Ojibwe Forests Rally
Round 8 of the 2002 SCCA ProRally Championship
Bemidji, Minnesota
August 16-17, 2002

Ojibwe Forests Website * ProRally Results * ClubRally Results * Entry List


Press Notes


SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests

Media Alert 

DENVER, CO: Eighth round (of ten) for the 2002 season. An impressive 77 car field 
of SCCA and FIA Performance Rally cars are slated to start the Ojibwe Forests 
SCCA ProRally; cars will compete on the fast and smooth, but often sandy state 
forest roads in the upper reaches of North central Minnesota. This performance 
rally event is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The SCCA 
ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai Motor America, Mitsubishi Motor 
Sales of America, and Subaru of America. The Ojibwe Forests Rally is presented 
locally by Bloomington Subaru, a Luther Dealership.

When & Where:
16-17 August 2002; Bemidji, MN; approximately 180 miles (275 kilometers) northwest 
of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Headquarters Hotel - Friday/Saturday Press Room; Event and Media registration
Northern Inn and Convention Center 
(Adjacent to Bemidji-Beltrami Airport; Bemidji, MN 56601) 
Hotel main phone: 218.751.9500

Media & Fan Receptions - Wednesday 14 August - Bloomington & Brooklyn Park, MN
For the first time in the SCCA ProRally Championship, the Ojibwe Forest event will 
have two simultaneous media and fan receptions in the pre-event host metropolitan 
area surrounding Minneapolis, listed here in order of their starting times.

Event #1: Hyundai Rally Team USA will be at Brooklyn Park Hyundai, 7875 Brooklyn Blvd.,
Brooklyn Park, MN. Call the dealership at: 713.424.4400 for additional information. 
Expected to be on-hand will be the team's new Tiburon rally cars, plus former multi-time 
SCCA ProRally Champions Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, with teammates Mark Higgins and 
Michael Gibson. The cars will be on display from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. 

Event #2: Bloomington Subaru, an authorized reseller of Subaru automobiles, will be 
hosting a reception for the media and performance rally fans at their dealership on 
Wednesday evening, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Meet the lead drivers, co-drivers, and 
view the top running Subaru automobiles in the SCCA ProRally Championship. The 
dealership is located at 7801 Lyndale Ave S. Call 952.887.0640 for additional 
information, or log onto www.subaru.net

Scheduled to be on-hand will be the Subaru Rally Team USA Open class rally cars; 
current overall driver points leader, David Higgins and his AV Sport WRX; Doug Havir 
and his Prodrive Open Class WRX-STi, 2001 Production GT class champ, Mark Utecht with 
his Group N WRX. Also on hand will be the return of former PGT Champion, Steve Gingras 
debuting his brand new 2002 Subaru WRX; plus a host of others. Drivers, Co-drivers, 
and Teams will be taking questions, signing autographs, and letting folks know about 
rallying here in the States including guest speakers, Mark Lovell (car #1) of Subaru 
Rally Team USA and Tim O'Neil of Team O'Neil Rally School. 

Complete Event Schedule: (subject to change)

Wednesday, 14 August 2002  
 5:00 PM -  8:00 PM Brooklyn Park Hyundai expo - Brooklyn Park, MN 
 6:00 PM -  9:00 PM Bloomington Subaru RallyFest 2002 - Bloomington, MN 
Thursday, 15 August 2002  
 6:00 PM -  8:00 PM Registration - all parties - Northern Inn Press Room 
 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Welcome Reception - Northern Inn 
Friday, 16 August 2002  
 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM Registration: Northern Inn Press Room  
 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Scrutineering - Chalet Center Car Wash-703 Paul Bunyan Dr., Bemidji 
 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM Competitor Registration - Northern Inn 
 5:30 PM -12:30 AM Leg 1: Ojibwe Forests ProRally & 10,000 Lakes ClubRally 
Approx. 12:30 AM - 2:00 AM   Pizza Party and posting of Leg 1 provisional scores. 
Saturday, 17 August 2002  
 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Late Press Registration: Press Room - Northern Inn 
12:00 PM -  8:00 PM Leg 2: Ojibwe Forests ProRally & Paul Bunyan's Ride ClubRally 
Approx. 8:00 PM - 2:00 AM  Awards Party and Scores - Northern Inn 

Selected entries (driver/co-driver):

Current Overall Drivers Championship points leader David Higgins (103 points), 
2002 Subaru WRX. 

