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Round #4 - 1994 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Championship May 13-15, 1994
Press Notes by Andy Schupack |
MEDIA ALERT
Event: Rim of the World PRO Rally - Round #4 of the 1994 Michelin
PRO Rally Series. Race cars from around the world will
compete at high speeds through the Angeles National Forest
near Palmdale, California.
When: Friday - Sunday, May 13 - 15, 1994
Schedule_-_Friday
8:45 AM - Meet at Ramada Inn, 300 West Palmdale Blvd.,
Palmdale, CA 93551. (805) 273-1200 for caravan or
rides to press stage. Los Angeles and San Fernando
Valley media to meet at Wendy's on Magic Mountain
Parkway in Valencia.
9:30 AM - Press stage in Angeles National Forest - rides in
rally cars for working media followed by Toyota
Motorsports press luncheon.
1:00 PM - Registration - Ramada Inn, Palmdale.
Tech Inspection - America's Tire Company, Valley
Central Shopping Center, Lancaster (across from
Home Base - Avenue J and Hwy. 14)
6:30 PM - Display of rally vehicles - Ramada Inn - Palmdale
7:00 PM - Start - Day #1: Rim of the World PRO Rally -
Ramada Inn - Palmdale
11:30 PM - Finish - Day #1: Rim of the World PRO Rally -
Ramada Inn - Palmdale
Schedule_-_Saturday
10:00 AM - Rally car displays, music, t-shirts, racing
souvenirs, etc. - Antelope Valley Mall, Highway 14
and 10th Street West, Palmdale
1:00 PM - Start - Day #2: Rim of the World PRO Rally/
Budweiser Daylight Dash,
Antelope Valley Mall - Palmdale
1:30 PM - First stage begins - Angeles National Forest
5:30 PM - Service stop, dinner break, Awards for the
Budweiser Daylight Dash, Lindy's Auto Parts-
sponsored Stage #6, Del Taco Stage #9 (public
invited for dinner - $4.00, and awards) - Lake
Hughes Community Club
7:30 PM - First car start - night section
11:00 PM - Finish: Rim of the World PRO Rally -
Ramada Inn - Palmdale
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Ramada Inn in Palmdale.
A list of public viewing areas for the rally is available
from the Ramada Inn in Palmdale, the Antelope Valley Mall, or
by calling the contact people below.
Duration: 105 stage miles, 292 total miles, 13 stages
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of
America and sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation.
Presented by the California Sports Car Club Region of the
Sports Car Club of America, and conducted by Rim of the
World PRO Rally Committee, Paula Gibeault - Chairperson.
Field administration by the American Rally Association.
Expected Top Entries: Paul Choiniere - defending overall three-
national and 2-time Rim champion - in his Audi Quattro S-2;
Jeff Zwart, filmmaker, in a Porsche Carrera 4 (4WD);
Henry Joy - finished second in '94 national opener in
Washington -in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Peter Moodie - Jamaican
rally champion - in an updated Millen Motorsports Group A
Mazda 323GTX; Selcuk Karamanoglu - Turkish rally champion now
from Bath, ME - has won GT class twice this year in his
Mitsubishi Eclipse; Kazushi Kita - Japanese rally driver - in
a Group A Nissan March; Makio Yamanaka - Japanese rally driver
- in a Group A Mazda 323GTX; Goran Ostland - from San Salvador
- currently leads Group 2 class in his Saab 99;
Rhys Millen, son of rally champion Rod Millen, in a Toyota
All-Trac; Dave Turner - former off-road racer and winner of
the Production class in Washington last month - in a
Production Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Visuals: There will be escorts to take photographers and
video crews onto the course during the daylight part
of the rally on Saturday. Anyone requiring supplied
photos or video should contact Andy Schupack in the
press room starting May 12. Rally cars going
through water, 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 lobby of
the Ramada Inn, Palmdale.
Contact: Andy Schupack - national series media liaison:
(401) 739-5677 (now thru May 11 and after May 25)
(805) 267-1725 (direct line - May 12 - 15)
or
Paula Gibeault - Rim of the World PRO Rally
Committee Chairperson
(619) 375-8704
# # #
Reminder: Press stage for working media (meet the drivers, ride through
the forest at race speed in the co-driver's seat, interviews,
video, etc.) on Friday, May 13. See enclosed invitation or
call for details.
For Immediate Release Contact:
Paula Gibeault (619) 375-8704
Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
INTERNATIONAL FIELD, PRE-RALLY ACTIVITY MAKE '94 RIM
A MUST FOR SPORTS CAR FANS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
PALMDALE, CA -- May 3 -- At which auto race with an
international field of cars can you have dinner with the
drivers for four bucks, see the race for free, and win a set
of Michelin tires worth $1,000?
