1997 Susquehannock Trail PRO
by Andy Schupack
STPR Website
MEDIA_ALERT
Event: Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally (STPR) - Round #5 of the
Michelin PRO Rally Championship. Race cars from around the
world will compete at high speeds through the Pennsylvania
State Forests near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.
When: Friday - Sunday, June 6 - June 8, 1997
Schedule_-_Friday
noon - 8:30 PM - Competitor registration - St. Paul's
Episcopal Church, Pearl Street - Wellsboro.
noon - 4:30 PM, also 5:30 - 8:30 PM -
Worker registration - St. Paul's
noon - 2:30 PM - Special Olympics rally registration -
St. Paul's
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, also 6:30 - 9:00 PM -
Scrutineering, Tioga County Fairgrounds
3:00 PM - Begin Special Olympics Rally
Schedule_-_Saturday
7:30 AM - 9:00 AM - Late worker registration - St. Paul's
Episcopal Church, Pearl Street -
Wellsboro.
10:20 AM - Parc Expose - display of rally cars - at the Green
in downtown Wellsboro.
11:01 AM - First car starts daylight section of STPR and
Tioga Divisional Rally.
11:30 AM - First car reaches first spectator point
2:00 PM - Rotary Club Chicken Barbeque; St. Paul's Episcopal
Church Hot Dog/Soda Booth - On the Green
3:40 PM - Second Parc Expose around the Green
5:01 PM - First car leaves for Evening Section of STPR
6:15 PM & 9:00 PM - First car reaches the evening spectator
point
Schedule_-_Sunday
1:20 AM - First car finishes STPR Rally - downtown
Wellsboro.
Where: Rally headquarters will be at the Penn Wells Hotel, 62 Main
Street, Wellsboro. A list of public viewing areas for the
rally is published in the rally program available at the Penn
Wells Hotel, or the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce, Main and
Central Streets, in Wellsboro.
Duration: 145 stage miles, 330 total miles, 13 stages
Rank: Full National Rally, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club and
sponsored by Michelin Tire Company. Presented by the Finger
Lakes Region of the Sports Car Club of America, with the
cooperation of the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce and the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of
Forestry. Local sponsor is Citizens & Northern Bank.
Expected Top National Entries: Paul Choiniere - defending five-time
overall national champion - has won this rally the past five years -in
his new '97 Hyundai Elantra; Selcuk Karamanoglu - Turkish rally champion
now living in Maine - in a new Open class Eagle Talon; Henry Joy,
currently leads series after win last month in California - in a right
hand drive Mitsubishi Lancer; Carl Merrill, with '97 updated Ford Escort
Cosworth, produces more than 400 hp; John Buffum and Tom Grimshaw -
legendary PRO rally tandem who won this rally in 1986 and 1987 - in the
Hyundain Elantra that won the event last year; Frank Sprongl, Canadian
champion, in an Audi Quattro S-2; Sam Bryan, factory-supplied Group 5
Saab 900 turbo, has won two events in a row and is leading his class;
Mike Whitman, last year's Group 2 champion, in a new Ford Sierra
Cosworth Open class car; Cal Landau, fastest Pennsylvania racer (from
Coraopolis), '95 Production GT champion, in a Mitsubishi Eclipse; Steve
Gingras, won Production GT in Washington in April, in a Mitsubishi
Eclipse; Henry Krolikowski, defending Group 5 champion in a Dodge
Shadow, in his first event of the season; Bruce Newey, Toyota Celica,
currently second in Group 5; Bill Malik, Volvo 240, currently leads
Group 2.
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 June 5.
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 Green Room
on the first floor of the Penn Wells Hotel.
Contact: Andy Schupack - national series media liaison:
(717) 724-2111, ext. 426 (6/5 - 6/8)
(401) 739-5677 (before 6/5 or after 6/8)
# # #
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
A DOUBLE DOSE OF POWERFUL EXCITEMENT ROCKS '97 STPR AS WELLSBORO
IS CENTER STAGE FOR THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF AMERICA PRO RALLY
WELLSBORO, Penn. - May 23 -- The Michelin PRO Rally Championship, long a
form of motorsport which has a modest, but loyal following, has reached an
important crossroads this spring in North Central Pennsylvania as the
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally event - June 6 - 8, 1997, combines a record
number of sleek race cars with the national TV coverage of ESPN2.
Instead of the two or three 4WD, 300-plus horsepower racers pounding their
way over the fast gravel roads in the Pennsylvania State forests
no less than seven of these world-class machines which will fight for
STPR's overall title - one of the most coveted in U.S. rally.
"The group of world-class race cars coming to the Tioga County this year
is unprecedented," said STPR organizer John McArthur, a Rochester, NY
resident and himself a national champion co-driver. "And it is a
reflection of the status of this event that many of those drivers will
bring their cars from the West Coast and Canada in a sport that is
typically regional in nature."
One of STPR's big attractions this year is the presence of ESPN2, and the
41 million homes that will have an opportunity to watch the action around
the country. Produced by Replica Productions, of Cambridge, Mass., the
event will be telecast by "The Deuce" with half-hour broadcasts Sunday,
June 29, at 8:30 PM (EDT), and Tuesday, July 1 at 3:30 AM (EDT).
In a PRO Rally, each team consists of a driver and a co-driver (or
navigator), and the exact course is kept secret until just before the
event - different from World Rally, where practice is allowed. The cars
start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 6 - 15
stages which range in length from four to 25 miles. Most of the rallies
include night stages, making it necessary for competitors to adjust their
driving style. Speeds of more than 120 miles-per-hour could be reached on
long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times
winning the event.
And what about those exotic sports cars that will comprise the field?
How about North American's only 4WD Hyundai Tiburon, producing 371
horsepower and driven by defending Rim of the World and six-time PRO Rally
champions Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker. This new Tiburon, build by
rally legend John Buffum at his Libra Racing shops in Burlington, Vermont,
is off to a fast start this year with two wins, and hopes to out-tough the
other new cars here.
Besides Choiniere, whose victories this year were a pair of run-away wins
in the Northwest, the most potent threat has to be the new 1997 Ford
Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill, from Ogunquit, Maine. Merrill's 425
horsepower will serve him well here, but the car had teething problems in
its first events out West.
Henry Joy, from Atlanta, Mich., is always competitive here in his right-
hand-drive Mitsubishi Lancer, narrowly missing victory here last year when
a five-minute check-in penalty cost him the rally win. He has some
momentum, however, as he was victorious last month at the tough Rim of the
World event near Los Angeles. Last year's Production GT champion, Selcuk
Karamanoglu, from Bath, Maine, has built a new Open class Eagle Talon
which is rated at 361 horsepower, which, like Merrill's car, has yet to
reach its potential.