Current Manufacturer Championship Leaders (92 Points), Subaru Rally Team USA: Mark Lovell 
with Steve Turvey (#1 car), winners of last month's Maine Forest Rally, and Ramana Lagemann 
and Mike Kidd (#2 car) all in 2002 Subaru WRX's. 

Hyundai Rally Team USA: Mark Higgins and Michael Gibson (#5), 
Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker (#6), 2003 Hyundai Tiburons. 

Mitsubishi Rally Team USA: Rhys Millen and Garry Cowan (#3) and current Group 2 Manufacturer
Points Leaders, Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Matt Chester (#90).
 
2001 Overall Driver's Championship runner up, Seamus Burke (#25) with Rory Kennedy, (Co-Driver) 
2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.5. 

Doug Havir in the #88 Prodrive prepared 2002 Subaru WRX-STi. 

Making a big swap in cars is Championship regular Bill Malik, who is stepping out of his 
Group 2 Volvo 240, and trying out all-wheel-drive for the first time, in a TMS Motorsport 
prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI. 

Notable local favorites: #44 Henry and Cindy Krolikowski, 2000 Group N Class Subaru WRX-STi;
#50 Steve Gingras and Christian Edstrom, debuts his new 2002 Open Class Subaru WRX; 
Eric Burmeister and Eric Adams, 01 Mazda Protégé MP3; 
Mark Utecht and Jeff Secor; 2002 Group N Subaru WRX; 
and Doug Shepherd and Joe Andreini, 2002 Dodge Neon SRT 4. 

Additional news interest:
A win at Ojibwe for Mark Lovell could put him back in control of the Open Class Driver's 
Championship-that is if current class leader David Higgins doesn't finish. Either way 
this race is extremely crucial for both combatants, as there are only two additional rounds 
in 2002. Adding to the upset potential of this event, Ojibwe is historically a very good 
rally for Hyundai (sweeping all three podium positions in 2000), and Mitsubishi has spared 
no expense since Maine Forest getting the final gremlins out of Rhys Millen's Evo VII.
 
Adding some additional international flavor to this years Ojibwe is the arrival of a Group A
 Subaru Impreza via New Zealand, with a new to US rallying driver and co-driver team of 
John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick, both from the UK. Lloyd had rally experience from around 
the world, including the fabled Safari rally in Kenya, and Gullick is a former British 
Rally Championship winning co-driver. 

The Group 2 Manufacturer's Championship can be decided for sure in Minnesota if Lauchlin 
O'Sullivan can score a 1st place finish in class and Eric Burmeister in his Mazda Protégé 
don't find themselves with a second place finish. Additionally, if O'Sullivan secures a 
top podium in Group 2 at this rally, then the Mazda would need at least a 3rd place finish 
to have a chance at this Driver's Championship.
 
Whereas fierce heat was a factor last year, this year's health threat is the outbreak of 
the West Nile Virus throughout much of the east and mid-western states. Spectators and 
Press are advised to dress with long sleeves and pants, and use plenty of insect repellent
 
Event Rank:
This rally is a full points SCCA ProRally Championship event. Drivers earn points towards 
the national championship, and supporting manufacturers (Hyundai, Subaru, Mazda and 
Mitsubishi) earn points towards overall and class Manufacturers' Championships.

Press Credentials, Visuals, Interviews & Media information:
Event Press/Photo credentials will be available at registration on Friday and pre-event 
Saturday morning. Access to press-only photo areas, and to the post event activities will 
require a press pass. Credentials are available only to members of the working registered 
press. Identification and/or work assignment required. Minors are not eligible for Press 
or VIP credentials.

