|
Round #8 - 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Championship August 26-28, 1994
Press Notes by Andy Schupack |
MEDIA ALERT
Event: Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally - Round #8 of the 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series. Race cars from around the world will compete at high
speeds through the White Earth State Forest and Paul Bunyan State
Forest between Bemidji and Grand Rapids, in northern Minnesota.
When: Friday - Sunday, August 26 - 28, 1993
Schedule - Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Registration - Northern Inn, Bemidji
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Tech inspection - Chalet Car Wash, Bemidji
7:10 PM - First car starts - Leg #1 of Ojibwe Forests Rally
Northern Inn, Bemidji
1:00 AM - First car finishes Friday section - Northern Inn,
Bemidji.
Schedule - Saturday
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM - Divisional Registration - Northern Inn,
Bemidji
noon - 3:00 - ParcExpose for the United Way - Display of cars
Paul Bunyan Mall, Bemidji. Food vendors (Pepsi,
KFC, Dominos, etc.) will sell refreshments with
all proceeds to the United Way of Bemidji; fans
can vote for favorite car and win a free set of
Michelin Tires for a donation to the United Way.
3:45 PM - First car starts Leg #2 of Ojibwe Forests Rally and
Paul Bunyan's Ride divisional event - Northern Inn,
Bemidji
1:00 AM - First car finishes Ojibwe Forests Rally -
Northern Inn, Bemidji.
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Northern Inn (formerly Holiday
Inn), Highway #2, Bemidji, Minnesota 56601 (218) 751-9500.
Duration: 165 stage miles, 400 total miles, 18 stages
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America,
administered by the American Rally Association, and sponsored
nationally by Michelin Tire Company. Presented by the Land O'Lakes
Region of the Sports Car Club of America.
Interviews: Drivers will be available by contacting the press room at the
Holiday Inn starting August 25th. Series spokes-people are
also available through the press room including Series Manager
John Buffum, former 11-time national Champion, event organizer
Beryl Ann Burton, defending champion Paul Choiniere and Duluth
resident and driver Steve Gingras.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - '92 and '93 winner at Ojibwe and
defending overall national champion - current points leader - in
his Audi Quattro S-2; Carl Merrill - 400 HP Ford Escort Cosworth -
fastest car on the circuit - looking for first '94 win; Jeff Zwart -
has won three events this year - won his class at Pikes Peak last
month - in a Porsche 911 Carrera 4; 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; Jason Preistley, star of "Beverly Hills
90210," in a Production GT Toyota Celica All-Trac; Selcuk
Karamanoglu -Turkish Rally champion now living in Maine - has
virtually clinched Production GT class championship in his
Mitsubishi Eclipse; Steve Gingras - Duluth resident - fastest local
racer - finished third in class in '92 despite a limited schedule -
in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Goran Ostlund - originally from Sweden/now
lives in El Salvador - brings class-leading Saab 900 to build on
Group 2 class lead; Jim Anderson - leading Production class
contender from North Carolina - in a Honda Prelude; Barry Latreille
- Canadian rally driver who won his class here in '92 - in a new
Eagle Talon.
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and
video crews onto the course during the daylight part
of the rally on Friday and Saturday. Anyone requiring
supplied photos or video should contact Andy Schupack in the
press room starting August 25. 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 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We have B-roll available for TV. The press room will be
located in the Holiday Inn, Bemidji.
Contact: Andy Schupack - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series
media liaison:
(218) 751-9500 xt 320 (direct line -
August 25 - 28)
(401) 739-5677 (before August 25; after
August 28)
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 - 18 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.