The only other team besides Choiniere and Joy with a victory this season
is Frank Sprongl, from Mississauga, ONT., Canada, in his Audi Quattro S-2,
on the strength of his cold-weather win in Round #1 in Michigan. Sprongl
consistently beats Choiniere (and everyone else) in the snow, but the
smooth, fast roads of STPR present a different challenge.
Defending Group 2 champion Mike Whitman, an America West pilot from
Farmington, NM, has a new right-hand-drive Ford Sierra Cosworth, which was
an impressive eighth overall in its first rally in Washington. That was
quite an accomplishment as Whitman had to get used to 4WD, right-hand
drive, a backwards shift pattern, and a "dogbox" (clutchless) transmission
all at once at 100 mph.
One of the big surprises of the weekend may be the "retired" Hyundai
Elantra which won the event last year piloted by "retired" John Buffum and
co-driven by "retired" Tom Grimshaw. Buffum, who usually runs a couple of
rallies each year in Canada to "keep fresh," has shown he is still
competitive behind the wheel.
Besides the fastest, overall competitors, there are less exotic cars
running in different classes which allow less modifications. The cars
mentioned above are all four-wheel-drive, turbocharged, highly-modified
racers, while various Production classes allow very few changes to the
stock vehicles driven on the street. All PRO Rally cars have safety
equipment including aircraft-style safety harnesses, roll cages, and fire
extinguishers.
In some of the other classes, Sam Bryan is the favorite in his factory-
sponsored, Group 5 class Saab 900 turbo after his two West Coast wins.
The Group 5 class, the two-wheel-drive version of the Open class (cars
over 2.4-liters adjusted displacement, but with open engine, transmission
and suspension options), are not quite as fast as the Open cars, but will
finish well overall in this event. Bryan hopes to build on his recent
victory in Washington to further his points lead.
His main competition in Group 5 are a Toyota, a BMW, a Porsche, a Dodge
and a VW Bug! Bruce Newey, originally from rally-rich New Zealand, but
now living in Atlanta, in his Toyota Celica is running well this year, but
defending champion Henry Krolikowski has entered his Dodge Shadow, as has
Rick Davis in his BMW M-3. After Bryan broke last year, Krolikowski beat
Davis by a mere 15 seconds to win last year's event. Add Rene Villemure's
fast VW Bug and Mike Hurst's Porsche 911, and this might be the best
contest of the weekend.
The other top contenders are in the Production GT class, which allows
turbocharging and four-wheel-drive, but limited suspension and almost no
engine modifications. With Selcuk Karamanoglu now in the Open class,
there should be a tight contest between two old rivals - '95 champion Cal
Landau and recent Washington rally winner Steve Gingras - both in
Mitsubishi Eclipses.
This year's STPR event will start on Saturday morning, June 7, with a
display of cars at the Green in downtown Wellsboro at 10:20 AM. Fans can
meet the drivers and look at the cars, as well as obtain a rally program
with entry lists and spectator area maps. The cars will be flagged off
from the Green at 11:01 AM.
As always, all rally activities are free and open to the public.
On Friday afternoon, there will be a road rally (open to the public - no
special experience or equipment needed) to benefit the Tioga County
Chapter of Special Olympics. This will be a two-hour time-speed-distance
rally open to anyone with a car and a driver's license, with the emphasis
on reading the route instructions and not getting lost, not on speed.
Applications for the Special Olympics rally are available from the
Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce office (717) 724-1926.
The Michelin PRO Rally Championship is not only a contest of who is the
best driver on forest roads, at high speed in the middle of the night, but
also a competition between car preparers and manufacturers. He or she
whose car is sturdily built and who can avoid damaging off-course
excursions into trees or ditches, stands a chance of winning.
Tires play an important part in a winning rally effort. They must be
equally reliable on many driving surfaces; the asphalt of the transit
roads that rallyists traverse to get to the competition stages, as well as
varying conditions on the competition stages themselves. Stages, many of
which are unpaved, can change from sandy to clay to gravel in the space of
a few hundred feet. Sometimes rain will turn a perfectly ordinary dirt
road into a quagmire within minutes.
Most of the top competitors will be using specially constructed Michelin
Pilot High Performance Rally tires, which not only come in various
compounds for different road surfaces, but have rugged carcass and
sidewall designs to resist puncturing under the stressful rally
conditions. The tire company has recently renewed its three-year
agreement with the Sports Car Club of America to promote one of the
fastest growing motorsports in the country as well as its Pilot line of
street tires.
Michelin, which brought the radial tire to the world more than 50 years
ago, is the world's largest tire company. It has 19 plants in North
America and produces tires to fit every type of vehicle, from bicycles to
the Space Shuttle.
The 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship consists of ten events, and is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America. The 1997 STPR event is presented by the Finger Lakes
Region of the Sports Car Club of America in conjunction with the Wellsboro
Chamber of Commerce. The local sponsor is Citzens & Northern Bank.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 6, 1997 - noon EDT
Press Notes #1
1. Welcome to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and the 21st running of the
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally, round #5 of the Michelin PRO Rally
Championship. The weather for the weekend, originally thought to be
wet, will be clear and dry, with highs in the upper 70's F. A breeze
should help keep the dust to a minimum during the day Saturday, but, as
the wind dies down after dark, the organizer might have to go to two
minute intervals to maximize visibility. It has not rained in
Wellsboro since Monday, so the roads are dry. On the other hand, the
lack of recent moisture will preserve the running of STPR's most famous
stage - the Stoney Fork Creek Crossing, scheduled for stage #1 on
Saturday.
2. There are almost 60 cars pre-registered for this event - the largest
turnout in several years. This includes 47 national entries - the best
national field on the circuit since STPR four years ago. Registration
is just opening as of this writing, so we will update everyone on the
final count tonight when registration is complete.
3. It's always an unpleasant task, but we have to start most rally weekend
press notes with the news of expected entries that will not be running
this weekend.
--The Audi Quattro S-2 of Frank and Dan Sprongl, one of the pre-rally
favorites, were scheduled to appear at STPR in their new Castrol-
sponsored colors, but a blown engine at a last-minute test run has
caused the Canadian champions to scratch.
--The Rick Davis BMW M-3 is also a no-show, with Rick's new BMW 318
project taking up time and resources, and the M-3 needed repairs have
taken a back seat.
--The Lesley Suddard Dodge Charger is spent after its three West Coast
events, with a warped head being the final blow. She is assessing
the damage, and hopes to have her car up and running later in the
season. She has been trying to line up a borrowed ride for this
event, but there has been no word of success as of this writing.
4. Replica Productions, of Cambridge, Mass., is here this weekend
producing a telecast of the event for ESPN2. Airdates for the 1/2-hour
STPR show will be Sunday, June 29, at 8:30 PM, and Tuesday, July 1 at
3:30 AM (both Eastern Daylight times). Anyone who has seen the first
two telecasts - Wild West and Rim of the World - will tell you this
show should not be missed. Commentator Marty Ried and analyst John
Buffum have done a good job explaining the sport as well as describing
the action.