During the event, action photography will be possible from spectator and select press-only 
viewing areas along the rally course. Drivers, co-drivers and crew will be accessible 
throughout the event, including the Saturday afternoon service. Media relations will be 
able to provide driver and co-driver interviews, event results and other information via 
telephone and Email.

Media Contact:

Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) 

Websites:
SCCA ProRally: www.sccaprorally.org/
Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com 

The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, 
and is televised in North America on Speed Channel



SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests

Start Order & Late Breaking News: 

BEMIDJI, Minnesota A highly competitive field of 52 cars are entered into the 
Ojibwe Forests Rally, Round #8 of the 2002 ProRally Championship, and another 
25 in the supporting 10,000 Lakes and Paul Bunyan's Ride ClubRallys. All three 
Overall Championship Manufacturers (Hyundai, Subaru and Mitsubishi) are 
represented along with both of the Group 2 Manufacturers (Mazda and Mitsubishi). 
Known for its fast speeds, smooth roads and frequent 'yumps' that demands 
unflinching concentration, Ojibwe Forests, according to several overseas observers 
and participants here this weekend, is as close to rallying in Finland as you can 
get in the United States.

Late Breaking News:

Big change at the front of the pack - Hyundai driver Mark Higgins' long-time co-driver 
Michael Gibson was seriously injured last weekend at an Irish rally, fracturing a lower 
vertebrae - and will be out for at least for at least the next two ProRally Championship 
events. A full recovery is expected, and Michael should be back in the right seat for the 
season ender at Lake Superior. In his place for the next two rounds is UK co-driver 
Claire Mole, a former British Rally Championship title-holder, her most recent experience 
has been in the Super 1600. 

While the average age of performance rallyists in this country has plummeted in the past 5 
years, this is still a sport with plenty of elder statesmen (and women) that are very 
active. The top of the list is easy to pick - North American rally legend John Buffum has 
been working the business of performance rallying as long as it has existed in this country - 
but others on the list might not be as easy to identify. Retired schoolteacher, and Ojibwe 
Forests Rally founder Bob Nielsen (#98) is celebrating his 25th year in rallying this 
weekend, and Jimmy Brandt (#22) has more years than that as a co-driver. Doug Shepherd and 
Joe Andreini (#52) Dave Weiman (#86) and former ProRally Series Manager John McArthur (#77) 
also have their roots in rallying back in the mid-70's. 

The weather for this years running of the northern Minnesota event is markedly different 
from past years, with a cooling blast of Canadian air keeping temps in the mid-70s in the 
day-time, possibly dropping into the lower 50s at night. Scattered thundershowers are also 
on the weather forecast - although last year a similar prediction turned into a fierce 
hailstorm on SS1. 

Information regarding the start order list:

Car # = number on vehicle. Car # under 200 are ProRally entries. 
Car# over 200 are generally ClubRally (regional) entrants. 
Class = Open, FIA Groups A, N - fastest; are cars with considerable modifications; 
P (Production) - slowest; are cars very near to showroom stock configuration. 
G5 - two wheel drive high HP cars; G2 - two wheel drive normally aspirated cars; 
PGT - high horsepower all-wheel-drive Production (stock) cars.

Top 50 Start Order - subject to revision 
(Balance of entry list available to view at www.ojibweforestsrally.com)