OJIBWE FOREST PRO RALLY - ROUND #8 OF THE SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY SERIES
August 26 - 28, 1994
Bemidji, MN - Entry List (8/25)
(start order not final)
Road Car Driver/ Hometowns Vehicle/Class
Pos # Co-Driver Division
1 1 Paul Choiniere Shelburne, VT Audi Quattro S-2/Open
Jeff Becker Great Neck, NY National
2 3 Carl Merrill Oqunquit, ME Ford Escort Cosworth/Open
John Bellefleur Toronto, ONT National
3 4 Jeff Zwart Woody Creek, CO Porsche Carrera 4/Open
Martin Headland Calgary, Alberta National
4 5 Henry Joy Atlanta, MI Mitsubishi Eclipse/Open
Brian Maxwell Port Hope, ONT National
5 8 Tony Takaori Little Rock, AR Mitsubishi Galant/Gp. A
Ken Cassidy Mesa, AZ National
6 11 Barry Latreille Williamstown, ONT Eagle Talon/GT
Sandra Latreille Williamstown, ONT National
7 24 Goran Ostlund San Salvador, El Sal. Saab 99/Group 2
Steve Baker Snohomish, WA National/Divisional
8 13 Peter Moodie Kingston, Jamaica, WI Mazda 323GTX/Group A
Michael Fennell Kingston, Jamaica, WI National
9 12 Cal Landau Coraopolis, PA Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT
Eric Marcus Dayton, OH National
10 14 Steve Gingras Duluth, MN Mitsubishi Eclipse/GT
Bill Westrick Rochester, MI National/Divisional
11 15 Selcuk Karamanoglu Bath, ME Mitsubishi GSX/GT
John McArthur Honeoye Falls, NY National
12 16 Walter Petersen Olds, Alberta Honda Prelude/Production
Harry Pressey St. Thomas, ONT National
13 18 Sam Bryan Kent, WA Saab 900/Group 2
Rob Walden Seattle, WA National
14 19 Craig Sobczak Marquette, MI Mazda 323 GTX/GT
Kevin DeLoughary Gladstone, MI National
15 20 Christopher Weleff Riverside, CA Toyota Alltrac/Gp. A
Brian Paul Anaheim, CA National
16 21 Rick Davis Westchester, PA BMW M3/Group A
Ben Greisler Philadelphia, PA National
17 94 Dave Turner Helmet, CA Mitsubishi Eclipse/Prod.
Bill Gutzmann Ontario, CA National
18 22 Bruce Newey Atlanta, GA Mazda RX-7/Group 2
Charles Bradley Ardmore, PA National
19 28 Mike Whitman Farmington, NM Datsun 510/Group 2
Kevin Linville Durango, CO National
20 23 Jeff Hendricks Prescott, AZ Jeep Comanche/Truck
Noble Jones Prescott, AZ National/Divisional
21 66 Tad Ohtake Dearborn, MI Ford Escort/Production
Bob Martin Goodrich, MI National
22 25 Jim Anderson Carrboro, NC Honda Prelude VTEC/Prod.
Matt Chester Atlanta, GA National
23 26 Mike Hurst Pendleton, IN Nissan 200 SX/Group 2
Rob Bohn Noblesville, IN National/Divisional
24 27 Bryan Pepp Marquette, MI Mazda RX-7/Group 2
Dean Rushford Ishpeming, MI National/Divisional
25 34 Gail Truess Brooklyn, MI Chevrolet Citation/Open
Cindy Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI National
26 31 Carl Redner Walled Lake, MI Mazda RX-7/Open
Nancy Redner Walled Lake, MI National
27 30 Jason Priestley Lake Hollywood, CA Toyota Alltrac/Gp. 2
Kevin Caffrey North Hollywood, CA National
28 33 Mark Larson Blaine, MN Dodge Shelby/Open
Gary Starr Bloomington, MN National
29 51 Floyd Shrader West Memphis, AR Ford Escort
Don Gage West Memphis, AR Divisional
30 52 Scott Justus Fayetteville, AR Chevy S10 Blazer
Steven Scott West Memphis, AR Divisional
31 53 Edward Mucklow St. Albans, WV Toyota Celica GTS
Robert Campbell Dunbar, WV Divisional
32 55 Todd Jarvey Maple Grove, MN Dodge Charger
Richard Faber Blaine, MN Divisional
33 54 Mark Lietha Sioux Falls, SD Nissan Sentra SE-R
Barry Berg Minneapolis, MN Divisional
Press Notes #1
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 26, 1994 - 10:00 am CDT
1. A successful press stage held Thursday afternoon at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds
produced several enthusiastic local journalists who got a thrill "co-driving" Carl Merrill's
Ford Escort Cosworth. One rally driver will have to spend some time repairing his car for
the start of tomorrow's event.
