Press Notes
By Ed Jacobs
MEDIA ALERT
Event: Rim of the World; Round 3 of the 1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally
Championship. ProRally cars from across North America will race on the
demanding mountain and desert roads of the Angeles National Forest in
Southern California.
When: April 30-May 1, 1999
Where: Palmdale, California
Headquarters: Holiday Inn; 38630 5th Street West; Palmdale, California; (661) 947-8055
Sanction: Rim of the World is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
Schedule:
Friday, April 30
8:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Press Stage and media luncheon, sponsored by Toyota Racing Development.
Meet at Holiday Inn in Palmdale (Highway 14 at Palmdale Blvd.) for
caravan or rides to press stage.
Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley media to meet at Wendy’s on Magic
Mountain Parkway, Valencia, at 8:30 a.m.
1:00-5:30 p.m. Registration; Holiday Inn; Highway 14 and Palmdale Blvd.; Palmdale
1:00-5:30 p.m. Technical inspection; America's Tire Co.; Highway 14 and Ave. J;
Lancaster (next to Circuit City).
Drawing at 5:00 p.m. for a set of Michelin tires to benefit South
Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES) and Healthy Start program
6:30-7:00 p.m. Parc Expose — rally vehicles on display; Holiday Inn; Palmdale
7:05 p.m. Start of Rim of the World ProRally; Holiday Inn; Palmdale; rally
vehicles race a short dirt course before heading for the mountain stages
11:55p.m. First car finishes Friday section; Holiday Inn; Palmdale; Raybestos
Brakes/Monte's Auto Parts Chili Party; scores posted; re-seeding
Saturday, May 1
7:00-9:30 a.m. Racer's breakfast; Holiday Inn; Palmdale
9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Charity Rallysprint; Holiday Inn; Palmdale; rally-car rides for charity,
to benefit SAVES food pantry and Healthy Start program in Palmdale schools
Parc Expose -- rally cars on display; sponsor displays, refreshments
12:15 p.m. Awards Ceremony for Friday stage winners, special awards
1:00 p.m. Re-start Rim of the World ProRally; Holiday Inn; Palmdale
4:15 p.m. Score card exchange, short service break; Lake Hughes Community Club
6:30 p.m. Service halt and dinner break; Lake Hughes Community Club; re-seeding
8:00 p.m. First car starts Saturday night section
9:30 p.m. First car finishes Rim of the World ProRally; Holiday Inn; Palmdale
11:00 p.m. National scores posted (provisional)
12:00 midnight ClubRally scores posted (provisional)
Sunday, May 2
8:00-10:00 a.m. Awards Breakfast, presented by Subè Sports; Holiday Inn; Palmdale
Format:
Events in the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship consist of flat-out
racing -- in any weather condition -- on challenging forest, mountain or
desert roads. No practice is allowed. Competitors generally see the
course for the first time as they race it.
ProRallies consist of roads designated "stages" and "transits." Racing
takes place only on the stages -- demanding roads closed by local
authorities for the event. Transits connect racing sections and are
driven at normal highway speeds, with teams fully subject to all traffic
laws.
ProRally vehicles are production-based cars (and some trucks) from
manufacturers around the world. They compete both for the overall
victory and wins within a class structure that groups together vehicles
with similar performance. Each vehicle carries a driver and a
co-driver/navigator. Using a detailed route book and a sophisticated
rally computer, the co-driver keeps the team on-course and advises the
driver of any hazards noted in the route book. This role is as critical
as the driver's skill, since the team is traveling at full racing speeds
over roads they have never before seen, in any type of weather.
Selected entries (driver/co-driver):
* Seven-time overall series champion Paul Choiniere and multi-time
overall co-driver champion Jeff Becker, plus teammates Noel Lawler and
Charley Bradley; both crews in Open Class Hyundai Tiburons; first '99
ProRally series event for Lawler/Bradley
* Lauchlin O’Sullivan and Farina O’Sullivan, in an Open Class Audi
quattro; surprise overall winners of last ProRally
* Rui Brasil and Ola Lysenstoen, in an Open Class Audi quattro; missed
overall win in last ProRally by one second
* Pete Lahm and Matt Chester, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV;
strong team in World Rally Championship-type supercar
* Son and father Garen and Floyd "Doc" Shrader, in another strong
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV
* Defending Group 5 champions Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in a Toyota
Supra
* Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes, in a Mazda 323 GTX; Production GT Class
winners in last ProRally
* Lee Shadbolt and Claire Chizma in a Production GT Class Subaru Impreza
Brighton; Shadbolt was runner-up in '98 class championship
* Group 2 runners-up in '98 Bill Malik and Christian Edstrom, in a Volvo
240
* Carl Jardevall, third overall in last event, with Amity Trowbridge
navigating, in a Group 5 Volvo 740
* Defending Production Class champion Trevor Donison and co-driver
Katherine Rosso, in a Production Class Plymouth Neon
* Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire, in a Production Class Volkswagen
Beetle; US rally debut for New Beetle
Additional news interest:
A Charity Rallysprint benefiting South Antelope Valley Emergency
Services (SAVES) food pantry and Healthy Start program in Palmdale
schools will be held at the Palmdale Holiday Inn prior to the start of
Saturday’s activities. Rally car rides will be available for a $20
donation to the charities. Helmets provided. Rides start at 9:45 a.m.
