way.
But then, on the final stage - almost in the same spot where his
transmission case split in 1991 costing him a POR win - Shepherd slid
off the road and couldn't get going again, costing him the win.
Buffum had about an eight minute margin of the Jamaican team of Peter
Moodie and Michael Fennell, and survived his tire incident to win by
two minutes (approx. - no official times yet). Moodie/Fennell was
second and the Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse third. The
third place finish was extremely gradifying for Joy, who hasn't
finished a rally since June.
26. Other class winners (again, before seeing official scores) are:
Moodie/Fennell, Mazda 323GT-R (Group A)
Tom Otty/Pam McGarvey, Mazda 323GTX (Production GT)
Walter Peterson/Harry Pressey, Honda Prelude (Production)
Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker, Saab 99 (Group 2)
Jeff Hendricks/Noble Jones, Jeep Camanche Pickup (Rally Truck)
27. As a result of today's scores, and previous points, the following
drivers and co-drivers have clinched national championships:
Overall
Paul Choiniere - driver; Jeff Becker - co-driver
Group_A
Still up for grabs between Rick Davis/Ben Greisler and
Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell
Production_GT
Selcuk Karamanoglu - driver; John McArthur - co-driver
Production
Dave Turner - driver; Bill Gutzmann - co-driver
Group_2
Goran Ostlund - driver; Steve Baker - co-driver
Rally_Truck
Jeff Hendricks - driver; Noble Jones - co-driver
Press Notes #5
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 23, 1994, 9:00 AM EST
28. It was the Doug Shepherd hole-in-the-transmission porblem
(press note #24) that finally did the Eagle Talon in on Mandan Road.
Although the crew patched the hole up best they could, it evidently
wasn't enough, as the transmission seized on the car only one mile
from the end of the rally, causing the DNF.
29. Peter Moodie said that the rough conditions of Mandan and some of the
other stages at the Lake Superior PRO Rally were typical of
conditions he faces in Jamaica. He said he actually gained time on
the field on the rough stages, and lost time on the very fast
asphalt stages like Brockway Mountain
30. The Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse finished third
overall, but could not escape the event without a slice of the bad
luck which has plagued him all year. On the Burma stage, the rear
portion of his exhaust broke, forcing hot air against the rear floor
of the race car. A plastic bag of tools caught fire and Henry had
his "fire for the weekend." They put out the fire and went on to
their finish.
31. The Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey Mazda 323GTX continued their resurgence
on the PRO Rally scene with a fine fourth place finish and a win in
the Production GT class. Ottey/McGarvey, the 1990 Production GT
champions, have had nagging mechanical problems over the last year,
but have blasted through them with two top ten finishes in the last
two events. Also, the couple from Columbus won the Keweenaw's
Favorite Rally Car, an award for which the public voted during the
Park Expose, and helped raised almost $200 for New Creations, a local
alcohol rehabilitation center.
32. The "U.P. mafia" ended the event on an positive note for the most
part, but Michigan Tech graduates Wayne and Annette Prochaska cannot
be included in that sentiment. They crashed, rolled, flipped and
otherwise got out of control on Friday night, destroying their VW
GTI. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The other UP competitor who
didn't have a good weekend was the Marquette entry of Craig Sobczak
and A.K. Kaumeheiwa. Their Mazda 323GTX DNFed both days (the
national on Friday and the divisional on Saturday) due to electrical
problems - maybe related to alternator failure.
On the other hand, Michigan Tech graduate Gail Truess and co-driver
Cindy Krolikowski had a terrific event in their Chevy Citation,
finishing 15th overall and fourth in the Open class. They wouldn't
have finished at all, however, if it hadn't been for Chris
Czyzio and Eric Carlson. The Plymouth Arrow drivers stopped on the
Mandan stage and literally lifted the Citation off a rock which
Truess had hit, enabling the women to finish the event.
Press Notes #6
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 23, 1994, 11:00 AM EST
33. The other local success include the great 8th place place overall
(and third in Group 2) finish of Marquette resident Bryan Pepp with
co-driver John McArthur. McArthur, who has already won the co-
driving championship with Production GT entry Selcuk Karamanoglu,
said Pepp showed real natural talent while crusing to his fine
finish.
Steve Gingras' DNF on Friday night turned into success on Saturday as
he entered and won the divisional event in his Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Gingras, who is from Marquette and attended Northern Michigan
University, beat the Rees Harris/Constantine Manotopoulis Mazda
323GTX by a little more than a minute.
34. The organizer would like to recognize the following organizations who
contributed the the success of the event (we apologize to anyone we
leave out of this list):
--The Copper County and Houghton County Amateur Radio Clubs, without
whom the rally would not be held. These ham radio operators kept
all the safety and logistics going during the event.
--The Chamber of Commerce and the cities of Houghton and Hancock
who contributed both time and money to help the organizing
committee from the Lake Superior PRO Rally pull this off.
--WOLV-FM and the Lake Superior PRO Rally radio network (with
stations in Houghton, Hancock, Marquette and Escanaba) - and
coordinator Kevin Ericson - who filed more than 100 radio reports
during the event and kept the residents of the Upper Peninsula
informed as to the rally's progess.
--Michelin Tire Corporation for its sponsorship of the series.
--The workers - both local and visiting regions - who had faith that
the Lake Superior Region could keep the spirit of POR intact.