Steve Gingras' brand new Mitsubishi Eclipse has been on display for the last week at the Paul
Bunyan Mall. On his way to the Fairgrounds to demonstrate the art of PRO Rally to local
media , his windshield let loose, smashing his windshield a nd denting the roof. It seems
that a curious person removed the hood to look at the engine and failed to replace the hood
clips.
2. Carl Merrill, of Ogunquit, Maine has a new co-driver, Jean Bellefleur of Toronto, Canada.
Merrill and Bellefleur recently competed in a Canadian rally in which they finished second
overall. Merrill is the defending NARC (North American Rall y Championship) which is awarded
to the driver who has the most combined points for selected U.S. and Canadian events.
Bellefleur has significant international experience having competed in the mid-70's with J.P.
Perusse to win the Canadian championship during the '75-'76 season, with Finnish rally champ
Taisto Heinonen, with John Buffum at the last FIA sanc tioned event, the Olympus Rally in
1988, as well as at the Ojibwe with Rod Millen in 1989.
3. Since both good and bad things tend to come in threes, will three times the charm hold
for Paul Choiniere? Defending his Ojibwe championship for the third year in a row,
Choiniere, along with co-driver Jeff Becker, is also going after his fourth national
championship in five years.
4. Jeff Zwart returns to the Ojibwe Forests this year with high hopes after an early crash
in last year's event. Zwart, with a special 500 hp engine installed in his Porsche 911
Carrera, won his class at the 1994 Pike's Peak Hill Climb. It's r are that a rookie wins
this 154-turn uphill event. The same car, with a tamer 300 hp engine, will compete in
Bemidji this weekend.
5. Early withdrawals include Chad Dykes, Escondido, CA., who in his rookie season had two
big wins in the Truck class, including an upset over Guy Light, was unable to finish the new
Group 2 Toyota he had planned to introduce at this year's Ojibwe.
Vinnie Frontinan, Somerville, MA., also is running behind schedule in preparing his Toyota
Celica All Trac and will not be here this year. However, the identical type of car will be
driven by Jason Priestley who is in his rookie season is running well but still looking for a
national rally finish.
Windy Imperial, Fosterville, CA., found that an unavoidable business commitment in his native
Philippines prevented him from competing in his practically new Eagle Talon. Imperial
recently had a third place finish at Prescott Forest.
Press Notes #2
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 26, 1994 - 8:30 PM - CDT
6. The Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse has won several stages overall this year
during its top five finishes, especially at Wild West (Olympia, Washington) and Rim of the
World (Palmdale, Calif.). Joy, also a board member of the new American Rally Association,
will not achieve his first PRO Rally win this weekend as the team blew its engine Friday
afternoon on the local highways. Joy was setting his fuel management system before the rally
began when the engine threw a bearing and ended his racing activity for the weekend.
7. The overall points battle between Jeff Zwart and Paul Choiniere shifts into high gear for
the final four events of the season, with Paul holding a slim 70 to 63 points lead. With
only six events counting towards the championship (a driver's six best finishes), both
drivers will be trying to gain the advantage this weekend with a win and 22 points. This
will be Choiniere's sixth event, which means he will have to start dropping his lower finish
points starting with the next event. He will retain most of his points he scores in the next
several events, however, as he has a DNF at Olympia he can drop, and two 12-point divisional
wins (for instance, a 22-point win later in the season could displace a 12-point finish).
Zwart has only run four events, so he can score full points four two events before he starts
dropping events, but also has two 12-point divisional wins he can drop if he score more
points in the remaining events. Last year, Zwart crashed on stage #2 and DNFed, while
Choiniere cruised to an easy win.