It's not the Indy 500 or the Long Beach Grand Prix. It's
the Rim ofthe World PRO Rally in Palmdale, May 13 - 15 -
round #4 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series.
"We wanted to create an event that provides even the casual
fan entertainment which goes beyond just the racing aspect of
our event," said Paula Gibeault, Rim organizer.
On Friday, May 13, at 1:00 PM, tech inspection of every car will
take place at America's Tire Company in the Valley Central
Shopping Center in Lancaster. As America's largest Michelin dealer,
and Lancaster's newest tire outlet, America's Tire Company will give away
a set of Michelin Tires (winner's choice) and custom wheels during the
tech inspection, which will last until 5:00 PM. Fans can meet the
drivers and look at the cars up close, as well as get a rally
program which includes viewing area maps and entry lists. While they are
looking at the race cars, fans are invited into America's Tire Company
showroom, which features a large selection of tire and custom wheels.
On Saturday, the festivities start at the Antelope Valley
Mall at 10:00 AM, where the cars will again be on display,
only this time with their Friday night rally wounds (dented
fenders and maybe even dented roofs). KAVL-AM radio, the
official radio station of the '94 Rim of the World event,
will be providing the music, and Rim of the World/R&E Racing
T-shirts will be available for sale. Boy Scout Troop #444 will
be on hand to sell a variety of lunch items.
Saturday's activities also include the popular Budweiser
Daylight Dash awards to be given at the dinner break in Lake
Hughes, and several good places in the Angeles National Forest
to watch the rally cars in action. The public can join the
rally drivers for dinner at the Lake Hughes Community Center
for only four dollars, and watch the service crews
feverishly trying to repair broken shocks and overheating engines
before the cars tackle the final nighttime stages.
Also at Lake Hughes, cash awards will be give to the winners of Lindy's
Auto Parts Stage #6 and Del Taco Stage #9.
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. 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 of the Angeles National Forest.
Speeds of more than 100 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.
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.
Besides two open classes, there are other classes to accommodate
production sedans and mini-pickups.
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.
# # #
A couple of quick PRO Rally notes heading into the Rim of the World weekend:
--Rhys Millen and Millen Motorsports is preparing a car for Beverly Hills 90210 star Jason
Priestley to run in the national event. The Toyota All-trac, provided by the factory, will be
identical to the car Rhys ran at Olympia last month.
--Carl Merrill, distraught over the ruling that took away his win at Olympia, had decided to
quit the sport, but has reconsidered and will be at Rim of the World - good news for all
rally fans who would miss both Carl and his Ford Escort Cosworth.
--An important step in Michelin's promotional effort in PRO Rally will be the dealer promotion
they are running at America's Tire Company in Lancaster in conjunction with the rally on
Friday, May 13. The local dealer is sponsoring tech, which will be at the store (Avenue J
and Highway 14) from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM. All rally fans are encouraged to turn out for the
prizes, giveaways, and fun.
SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY SERIES
ROUND #4 - RIM OF THE WORLD PRO RALLY
PALMDALE, CALIFORNIA
MAY 13 - 15, 1994
NATIONAL ENTRY LIST
Final
Car Driver/ National Class/
# Co-driver Hometown Vehicle Divisional
1 Paul Choiniere Shelburne, VT Audi Open
Jeff Becker Great Neck, NY Quattro S-2
5 Henry Joy Wilmette, IL Mitsubishi Open
Brian Maxwell Port Hope, ONT Eclipse
3 Carl Merrill Ogunquit, ME Ford Escort Open
Jon Wickens Bloomfield Hills, MI Cosworth
4 Jeff Zwart Woody Creek, CO Porsche Open
Tony Sircombe Corona Del Mar, CA Carrera 4
21 Greg Lund Kent, WA Mazda 323GTX Group A
Lynne Lund Kent, WA
98 Vinnie Frontinan Somerville, MA Toyota Group A
Frank Arruda Johnston, RI Celica GT4
16 Selcuk Karamanoglu Bath, ME Mitsubishi Prod. GT
John McArthur Honeoye Falls, NY Eclipse
25 Peter Moodie Kingston, Jamaica Mazda 323GTX Group A
Michael Fennell Kingston, Jamaica
32 Kazushi Kita Osaka, Japan Nissan March Group A
Hiroyuki Okuda Hyogo, Japan
34 Makio Yamanaka Tokyo, Japan Mazda 323GTX Group A
Fumiaki Yamazaki Tokyo, Japan
24 Goran Ostlund San Salvador Saab 99 Group 2/
Steve Baker Snohomish, WA Div.
28 Sam Bryan Kent, WA Saab 900 Group 2/
Mark Simons Buckley, WA Div.
20 Mike Whitman Farmington, NM Datsun 510 Group 2/
Kevin Linville Durango, CO Div.