# # #
1997 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally Entry List
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Preliminary Entry/Start List - 6/6/97 - 9:00 AM
Car
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Class
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*also running divisional
7 Henry Joy IV Michael Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer Open
Atlanta, MI Kingston, Jamaica Michelin
3 Selcuk Karamanoglu Tony Lumino Eagle Talon Open
Bath, ME Westbrook, ME Michelin
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin
12 John Buffum Tom Grimshaw Hyundai Elantra Open
S. Burlington, VT Port Charlotte, FL Michelin
2 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Colchester, VT Michelin
14 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Open
Ridgewood, NY Clinton, NJ Michelin
9 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin
900 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Group 5
Kent, WA Shoreline, WA Michelin
5 Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow *Group 5
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin
13 Mike Hurst Rob Bohn Porsche 911 Group 5
Pendleton, IN Noblesville, IN Michelin
8 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA Michelin
15 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse PGT
Elk River, MN Orion, MI Michelin
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin
51 Vinnie Frontinan VW Corrado Group 5
Somerville, MA Michelin
21 Bill Malik Farina O'Sullivan Volvo 240 Group 2
Burbank, CA San Francisco, CA Michelin
22 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Group 2
Phoenix, AZ Odessa, MI Michelin
45 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark SAAB 99EMS Group 2
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ Michelin
66 Tad Ohtake Martin Dapot Ford Escort GT Prod.
Dearborn, MI Reston, VA Michelin
24 Sakis Hadjiminas John Bellefleur Audi 90 Sport Open
Floral Park, NY Thornhill, ONT Michelin
17 Jon Kemp Gail McGuire Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Avon, NY Michelin
18 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy *Open
Mohnton, PA Shillington, PA Nokia
19 Reny Villemure Mike Villemure VW Beetle Group 5
Flat Rock, MI Westland, MI Michelin
23 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTEC Prod.
Gaithersburg, MD Gaithersburg, MD Michelin
20 Kurt Thiel George Thompson VW GTI Group 2
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY Michelin
16 Chris Havas Eric Trembley VW Golf Group 2
Richmond, VT Michelin
32 Pete Pollard Peter Watt VW GTI Prod.
Etobicoke, ONT Peterborough, ONT Michelin
25 C. Mantopoulos Eduardo Besada Audi 200 Quattro PGT
Staten Island, NY Newark, NJ Michelin
26 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin
27 Chris Czyzio Eric Carlson Mitsubishi Eclipse *PGT
Flushing, MI Hermantown, MN Michelin
28 Damon Mayers Mark Childs Toyota Corolla GTS Prod.
Taunton, MA Central Valley, NY Michelin
29 Ken Stewart Floyd Schrader Chevy S-10 Pickup *Open
Grove, OK West Memphis, AK Cooper
30 Frank Cunningham VW Rabbit *Group 2
Boston, MA Michelin
31 Gail Truess Ben Greisler Mazda 323GTX PGT
Brooklyn, MI Exton, PA Michelin
33 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 Pick-up Prod.
Poughkeepsie, NY S. Easton, MA BFGoodrich
34 Ed Maklenburg Barbara Steencken VW GTI Prod.
Milford, MI Milford, MI Pirelli
46 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI Michelin
50 Jay Kowalick Honda Civic Prod.
E. Liberty, OH Michelin
35 Jacek Kotowski Eagle Talon TSI PGT
Lawrenceville, NJ Michelin
36 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX *Open
Clifton Park, NY Sterling, VA Michelin
37 Eric Schroeder Jennifer Mynhier VW Jetta GLI *Group 2
Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN
38 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200-SX Group 2
Boyertown, PA Trappe, PA Michelin
39 Michael Curran Joe McGirl Ford Mustang Group 5
Yonkers, NY New York, NY Michelin
40 Ann Jordan Alan Jordan Mazda RX-3 Group 5
E. Aurora, NY E. Aurora, NY
41 Donald Taylor Norean Shephard Dodge Shelby CSX PGT
Claremont, NH Michelin
42 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salamon Mitsubishi Galant GSX Open
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin
43 Kendall Russell John Hurley Dodge Shadow PGT
Knoxville, TN Knoxville, TN Michelin
44 Paul Kelbel Phil Barnes VW GTI *Group 2
New York, NY Cortland, NY Bridgestone
47 Richard Losee Kent Livingston VW GTI Group 2
Provo, UT Salt Lake City, UT Michelin
48 Charles Langan Hughie Langan Ford Escort *Group 2
Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA
49 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit Group 2
Alexandria, VA Falls Church, VA
FINGER LAKES DIVISIONAL AND TIOGA DIVISIONAL PRO RALLIES
70 Wayne Prochaska Annette Prochaska VW Golf U2 Div.
Lake Orion, MI Lake Orion, MI Bridgestone
71 S. Stepniewski Adam Pelc Audi 4000 Quattro 04 Div.
Keansburg, NJ Brooklyn, NY Michelin
72 Gerry Brinkman Robert Barrall VW GTI U2 Div.
Freehold, NJ Bethlehem, PA Michelin
73 Roland McIvor Nissan Sentra SE-R U2 Div.
Ft. Meyers, FL
74 Patrick Lilly Mark McAllister Pontiac Le Mans U2 Div.
New York, NY New York, NY Michelin
75 David Liebl Lou Binkley Mazda RX-7 02 Div.
Gaithersburg, MD Frederick, MD
76 Michael Zamikhovsky Ken Burt Toyota Celica 04 Div.
Watchung, NJ New Milford, CT Colway
77 Douglas Davenport Lynn Dillon VW GTI U2 Div.
Indianapolis, IN Evansville, IN Michelin
78 Robert Pao Thomas Brann VW GTI U2 Div.
Bridgewater, NJ Mahopal, NY
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 6, 1997 - 4:30 PM EDT
Press Notes #2
5. All the major contenders for the year-end overall national championship
are here in Wellsboro this weekend, with defending national champion
and STPR defending titlist Paul Choiniere finding himself in second
place going into the rally. Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker had a
rough go of it at Rim of the World last month in their Hyundai Tiburon,
snapping of a wheel, rebuilding the suspension, actually stretching
their lead afterwards, only to break a strut with one stage to go and
DNF. Henry Joy and Michael Fennell, who had some problems themselves
with their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II during the event, took
advantage of Choiniere's demise to score their first Rim win and forge
into the points lead. Selcuk Karamanoglu and Tony Lumino, potentially
rally winners in their new Open class Eagle Talon, have had turbo
problems at both national events, and hope that STPR will be their
first contending event. Carl Merrill and Lance Smith have also
suffered teething problems in their updated '97 Ford Escort Cosworth,
and have a second and a DNF to show for the first two events.
6. Bruno Kreibich, a perennial favorite at STPR with his 1983 Audi
Quattro, is back for his 20th Wellsboro event ("I think I might have
missed one"). He and driver Rod Hendricksen are consistent runners,
and could finish in the top three, even with this strong field.