and will sell out quickly. Rally cars will be on display in a Parc
Expose; refreshments, items for sale.
Event rank:
Rim of the World is a full-points round of the Michelin SCCA ProRally
Championship.
Interviews:
Drivers, co-drivers and crewmembers will be accessible throughout much
of the event, especially Friday, April 30, in conjunction with the
Press Stage/Luncheon.
Visuals:
Prior to the event, media will have the opportunity for exciting video
and photographic action of rally cars at speed during the press stage,
Friday, April 30.
During the event, action photography and video will be possible from
special press viewing areas along the rally course — escorts provided —
as well as two public spectator areas.
Media rally-car rides:
Media will be given the opportunity to experience the intense excitement
of ProRally cars at speed during the press stage, Friday, April 30.
Media info:
Media relations will be able to provide driver and co-driver interviews,
event results and other information via telephone, fax and Email.
Contact: Ed Jacobs — Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship
330.644.7774; 330.645.2045 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Event press room (Thursday, April 29 – Sunday, May 2):
661.272.1682 Email: windrivr@ix.netcom.com
Web sites:
SCCA Official Web Page: www.scca.org/amateur/prorally
Rim of the World home page: www.av.qnet.com/~teamhke/rim
Rim of the World ProRally
Round 3
1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship
Palmdale, California
April 30-May 1, 1999
Press Notes #1
Good morning and welcome to a clear, sunny and cool Palmdale,
California, in the high desert about an hour northeast of Los Angeles.
This is the site of round three of the 1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally
Championship. The event originally was scheduled to have been round four
of the series. However, the unusually severe winter weather conditions
in the Pacific Northwest dictated rescheduling what would have been the
third event, the Wild West ProRally, until mid-June.
1.) Our apologies for the lack of information prior to now. Computer and
software gremlins threw a sizable monkey wrench into yesterday’s
operations. SCCA Rally/Solo marketing manager Kurt Spitzner’s computer
permanently gave up the ghost before the first rally car even arrived
here. Then the computer we use in the press room began acting
erratically, to the extent that it wouldn’t reliably deal with any
formatted material. However, it now seems to have miraculously cured
itself. So we will be pedaling hard to catch up.
2.) It is now Saturday morning, and we have already had an eventful
evening of action in the Angeles National Forest. Four stages were run
last evening, and happenings were dramatic at times.
3.) On Friday evening of last year’s event, weather became a major
factor, as rallyists suddenly found themselves in the clouds on the
higher stages. The fog was so dense that the organizers cancelled
several stages. Last night had all the earmarks of a repeat of least
year, as teams from about fourth or fifth on the road suddenly
encountered dense clouds. However, by about the 25th car the weather
cleared and everyone from there on back had pretty clear sailing.
4.) Unfortunately, the evening stages claimed several of the faster
runners, including the top two teams from the last event.
5.) Rui Brasil and Ola Lysenstoen may end up the hard-luck story of the
rally. On Stage 1 their electrics overheated and they had to stop three
times to allow the circuit breakers to cool. On Stage 2 the engine threw
the power-steering and alternators belts. On Stage 3 the battery went
dead, zeroing the fuel-injection computer and putting them in the
category of unhappy spectators.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 2
6.) Lauchlin and Farina O’Sullivan, who beat Brasil by just one
second in the series’ last event (Doo Wop III & IV, March 13-14), also
fell by the wayside last evening. The car went off-course, wound up on
its side on a berm and they were unable to continue. So two of the
quickest Open Class runners were out before the evening was over.
7.) On a somewhat cheerier note, Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire were
having a bit more fun in the US debut of the new-style Volkswagen Beetle
in rally competition. It wasn’t totally trouble-free, though. They broke
the right-front strut about midway through the evening and had to take
things a bit gingerly from there on. Even so, they finished the evening
unofficially second in Production. Karl said that the car is running
well otherwise, adding that it seems to be better downhill than up.