33 Jeff Henricks Prescott, AZ Jeep Comanche Truck/
Noble Jones Prescott, AZ Pick-up Div.
14 Rhys Millen Newport Beach, CA Toyota Celica Prod. GT
Chris Griffin Tujunga, CA All-trac
46 Rui Brasil San Jose, CA Audi Quattro Open/
Tony Tavares San Jose, CA Div.
42 Mitch McCullough Laguna Nigel, CA Mazda 323GTX Open/
Scott Webb Hermosa Beach, CA Div.
94 Dave Turner Hemet, CA Mitsubishi Production/
Ben Bradley Portland, OR Eclipse Div.
36 Matt Sweeney Van Nuys, CA Toyota Group 2/
Lucinda Strub Van Nuys, CA pick-up Div.
83 Chris Weleff Riverside, CA Toyota Celica Group A/
Brian Paul Anaheim, CA All-trac Div.
43 Peter Lahm Phoenix, AZ Datsun 510 Group 2
Keith Roper Peoria, AZ
23 Tony Chavez Santa Fe Springs, CA Datsun 510 Open/
John Elkin Lytle Creek, CA Div.
35 Jay Priestley Van Nuys, CA Toyota Celica Prod. GT/
Kevin Caffrey North Hollywood, CA All-trac Div.
71 Janice Damitio Montesano, WA Datsun 510 Open/
Ray Damitio Montesano, WA Div.
DIVISIONAL ONLY
111 Lon Peterson Victorville, CA Plymouth Arrow
Bill Gutzmann Ontario, CA
179 Roger Hull Prescott, AZ Mitsubishi
Shawn Gallagher Studio City, CA Pick-up
118 Carl Jardevall Santa Monica, CA Saab 99
Anders Karlsson Moorpark, CA
117 Anton Musev Corona, CA Subaru RX Turbo
Larry Scott Escondido, CA
110 Bill Malik Burbank, CA Volvo 240
Roine Andresson N. Hollywood, CA
105 Ron Wood Costa Mesa, CA VW Scirocco
Kelly Walsh Costa Mesa, Ca
124 Dennis Chizma Simi, CA VW Rabbit
John Forespring Chatsworth, CA
119 George Tavares San Jose, CA Porsche 911
TBA
183 Richard Wantanabe West Covina, CA Datsun B-210
Howard Wantanabe West Covina, CA
180 Kurosh Jahromi Palmdale, CA Audi Quattro
Larry York Palmdale, CA
129 Rod Koch Norco, CA VW Fastback
Todd Bane Norco, CA
166 Robert Tallini Downey, CA Toyota Corolla
Mark Scott Palmdale, CA
154 Mike Marcy Norwalk, CA Plymouth Sapporo
Aaron McErlane Downey, CA
114 Sam Moore Cucamonga, CA Plymouth Fire Arrow
John Moore Lytle Creek, CA
133 Tony DelaCuesta Simi Valley, CA Toyota Corolla
Tino Alcances Northridge, CA
137 Jeff Bruett Sacramento, CA Dodge Charger
Terry Stonecipher Bakersfield, CA
156 Steve Scott Montrose, CA Toyota Corolla
Bob Scott Sun Valley, CA
132 Joao Brasil San Jose, CA Audi 4000 Quattro
Jose Dutra San Jose, CA
142 Jimmy Fortaleza Van Nuys, CA Toyota Corolla
Lawrence Pascua Reseda, CA
163 Jose Soares Antioch, CA Toyota Celica All-trac
Carlos Tavares San Jose, CA
170 David Jacobus Santee, CA Dodge Colt
Jennifer Peterson Victorville, CA
177 Cable Rhodes Prescott, AZ Mazda RX-7
Michael Taylor Prescott Valley, AZ
181 Ralph Kosmides Newport Beach, CA Ford Escort
Joseph Noyes Seattle, WA
148 Jose Pauletti Irvine, CA Alfa Romeo GTV
Chris Bradshaw Chatsworth, CA
183 William Nation Los Angeles, CA Mazda RX-7
Donna Casias Los Angeles, CA
171 Garnet Baril Provo, UT Volkswagen Rabbit
Pamela Baril Provo, UT
143 Joe Vondracek Brisbane, CA Dodge Charger
Bud Wilkinson San Mateo, CA
140 Benedikte Webb Redmount, CA Datsun 510
Lee Hart San Francisco, CA
159 Al Chavez Covina, CA Datsun 510
Cam Jackson Portland, OR
178 Adelfo Borja Castaic, CA Toyota Corolla
Emilio Dacumos Simi Valley, CA
125 Adrienne Scott Sun Valley, CA Toyota Celica
Maureen O'Malla Palmdale, CA
Press Notes #1
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 13, 1994 - 9:00 PM (Pacific Standard)
1. 56 cars - 24 national entries, 11 national/divisional
entries, and 31 divisional-only cars - took the countdown
and green flag for the 11th annual Rim of the World PRO
Rally, round #4 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series.