7. The wild card in the mix is 11-time national champion John Buffum, who,
along with veteran co-driver and friend Tom Grimshaw, is entered in the
'96 Hyundai Elantra in which Choiniere won the national title (and
STPR) a year ago. Buffum confirmed in today's ELMIRA GAZETTE that he
is not here "to win the rally - we just want to have fun," and
indicated he might want to run some additional events before the end of
the year. Although Buffum won't be trying to take points away from
Libra teammate Choiniere, look for the Elantra to be very fast on these
roads, and to contend for the lead should anything happen to Choiniere.
Also, look for him strive for second if Choiniere is leading in order
to help take points away from Paul's closest competitors. Another
factor here is the manufacturers championship, which is important to
Hyundai. With only Choiniere running a Hyundai at Rim last month, a
DNF meant no points for the Korean manufacturer.
8. Mike Whitman and Paula Gibeault also have a new Open class car in this
year's series - a right-hand-drive Ford Sierra Cosworth. Whitman, the
defending Group 2 champion, should flourish here with the fast, smooth
roads for which his car was designed. At Wild West, the car lost a
turbo and was down on power, where the rough ride at Rim was not suited
to his racer.
9. Late news on the Vinnie Frontinan VW Corrado is that Vinnie was waiting
for a part from Canada to clear customs, and will probably not make it
to the event. Vinnie debuted the Corrado last year in Group 5, and was
running well when he hit a rock and stage #3 and lost his front
suspension.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 6, 1997 - 6:30 PM EDT
Press Notes #3
10. All the other class present strong fields as well, and many of the
other classes will finish far up in the top ten because of the quality
of entries. Before we get to the class breakdowns, here's a review of
the differences between the five SCCA PRO Rally classes:
Open Vehicles must be based on model built by a recognized
manufacturer. The engine is free, but must be production-
based. Brakes and suspension are also free.
Group 5 New in 1996. Two-wheel-drive cars with adjusted engine
displacement over 2400 cc. Open class style modifications
apply to brakes and suspension, and turbocharging is allowed.
Group 2 Two-wheel-drive cars with normally aspirated engines with
adjusted displacements under 2400 cc. Open class style
modifications allowed for brakes and suspension.
Production GT
Street licensed vehicles offered for sale in the United States
with engine displacements over 2650 cc. Limited suspension and
brake modifications allowed.
Production
Street licensed vehicles offered for sale in the United States
with engine displacements up to 2650 cc. Except for safety
equipment, no other modifications are allowed.
11. In Group 5, Sam Bryan and Rob Walden have their Saab 900 turbo
running in top form, having won both national events in class and
finishing third overall in both Washington and California. Sam's
biggest West Coast rival, Ralph Kosmides' Toyota Supra, has retired
for the season to concentrate on building his new turbo car for the
'98 season, so you might think that Sam could cruise to the
championship. But the series is now Back East, and defending
Group 5 champions Henry and Cindy Krolikowski are back with their
Dodge Shadow, which won here last year by 15 seconds. Also here to
challenge Bryan is the fast Porsche 911 of Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn,
the Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica, and the Reny
Villemure/Mike Villemure VW Beetle - all of whom have won the
Group 5 class at least once since the class came on board last year.
12. The Production class has come alive after sparse West Coast fields,
with '95 champion Tad Ohtake with co-driver Martin Dapot leading the
field in a Ford Escort GT. Pete Pollard and Peter Watt have brought
their VW GTI down from Canada, Damon Meyers and Mark Childs will
challenge in Meyers old, but fast Toyota Corolla. Al "K" Kaumeheiwa
and Craig Sobczak have brought their Dodge Neon to the event, while
Jay Kowalick will be running his Honda Civic VTEC.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 6, 1997 - 9:30 PM EDT
Press Notes #4
13. In Production GT, the championship is very much up for grabs, with the
team most determined with the best chance to win the title. That
could be the Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse, armed
with their new sponsorship from Act III microwave popcorn. Gingras
has two wins so far - the divisional 60 percenter in Michigan in
February and the Wild West event in April. But the Cal Landau/Eric
Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse won the championship in 1995, and Cal and
Steve have had close battles in the past. With points leader Lee
Shadbolt not bringing his Subaru Impreza east, Gingras can take the
lead with a win here. Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson have a new Mitsubishi
Eclipse entered, while Constantine Mantopoulos/Eduardo Besada will be
in an Audi 200 Quattro. A new entry is the Dodge Shadow of Kendall
Russell/John Hurley. Ms. Russell, who was shaken up last year as a
co-driver when Mazda 626 driver Serguei Beloussov hit a tree on stage
#1, went to the Ski Sawmill rally school last month to try her luck as
a driver. She rolled the Dodge Charger, but is more enthusiastic than
ever about rally and is making her national debut this weekend.
14. In another East versus West battle, Bill Malik, from Burbank,
California, has journeyed to STPR to protect his Group 2 lead from the
fast guys back east. Malik and Farina O'Sullivan won Group 2 at Wild
West, and, despite finishing fifth overall at Rim of the World, were
second in class by less than a minute. Here, they will have to
contend with the Phoenix-based Datsun 510 of Pete Lahm/Jimmy Brandt as
well the Chris Havas/Eric Trembley VW GTI and the Kurt Thiel/Goerge
Thompson VW GTI - both Northeast teams.
15. The other Group 2 contender - the Gerry Sweet/Stuart Spark Saab
99EMS - should be okay by the start of the rally, but bent an A-arm
when Gerry spun off the road during today's official practice stage.
16. Lesley Suddard/Ann Thomas DO have a ride this weekend - they have
rented Lynn Dillon's Pontiac Sunfire which will run in Group 5.
17. The Ken Stewart/Doc Shrader Open class Chevy S-10 pickup, which had to
give up its traditional #117 because of a scoring computer glitch,
gave Dennis Dean, SCCA's new VP of Rally/Solo and Club Racing, his
initial ride in a rally racer. Dean also rode with Mike Whitman, in
Whitman's new Open class Ford Sierra Cosworth.
18. PPG/IndyCar pace car driver and professional driving instructor Gail
Truess - stuck previously in a heavy Chevy Citation for a rally
mount - will challenge the Production GT field along with co-driver
Ben Greisler in a new Mazda 323GTX built by husband Paul.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 7, 1997 - 9:00 PM EDT
Press Notes #5
19. Final pre-rally notes (brief as the PR guy is behind - the rally is
currently on stage #6):
--The Gail Truess/Ben Greisler car was forced into the Open class
as the crew ran out of time to outfit the racer with the proper trim
pieces to qualify for Production GT.
--The name of the Gingras/Westrick sponsor (notes #13) is ACT II
microwave popcorn, not Act III as previously reported.