8. In the Production GT battle, the season points battle is all, but finished as Selcuk
Karamanoglu has 82 points with Rhys Millen, his nearest competition, with 29 - and Rhys isn't
here this weekend. But the Production GT drivers who are here are plenty fast and will give
the Karamanoglu/McArthur Mitsubishi Eclipse all it can handle. They include the Barry
Lattreille/Sandra Lattreille Eagle Talon; the Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse; the
Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse (the ex-Lon Peterson-Dave Wolin car); the
Craig Sobczak/Kevin DeLoughery Mazda 323GTX; and the Jason Priestley/Kevin Caffrey Toyota
Celica Alltrac. Priestley, the star of the TV show "Beverly Hills 90210," has entered three
previous national rallies, but is still looking for his first finish in his Millen
Motorsports-built car. At the most recent event at Prescott, Arizona, he was running first in
seed when he caught up to the car in front of him, lost his vision in the car's dust, and ran
off the road.
9. In the hotly-contested Group 2 class for normally aspirated cars that are two-wheel drive
and 2.4 liters or less, all the prime combatants are here, including the class-leading Saab
99 of Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker; the Saab 900 of Sam Bryan/Rob Welden; the Datsun 510 of Mike
Whitman/Kevin Linville; the Nissan 200-SX of Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn (divisional winners here
last year); and the Mazda RX-7 of Bruce Newey/Charles Bradley. All are capable of the winning
the event, and they have run very close together so far this year.
10. In the Production class, three of the top four national contenders - plus a fast
Canadian - are here, with the favorite being the leaders Dave Turner/Bill Gutzmann in a 2WD
Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Honda Prelude VTECH of Jim Anderson/Matt Chester - winners at Sand
Hills earlier this year - and the rookie entry of Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin - upset winners at
STPR in the Ford Escort GT - expect to offer strong challenges. Another Honda Prelude,
driven by Canadian veterans Walter Petersen and Harry Pressey, should give the Yanks a run
for their money.
11. In this year's sparsely-populated Truck class, Jeff Hendricks and Noble Jones will try
to take the lead in the series in their Jeep Camanche Pickup with a finish as they are the
only entry in the class.
12. 27 cars took the countdown for the start of leg #1 of the Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally in
what has turned out to be a cool and damp evening with a chance of showers. As it rained all
day Thursday, the roads should not be dusty.
The cars will run 80 stage miles and seven stages tonight, finishing about 1:00 AM Saturday
morning. The Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse - as reported earlier - will not be
running the rally because of a blown engine, but Joy wanted the two starting points awarded
for rally starters, so he and co-driver Maxwell pushed their car across the starting line and
earned the points. They are now officially as DNF (did not finish) versus a DNS (did not
start).
Press Notes #3
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 27, 1994 - 4:00 AM CDT
13. What do co-drivers do when they get back to the event headquarters within two hours of
the start of the rally? They get plenty of time to discuss the relative merits of DOS versus
Mac, various pizza ingredients, and old rally war stories. Unfortunately, for Eric Marcus,
co-driver for Cal Landau, the Mitsubishi Eclipse started to overheat six miles into Stage #1.
It subsided a mile later, only to reappear at the end of the stage. Despite the early
mishap, their new locked differential installed since STPR, in Pennsylvania, has made a
terrific improvement in the handling.
14. Word has come that Tony Takaori and Ken Cassidy got far off course on Stage #3,
getting airborne, and then landing in a ditch. Takaori - a surgeon by trade - was taken at
his own request to the Bemidji hospital for x-rays and is apparently okay. Co-driver Ken
Cassidy stayed with the car which has some bent suspension parts. Suspension is too badly
damaged on the right-hand-drive Mitsubishi Galant VR4 to re-enter tomorrow as Divisional
entrants.
15. Multiple civilian cars on course on Stage #2 caused it to be changed to a transit and
now the event is behind schedule. Car #3, driven by Carl Merrill hit a tree on that stage.
When they finally came to rest, co- driver Jean Bellefleur inquired, "Why did we stop?" Had
the stage not been thrown, Merrill reports he would have won it even with the class.
16. Car #18, the Saab 900 of Sam Bryan and Rob Walden, both from the Seattle area, took the
flying finish at Stage #2, and then crashed. They were able to get started and leave the
control under their own power. Their slower times on Stage #3 result from the engine
management system cutting out periodically.
17. Jeff Zwart's somewhat slower than usual times can be attributed to the fact that he is
"cooling it" for the first night so that the car will be ready for the longer, second day of
the event. The car is running fine. Zwart crashed his Porsche early in the 1993 Ojibwe and
had left town by noon on Saturday.