34. All the championships except Group A have been decided, and here's
the Group A picture. If Peter Moodie DNF's at the Maine Forest
Rally, Rick Davis wins the championship. If Rick Davis wins and
Peter Moodie finishes second, Moodie wins the title by a point. If
Davis wins and Moodie finishes third or lower, Davis wins. If Moodie
finishes first, Moodie wins. If Davis beats Moodie by any two
positions (2nd and 4th, etc.). Davis wins. If there is almost any
other scenario, Moodie wins. Should be quite a battle.
35. The Jim Anderson/Ben Bradley Honda Prelude made it all the way
through the last stage with a damaged suspension, but then broke on
the transit stage going into the last MTC in Hancock (20 miles out of
town) and DNFed.
Press Notes #7
Lake Superior PRO Rally Houghton, Michigan
Round #10 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
October 24, 1994, 10:00 AM EST
36. The Sweet/Spark Saab 99, which has finished well all year and
had a chance to move into the top three of the class, was running well
until the very last stage, where they hit a rock and broke the
suspension.
37. Chris Issa's crash in the Bruno Kreibich Audi Quattro (stage #2 on
Friday night) left the car in poor shape - good thing Bruno is
retired!
38. The Dave Turner/Bill Gutzmann Mitsubishi was running very slowly
on Friday because of two worn-out tires on the front wheels
(Brand-X). Henry Joy gave Turner a fresh set of Michelin rally tires,
and Turner went on to clinch the season championship.
39. Rick Davis reported that the BMW M-3 "flew and flew" on the final
Mandan stages, landing on its nose more than once - evident by the
body damage at the finish.
40. The Bruce Newey/Ken Cassidy Mitsubishi Galant - a right hand drive
rally car owned by Japanese driver Tony Takaori - was running in
the top six when they slide off the road on Mandan and lost 20 minutes
to the field. The rally truck Hendricks/Jones entry pulled them out
of mud, enabling them to finish.
41. Walter Peterson and Harry Pressey, with their Production class win,
clinched the North American Rally Championship title (a combination of
U.S. and Canadian points). Peterson, the Canadian champ already, will
retire fromn rallying at the end of the year.
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack
(906) 482-2677
(through 10-23)
or
(401) 739-5677
(after 10-23)
BUFFUM FORGES BIG LEAD, THEN HANGS ON FOR NARROW SCCA/MICHELIN PRO
RALLY WIN AT INAUGURAL LAKE SUPERIOR PRO RALLY IN MICHIGAN'S U.P.
HOUGHTON, Mich. -- October 23 -- Even though it might not be a surprise
that 11-time national champion John Buffum, from Colchester, VT, won a
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally event, his victory at the Lake Superior PRO Rally
was crafted in a very un-Buffum-like fashion.
Subbing for 1994 driver champion - and step-son - Paul Choiniere, Buffum
had a comfortable five minute lead the rally entered the final two Mandan
Road stages - known for being very rough. As a steady rain had turned into
a downpour the rough stage became both slippery and rough. Buffum lost his
left rear wheel and slid off the course, giving the lead to the Eagle Talon
of Doug Shepherd and Pete Gladysz, of Plymouth, Mich.
Buffum lost almost seven minutes as the tire flew off the car and landed
near a group of spectators, who retrieved it and help the team on their
way. But then, on the final stage - almost in the same spot where his
transmission case split in 1991 costing him a win here - Shepherd's
transmission seized as fluid had leaked out from a previous encounter with
a rock - and victory eluded him.
Buffum had about an eight minute margin of the Jamaican team of Peter
Moodie and Michael Fennell in a Mazda 323GT-R, and survived his tire
incident to win by 40 seconds. The Mitsubishi Eclipse of Henry Joy/Brian
Maxwell, from Atlanta, Mich., was third, six minutes back.
Other class winners included: Moodie/Fennell (Group A); Tom Ottey/Pam
McGarvey, Columbus, Ohio, Mazda 323GTX (Production GT); Walter
Peterson/Harry Pressey, Olds, Alberta, Honda Prelude (Production);
Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker, El Salvador, Saab 99 (Group 2); and Jeff
Hendricks/Noble Jones, Prescott, AZ, Jeep Camanche Pickup (Rally Truck).
With one event to go, the following drivers have clinched national
championships in the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series:
--Paul Choiniere, Shelburne, Vermont (Overall champion)
--Selcuk Karamanoglu, Bath, Maine (Production GT)
--Goran Ostlund, El Salvador (Group 2)
--Dave Turner, Hemet, California (Production)
--Jeff Hendricks, Prescott, Arizona (Rally Truck)
--The Group A championship is still up for grabs, and will be decided
at the last event - the Maine Forest Rally - on December 2-3.
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 10 - 15 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 best local finisher was Bryan Pepp from Marquette, who, along with co-
driver John McArthur, finished eighth overall and third in class in his
Mazda RX-7. Michigan Tech graduate Gail Truess, the only woman racer in
the event, was 15th overall in her Chevy Citation. Former Marquette
resident Steve Gingras, now living in Duluth, broke a ball joint on his
Mitsubishi Eclipse on Friday night, but came back to win the divisional (or
regional) class on Saturday, while Marquette resident Craig Sobczak had
electrical/alternator problems and did not finish either day.
Of the 43 starters on Friday night, 20 cars were still running at the
finish.
The SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series is sponsored by Michelin Tire Company,
administered by the American Rally Association, and sanctioned by the
Sports Car Club of America. The eleven-event series has one race
remaining, with the next rally being the Maine Forest Rally
in Rumford, Maine, December 2-3.
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