--The original entry list had Tad Ohtake's car listed as a Ford Escort
GT when, in fact, Tad has built a new car - a Ford Escort ZX2. This
is Ford's new sporty version of the Escort, and Tad hopes to
interest FMC in supporting his and other rally efforts through his
success. We might mention that Ohtake works for Ford, and is the
'95 Production class national champion.
20. Miss Wellsboro Heather Linder and Miss Suburban Wellsboro Ann Tombs
flagged off a great-looking field of 60 cars from The Green in
downtown Wellsboro (51 national entries and nine divisional-only cars)
at 11:01 AM under cloudy skies and 65 degree temperatures.
21. The first sign of trouble came right in town as the Saab 900 turbo of
Sam Bryan/Rob Walden broke its transmission on the way to stage #1.
They did not know what happened - but they were not able to continue.
22. Stage #1 is the Stony Fork Water Crossing stage, and the field lost
several cars either directly or indirectly as a result of the 9-inch
deep stream that ends the stage. Both the Dean Fry/Don Kennedy Subaru
Legacy and the Pete Pollard/Peter Watt VW GTI lost their engines as a
result of water entering the intake and ruining the motor. Divisional
entry Roland McIver/Colm McIver in a Nissan Sentra GS-R was also
unable to continue after the water crossing.
23. The VW GTI of Ed Maklenburg/Barbara Steencken, having fallen victim to
the water crossing a year ago, didn't make it that far this year as Ed
ran off the course 1.9-miles into stage one, and was unable to
continue.
24. The Selcuk Karamanoglu/Tony Lumino Open class Eagle Talon was down on
power on stage #1, and was unable to continue after the finish of the
stage. Selcuk has been having turbo problems in the past two events,
but we don't have an official word on the cause of today's DNF.
25. Although the dust wasn't as bad as expected during the daylight, the
rally organizers decided to go to two-minute intervals for the
upcoming night stages (after stage #4).
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 7, 1997 - 9:00 PM EDT
Press Notes #6
25. The Henry Joy/Michael Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer is having a bad day,
hitting a dirt bank on stage #2 and bending steering knuckles and
affecting Henry's steering. He had trouble steering on stage #3, and
then John Buffum hit Henry on the transit between stages #3 and #4
trying to pass him, causing additional body damage. Then on stage #4,
Henry rolled the car related to his steering problems, causing bent
rear crossmember, a hole in the radiator and a lot of body damage.
At the service break at the end of four stages - after being towed in
by Cal Landau's Mitsubishi Eclipse - crew chief Murray Thomas got
assistance for at least a half-dozen crew chiefs including Weegee
Smith from Carl Merrill's team and the entire Saab 900 team.
Unfortunately, the repairs weren't enough as the car could not answer
the bell for the start of stage five, and is a DNF.
26. Here are the top national standings after seven stages:
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE CLASS
12 John Buffum/Tom Grimshaw Hyundai Elan. 69.50 Open
2 Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Escort Cosw, 75:60 Open
9 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Eclipse 75.73 PGT
17 Jon Kemp/Gail McGuire Audi 4000 75.74 Open
24 Hadjiminas/Bellefleur Audi Quattro 76.59 Open
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celica 78.14 Group 5
19 R. Villemure/M. Villemure VW Beetle 78.58 Group 5
66 Tad Ohtake/Martin Dapot Ford ZX2 79.00 Production
5 H. Krolikowski/C. Krolik Dodge Shadow 79.14 Group 5
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Hyundai Tib. 79.99 Open
35 Jacek Kotowski/D. Szeriusz Eagle Talon 80.61 PGT
29 Ken Stewart/Floyd Shrader Chevy S-10 PU 81.18 Open
31 Gail Truess/Ben Greisler Mazda 323GTX 81.28 Open
46 A. Kaumeheiwa/C. Sobczak Dodge Neon 81.95 Production
28 Damon Mayers/Mark Childs Toyota Coroll.81.98 Production
36 Keith Kreisler/C. Erney Mazda 323GTX 82.25 Open
25 C. Mantopoulos/E. Besada Audi Quattro 82.29 PGT
26 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi Quattro 82.97 Open
33 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 82.98 Production
27 Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Eclipse 83.04 PGT
53 Lesley Suddard/A Thomas Pontiac Sunb 83.96 Group 5
50 Jay Kowalik/Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic 84.42 Production
16 Chris Havas/Eric Trembley VW GTI 85.70 Group 2
27. The Bruno Kreibich/Ron Hendrickson Audi Quattro is missing from
the list after Bruno went off the course on stage #6 and could
not continue.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 8, 1997 - 5:00 AM EDT
Press Notes #7
28. Other stage #4 service news:
--John Buffum/Tom Grimshaw Hyundai Elantra was leading Carl Merrill
Lance Smith by more than one minute as a result of winning all four
of the afternoon stages.
--Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker were down on power as turbo problems
continue to plague the Hyundai Tiburon - Paul was in fourth after
four stages.
--Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Mitsubishi ran the stages of their
lives, positioning themselves third overall and blitzing the
Production GT field.
--The Bill Malik/Farina O'Sullivan Volvo 240 fell victim to
transmission problems on stage #2, and is a DNF.
--The Kurt Thiel/George Thompson VW GTI rolled on stage #3, and also
DNFed.
--The Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth has a new engine
this weekend because the old one used eight quarts of oil while
winning the Calgary event in Canada last weekend.
--The Krolikowski/Krolikowski Dodge Shadow, the defending Group 5
champion, was running well after four stages, but driver Henry
admitted to being rusty after a seven-month layoff from the sport.
--The Truess/Greisler Mazda 323GTX is finding the learning curve with
her new car is largest in the area of turbocharging, as turbo lag
is a new sensation for her. Also, husband Paul forget to place one
of the drain plugs in the floor before the event, and Truess and
Greisler go "very wet" at the water crossing.
29. With the Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse more than two
minutes behind them, the Gingras/Westrick entry seemed to be on their
way to a Production GT route, but disaster struck on stage #6 as
Gingras overcooked it in a tight turn and ended up in a ditch, ending
his fine run.
30. As the field headed for service after stage #9, Buffum and Grimshaw
had a comfortable lead - seven minutes - over Merrill and Smith, but
rest of the top five was very crowded, with Kemp/McGuire and
Landau/Marcus both on the same minute as Carl. Choiniere/Becker lost
more time on stage five when Paul "ran out of road at high speed" and
hit a dirt bank, losing another seven minutes to the field. He had
started to catch up again, but had a long way to go.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 8, 1997 - 8:00 AM EDT
Press Notes #8
31. By stage #9, Bruce Newey/Matt Chester's Toyota Celica had taken the
Group 5 lead back from the fast Villemure Beetle, which lost time to
the field with a broken alternator wire. Tad Ohtake's new Ford Escort
ZX2 was dominating the strong Production field, despite a strong
showing from the Al Kaumeheiwa Dodge Neon, and the Chris Havas/Eric
Trembley had settled in the Group 2 lead after the demise of the pre-
rally favorites, the latest being the DNFs of the Lahm/Brandt Datsun
510, the Sweet/Spark Saab 99EMS (causes unknown at this time) and the
Frank Cunningham/Emanuel Lopes VW Rabbit (broken flywheel) - despite
Havas' 7.5 minutes of penalty points for speeding through a transit
control zone, radar set up by the organizer, after stage #4.