8.) Early in the evening, Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes were running well
in their Toyota Supra. Ralph was fairly happy but felt that he was just
a bit sloppy. However, like many others, the team had misjudged the
characteristics of the evening’s stages. They selected tires for mainly
gravel surfaces, but there was a very large amount of pavement.
9.) That high level of pavement made things very exciting at the front
of the field. Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley, in the second Hyundai
Tiburon, were swapping fast times and the overall lead with teammates
Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, who had the team’s brand-new Tiburon.
Irishman Lawler used his extensive European tarmac (pavement) racing
experience very well, pulling into the lead on the primarily paved
stages. Meanwhile, Choiniere traded on his greater gravel experience to
ease back in front when they got to loose surfaces. The see-saw battle
had the two in very high spirits, with Lawler saying that it was some of
the best rallying he’s ever experienced anywhere.
10.) It wasn’t completely peaches and cream for the two, though. Early
on, Lawler misjudged an erosion-control “water bar” on a stage and
launched his car to an awkward landing that wrinkled the right-front
sheetmetal a little. It did not affect handling.
11.) At the same time, Choiniere was having some low-level teething
problems with his new Tiburon. He was starting stages cautiously because
of some unhappy noises from the rear differential. They turned out to be
of no consequence, though, and were easily fixed. He also was put off a
little by the car’s steering, which was heavier than what he was used to
having. Changing a control valve made him a happy camper again.
12.) Pete Lahm and Matt Chester, in one of the two Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution IVs here this weekend, had a good run and few complaints last
night. About the biggest was that they had their driving lights aimed
too high, which hurt them a bit at times.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 3
13.) Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes, who have never competed here before,
felt that it took them about three stages to “find themselves,” as
Pattie put it. Apparently, it worked, because they finished the evening
with big smiles, big “thumbs ups” and the unofficial lead in Production
GT with their Mazda 323 GTX.
14.) Another team with big smiles was that of Tony Chavez and Ken
Cassidy. Local hotshoe Chavez had a very good run and brought his Open
Class Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 in third overall at the end of the evenings
activities.
15.) Even though they had a scare or two during the course of the
evening, Garen and Doc Shrader also were members of the big-smile
brigade when cars returned to rally headquarters at the Palmdale Holiday
Inn around midnight. On Stage 1, Garen got a bit off-line and tagged
some Armco lightly, producing a few wrinkles but no real damage. Then,
on Stage 2, he nicked a big rock that had been knocked out onto the road
by an earlier competitor. Garen thought that he had reacted in time to
miss it, but just grazed it and got a puncture. They were only about a
mile from the end of the stage, so he and Doc lost relatively little
time.
16.) About the first team to dodge the “fog bullet” last night was Doug
and Susan Robinson. Veteran Baja racer and rallyist Robinson said that
by the time they got to Stage 2, they could pretty much rock and roll in
their Open Class Mazda 323 GTX.
17.) Carl Jardevall, who won Group 5 and finished a remarkable third
overall in the last ProRally, ran hard early in this weekend’s event. He
was charging hard from the opening seconds on the short demonstration
stage at yesterday’s start here in front of the hotel. Observers who saw
the Volvo 740 later in the evening said that it smelled like a car with
an engine that was in big trouble. Jardevall and Amity Trowbridge were
out at the end of the evening with what was described at the time as a
big blowup.
18.) Paul Choiniere wasn’t the only driver to bring out a new car this
weekend. Paul Eklund brought his turbocharged Subaru Impreza. It’s a
good-looking Open Class car that borrows heavily on the Impreza WRX that
has been a potent World rally car. However, Eklund has used a
larger-displacement US-spec engine as the basis for this good-looking,
electric-yellow flyer. Because of the US-spec engine, he likes to refer
to it as a USX. He’s happy with the way it is running in its debut, but
says that he is “not in the hunt.” Maybe so, but he and Dave Jameson
finished the evening 10th overall unofficially.
19.) Another driver downplaying the day’s results was George Plsek, who
said that he was just driving to finish. However, he and Renn Phillips
have their Audi quattro in eighth overall.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 4
20.) Karl Scheible’s comment on the effect of the broken strut on the US
rally debut of the new-style Beetle was, “The Beetle has temporarily
been squished.” However, he said it with a smile, as Guy Light’s crew
was hard at work making the needed repairs.
21.) Local ClubRally hotshoe Lon Peterson was reported to be running
very well early in the evening. That’s not at all surprising, as he has
been fast forever out here. Unfortunately, he and Bill Gutzman did not
finish. The Plymouth Arrow came in on a tow rope last night was sitting
forlornly in the parking lot this morning.