Start Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car 
 1  16 0 Open David Higgins 	UK  Daniel Barritt 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 2   1 0 Open Mark Lovell 	UK  Steve Turvey 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 3   6 0 Open Paul Choiniere    USA Jeff Becker 	USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 
 4   5 0 Open Mark Higgins 	UK  Claire Mole 	UK  03 Hyundai Tiburon 
 5  25 0 Open Seamus Burke 	USA Rory Kennedy 	IRL 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
 6   3 1 Open Rhys Millen 	USA Garry Cowan 	NZ  02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
 7   2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann   USA Michael Kidd 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 8  12 F GA   John Lloyd 	UK  Pauline Gullick 	UK  96 Subaru Impreza 
 9  88 3 Open Doug Havir 	USA Scott Putnam 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
10  32 1 Open Paul Ekund 	USA Scott Huhn 		USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
11 110 1 Open Mark Nelson 	USA Charles Bradley 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
12  50 1 Open Steve Gingras 	USA Christian Edstrom 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
13  44 1 GN   Henry Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski 	USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 
14  22 1 GN   Ralph Kosmides 	USA Jimmy Brandt 	USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 
15  52 1 Open Doug Shepherd 	USA Joe Andreini 	USA 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4 
16  48 1 Open Lon Petersen 	USA   			USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 
17  28 2 GN   Bill Malik 	USA Dave Kean 		USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 
18  41 2 Open John Drislane 	USA Ronan Burke 	USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 
19  83 2 GN   Mark Utecht 	USA Jeff Secor 		USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
20 971 2 GN   B. Cunningham 	USA Paul McClean 	USA 97 Subaru Impreza 
21  29 2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	USA Martin Headland 	CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
23  78 3 Open Paul Dunn 	USA Ray Summers 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
24 527 3 Open Chris Gilligan 	USA Joe Petersen 	USA 91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 
25 173 3 Open Patrick Lilly 	USA Mark McAllister 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
26 891 3 Open Randy Zimmer 	USA David Shindle 	USA 93 Subaru Impreza 
27  49 3 Open Jonathan Ryther 	USA Roger Loeffers 	CN  00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 
28  45 3 GN   Shane Mitchell 	USA Paul Donnelly 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
29 103 3 GN   Wyeth Gubelmann 	USA Therin Pace 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
30  36 3 GN   Mark Cox 		USA Jim Gill 		USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 
31  94 3 GN   Craig Peeper 	USA Ian Bevan 		UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
32 136 3 GN   Jason Rivas 	USA Ole Holter 		USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
33 207 3 G5   Dave Hintz 	USA Rick Hintz 		USA 86 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 
34  98 3 G2   Robert Nielsen 	USA Brenda Lewis 	USA 87 VW Golf GTi 
35  90 3 G2   L. O'Sullivan 	USA Matt Chester 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 
36  42 3 G2   Eric Burmeister 	USA Eric Adams 		USA 01 Mazda Protégé MP3 
37  86 3 P    Michael Halley 	USA Dave Weiman 	USA 99 VW New Beetle 
38  77 4 PGT  Bob Henderson 	USA John McArthur 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
39 122 4 Open Dennis Martin 	USA Kim Demotte 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
40 588 4 GN   Jerry Churchill 	USA Jim Roxbury 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
41 504 5 Open Carl Redner 	USA Scott Carlborn 	USA 92 Mitsubishi Eclipse  
42 432 5 GN   Ron Nelson 	USA James Burtis 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
43 549 5 PGT  Thanasi Samaras 	USA Erick Vandeburg 	USA 93 Eagle Talon 
44 514 5 PGT  Roland McIvor 	USA     		    95 Mitsubishi Eclipse 
45 916 5 PGT  Jonathan Bottoms  USA Eric Dahlgren 	USA 99 Subaru Impreza 
46 534 5 G5   Robert Olson 	USA Conrad Ketelsen 	USA 93 Porsche 911 
47 121 5 G2   Pablo Sanfranciso USA     		    85 VW Golf GTi 
48  84 5 G2   J.B. Niday 	USA Allan Kintigh 	USA 92 VW Golf GTi 
49 545 5 P    Eric Seppanen 	USA Jake Himes 		USA 92 Nissan Sentra 
50  72 5 P    Jon Hamilton 	USA Ken Sabo 		USA 00 VW Golf TDI 


Media Contact:
Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) 

Websites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com 
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi 
and Subaru, and is televised in North America on Speed Channel
 


SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests

Lovell Leads, Then Retires, Mark Higgins Takes the Point: 

BEMIDJI, Minnesota Day one of the 2002 Ojibwe Forests Rally proved to be one of 
the most unique of the season, with surprisingly cool weather turning cold and 
very wet in the night. Retirements abounded, with the dark forests claiming both 
Championship leaders and local favorites. Finally leading a rally - Mark Higgins 
and substitute co-driver Claire Mole have a solid, commanding position entering 
day 2, leading the rally over brother and Championship points leader David Higgins 
by just over one minute.