32. Despite side-swiping a tree earlier in the day, the Sakis
Hadjiminas/John Bellefleur Audi 90 Sport was running as high as fifth
overall until it broke on stage #8 (cause unknown).
33. Merrill and Smith fell further behind Buffum after losing three
minutes to the field on stage #8 with tha blown turbo - which was
replaced at the next service. Merrill proceeded to finish either
second or third on the remaining stages, but it would not be enough to
catch Buffum unless...
34. The '96 Hyundai Elantra of John Buffum/Tom Grimshaw came to a halt 1.9
miles into stage #12 - one from the end - and could not get going. As
of this writing, we have not had any contact with Buffum or his crew
to find out what happened (it was a mechanical rather than a crash
DNF), but Merrill found himself with a two-minute lead with one stage
to go. Choiniere was charging hard after being as far back as tenth
place after his "off," and won stages 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, and was
able to overtake the entire field, minus Merrill to finish second,
while Cal Landau and Eric Marcus were third overall and first in
Production GT, about one minute behind Choiniere. Jon Kemp and Gail
McGuire, in the top five all day, finished fourth overall in his Audi
4000 Quattro, and, for a while, was contending to be the first Finger
Lakes Region member to win STPR. Despite the fact that Henry
Krolikowski lamented the fact that off-season updates to his Dodge
Shadow really set him back a step or two, the Krolikowskis were fifth
overall and second in Group 5. The Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota
Celica was fifth overall and captured the Group 5 title.
# # #
Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
June 8, 1997 - 10:00 AM EDT
Press Notes #9
35. Here are the national results:
CAR
# (DRIVER/CO-DRIVER) CAR SCORE CLASS
2 Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Escort Cosw, 142.39 Open
1 Paul Choiniere/J Becker Hyundai Tib. 144.39 Open
9 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Eclipse 145.73 PGT
17 Jon Kemp/Gail McGuire Audi 4000 147.77 Open
96 Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota Celi. 150.16 Group 5
5 H. Krolikowski/C. Krolik Dodge Shadow 153.60 Group 5
66 Tad Ohtake/Martin Dapot Ford ZX2 154.41 Production
27 Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Eclipse 156.16 PGT
31 Gail Truess/Ben Greisler Mazda 323GTX 157.14 Open
29 Ken Stewart/Floyd Shrader Chevy S-10 157.77 Open
46 A. Kaumeheiwa/C. Sobczak Dodge Neon 158.21 Production
16 Chris Havas/Eric Trembley VW GTI 158.39 Group 2
33 Greg Healey/John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 159.07 Production
50 Jay Kowalik/Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic 160.85 Production
48 Charles Langan/H.Langan Ford Escort 161.68 Production
36 Keith Kreisler/C. Erney Mazda 323GTX 162.16 Open
53 Lesley Suddard/A Thomas Pontiac Sunb 162.77 Group 5
35 Jacek Kotowski/D. Szeriusz Eagle Talon 164.00 PGT
26 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi Quattro 164.00 Open
23 Greg Trepetin/S. Trepetin Honda Prelu 165.19 Group 5
37 Eric Schroeder/J. Mynhier VW Jetta GLI 169.84 Group 2
19 R. Villemure/M. Villemure VW Beetle 175.63 Group 5
52 C. Kazmierczak/D. Casey Mazda RX-7 176.20 Group 5
38 S.Kreisler/J. Bonasera Nissan 200SX 177.15 Group 2
13 Mike Hurst/Rob Bohn Porsche 911 177.61 Group 5
8 Mike Whitman/P. Gibeault Ford Sierra 180.23 Open
42 A. Wojcik/M. Salamon Mitsu. Galan 184.91 Open
40 Ann Jordan/Alan Jordan Mazda RX-3 196.35 Group 5
43 Kendall Russell/J.Hurley Dodge Shadow 200.03 PGT
47 R. Losee/K. Livingston VW GTI 229.14 Group 2
# # #
STPR NATIONAL STAGE TIMES
STPR STAGE
TIMES - NATIONAL
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3
CLASS STONY LEE RIM
DRIVER CO-DRIVER CLASS POSIT CAR # CROSSING HOLLOW STOCK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Merrill Smith OPEN 1 2 5.75 7.60 12.18
Choiniere Becker OPEN 2 1 5.75 8.12 12.37
Landau Marcus PROD-GT 1 9 6.07 8.14 12.85
Kemp DVM McGuire OPEN 3 17 5.95 7.96 12.82
Newey Chester GR-5 1 96 6.10 8.47 13.19
KrolikowskiHodges-Krol GR-5 2 5 6.43 8.76 13.40
Ohtake Dapot PROD 1 66 6.50 8.56 13.32
Czyzio Carlson PROD-GT 2 27 6.31 8.32 13.23
Truess Greisler OPEN 4 31 6.92 8.78 13.47
Stewart Schrader OPEN 5 29 6.54 8.69 13.63
Kaumeheiwa Sobczak PROD 2 46 6.73 8.81 13.58
Havas Tremblay GR-2 1 16 6.09 8.36 13.34
Healey MacLeod PROD 3 33 6.56 8.90 13.83
Kowalick Wheeler PROD 4 50 6.68 8.92 13.84
Langan Langan PROD 5 48 7.10 9.33 14.16
Kreisler Erney OPEN 6 36 6.50 8.54 15.90
Suddard Thomas GR-5 3 53 6.58 8.72 13.68
Orisek Orizek OPEN 7 26 6.69 8.74 13.97
Trepetin Trepetin GR-5 4 23 6.97 9.26 14.22
Schroeder Mynhier GR-2 2 37 6.90 8.87 19.38
Villemure Villemure GR-5 5 19 6.26 8.23 13.00
KazmierczakCasey GR-5 6 52 7.19 9.14 14.26
Kreisler Bonasera GR-2 3 38 7.37 9.72 15.59