22.) Dave White, who is not competing this weekend, has been helping us
here in the press room. In checking around last night, he discovered
that a sizable number of top co-drivers suffered motion sickness -– some
to the extent of withdrawing from the event. Apparently, the combination
of rough, twisting roads, darkness and fog hit many navigators unusually
hard.
23.) Truess and Hughes were among the teams who experienced the problem,
but it didn’t seem to affect their performance. They found the roads
quite rough and twisty, and had to creep along at 3-4 mph in the fog,
but still finished the night about 20 seconds ahead of prime competitors
Lee Shadbolt and Claire Chizma (Subaru Impreza).
24.) Chad Dykes and Deborah Fuller may or may not have felt a bit
nauseous last evening from the conditions, but they had reason to feel a
little shaky after rolling their Group 2 Toyota pickup. They were able
to get the truck back on its wheels, but were a DNF last night.
25.) Toward the end of the evening, Ralph Kosmides -- who had been
running very well -- began to experience turbo problems. On
acceleration, there would be an initial spike of boost, but it almost
immediately would drop off to nothing. The result was that Ralph found
himself with a big, heavy rally car with minimal power. Someone
described it as kind of a Japanese Buick. In any event, all he could do
was motor on to the finish, although he did maintain the unofficial
Group 5 lead.
26.) When Noel Lawler stopped by the press room he still was very
charged up from the great drive he’d just turned in. He said that the
stages were perhaps the best he’s ever run. “They were just incredible,”
he said. And he was very happy with the gravel-type tread pattern he had
chosen, especially the way they worked on the pavement. He said that he
could throw the car sideways into a turn at 90 mph and it would just
drift through.
27.) Fellow Irishman Frank Cunningham definitely did not have a fun
evening. The Irish national champion brought a new 300-hp Volkswagen G60
“kit car,” with 19-year-old Portuguese college student Nick Pessoa
navigating. The car never ran well, basically limping along until it
lost oil pressure and blew up on Stage 5.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 5
28.) Immediately following the end of last night’s activities, Ralph
Kosmides’ assessment of his car’s problem was that the rear turbo had
died. The crew was trying to organize a replacement. However, he came to
the press room an hour or so later to report that the problem turned out
to be a partially melted fitting on the boost-control system. It had
been changed and the car was back to normal. He said that there were “a
lot of smiles in the Ruby’s Toyota camp.”
29.) ClubRallyists Robert Garcia and Tony Vu, driving their first
ProRally, had a rather disappointing beginning. They lost the
differential in their Mitsubishi Eclipse shortly after the start of
Stage 1 and had to retire. There was a bright lining, though. Crew chief
Omar Sehmi’s shop is close by, and he’ll swap transmissions overnight so
that they can drive in Saturday’s ClubRally.
30.) There was a whole lot of brightness in ClubRallyist Steve Bender’s
life this week. His wife, Lynn, presented them with a second daughter,
Faith Rebecca, on Wednesday. On top of all the obvious happiness, the
timing of the event undoubtedly made Bender’s life a lot less
complicated this weekend. The baby’s official due date was today.
31.) Unofficially, at the end of Friday’s stages, Paul Choiniere held
the overall lead, by just nine seconds over Hyundai Tiburon teammate
Noel Lawler. Mitsubishis occupied the next three places. Tony Chavez and
Ken Cassidy were third in a Galant VR-4, followed by Garen and Doc
Shrader, then Pete Lahm and Matt Chester, both in Lancer Evolution IVs.
Group 2 leaders Bill Malik and Christian Edstrom (Volvo 240)were sixth
overall. Group 5 leaders Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes (Toyota Supra)
were seventh. Production GT leaders Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes (Mazda
323 GTX)were ninth overall. Production leaders Mark Brown and John Allen
(Volkswagen GTi) were 12th overall.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 6
33.) Good afternoon and welcome to day two of the Rim of the World
ProRally. It’s still clear, sunny and breezy, here in the city that
probably has more spies per square mile than anywhere else on the
planet. (More later.)
34.) Before moving to today’s notes, there are a couple of items that
were inadvertently left out of Friday’s. Several staff members of TMR
magazine are here competing in their first-ever ProRally. They’re
driving a Ford Escort ZX2 that was provided to them by Ford for use as a
project vehicle. In conjunction with Mike Welch at Roadrace Engineering
and Dave Wolin, they prepared the car for rallying, with added
assistance from manufacturers such as Sparco. The magazine feels that
ProRally will be the next big niche sport. The gang competing here is
pretty much all from the import drag-racing scene. So rallying seems to
have made some interesting conquests.