The cars will run five stages tonight, starting near
Magic Mountain amusement park, and eight stages tomorrow,
starting at 1:00 PM and finishing up near midnight.
2. As Yogi Berra might put it, "it was deja vu all over
again" for the Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/Jon
Wickens at the Rim of the World press event earlier
today. Merrill, who bent his cooling fan leading to a
blown engine and a DNF in the '93 Rim rally after jumping
his car on the press stage, poked a hole in his radiator
on the same stretch of road today. This time, however,
they were able to shut the car off before incurring any
damage, and Merrill's crew fixed the car before the start
of the rally.
3. Other press stage "casualties" included the Toyota Celica
GT4 of Vinnie Frontinan/Frank Arruda (suspension
problems) and the Mazda 323GTX of Peter Moodie/Michael
Fennell (fuel management problems dating back to the last
event in Washington last month). Both teams fixed their
ills before the start of the event.
4. The other activity at the press stage, of course, was
press activity, which included motorsports media such as
Paul Dybro from SPORTS CAR, Pete Lyons from AUTOWEEK
(doing a feature story to appear later this summer), and
Su Kemper from ON TRACK. Also, there were approximately
20 representatives of the entertainment media to cover
Jason Priestley's first Rim of the World start.
Priestley, one of the stars of "Beverly Hills 90210,"
is debuting a new Production GT Toyota All-trac built by
Rhys Millen. Along with co-driver Kevin Caffrey,
Priestley has run several divisional rallies and the
Prescott Forest Rally in '93, where he DNFed in the
national, but finished the Saturday divisional third in
seed.
5. Some series-wide news:
--Because the Detroit Region of the SCCA could not come
up with a candidate to chair their year's Press-on-
Regardless rally in Houghton, Michigan (October 23-24),
there won't be a "Press-on-Regardless" PRO Rally for
1994. The Detroit Region has the option to retain the
name POR, and will instead run a brisk TSD rally with
that name in September.
The good news is that co-driver and Marquette, Mich.,
resident Kevin DeLoughery, a member of the Lake
Superior Region, has agreed to organize the Houghton
event, which will now tentatively called the Copper
Country PRO Rally. Both the Houghton Area Chamber of
Commerce, and many of the Detroit Region volunteers who
have made the rally so successful in the past will be
involved with the event.
--The whole Carl Merrill/Doug Shepherd Wild West Rally
disqualification incident is now behind us as a protest
board, acting on a protest from Merrill's team, upheld
the decision to disqualify the pair for speeding in
excess of 15 mph of the posted speed limit. Merrill,
who had initially thought of giving up rally after the
decision as it took away an apparent victory for his
Ford Escort Cosworth, reconsidered after a flood of
calls from friends in the rally community.
--Jeff Zwart, who is trying for his third PRO Rally win
in a row here this weekend, will skip the upcoming STPR
event in Pennsylvania in June to prepare his Porsche
Carrera 4 for the July 4 Pikes Peak event. Zwart will
install a turbo motor from the SuperCar series which
develops 500 horsepower. Co-driver Tony Sircombe, who
is now employed by the Subaru 555 World Rally team,
will run with Zwart this weekend, but will be replaced
by veteran Martin Headland in the Porsche for the rest
of the season.
6. Despite the fact that Zwart, Merrill and the Henry
Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse - who finished
second at Wild West - have gotten a jump on defending
champions Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker for 1994, make no
mistake about it; their Audi Quattro S-2 is still the
favorite to score their third straight Rim of the World
title. Choiniere, who won the '93 event despite losing
his power steering on the circuit's twistiest course, did
not finish the Washington event last month when they
rolled their car.
Press Notes #2
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 13, 1994 - 11:00 PM (Pacific Standard)
7. Some pre-rally quotes:
--Henry Joy/Open class Mitsubishi Eclipse driver: I brought Brian on
board because I needed a co-driver who can push me a little harder.
Speeds here are slower. The heat is a real problem. Hopefully
it'll be cooler this evening. The secret will be to be careful on
the waterbars, even the little ones . They sneak up on you.
--Brian Maxwell - new co-driver for Henry Joy: My second event with
Henry Joy. He's a young guy with ambition; I'm an old fart with
"that look" in his eye. He brought me on board to try and run a
little faster. I co-drove with Jean Sebastian Besner in Canada last
year. He won the Canadian Novice of the year. My last time at Rim
was in 1989.
The key to being a good co-driver: a strong stomach, being logical
and consistent under pressure. We don't want unnecessary penalties,
especially at the time controls on non-competitive stages. I count
down the corners for Henry, the trick is to be smooth and rhythmic.