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally - Friday Stage Times
CAR CLASS DRIVER / CO-DRIVER F1 F2 F3
#
1 OPEN CHOINIERE / BECKER 9.26 T 13.25
3 OPEN MERRILL / BELLEFLEUR 9.27 H 13.14
15 GT KARAMANOGLU / MCARTHUR 10.41 R 13.24
4 OPEN ZWART / HEADLAND 10.25 O 13.68
13 A MOODIE / FENNELL 10.10 W 14.90
14 GT GINGRAS / WESTRICK 10.15 N 13.79
19 GT SOBCZAK / DELOUGHARY 10.03 3 13.79
28 GR2 WHITMAN / LINVILL 10.56 3 14.02
24 GR2 OSTLUND / BAKER 10.35 3 14.04
22 GR2 NEWEY / BRADLEY 10.59 3 13.64
16 P PETERSEN / PRESSEY 11.03 3 14.65
26 GR2 HURST / BOHN 11.16 3 14.11
27 OPEN PEPP / RUSHFORD 11.70 3 14.46
94 P TURNER / GUTZMANN 11.58 3 15.27
34 OPEN TRUESS / KROLIKOWSKI 11.74 3 15.56
35 A PRIESTLEY / CAFFREY 11.88 3 15.70
25 P ANDERSON / CHESTER 12.01 3 15.80
23 TRUCK HENDRICKS / JONES 11.64 3 16.22
18 GR2 BRYAN / WALDEN 10.02 3 31.76
33 OPEN LARSON / STARR 10.96 3 14.31
11 GT LATREILLE / LATREILLE 10.24 3 13.92
66 P OHTAKE / MARTIN 10.88 3 13.76
21 A DAVIS / GREISLER 10.98 3 14.40
20 A WELEFF / PAUL 11.03 3 14.45
31 OPEN REDNER / REDNER 11.89 3 15.68
CAR F4 F5 F6 Road Total
# Points
1 13.09 17.66 9.91 01:03:10
3 13.13 17.92 9.81 01:03:16
15 13.37 19.16 10.14 01:06:19
4 13.31 18.90 10.46 01:06:36
13 13.12 18.56 10.22 01:06:54
14 13.70 19.00 10.57 01:07:13
19 13.83 19.38 10.38 01:07:25
28 13.18 19.55 10.56 01:07:52
24 13.92 19.47 11.04 01:08:49
22 13.89 19.40 10.64 2.00 01:10:10
16 14.53 20.21 11.08 01:11:30
26 12.90 21.87 11.54 01:11:35
27 14.46 20.17 10.80 01:11:35
94 13.52 21.23 11.73 01:13:20
34 14.86 21.53 11.90 01:15:35
35 15.61 21.48 11.54 01:16:13
25 14.86 21.69 12.10 01:16:28
23 14.33 22.13 12.23 01:16:33
18 13.68 19.00 10.41 3.00 01:27:52
Press Notes #4
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 27, 1994 - 10:30 AM CDT
18. The Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Audi Quattro S-2 holds a six-second lead over the Carl
Merrill/Jean Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth after the first night of rallying, or the
completion of six stages. As mentioned in note #15, stage #2's times did not count as the
organizer turned the stage into a transit, so that lead is based on times for stages #1, #3,
#4, #5 and #6. Merrill had the early lead as Choiniere lost his brakes on stage #2 and did
not get them repaired until the service stop after #3, but Paul fought back to gain his six
second advantage. Merrill's excursion with a tree on stage #2 left the Escort with a
significant dent on the co-driver- side door, but no mechanical damage.
19. Selcuk Karamanoglu is running third in his Mitsubishi Eclipse, three minutes behind the
leaders, but only 17 seconds ahead of the cautious, but steady Zwart/Headland Porsche.
Karamanoglu/McArthur also lead the Production GT class by one minute over the Mitsubishi
Eclipse of Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick and the Mazda 323GTX of Craig Sobczak/Kevin
DeLoughery. Gingras is pleased with his new car, saying it has much more power and torque
than his former Mazda mount, while Sobczak bent a strut in his 323, and will try to adjust
the camber on his vehicle to compensate as he has no replacement part. The Barry
Latreille/Sandra Latreille Eagle Talon, which beat Karamanoglu on stage #1, went off the
course and broke on stage #5.