35.) The TMR crew showed up at the very well-attended press stage
yesterday morning with their sharp-looking new wheels, ready to do their
part to support the event. Unfortunately, driver David Reine had not
been through his licensing school (later in the day), which meant that
he could not give rides to other media people and VIPs. So Dave White
hopped in the car and gave him a little impromptu rally driving
instruction, then drove a few VIPs. When the rally got underway, the TMR
crew was doing well until their computer died. As would happen to just
about any new rally team in the dark in foggy mountains, they quickly
got lost. They did not get discouraged, though. They got too far behind
to continue, but checked in at rally headquarters to let people know
that they had been “found,” then went off to get ready for today.
36.) Now, to today. The hot action from last night re-ignited with the
drop of the first ceremonial green flag at 1:00 p.m. On the first stage,
Choiniere finished one hundredth of a minute ahead of Lawler.
Choiniere’s comment was “What a team!” Lawler’s tongue-in-cheek reaction
to the difference was, “I was just following team orders.”
37.) They weren’t the only ones who had the bit between their teeth.
Garen and Doc Shrader had their Evo flying. They were only about 20
seconds back. Pete Lahm and Matt Chester had their Evo cranking also,
and were about 12 seconds behind the Shaders. Paul Ekland and Dave
Jameson were a mere three hundredths further astern in the Impreza “USX”
– which just might get to be known as the Screaming Yellow Zonker if
keeps running so well.
38.) “Flying Fever” definitely was contagious out there. Gail Truess and
Pattie Hughes had their Mazda 323 GTX at warp-speed, and actually beat
Ralph Kosmides by a few hundredths. Kosmides had slowed down some after
chief rival Bill Malik lost his clutch right in front of him, but Truess
and Hughes still had to be hauling to beat his time.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 7
39.) Now, about the spies. Sitting a couple miles across the freeway is
an ominously large silver building. It’s the famous “Skunk Works,” where
the world’s most advanced -– and secret – aircraft are built. By itself,
that would be enough to attract an army of spies. However, across the
airport is the Air Force’s Plant 42, where the B-2 Stealth Bombers were
built. Not far away is the facility where the Space Shuttles are
serviced; and the Rockwell plant where the B-1 bombers were built is
just down. Edwards Air Force is over in the next valley.
40.) Lauchlin O’Sullivan and Rui Brasil both got their cars back in
service and entered today’s ClubRally. However, Brasil’s hard luck shows
no sign of ending. His power steering died again. In addition, he landed
hard after hitting a water bar and did some more damage. On top of that,
he came into service with a 1x12-inch chunk of tree branch sticking out
of the grille. It had taken out his lights but somehow had missed the
radiator.
41.) We’ve mentioned that Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes have been
running strongly in GT. So have Lee Shadbolt and Claire Chizma, in their
Subaru Impreza. The two teams have been an up-and-down battle,
literally. Shadbolt says, “Uphill, she’s got us, but in the tight stuff
we’re gaining on them.”
42.) Dust almost put Garen and Doc Shrader on the sidelines this
afternoon. On the day’s opening stage, dust infiltrated the Evo IV’s
cockpit so heavily from some unseen openings that Garen became ill to
the point of nearly retiring the car on the stage. However, he toughed
it out to the end.
43.) Paul Eklund and several frontrunners described the stage as being
in the best condition ever; and everyone seemed to have really enjoyed
it.
44.) Rui Brasil isn’t the only one having power-steering problems. Noel
Lawler’s Hyundai tossed its power-steering belt on Stage 7, and there
was no spare in the car. So Lawler has been muscling the Tiburon along
until they can get to the next service. However, he already has worn his
hands raw from the effort.
45.) Tony Chavez and Ken Cassidy are still third with the Galant VR-4,
but they clearly are gaining on Lawler as he struggles with the
power-steering-less Tiburon.
46.) Eric Eaton and Kenny Almquist got into some deep silt early on
Stage 7 and did a hard snap roll in their Mazda 323 GTX. They were
unhurt, but the car emerged looking like a doorstop, with the roof
flattened to the point of giving the car a distinct wedge shape. The car
still was sound, although down on boost due to a partially crushed
intake tube. The accident took out the headlights, but the team planned
to rely on their driving lights.
47.) ClubRallyists Robert Garcia and Tony Vu did get their Plymouth
Laser back in action today, after a late-night transaxle change.
However, they retired on Stage 7 with mechanical problems.