Key Notes:

Getting to the front wasn't easy for Mark Higgins, who has had more than his share 
of challenges during his first season of SCCA ProRallying, with brake problems early 
in the stages, and running out of fuel at the end of SS4. 

Rhys Millen, whose hopes were so high coming into Ojibwe after his respectable showing 
at Maine Forest, was the first casualty of the day, having a huge off about 3 miles 
into SS1 while rebounding from a full throttle series of jumps. Both Millen and 
co-driver Cowan are fine, but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII is a write-off. 

Mark Lovell, coming off two convincing wins at Pikes Peak and Maine Forest, was off 
to a solid start in the early stages, taking the lead after SS3. Leaving the mid-evening 
service, the weather turned very foul, and like all teams was using all his lighting to 
find his way through the torrential downpour. An electrical fault occurred, and the 
battery went dead shortly thereafter, ending his rally. 

UK visitors John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick got themselves high-centered on a berm during 
one of the downpours, and were unable to get a tug out of the mire before being time-barred 
from the event. 
Tim O'Neil leads Group N and is one of the fields fastest risers, coming from a 21st on 
the road starting position to hold onto 5th overall at the end of Day One. The wet weather 
suited the Group N contingent well, with just one retirement in the class (newcomer Jerry 
Churchill #588) and many of the group posting significant road position gains (11 places 
for Brendan Cunningham #31, 16 positions for Shane Mitchell #45, and a remarkable 23 
positions for Ron Nelson #432). 

Lauchlin O'Sullivan is in control of the Group 2 competition, with a nearly one-minute lead 
over local favorite Robert Nielsen. Drivers and Manufacturers Championship runner-up Eric 
Burmeister, no stranger to Ojibwe Forests, is out of the event, after striking a rock and 
destroying a wheel and front axle on his Mazda Protégé, and ending his mathematical chances 
for a year-end podium. 

Who would have thought Production Class would be a "Battle of the Sexes?" Michael Halley 
and David Weiman lead Production class, in the "Stud Bug" by a healthy four and a 
half-minute margin over the 2nd place all-girl team of Jamie Thomas and Tina Lengacher. 
Weiman, who normally co-drives for Jeff Field, was without a ride following his big shunt 
with Field at Maine Forest in July, and secured the co-drive with Halley just prior to 
Ojibwe. A solid finish for Weiman is critical for his Production class championship chances 
over second place in points co-driver Ken Sabo. Regardless of how this weekend comes out, 
Weiman is still a winner in one battle: he will be co-driving for Thomas at Wild West. 