20. Also in Production GT, the Jason Priestley/Kevin Caffery Toyota Celica Alltrac is well
on its way to its first national finish, with the "Beverly Hills 90210" star feeling more and
more comfortable with his new mount. Priestley was a DNF at Rim of the World (spark plug
wire) and Prescott Forest (crash after trying to overtake a slower car), so this is really
the first time he as strung together good, successive stages. Now that he has completed the
first leg of the rally, he and Caffery are looking to move up in the overall standings .
20. In Group A, the Millen Motorsports-built Mazda 323GTX of Jamaicans Peter Moodie/Michael
Fennell is fifth overall and first in class. Moodie, a top road racer and rallyist in
Jamaica, is looking for his first U.S. win after several accidents and mechical problems have
slowed him down at previous SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events. Moodie has less competition than
he did at the beginning of the event as two cars ahead of him in the Group A standings have
DNFed. The Toyota Celica Alltrac of Chris Weleff/Brian Paul and the class-leading BMW M3 of
Rick Davis and Ben Greisler both went off the course and stage #5 are are unable to continue.
21. In Production, a good battle is developing between the Honda Prelude being driven by
Canadian competitors Walter Petersen/Harry Pressey and the points-leading Mitsubishi Eclipse
of Dave Turner/Bill Gutzmann. After six stages, Petersen leads Turner by almost two minutes
despite the fact that the Honda's bumper fell off during the night. Turner, a veteran off-road racer,
made his rally debut here last year. So far this year, he has class wins at Wild West, Rim of the
World, and Prescott. The Jim Anderson/Matt Chester Honda Prelude, which won its class at
Sand Hills in February, is currently third after six stages. The Tad Ohtake/Bob Martin Ford
Escort GT (formerly owned by Barry and Sandra Latreille), a class winner in its first event
ever this year at STPR, was running competitively when it stopped for the gas-and-go service
after stage five and would not start again. The crew worked for several hours (well after
the car was time-barred) to find the problem, and the car still would not start. Ohtake has
fixed the in- tank fuel pump this morning, and will run the divisional event this afternoon.
22. The promised battle in Group 2 is living up to its expectations, with the top two
drivers in the season point standings duking it out for the lead. The Mike Whitman/Kevin
Linville Datsun 510 is leading the Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker Saab 99 by less than a minute,
with the Mazda RX-7 of Bruce Newey/Charles Bradley not far behind. Newey incurred two
minutes in penalty points for arriving late at the gas-and-go service after #5. Mike
Hurst/Rob Bohn in their Nissan 200-SX are next about a minute behind Newey, with the Saab 900
of Sam Bryan/Rob Walden next. Bryan's Saab lost about 15 minutes to the field as the result
of engine management control problems - something the crew is working on overnight.
23. Finally, the Truck class leaders Jeff Hendricks/Noble Jones in their Jeep Camanche
Pick-up - the only entry in the class - are running well and can take the lead in the points
chase as well as clinch their divisional championship in the Southern Pacific division with a
finish today.
24. More on the Rick Davis BMW DNF. Davis and Chris Weleff went off on the same turn which
was marked clearly going one way (the way Tony Takaori crashed), but not marked going the
other way. By the time both drivers saw the washout in the road, it was too late to avoid
the rough spot. Davis crunched the rear suspension of the M-3, while Weleff broke the front
end.
25. The Open class Chevy Citation of Gail Truess/Cindy Krolikowski, the only all-women team
entered, is running well despite a bent rim which lead to some almost-flat tires. Truess is
a professional driving instructor who works for car manufacturers when they introduce new
cars to dealers. She also owns a company called Rally Dynamics along with husband Paul, who
is at an SCCA World Challenge event this weekend crewing for Peter Cunningham, 1992 PRO Rally
Production champion.