Rim of the World 1999
Entry List and Start Order (Friday)
Car Driver Seed
# Co-Driver/Hometown, State Vehicle Class Sponsors
3 Paul Choiniere/Shelburne, VT Hyundai FIA Hyundai Motors America
Jeff Becker/Great Neck, NY Tiburon Open
2 Noel Lawler/Manchester Vil., VT Hyundai 1 Hyundai Motors America
Charles Bradley/Ardmore, PA Tiburon Open
7 Ralph Kosmides/Newport Beach, CA Toyota 1 Ruby's, Coca-Cola,
Joe Noyes/Bothell, WA Supra Group 5 Sport Compact Car, Pennzoil
10 Bill Malik/Burbank, CA Volvo 1 Valencia Volvo
Christian Edstrom/Los Angeles, CA 240 Group 2
92 Rui Brasil/San Jose, CA Audi 2 Suntrips, VW Specialties,
Ola Lysenstoen/Newbury Park, CA Quattro Open Turbonetics
90 Lauchlin O'Sullivan/S.Francisco, CA Audi 2 Trio Salon, CARS
Farina O'Sullivan/S.Francisco, CA Quattro Open Enterprise Rental Cars
34 Pete Lahm/Phoenix, AZ Mitsubishi 2 P-Sport, KC-Hilites
Matt Chester/Leadville, CO Evo IV Open
95 Tony Chavez/Santa Fe Springs, CA Mitsubishi 2 Texaco of Mexico
Ken Cassidy/Tempe, AZ Galant VR-4 Open
16 Gail Truess/Brooklyn, MI Mazda 2 Rally Dynamics, PPG,
Pattie Hughes/Dublin, OH 323 GT Lakes Auto Parts
20 George Plsek/Del Mar, CA Audi 3
Renn Phillips/Del Mar, CA Quattro Open
14 Garen Shrader/Memphis, TN Mitsubishi 3
Floyd (Doc) Shrader/Memphis, TN Evo IV Open
35 Lee Shadbolt/Tigard, OR Subaru 3 Morrie's Subaru,
Claire Chizma/Newhall, CA Impreza GT Royal Moore Subaru
39 Carl Jardevall/San Carlos, CA Volvo 3 Nordic Motors
Amity Trowbridge/Seattle, WA 740 Group 5
127 Chad Dykes/Escondido, CA Toyota 3
Deborah Fuller/Escondido, CA Pickup Group 2
61 Karl Scheible/Spencerport, NY Volkswagen 3 Lazer Inc,
Gail McGuire/Avon, NY New Beetle Prod Professional Color Services
32 Paul Ekland/Tigard, OR Subaru 4 T-Scandia Motors, Primitive
Dave Jameson/Tucson, AZ Impreza Open Racing, Royal Moore Subaru
114 Frank Cunningham/Boston, MA Volkswagen 4 Boston Perf. Group, Team
Nicholas Pessoa/N. Providence, RI Golf Kit Car Group 5 O'Neill, Vinnie's Autosport
25 Gerry Valentini/Sacramento, CA Mazda 4
Lee Sorenson/Fair Oaks, CA RX-7 Group 5
101 Mark Brown/Mesa, AZ Volkwagen 4 Matco Tools,
John Allen/Bainbridge, WA GTi Prod Affordable German
68 Doug Robinson/Ramona, CA Mazda 5 Bilstein of
Susan Robinson Ramona, CA 323 Open America, Mazda
70 Kendall Russell/Knoxville, TN Dodge 5 Shults Dot Com,
John Dillon/Thousand Oaks, CA Shadow GT Porterfield Brakes
157 Robert Garcia/Whittier, CA Plymouth 6 Road/Race Eng., UniFilter,
Tony Khoa Vu/Fountain Valley, CA Laser Group 5 Pelican Prod., Split Second
21 Trevor Donison/Vancouver, WA Plymouth 6 NW Consulting
Catherine Roso/Portland, OR Neon Prod
304 Ron Wood/Huntington Beach, CA Audi V.W. Specialties,
Kelly Walsh/Huntington Beach, CA Quattro Open Turbonetics
333 Anton Musev/Santa Maria, CA Audi
Roger Allison/Corona, CA Quattro Open
301 Lon Peterson/Victorville, CA Plymouth B&D Automotive
Bill Gutzman/Ontario, CA Arrow Group 5
316 Steve Bender/Corona Del Mar, CA Volkswagen V.W. Specialties, MBH
Craig McHugh/Irvine, CA Rabbit Computer, AutoAccessory.com
260 Eric Eaton/Tacoma, WA Mazda Fast Focus Racing
Kenny Almquist/Graham, WA 323 Open
232 Mark Tabor/West Linn, OR Mazda Pacific Foto Sup.,
Kristen Tabor/Durham, OR 323 GT Tabor Accounting,
Silverstone Tires
323 Paul Timmerman/Altadena, CA Mazda Open
Suzanne Martin/Altadena, CA 323
107 Alex Tissot/Valencia, CA Volvo Los Angeles Times,
Violet Tissot/Valencia, CA 242 Group 2 Dent Wizard, Safe-N-Sure,
Midvalley Auto Body
399 Jeff (Skeeter) Bruett/Placerville, CA Dodge JB Racing, Scott Brothers