Start Finish Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car Time 
 4  1   5 0 Open Mark Higgins 	 UK  Claire Mole 	UK  03 Hyundai Tiburon 	  1:04.63 
 1  2  16 0 Open David Higgins 	 UK  Daniel Barritt 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:05.66 
 3  3   6 0 Open Paul Choiniere  USA Jeff Becker 	USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 	  1:09.32 
 6  4   2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann USA Michael Kidd 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:09.97 
21  5  29 2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	 USA Martin Headland 	CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:11.62 
 7  6  25 0 GN   Seamus Burke 	 USA Rory Kennedy 	IRL 00 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:11.88 
10  7  88 3 Open Doug Havir 	 USA Scott Putnam 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:14.55 
31  8 136 3 GN   Jason Rivas 	 USA Ole Holter 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:15.23 
20  9  31 2 GN   B. Cunningham   USA Paul McClean 	USA 97 Subaru Impreza 	  1:15.24 
14 10  22 1 GN   Ralph Kosmides  USA Jimmy Brandt 	USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:15.91 
27 11  45 3 GN   Shane Mitchell  USA Paul Donnelly 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.01 
12 12  50 1 Open Steve Gingras   USA Christian Edstrom 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.40 
22 13  78 3 Open Paul Dunn 	 USA Ray Summers 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Evo IV  1:16.61 
11 14  32 1 Open Paul Eklund 	 USA Scott Huhn 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:16.80 
13 15  44 1 GN   H. Krolikowski  USA Cindy Krolikowski  USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:17.88 
25 16 891 3 Open Randy Zimmer 	 USA Ed Wahl 		USA 93 Subaru Impreza 	  1:17.95 
38 17 122 4 Open Dennis Martin 	 USA Kim Demotte 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Evo IV  1:18.07 
17 18  41 2 Open John Drislane   USA Ronan Burke 	USA 00 Mitsubishi Evo VI  1:18.26 
48 19 534 5 G5   Robert Olson 	 USA Conrad Ketelsen 	USA 93 Porsche 911 	  1:18.30 
43 20 432 5 GN   Ron Nelson 	 USA James Burtis 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Evo VII 1:19.67 
34 21  90 3 G2   L. O'Sullivan   USA Matt Chester 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer  1:19.76 
29 22  36 3 GN   Mark Cox 	 USA Jim Gill 		USA 00 Mitsubishi Evo VI  1:19.79 
33 23  98 3 G2   Robert Nielsen  USA Brenda Lewis 	USA 87 VW Golf GTi 	  1:20.71 
30 24  94 3 GN   Craig Peeper 	 USA Ian Bevan 		UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 1:21.35 
16 25  48 1 Open Lon Petersen    USA Ben Bradley 	USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS  1:21.39 


Day One Leading Retirements - (Unofficial)

Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year/Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 
  3 Rhys Millen 	Garry Cowan 	Open 	02 Mitsubishi 	SS1 Crash 
 42 Eric Burmeister 	Eric Adams 	G2 	00 Mazda 	SS1 Axle, wheel failure 
 49 Jonathan Ryther 	Roger Loeffers 	Open 	00 Subaru 	SS1 Overheating head gasket 
173 Patrick Lilly 	Mark McAllister Open 	00 Mitsubishi 	SS2 Undisclosed mechanical 
110 Mark Nelson 	Charles Bradley Open 	00 Mitsubishi 	SS4 Crushed radiator 
  2 Mark Lovell 	Steve Turvey 	Open 	02 Subaru 	SS4 Electrical - battery 
 12 John Lloyd 		Pauline Gullick Gr A 	96 Subaru 	SS7 High centered on berm 

Media Contact:
Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Press room phone: (218) 751-9500 - ext 319
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) 
Websites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com 
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru,



SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #8 - Ojibwe Forests

Mark Higgins and Hyundai Earn Top Honors
O'Sullivan Captures Group 2 Driver/MFG Championships: 

BEMIDJI, Minnesota After 7 successive attempts, Mark Higgins has finally earned 
his first SCCA ProRally victory, and the second first place finish for Hyundai 
in the 2002 season. Hyundai has an impressive tradition of strong finishes here 
(sweeping all three podium positions in 2000 - a first for the Korean manufacturer). 
Mitsubishi, despite a trying season in the Open class did succeed brilliantly in 
the Group 2 class with its normally-aspirated US market Lancer, locking up the 
manufacturers race in that category with two events to spare over challenger 
Eric Burmeister and his Mazda Protégé.

Key Notes: 

It has been a long climb for Mark Higgins, but both he, and Hyundai made a determined 
drive to the top of the podium in northern Minnesota tonight. As reported earlier, 
this climb hasn't been an easy one through the season, and even at this weekend's 
rally. At the final service, a turbo and a rear brake caliper had to be replaced, 
adding some last minute tensions to the teams overall victory mission.
 