Hurst Bohn GR-5 7 13 6.31 27.91 13.50
Whitman Gibeault OPEN 8 8 5.88 30.21 13.30
Wojcik Salamon OPEN 9 42 7.81 10.38 16.14
Jordon Jordon GR-5 8 40 7.14 9.35 14.83
Russell Hurley PROD-GT 3 43 8.98 10.76 16.11
Losee Livingston GR-2 4 47 7.06 8.54 13.15
Buffum Grimshaw OPEN 12 5.46 7.25 11.88
Kotowski Szerejko PROD-GT 35 6.58 8.69 13.33
Hadjiminas Bellefleur OPEN 24 6.69 8.31 13.03
Mayers Childs PROD 28 6.78 8.77 13.65
MantopoulasBesada PROD-GT 25 6.77 8.93 13.73
Arrieta, S Arrieta, Jr GR-2 49 9.12 11.69 16.28
Lahm Brandt GR-2 22 6.58 8.81 13.87
Gingras Westrick PROD-GT 15 5.79 7.96 12.36
Kreibich Hendricksen OPEN 14 5.96 8.02 12.59
Joy IV Fennell OPEN 7 5.49 9.90 12.41
Sweet Spark GR-2 45 6.24 8.51 13.32
Kelbel Barnes GR-2 44 6.64 9.47 13.82
Taylor Shephard PROD-GT 41 7.07 8.95 14.49
Theil Thompson GR-2 20 6.19 8.42 DNF
Malik O'Sullivan GR-2 21 6.75 8.70 DNF
Cunningham TBA GR-2 30 6.57 9.33 DNF
Pollard Watt PROD 32 6.09 DNF
STAGE 4 STAGE 5 STAGE 6 STAGE 7 STAGE 8 STAGE 9
WILSON THOMPSON FRANCIS SHEPARD THOMPSON FRANCIS
CAR RUN POINT 1 BUCK 1 MILE 1 POINT II BUCK II
---- -------------------------------------------------------
2 10.65 10.50 18.07 10.85 10.97 18.49
1 10.95 17.53 17.50 7.77 10.80 17.66
9 10.96 11.08 18.71 7.92 11.46 19.22
17 11.17 11.03 18.55 8.26 11.97 19.78
96 11.34 11.77 19.04 8.23 11.72 19.49
5 11.63 11.59 19.19 8.14 12.31 20.73
66 11.45 11.77 19.19 8.21 12.35 22.46
27 16.06 11.74 19.06 8.32 12.18 19.75
31 11.52 12.31 19.90 8.38 12.63 20.94
29 11.77 11.90 20.08 8.57 12.73 20.78
46 11.92 12.53 19.82 8.56 12.58 20.55
16 11.59 11.48 18.89 8.45 11.94 20.33
33 11.94 12.55 20.10 8.60 12.65 20.59
50 12.05 12.45 20.35 8.63 12.51 20.66
48 12.14 12.68 20.34 8.93 13.09 20.58
36 11.63 11.54 19.52 8.62 12.39 24.11
53 11.90 13.28 20.77 8.93 13.15 21.57
26 12.22 12.29 20.28 8.78 12.99 22.01
23 12.35 13.28 21.16 8.73 13.26 21.20
37 12.24 12.33 21.46 9.73 13.01 21.21
19 11.50 11.52 19.14 8.43 12.92 20.52
52 12.83 12.98 20.57 8.75 13.44 21.13
38 13.19 13.47 22.58 10.19 13.90 22.92
13 13.68 11.86 19.44 8.46 12.59 20.27
8 11.31 10.64 17.98 7.70 11.71 19.47
42 14.58 14.75 23.19 9.74 15.14 23.64
40 12.60 13.32 21.37 9.23 13.75 21.84
43 14.41 16.47 24.73 10.71 15.65 24.21
47 27.20 28.40 30.17 11.50 17.06 28.80
12 10.38 10.23 16.84 7.46 10.52 17.77
35 11.59 12.26 19.65 8.51 13.07 21.35
24 11.08 11.09 18.39 8.00 DNF
28 11.97 12.22 19.84 8.75 DNF
25 11.81 12.35 19.94 8.76 DNF
49 13.61 15.70 23.64 10.94 DNF
22 11.90 18.81 40.76 19.49 DNF
15 10.58 DNF
14 10.90 DNF
7 10.75 DNF
45 11.58 DNF
44 20.52 DNF
41 33.22 DNF
STAGE 10 STAGE 11 STAGE 12 STAGE 13
SLATE PAINTER TOTAL TOTAL
CAR SHEPARD II BEAR FAHNESTOCK RUN PENALTY SCORE
---- --------------------------------------------------------
2 7.90 8.82 12.28 8.33 0 142.39
1 7.69 8.44 11.91 7.90 0 144.39
9 8.22 9.12 12.97 8.70 0 145.42
17 8.80 9.34 13.24 8.90 0 147.77
96 8.95 9.58 13.46 8.82 0 150.16
5 8.66 9.87 13.76 9.13 0 153.60
66 8.70 9.48 13.55 8.87 0 154.41
27 8.72 9.98 13.56 8.93 0 156.16
31 8.99 10.02 13.93 9.35 0 157.14
29 8.98 9.81 13.95 9.34 1 157.77
46 8.83 9.98 14.03 9.29 1 158.21
16 8.51 9.52 13.27 9.12 7.5 158.39
33 8.72 9.95 14.01 9.17 1.5 159.07
50 8.97 10.42 14.45 9.42 1.5 160.85
48 9.04 10.29 14.49 9.51 0 161.68
36 9.39 10.24 14.36 9.42 0 162.16
53 9.47 10.34 14.80 9.58 0 162.77
26 9.52 10.46 15.49 10.56 0 164.00
23 9.11 10.79 15.03 9.83 0 165.19
37 9.56 10.45 15.03 9.67 0 169.84
19 8.74 9.84 13.87 9.16 22.5 175.63
52 20.90 10.62 14.71 9.68 0 176.20
38 10.39 11.11 15.93 10.79 0 177.15
13 8.63 9.63 13.38 8.95 3 177.61
8 8.89 9.35 20.20 11.09 2.5 180.23
42 10.20 11.61 15.54 10.19 2 184.91
40 9.48 10.60 15.14 37.70 0 196.35
43 10.57 12.18 16.12 11.13 8 200.03
47 12.28 13.20 18.73 13.05 0 229.14
12 7.96 0 DNF
35 11.97 0 DNF
For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677
MERRILL TURNS UP POINTS HEAT WITH UPSET WIN OVER HYUNDAIS AS MICHELIN PRO
RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP REACHES HALFWAY POINT WITH RECORD FIELD IN PENNSYLVANIA
WELLSBORO, Penn. - June 8 -- Recovering all 420 horsepower after replacing
a blown turbo, the Carl Merrill/Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth defeated
the two favored Hyundais at the Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally here to
tighten the points chase at the halfway mark of the Michelin PRO Rally
Championship season.
With former rally champion and Hyundai team owner John Buffum driving last
year's championship car, a '96 Hyundai Elantra 4WD, and defending champion
Paul Choiniere driving the new '97 Hyundai Tiburon - already the winner of
two event, it looked like the Libra Racing Hyundai team would be hard to
beat.
"Buffum jumped off into an early lead and Choiniere had early trouble, but
was coming back," said Merrill, who had yet to win an event this year in
three tries, "so I felt like I was in the middle of a Hyundai sandwich."