--Greg Lund/Group A Mazda 323GTX: (asked how do you prepare for a
rally) After each event, we tear the whole car down (except for the
engine) to make sure everything is okay then tighten it all back up
again. We try to test before the event. Probably half our free
time is spent prepping the car for the next event.
--Paul Choiniere/Audi Quattro S-2: The secret to success at the Rim is
to pace youself; there's a lot of ralling left on Saturday if you
can make it through Friday night.
--Dave Turner/Mitsubishi Eclipse - Production class:
My strategy this weekend is to be conservative, just run finish.
This car is stone reliable. This is the second year for this car
and it continues to perform flawlessly.
--Tom Grinshaw, series manager and former champion co-driver:
Expect a good clean, safe ralley this weekend. It's really twisty,
there are tough stages out here. Terrain makes it hard to read the
next corner. My picks are: Choiniere, Merrill, and Zwart, assuming
none of them does anything dumb.
8. Stage times are coming in slowly, but here are selected raw scores
after two stages:
STAGE 1 STAGE 2
P.Choi 1390 P.Choi 981
J.Zwar 1397 0% J.Zwar 1011 3%
P.Mood 1416 1% R.Bras 1026 4%
L.Pete 1432 3% P.Mood 1028 4%
C.Merr 1445 3% H.Joy 1035 5%
G.Ostl 1455 4% L.Pete 1054 7%
H.Joy 1487 6% G.Ostl 1063 8%
C.Jard 1489 7% M.McCu 1072 9%
M.Whit 1490 7% K.Kita 1084 10%
G.Tava 1494 7% V.Fron 1087 10%
R.Mill 1522 9% D.Chiz 1090 11%
S.Brya 1525 9% R.Wood 1095 11%
R.Bras 1526 9% M.Swee 1113 13%
M.McCu 1526 9% C.Merr 1117 13%
K.Kita 1536 10% J.Hend 1120 14%
R.Wood 1541 10% D.Turn 1123 14%
S.Kara 1548 11% R.Mill 1126 14%
M.Swee 1552 11% G.Tava 1126 14%
D.Chiz 1561 12% R.Wata 1127 14%
V.Fron 1562 12% S.Scot 1133 15%
J.Hend 1568 12% C.Jard 1138 16%
D.Turn 1580 13% S.Kara 1139 16%
A.Muse 1586 14% R.Hull 1141 16%
S.Scot 1590 14% G.Lund 1142 16%
R.Hull 1604 15% C.Wele 1145 16%
M.Yama 1605 15% T.Chav 1149 17%
S.Moor 1618 16% D.Jaco 1154 17%
G.Lund 1619 16% C.Rhod 1164 18%
C.Rhod 1631 17% S.Moor 1166 18%
R.Tall 1636 17% J.Vond 1176 19%
T.Dela 1641 18% M.Yama 1179 20%
T.Chav 1642 18% R.Kosm 1186 20%
R.Kosm 1651 18% R.Koch 1194 21%
C.Wele 1653 18% J.Dami 1201 22%
D.Jaco 1657 19% J.Prie 1218 24%
J.Vond 1689 21% T.Dela 1218 24%
G.Bari 1708 22% G.Bari 1228 25%
R.Koch 1720 23% S.Brya 1235 25%
J.Soar 1757 26% J.Soar 1332 35%
J.Prie 1803 29% R.Tall 1361 38%
J.Dami 1822 31% J.Paul 1443 47%
A.Chav 1844 32% A.Chav 2218 126%
B.Webb 2177 56%
J.Paul 2221 59%
R.Wata 2905 108%
M.Marc 7389 431%
Press Notes #3
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 14, 1994 - 1:00 AM (Pacific Standard)
9. Although we don't have final stage times as of yet for Friday night
(five stages), the Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Audi Quattro S-2 has a
1:39 lead over the Porsche Carrera 4 of Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe. The
Joy/Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse is third another 1:38 back.
10. Some of the war stories for the leaders after five stages:
--Choiniere/Becker Audi - running perfectly/no problems.
--Zwart/Sircombe Porsche - Zwart is feeling ill and went
right to sleep. Roads were especially rough - stayed in the middle
of the road to avoid ruts and big rocks.
--Merrill/Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth - had a flat tire on stage
#2 - lost a minute to the leaders.
--Ostlund/Baker Saab 99 - Group 2 leaders - accumulated road points
for speeding at the O control (on a transit road) - would have been
fourth overall without points; car down on power from altitude.
--Joy/Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse - bad relay had car running hot
early, but that was fixed and car seems fine.
--Frontinan/Arruda Toyota Celica GT4/Group A - new suspension not
working as well as planned; flat tire slowed times.
--Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTX/Group A - car is DNF after stage #3 as
an off-road excursion put them in a ditch. Moodie was third behind
Choiniere and Zwart when he went out.
--Lund/Lund Mazda 323GTX Group A - car down on power; also broke
half-shaft boot. Will try fixing in the morning.
--Karamanoglu/McArthur Mitsubishi Eclipse Production GT - broke center
differential - probably happened at last event in Washington. Does
not have replacement part - will try to weld in the morning.
--Priestley/Caffrey Toyota All-Trac Production GT - rough debut for
this Rhys Millen-built car as team lost driving lights early in the
event. Then, for stage four and five, they had no turbo power.
They will determine in the morning whether it was a hose or hardware
problem. Priestly said the course was rougher than he thought it
would be, and he was pleased just to finish. Also, he said the seat
time he got in the new racer tonight makes him more prepared for
tomorrow's final leg.
--Hendricks/Jones Jeep Comanche Pickup - truck class leader -
also accumulated road points for speeding at O control;
lost time on wrong choice of tire for some of the stages.
--Millen/Griffin Toyota Celica All-Trac/Production GT - leading
the class - car running well. Will replace loose wheel bearing
right front wheel in the morning.
--Turner/Bradley Mitsubishi Eclipse - Production class leader -
car running well; will run conservatively tomorrow to finish the
event to maximize points.
--McCullough/Webb Mazda 323GTX/Open - lost trip computer and map
light - had to navigate with flashlight.
--Whitman/Linville Datsun 510 - a DNF (and won't run tomorrow)
because of a broken oil line.
--Damitio/Damitio Datsun 510 - Driver Janice Damitio, used to the
smooth forest roads of the Northwest, said "If I ever had bones,
I don't think I have any left."
Rim of The World
NATIONAL
Informational Scores - Friday after five stages
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SEED SCORE
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Quattro S2 0 57:46 1 Open
4 Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche 1 59:25 2 Open
5 Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Eclipse 1 1:00:58 3 Open
24 Goran Ostlund/Steve Baker Saab 99 3 1:01:06 1 Group 2
3 Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Escort RS 1 1:01:19 4 Open
46 Rui Brasil/Tony Tavares Quattro 4 1:03:03 5 Open
42 Mitch McCullough/S Webb Mazda 323 4 1:03:09 6 Open
14 Rhys Millen/Chris Griffin Celica 3 1:04:27 1 GT
98 Vinnie Frontinan/F Aruda Celica 1 1:04:28 1 Group A
32 Kazushi Kita/H Okuda Nissan 3 1:04:33 2 Group A
33 Jeff Hendricks/N Jones Jeep PU 3 1:05:15 1 Rally Truck
83 Chris Weleff/Brian Paul Celica 5 1:05:53 3 Group A
94 Dave Turner/Ben Bradley Eclipse 4 1:06:15 1 Production
21 Greg Lund/Lynne Lund Mazda 323 1 1:06:28 4 Group A
16 S Karamanoglu/J McArthur Eclipse 2 1:06:39 2 GT
23 Tony Chavez/John Elkin Datsun 510 6 1:06:43 7 Open
34 Makio Yamanaka/F Yamazaki Mazda 323 3 1:08:57 5 Group A
28 Sam Bryan/Mark Simons Saab 900 3 1:09:48 2 Group 2
35 Jason Priestley/K Caffrey Celica 6 1:26:18 3 GT
36 Matt Sweeney/L Strub Toyota PU 4 1:32:10 3 Group 2
20 Mike Whitman/K Linville Datsun 510 3 DNF
43 Pete Lahm/Keith Roper Datsun 510 5 DNF
71 Janice Damitio/R Damitio Starlet 6 DNF
25 Peter Moodie/M Fennell Mazda 323 2 DNF
Press Notes #4
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 14, 1994 - 7:00 AM (Pacific Standard)
11. Many of the drivers went to bed trying to cook up ways to
protest the penalty points (either minutes added to their time
or disqualification) incurred from speeding on the transit stage and
being nailed by organizer radar last night (see note #10). But as
they wake up this morning, they are relieved to find that none of
those penalties were assessed. No, the organizer did not go soft on
speeding; quite the contrary as another radar O-control is planned
for today and the forest service has been promised that the rally
will obey all local speed limits to the letter. But the organizer
did not score the penalties from the O-control last night because it
was improperly signed. Rule 12.8.A.6 in the national rule book (page
35) states (in part) that all controls need to marked with an open
gate sign at a distance of about 100 feet, and the organizer ruled -
in response to protests already filed - that their Observation
control did not meet that requirement.
In conjunction with the disqualifications last month in Washington,
however, the American Rally Association is showing that, for the good
of relations between organizers and the local communities, it will
continue to enforce the rules in regards to speeding on transit.