Press Notes #5
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 27, 1994 - 6:00 PM CDT
26. The drivers and cars participated in a Parc Expose this afternoon at the Paul Bunyan
Mall in Bemidji to benefit the Bemidji Area United Way. The public bought raffle tickets to
vote on their favorite car, and the Carl Merrill/Jean Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth won the
competition for the second year in a row. All and all, the rally drivers helped raise more
than $700 for the local United Way chapter. Local merchants also donated items for the
raffle, and Michelin Tire Company gave away a set of tires. This was the second year the
rally has worked with the local United Way.
27. The Karamanoglu/McArthur Mitsubishi reports their clutch is slipping when the car is put
under maximum acceleration in fourth gear. Karamanoglu hopes it will last the rally, but
fears he will lose significant time per lap.
28. The Bryan/Walden Saab 900 crew has determined that the reason their engine management
computer was cutting out was heat, so they moved the black box during Parc Expose this
afternoon, and hope it will put them back in the Group 2 hunt tonight.
29. If it seems there are more Canadians at this event than most at American PRO rallies,
one might look to the North American Rally Championship points. NARC, a combination of points
for finishing selected U.S. and Canadian rallies, requires entry into at least two American
and two Canadian events. Carl Merrill, last year's NARC champion, leads this year's standings
by four points over Paul Choiniere, with Jeff Zwart third. Zwart doesn't plan to enter any
Canadian events, however, so it's Carl and Paul fighting for first place in that
championship. Selcuk Karamanoglu leads in Production GT, and Walter Peterson in Production -
with both drivers here this weekend.
30. As with all SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events, there will be coverage of the Ojibwe Forests
PRO Rally on Sunday, August 28, at 8:30 PM Eastern Time on TNN RACEDAY (The Nashville
Network). TV cameraman John Rood traversed the course with Ojibwe media relations director
Sarah Lenz in a supercharged 1994 Toyota Previa van provided by Toyota Motor Sales, USA.
31. Carl Redner/Nancy Redner Mazda RX-7 dropped out after Friday night's stages Carl felt
sick in the car and looped it on a transit.
Press Notes #6
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 26, 1994 - 7:00 PM CDT
32. This year's Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally features a new spectator point in Two Inlets State
Forest. The road travels downhill into an open area and requires a 90 degree right turn.
Spectators can view the cars from grassy berms on either side o f the course. Several cars
have slid off on the inside of the corner, recovered control, and continued on their way. Ed
Mucklow and Robert Campbell got loose in the aforementioned grass, hurtled up to the road,
got airborne and flew across the road , nose-diving to earth on the other side. When last
seen at the Park Rapids Service, Campbell was hustling borrowed tires out the car, a Toyota
Celica GTS, to replace those flattened in the shunt. West Virginians Mucklow and Campbell
are here without a crew.
33. Overheard at Park Rapids Service... Bill Westrick of Rochester, MI. describing in
lyrical terms and rapturous tones the Brockway Mountain Stage of the former Press On
Regardless to newcomer Jason Priestley. The aforementioned stage is now part of the Lake
SuPeriOR PRO Rally scheduled for the weekend of October 21 -23, 1994.
34. There have been ongoing power problems with the Sam Bryan/Rob Walden Saab 900 which was
eventually diagnosed as a faulty crank sensor. They were not confident in their ability to
proceed and returned to event headquarters in Bemidji in mid-evening.
35. Intermittent overheating is a problem that has slowed Gail Truess' Chevrolet Citation.
She and co-driver Cindy Krolikowski will try to turn the heater up full blast to disperse
some of the engine heat. An ordinarily unappealing solution in an August event, with
temperatures dropping into the low 50's, this may be the perfect problem solver.
36. Mike Hurst has lost second and third gears of his Nissan 200SX. Starts are sounding like
jet takeoffs when pilots are required to throttle back because of noise ordinances.
37. Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally - Cumulative Times after SS#6 (Saturday)
Top ten overall:
CAR CLASS DRIVER / CO-DRIVER Time (min.1/100)
1 OPEN CHOINIERE / BECKER 104.05
3 OPEN MERRILL / BELLEFLEUR 105.22
15 GT KARAMANOGLU / MCARTHUR 110.47
4 OPEN ZWART / HEADLAND 110.49
13 A MOODIE / FENNELL 110.59
14 GT GINGRAS / WESTRICK 112.44
19 GT SOBCZAK / DELOUGHARY 113.05
28 GR2 WHITMAN / LINVILLE 114.62
22 GR2 NEWEY / BRADLEY 116.48
24 GR2 OSTLUND / BAKER 117.06
Press Notes #7
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 28, 1994 - 12:00 AM
38. The decision was made to transit stage #5 to keep the schedule running smoothly and
because the national steward and the organizers agreed the stage was too straight.