Lauchlin O'Sullivan became the first driver in the 2002 Championship to clinch a Drivers 
and Manufacturers title simultaneously. Driving a very steady rally, which he admitted 
was "the toughest kind to drive" O'Sullivan kept good pace throughout, delivering a 
nearly two-minute victory window over nearest challenger Robert Nielsen. In what could 
be defined at the most consistent championship charge of the season, O'Sullivan had a bit 
of a rocky start at Sno*Drift in January, with a completely new and un-tested car. 
At Cherokee Trails, the "Evo 2" version of the two-wheel drive, normally aspirated Lancer 
arrived, with more aggressive 4-wheel disc brakes. Here at Ojibwe, the "Evo 3" version 
debuted, with the one item that Lauchlin has been wishing for all season - better gear 
ratios. Through it all, the O'Sullivan/Matt Chester team accepted both the car's limitations 
(horsepower and gearing) and its virtues (reliability and durability) and never failed to 
put the car on the Group 2 podium at every event, winning in-class at the last four SCCA ProRallys.
 
The international appeal of the SCCA ProRally Championship continues to grow, with the first 
(possibly ever) Lithuanian team entering and finishing at Ojibwe. Driving a Subaru Impreza, 
the team of Valdemaras Maciukevicius and Arunas Salkauskas finished 26th overall and 2nd in 
the Production GT category - an impressive finish immediately behind class leaders Bob Henderson 
and John McArthur. The Bolivian team (also a first-time entry in SCCA ProRally) of Marcelo Zuleta 
and Mirko Suarez didn't fare quite as well, retiring halfway through Day Two with mechanical woes.
 
Tim O'Neil and Martin Headland continue to chew away at Group N class leaders Ralph Kosmides and 
Jimmy Brandt's points advantage, in a battle that will very likely go right down to the season ending 
rally at Lake Superior. While Seamus Burke won the class outright with a terrific ride in a hastily 
rented Subaru (substituting for his trusty Mitsubishi Lancer that had terminal engine problems that 
surfaced in pre-event testing), this was his first Group N ride of the season, so he isn't a contender 
for the class championship. With the championship returning to the west coast in three weeks at Wild West, 
Kosmides "home" event, this already simmering hot class championship battle will get positively boiling. 
Overall Championship Driver's standings: David Higgins 120, Mark Higgins 88, Mark Lovell 84, with the 
nearest next challengers tied at 41 points a piece (Mark Nelson and Rhys Millen)
 
The see-sawing manufacturer battle between Hyundai and Subaru tipped in Hyundai's favor again with 
Mark Higgins strong first place finish, and Paul Choiniere's fierce drive to 3rd, effectively shielding 
a very hard charging Ramana Lagemann and Michael Kidd from 3rd place manufacturer points by a mere 
8 seconds. Following Lovell's retirement, Lagemann lit the fuse, and gained considerable time on the 
field, particularly on the two special spectator stages at "The Ranch" near downtown Akeley. 


Final Results - (Official)