Most of the drivers who supported the ruling of penalties and
disqualification in Washington last month thought the organizer
should have kept the penalties from last night. The drivers who
received penalties in Washington certainly thought the penalties here
should have stuck. Others waking up and seeing the ruling have
observed that, once again, the spirit of the rules are well-meaning,
but the rule book is both ambiguous and sometimes counter-productive.
ARA president John Buffum, organizers Mike and Paula Gibeault, and
several teams who do not agree with the ruling are having discussions
about the ruling. Teams have the option of filing a counter-protest
to convince the organizer to reinstate the penalties. The current
results - without the penalties - become provisional at 8:00 AM, with
30 minutes allowed for inquiries.
More to come.
Press Notes #5
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin
PRO Rally Series
May 14, 1994 - noon (Pacific Standard)
12. Tom Grimshaw, PRO Rally series manager, received a protest from
the Ford Escort Cosworth co-driver Jon Wickens at 9:00 AM this
morning asking Grimshaw to overturn the organizer's ruling to cast
out the penalties incurred for speeding on a transit. Wickens' point
was that, even if the signage was not exactly to code, only one
driver missed the control completely, indicating that almost everyone
knew it was a control. Wickens pointed out that the people who were
clocked at the violating speeds were speeding, and allowing them to
continue without penalty wasn't in the spirit of the rules or in the
best interest of the sport.
--Since the protest was filed after the divisional results became
official, the divisional results from Friday were unaffected by
Wickens' protest.
--Since the national times from Friday night were just that - times
and not results - Wickens' protest did not need to be filed right
away (he had up until 30 minutes after results are posted early
Sunday morning). But Grimshaw decided to rule on the protest right
away in order to give everyone an idea where they stood. He formed
a protest committee (as indicated by the procedures) of co-driver
Jeff Becker and co-driver and PRO Rally Board member John
Forespring.
--This committee agreed with Wickens' counterclaim that the purpose
of the Observation Control was to regulate competitor actions on
public roads open to public travel, and to cancel the scores from
the control due to a technicality defeats the self-policing efforts
intended by the rules.
Thus, the penalties were re-instituted for the national class only.
As indicated in note #10, the Goran Ostland/Steve Baker Saab received
six minutes in penalties, and the Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi
one minute. Others are unknown as this time because the penalties
were thrown out last night before they were recorded from the time
cards and input into the scoring computer. These penalties will be
added when the final scores are tabulated tonight.
What is known is that Jeff Hendricks/Noble Jones Jeep Comanche
Pick-up, the only racer running in the truck class, has been
disqualified from the national event. They still keep their
divisional points from Friday night, and can enter the divisional
today. Further significance is that Kerry Voll, editor of RALLY
Magazine, who won the truck class at the Sand Hills event in south
Carolina in February, still leads the truck class after four events.
Press Notes #6
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 14, 1994 - 7:00 PM (Pacific Standard)
13. The temperature was in the mid-to-upper '90s and breezy
as the Rim of the World competitors took off from the
Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale Saturday afternoon. The breeze
has cut down some of the dust problems, but the cars still needed the
two-minute intervals they were running in the canyons and low-lying
areas when the dust hangs like dirty fog. As the cars run stages
#6 - #10 in the daylight before the dinner break at Lake Hughes, we
have the following incidents to report:
--The Toyota Celica All-Trac of Jason Priestley/Kevin Caffrey,
plagued all weekend with turbocharger problems, limped back to the
Ramada Inn after barely finishing stage #7. Priestley,
philisophical about his DNF, pointed out the car was only finished
earlier this week, and this was its dyno and test session all
wrapped into one. Still, the star of Beverly Hills 90210 couldn't
hide his disappointment in having to retire early.
--The Greg Lund/Lynne Lund Mazda 323GTX, another car that never ran
right all weekend, came to its final resting place aside a rock
"the size of Texas" on stage 8, tearing out the right front control
arm. When asked, if the rock was so big, why couldn't he avoid
hitting it, Lund had no response...
--The Tony Chavez/John Elkin Datsun 510 has $2,000 axles, according
Chavez, but it was the $7 axle flanges that gave way after stage 7.
Veteran co-driver and master mechanic Bill Gutzmann, known around
the California Rally Series as "everybody's crew," sacrificed his
clean uniform and dove right under the car, trying to help save
Chavez' day, but the damage was terminal.
--The Makio Yamanaka/Fumiaki Yamazaki Mazda 323GTX, the Carl
Jardevall/Anders Karlsson Saab 99, and the Bill Malik/Roine
Anderson Vovlo 240 are all out of the rally with undetermined ills.
14. Several of the top runners have right rear damage as a result of
tagging the burms along the canyons to help them take the fast line
through off-camber corners.
15. Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker in their Audi S-2 are maintaining their
lead of one and one-half minutes over the Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe
Porsche Carrera 4, with Zwart keeping the same distance between him
and the Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth. Merrill
passed the Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell Mitsubishi Eclipse when he won
stage #8 outright.
Press Notes #7
Rim of the World PRO Rally Palmdale, California
Round #4 - SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series
May 14, 1994 - 11:00 PM (Pacific Standard)
16. The 1993 Rim of the World Rally is now over, with Paul Choiniere/
Jeff Becker winning the twistiest rally on the SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally circuit by a little more than a minute (we are awaiting
official times). Their Audi Quattro S-2 did it the hard way,
however, and their last third of the rally was run with a steering
rack that was threatening to separate from the column. A welder was
kept busy merging the parts together at two different service areas,
the Libra Racing crew did the rest.
Despite feeling ill much of the day, Jeff Zwart piloted his Porsche
Carrera 4 to a second place finish with co-driver Tony Sircombe.
Zwart won one stage despite spinning and accidently throwing it into
reverse - right in front of a gaggle of spectators. The margin of
victory was 1:11
17. The top finishers - no penalty points, road points, or speeding
points added except where indicated:
Rim of the World 1994
NATIONAL
Informational Results - 13 of 13 complete
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SEED SCORE
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Quattro S2 0 2:38:11 1 Open
4 Jeff Zwart/Tony Sircombe Porsche 1 2:39:22 2 Open
5 Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell* Eclipse 1 2:40:33 3 Open
3 Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Escort RS 1 2:41:16 4 Open
46 Rui Brasil/Tony Tavares Quattro 4 2:49:23 5 Open
*We already know Joy has one minute in speeding penalty points
from Friday, putting him below Merrill in fourth place.
CHOINIERE SURVIVES STEERING WOES TO EDGE ZWART, MERRILL
IN SCCA/MICHELIN PRO RALLY IN ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST
PALMDALE, Calif. -- May 15 -- Last year, when national
champion Paul Choiniere, of Shelburne, Vermont, and co-driver
Jeff Becker, got a two minute in a SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally
event, counting on their Audi Quattro S2 to win the event
was money in the bank. But this year, there are four
legitimate contenders for an overall win, and each event
is a dogfight.
Choiniere and Becker drove to their first national PRO Rally
win of the season at the Rim of the World event here, edging
the Porsche Carrera 4 of Jeff Zwart of Woody Creek, Colo., by
less than two minutes and exhausting both drivers and crew in
the process.
"Our steering rack separated from its mounting, not a good
situation when driving on one-lane mountain roads at 100 mph
and 100-foot drops into canyons below," said Choiniere, whose
Libra Racing crew welded the unit twice to keep it intact.
He lost ten pounds fighting the car through the forest road
stages during the 90 degree-plus heat in Southern
California's Antelope Valley.
The Carl Merrill/Jon Wickens Ford Escort Cosworth, from
Ogunquit, Maine was third, with the Henry Joy/Brian Maxwell
Mitsubishi Eclipse, from Wilmette, Illinois, fourth. Joy and
Maxwell won the last three stages of the event and would have
finished third if they had not incurred a penalty minute
earlier in the event.
Choiniere, Zwart, Merrill, and Joy - whose cars are all
turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, 325-plus horsepower racers -
all have a legitimate shot to win each SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally series event, a change from a year ago when Choiniere
dominated the series. So far in '94, Zwart leads the series
with two wins and a second, while Choiniere has two wins,
Merrill has two seconds, and Joy has a second and a fourth.
In the other classes, Goran Ostland and Steve Baker, from
Seattle won the Group 2 class and finished fifth overall in a
Saab 99; Vinnie Frontinan and Frank Arruda, from Somerville,
Mass., were winners in Group A and sixth overall in their
Toyota Celica GT4; Rhys Millen and Chris Griffin, from
Newport Beach, Calif., captured Production GT in their Toyota
Celica All-Trac; and the Dave Turner/Ben Bradley Mitsubishi
Eclipse, from Hemet, Calif., won the Production class.
In all, 15 of the 24 starters completed the 105-mile course,
said to be the roughest, twistiest on the SCCA/Michelin PRO
Rally circuit.
"Beverly Hills 90210" star Jason Priestley, along with co-
driver Kevin Caffrey, debuted a Toyota Celica All-Trac in the
Production GT class, but turbo problems put the Hollywood
pair out after completing 7 of the 13 competition stages.
Zwart now leads the Michelin PRO Rally series with 51 points
after four events, with Choiniere second (36 points), and Joy
third (29 points).
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. 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 of the Angeles National Forest.
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.
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events run around the country, in
conditions from the blazing Arizona desert in August 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.
The next event on the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally circuit will be the
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, to be held in Wellsboro, Penn.,
June 3 - 5.
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