39. As the rally winds to a close, there has been drama on several fronts. On stage #10, the
Audi Quattro S-2 of Paul Choiniere popped a ball joint, and lost more than a minute to Carl
Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth. Choiniere now has a razor-thin 0.6 of second lead over
Merrill with just two stages to go. Earlier, Merrill had lost time to Choiniere when he hit
an embankment, adding to the duct tape already marring his purple paint job from yesterday's
tree trama.
40. The other hotbed of activity is the Group 2 battle between Bruce Newey's Mazda RX-7,
Mike Whitman's Datsun 510, and Goran Ostlund's Saab 99. Newey has been the fastest during the
evening, making up the entire two minute penalty he incurred on Friday and actually
surpassing Ostlund. Then Whitman, the class leader, experienced fuel starvation problems, but
seems to be okay after Ostlund's crew helped him blow out the fuel lines as service.
Meanwhile, Newey lost his clutch, and his crew changed it during the 40 minute service. He
barely made it to the start of stage #11, and it remains to be seen whether a 40-minute
clutch replacement will hold.
Stage times after six stages (all cars that are still running)
CAR CLASS DRIVER / CO-DRIVER
1 OPEN CHOINIERE / BECKER 01:44:03
3 OPEN MERRILL / BELLEFLEUR 01:45:13
15 GT KARAMANOGLU / MCARTH 01:50:28
4 OPEN ZWART / HEADLAND 01:50:29
13 A MOODIE / FENNELL 01:50:53
14 GT GINGRAS / WESTRICK 01:52:26
19 GT SOBCZAK / DELOUGHARY 01:53:03
28 GR2 WHITMAN / LINVILL 01:54:37
22 GR2 NEWEY / BRADLEY 01:56:27
24 GR2 OSTLUND / BAKER 01:57:04
27 GR2 PEPP / RUSHFORD 01:59:16
16 P PETERSEN / PRESSEY 01:59:50
26 GR2 HURST / BOHN 02:02:27
94 P TURNER / GUTZMANN 02:03:40
35 A PRIESTLEY / CAFFREY 02:05:55
34 OPEN TRUESS / KROLIKOWSKI 02:07:07
25 P ANDERSON / CHESTER 02:07:51
23 TRUCK HENDRICKS / JONES 02:10:28
Press Notes #8
Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Bemidji, Minnesota
Round #8 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
August 28, 1994 - 3:30 AM
41. The 13th edition of the Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally is now history, and the Audi Quattro
S-2 of Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker has scored a one- minute victory over the Ford Escort
Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Jean Bellefleur.
Merrill had crept to within .6 of a second of the lead with two stages to go, but Choiniere
turned on the afterburners and sped away to the win. Selcuk Karamanoglu was holding down
third place all evening in his Mitsubishi Eclipse, but Peter Moodie was charging hard in his
Group A Mazda 323GTX - beating Selcuk on the last two stages. But it wasn't enough as Selcuk
eeked out a six second margin to finish third, with Moodie fourth. Selcuk won Production GT,
while Moodie capture Group A. Walter Peterson won the Production class, and Jeff Hendricks
capture the Rally Truck title.
42. The Jeff Zwart/Martin Headland Porsche 911 Carrera 4 finished fifth overall, but a
protest was filed that Zwart worked on his car in a control zone. That protest was
withdrawn, and Zwart keeps his fifth place finish.
43. A thornier issue is the Group 2 results, which might not be final for some time. Bruce
Newey, who is poised to win the class in his Mazda RX-7, is being protested for working on
his car in a control as well. If the protest is upheld, Ostlund will move up and win the
class, and Whitman would be second and the Bryan Pepp/Dean Rushford Mazda RX-7 third.
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