St Fin Car S Cl   Driver 		    Co-Driver       	    Car 			Time 
 4  1   5  0 Open Mark Higgins 	 	UK  Claire Mole 	UK  03 Hyundai Tiburon 	   	2:00 46 
 1  2  16  0 Open David Higgins   	UK  Daniel Barritt 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX  	2:02:01 
 3  3   6  0 Open Paul Choiniere  	USA Jeff Becker 	USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 	   	2:04:50 
 6  4   2  1 Open Ramana Lagemann 	USA Michael Kidd 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX  	2:04:58 
 7  5  25  0 GN   Seamus Burke 	 	USA Rory Kennedy 	IRL 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 	2:12:05 
21  6  29  2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	 	USA Martin Headland 	CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:12:37 
10  7  88  3 Open Doug Havir 	 	USA Scott Putnam 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:14:40 
20  8  31  2 GN   Brenden Cunningham   	USA Paul McClean 	USA 97 Subaru Impreza 		2:18:53 
14  9  22  1 GN   Ralph Kosmides  	USA Jimmy Brandt 	USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:20:31 
22 10  78  3 Open Paul Dunn 	 	USA Ray Summers 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 2:21:11 
13 11  44  1 GN   Henry Krolikowski  	USA Cindy Krolikowski 	USA 00 Subaru Impreza WRX-STi 	2:21:44 
38 12 122  4 Open Dennis Martin 	USA Kim Demotte 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 2:22:58 
19 13  83  2 GN   Mark Utecht 	 	USA Jeff Secor 		USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:24:11 
48 14 534  5 G5   Robert Olson 	 	USA Conrad Ketelsen 	USA 93 Porsche 911 		2:25:52 
43 15 432  5 GN   Ron Nelson 	 	USA James Burtis 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII2:26:55 
34 16  90  3 G2   LLauchlin O'Sullivan  USA Matt Chester 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 	2:27:11 
30 17  94  3 GN   Craig Peeper 	 	USA Ian Bevan 		UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:27:22 
16 18  48  1 Open Lon Petersen 	 	USA Ben Bradley 	USA 00 Subaru Impreza RS 2.5 	2:27:44 
29 19  36  3 GN   Mark Cox 	 	USA Jim Gill 		USA 00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 2:28:15 
33 20  98  3 G2   Robert Nielsen  	USA Brenda Lewis 	USA 87 VW Golf GTi 		2:29:17 
32 21 207  3 G5   David Hintz 	 	USA Rick Hintz 		USA 86 Mazda RX-7 turbo 	2:29:29 
37 22  77  4 PGT  Bob Henderson   	USA John McArthur 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	2:33:46 
50 23 121  5 G2   Pablo Sanfransisco 	USA David Shindle 	USA 85 VW Golf GTi 		2:34:04 
36 24  86  3 P    Michael Halley 	USA David Weiman 	USA 99 VW New Beetle 		2:34:20 
41 25 504  5 Open Carl Redner 		USA Scott Carlborn 	USA 91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 	2:36:13 
44 26 612  5 PGT  V. Maciukevicius 	LT  Arunas Salkauskas 	LT  00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 	2:39:35 
15 27  52  1 G5   Doug Shepherd 	USA Joe Andreini 	USA 01 Dodge Neon SRT-4 	2:50:32 
58 28 215  5 P    Jamie Thomas 		USA Tina Lengacher 	USA 95 Subaru Impreza 		3:11:46 
72 29 190  8 P    Emilio Lezcano 	USA Paula Gibeault 	USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 		3:23:29 

Day One Leading Retirements - (Official)

Car Drivers  		Co-Drivers 	  Cl   Make 		Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 
  3 Rhys Millen 	Garry Cowan 	  Open 02 Mitsubishi 	SS1 Crash 
 42 Eric Burmeister 	Eric Adams 	  G2   00 Mazda 	SS1 Axle, wheel failure 
110 Mark Nelson 	Charles Bradley   Open 00 Mitsubishi 	SS4 Crushed radiator 
  1 Mark Lovell 	Steve Turvey      Open 02 Subaru 	SS7 Electrical - battery 
 12 John Lloyd 		Pauline Gullick   Gr A 96 Subaru 	SS7 Slid off road into ditch 

Day Two Leading Retirements - (Unofficial)

Car Drivers  		Co-Drivers 	  Cl   Make 		Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 
136 Jason Rivas 	Ole Holter 	  GN   02 Subaru 	SS12 Slid off road, roll-over 
103 Wyeth Gubelman 	Therin Pace 	  GN   02 Subaru 	SS12 High-center on berm 
 50 Steve Gingras 	Christian Edstrom Open 02 Subaru 	SS12 Ball joint 
 32 Paul Eklund 	Scott Huhn 	  Open 02 Subaru 	SS12 Transmission  
 72 John Hamilton 	Ken Sabo 	  P    00 VW 		SS13 Off-road 

Media Contact:

Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Central Time (GMT - 6 hours) 
Websites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
Ojibwe Forests ProRally: www.ojibweforestsrally.com 
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, 
and is televised in North America on Speed Channel

2002 ProRally Index
RRN Index