Terry Stonecipher/La Crescenta, CA Omni Group 2 Racing, Ground Control
322 Robert Pendergrass/Palos Verdes, CA Chevy RE/MAX, Fast Signs, Champion
Jon Weigley/Lawndale, CA Blazer Open AMMCO, Earles, Wernimont Design
271 Matt Tabor/West Linn, OR Toyota Pacific Foto Sup.,
Chris Hale/Tualatin, OR Corolla GTS Group 2 Tabor Accounting,
Silverstone Tires
222 Jon Tabor/West Linn, OR Nissan Tabor Accounting,
Kevin Poirier/Rainier, OR Sentra SER Prod. Pacific Foto Sup.,
Silverstone Tires
328 Tony Dela Cuesta/Simi Valley, CA Toyota PIAA, Motul, Uni-filter,
Cable Rhodes/Prescott, AZ Corolla GTS Group 2 DC Autosport,Cookie Graphics
343 Frank Paredes/Corona, CA Toyota 6 DC Sports, Scott
William Staley/Perris, CA Corolla GTS Group 2 Brothers Racing
325 Bruce Brown/Gaviota, CA Mazda
Pat Brown/Gaviota, CA 323 GTX Open
400 Mick Kilpatrick/Durango, CO Dodge
Jim Gillaspy/Durango, CO Colt Turbo Group 5
319 Robert Shibao/Hermosa Beach, CA Mazda Road/Race Eng.,
Matt Gabler/Berkley, CA GLC Group 2 Hawk Brake
246 Gordon Gaude/Hillsboro, OR Volkswagen The Crypt
Tim Maple/Beaverton, OR Rabbit Group 2
326 Paul Bojinov/San Diego, CA Mazda
Julian Ragalie/N. Hollywood, CA RX-7 Group 5
346 Jake Smith/Sunland, CA Plymouth Scott Bro. Racing,
Mark McDivitt/Sunland, CA Sapporo Group 5 All American Air
369 Nick Taylor/Hollywood, CA Toyota 6
Pete Morris/Los Angeles, CA Corolla
351 Jay Streets/San Francisco, CA Toyota 6 Willians Safety
Bill Feyling/Pacifica, CA Corolla Group 2 Harnesses
369 Nicky Craig/Cypress, CA Datsun R.C. Building Maint.,
Kengo Takahashi/Placentia, CA 510 Group 2 C.T. Motorsports
190 David Reine/El Camino Village, CA Ford Escort 6 TMR Magazine
Kevin Absheer/El Camino Village, CA ZX2 Group 2
363 Patrick Rod/Canyon Country, CA Mazda 6 Mazda USA, Nokian Tires
Ron Cohen/Pasadena,CA RX-7 Group 5
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 8
48.) Rui Brasil’s problems continue. The crew fixed the power steering,
but now he has no boost. The power-steering pump chewed its way through
the intercooler housing after Rui hit a water bar hard and broke a motor
mount. The intercooler can be repaired, but the team does not have the
correct motor mount.
49.) Ralph Kosmides had been running well in today’s early going. Last
night’s repairs had brought the Supra back to its lively self. However,
it’s been reported that he’s lost boost again.
50.) Due to the difficulties using cellular phones at the far end of the
course, we probably won’t have many reports between now and end of the
rally.
51.) We do, however, have a “live” report. Unfortunately, it came in the
form of Christian Edstrom stopping by the press room to tell us that he
and Bill Malik had retired their Group 2 Volvo “with unspecified
driveline failure between the (engine’s) bottom end and the
transmission.
52.) Difficulties related to moving a car that had broken down on a
stage have pushed the rally’s schedule back some, but the first
finishers still are expected around 10:00-10:15 p.m.
53.) As the first finishers begin to arrive, so does word that there has
been a major change in the standings. Paul Choiniere and Noel Lawler
have finished one-two on time. However, a 10-minute penalty has been
assessed to both Libra Racing drivers as the result of their crew
placing supplies for possible emergency use by the team’s cars in an
unauthorized area. The service never took place, but the infraction was
detected and the penalty was assessed. This moved Choiniere and Lawler
to third and fourth overall, respectively. After an appeal the penalty
was upheld.
54.) The overall winners of Rim of the World are Garen and Doc Shrader,
in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. It is Garen’s first ProRally
win. While they would have liked the victory to have come under
different circumstances, he and Doc are happy troops tonight. The margin
of victory was just under two minutes.
55.) Pete Lahm and Matt Chester are second overall in the other Lancer
Evo IV, and are enjoying their finish as much as the Shraders.
56.) With Tony Chavez and Ken Cassidy coming home fifth in the Galant
VR-4, Mitsubishi has had a strong one-two-five showing.
57.) Paul Eklund and Ken Cassidy brought Eklund’s new Open class Subaru
Impreza home sixth overall in an impressive debut run. Right behind them
were GT winners Lee Shadbolt and Claire Chizma, in another Impreza.
58.) Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes took the Group 5 honors handily, even
though they had to nurse the car much of the afternoon. The problem was
not loss of boost, as reported earlier. It was overheating from a blown
head gasket. They had to stop to add water a number of times, but
Kosmides still was very pleased with what he called a great event.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 9
59.) While he and Kosmides were in the press room, navigator Joe Noyes
indicated that he had been one of the numerous co-drivers who had
suffered heavy-duty motion sickness last night. He added that high heat
in the car was a big factor, surprising in view of the cold temperatures
outside.
60.) Mark Brown and John Allen won Production in their Volkswagen GTi,
well clear of second place. That was the new-style Volkswagen Beetle of
Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire, which lost time last night with a broken
front strut.
61.) After the trouble last night, Scheible jokingly said that they had
a bucket of bolts today, but that they finished anyhow. He added that
when they finished yesterday’s stages they went to the event program and
found a local welder’s ad. They were banging on his door at 1:00 a.m. He
was welding on the car by about 1:30 and kept at it until about 3:00
a.m.
62.) Lauchlin and Farina O’Sullivan, whose off-course excursion put them
out of the ProRally last night, came back to win today’s companion
ClubRally. Fellow misfortune-sufferers Chad Dykes and Deborah Fuller
came back from a rollover in their Toyota pickup to win Group 2, second
overall among ClubRally competitors. There were no Group 2 finishers in
the ProRally.
63.) Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes, who also had entered the
ClubRallies, won GT in today’s Club event. They were leading the class
in the ProRally as well, until a puncture late in the event cost them
six minutes at a time when they were up by about five.
64.) Mark Brown and John Allen doubled up in Production, taking the
class win there as well.
Rim of the World ProRally
Press Notes
Page 10
Final Results
Rim of the World ProRally
Palmdale, California
April 30-May 1, 1999
Car
# Driver/Co-Driver Car Seed Score Place Class
14 Garen Shrader/Floyd Shrader Lancer Evo IV 3 2:46:05 1 Open
34 Pete Lahm/Matt Chester Lancer Evo IV 2 2:48:03 2 Open
3 Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai FIA 2:48:18 3 Open
2 Noel Lawler/Charles Bradley Hyundai 1 2:50:43 4 Open
95 Tony Chavez/Ken Cassidy Galant VR-4 2 2:53:26 5 Open
32 Paul Eklund/Dave Jameson Subaru Impreza 4 2:55:27 6 Open
35 Lee Shadbolt/Claire Chizma Subaru Impreza 3 2:57:54 1 GT
7 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra 1 2:58:27 1 Group 5
68 Doug Robinson/Susan Robinson Mazda 323 5 2:58:32 7 Open
16 Gail Truess/Pattie Hughes Mazda 323 2 3:02:17 2 GT
25 Gerry Valentini/Lee Sorenson Mazda RX-7 4 3:02:57 2 Group 5
20 George Plsek/Renn Phillips Audi quattro 3 3:04:07 8 Open
101 Mark Brown/John Allen VW GTI 4 3:04:08 1 Prod.
61 Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire VW New Beetle 3 3:08:15 2 Prod.
21 Trevor Donison/Catherine Roso Plymouth Neon 6 3:13:18 3 Prod.
70 Kendall Russell/John Dillon Dodge Shadow 5 3:18:59 3 GT
90 L O'Sullivan/F O'Sullivan Audi quattro 2 DNF Open
127 Chad Dykes/Deborah Fuller Toyota Pickup 3 DNF Group 2
92 Rui Brasil/Ola Lysenstoen Audi quattro 2 DNF Open
17 Robert Garcia/Tony Khoa Vu Plymouth Laser 6 DNF Group 5
10 Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom Volvo 240 1 DNF Group 2
39 Carl Jardevall/Amity Trowbridge Volvo 740 3 DNF Group 5
114 Frank Cunningham/N Pessoa VW Golf Kit Car 4 DNF Group 5