Choiniere was having turbocharger problems of his own, and then lost seven
minutes in a ditch after going off the road, but gained that time back on
Merrill when Carl lost his turbo. Although Choiniere and co-driver Jeff
Becker won the last five stages and made up seven places in the standings,
they could not catch Merrill in what was a battle for second and third
overall.
But then, John Buffum and co-driver Tom Grimshaw, with a seven-minute
lead on the next-to-last stage, ran off the road and punctured an oil
line, opening the door for Merrill to score a two-minute win over
Choiniere.
The Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse was third overall and first
in Production GT, while the Jon Kemp/Gail McGuire Audi 4000 Quattro was
fourth. Other class winners included the Bruce Newey/Matt Chester Toyota
Celica (Group 5); Tad Ohtake/Martin Dapot were victorious in the
Production class in Ohtake's new Ford Escort ZX2, while newcomer Chris
Havas and co-driver Eric Trembley were winners in Group 2.
Merrill ended a streak of five straight Choiniere victories here at STPR,
while, Buffum, who had won this rally six times - twice in the '80s with
Grimshaw - said he plans to run additional rallies in last year's Elantra
before the season ends.
Including the divisional competitors, there were 60 starters for the 21st
running of STPR, and 34 cars finished. ESPN2 will run the event on
Sunday, June 29, at 8:30 PM EDT.
The 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship consists of ten events, and is
sponsored by Michelin Tire Corporation, and sanctioned by the Sports Car
Club of America. The 1997 STPR event was presented by the Finger Lakes
Region of the Sports Car Club of America in conjunction with the Wellsboro
Chamber of Commerce. The local sponsor is Citzens & Northern Bank.
# # #
1997 Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally
Round #5 - 1997 Michelin PRO Rally Championship
Final National Results
Car Class/
Num. Driver/Home Town Navigator/Home Town Vehicle/Tires Time
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Carl Merrill Lance Smith Ford Escort Cosworth Open
Ogunquit, ME Colchester, VT Michelin 142.39
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open
Shelburne, VT Great Neck, NY Michelin 144.39
9 Cal Landau Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX PGT
Coraopolis, PA Dayton, OH Michelin 145.73
17 Jon Kemp Gail McGuire Audi 4000 Quattro Open
Attica, NY Avon, NY Michelin 147.77
96 Bruce Newey Matt Chester Toyota Celica Group 5
Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Michelin 150.16
5 Henry Krolikowski Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow Group 5
Wyandotte, MI Wyandotte, MI Michelin 153.60
66 Tad Ohtake Martin Dapot Ford Escort ZX2 Prod.
Dearborn, MI Reston, VA Michelin 154.41
27 Chris Czyzio Eric Carlson Mitsubishi Eclipse PGT
Flushing, MI Hermantown, MN Michelin 156.16
31 Gail Truess Ben Greisler Mazda 323GTX Open
Brooklyn, MI Exton, PA Michelin 157.14
29 Ken Stewart Floyd Schrader Chevy S-10 Pickup Open
Grove, OK West Memphis, AK Cooper 157.77
46 Al Kaumeheiwa Craig Sobczak Dodge Neon Prod.
Brighton, MI Marquette, MI Michelin 158.21
16 Chris Havas Eric Trembley VW Golf Group 2
Richmond, VT Rutland, VT Michelin 158.39
33 Greg Healey John MacLeod Dodge Ram 50 Pick-up Prod.
Poughkeepsie, NY S. Easton, MA BFGoodrich 159.07
50 Jay Kowalik Jeff Wheeler Honda Civic VTEC Prod.
London, OH E. Liberty, OH Michelin 160.85
48 Charles Langan Hughie Langan Ford Escort Prod
Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA 161.68
36 Keith Kreisler Chris Erney Mazda 323GTX Open
Clifton Park, NY Sterling, VA Michelin 162.16
53 Lesley Suddard Anne Thomas Pontiac Sunbird Group 5
Wilmington, DE Nashua, NH Michelin 162.77
35 Jacek Kotowski Dariusz Szeriusz Eagle Talon TSI PGT
Lawrenceville, NJ Rye Brook, NY Michelin 164.00
26 Ivan Orisek Olga Orisek Audi Quattro Open
White Plains, NY White Plains, NY Michelin 164.00
23 Greg Trepetin Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude VTEC Group 5
Gaithersburg, MD Gaithersburg, MD Michelin 165.19
37 Eric Schroeder Jennifer Mynhier VW Jetta GLI Group 2
Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN 169.84
19 Reny Villemure Mike Villemure VW Beetle Group 5
Flat Rock, MI Westland, MI Michelin 175.63
52 Craig Kazmierczak Dick Casey Mazda RX-7 Group 5
Ann Arbor, MI Falls Church, VA 176.20
38 Scott Kreisler John Bonasera Nissan 200-SX Group 2
Boyertown, PA Trappe, PA Michelin 177.15
13 Mike Hurst Rob Bohn Porsche 911 Group 5
Pendleton, IN Noblesville, IN Michelin 177.61
8 Mike Whitman Paula Gibeault Ford Sierra Cosworth Open
Farmington, NM Ridgecrest, CA Michelin 180.23
42 Arthur Wojcik Maciej Salamon Mitsubishi Galant GSX Open
Middle Village, NY Flushing, NY Michelin 184.91
40 Ann Jordan Alan Jordan Mazda RX-3 Group 5
E. Aurora, NY E. Aurora, NY 196.35
43 Kendall Russell John Hurley Dodge Shadow PGT
Knoxville, TN Knoxville, TN Michelin 200.03
47 Richard Losee Kent Livingston VW GTI Group 2
Provo, UT Salt Lake City, UT Michelin 229.14
# # #
Did Not Finish
7 Henry Joy IV Michael Fennell Mitsubishi Lancer Suspension
Atlanta, MI Kingston, Jamaica Michelin
3 Selcuk Karamanoglu Tony Lumino Eagle Talon Suspension
Bath, ME Westbrook, ME Michelin
12 John Buffum Tom Grimshaw Hyundai Elantra Oil line
S. Burlington, VT Port Charlotte, FL Michelin
900 Sam Bryan Robinson Walden Saab 900 Turbo Trans.
Kent, WA Shoreline, WA Michelin
14 Bruno Kreibich Rod Hendricksen Audi Quattro Rollover
Ridgewood, NY Clinton, NJ Michelin
15 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Mitsubishi Eclipse Rollover
Elk River, MN Orion, MI Michelin
21 Bill Malik Farina O'Sullivan Volvo 240 Trans.
Burbank, CA San Francisco, CA Michelin
22 Pete Lahm Jimmy Brandt Datsun 510 Suspension
Phoenix, AZ Odessa, MI Michelin
45 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark SAAB 99EMS Rear End
Oakridge, NJ Woodcliff Lake, NJ Michelin
24 Sakis Hadjiminas John Bellefleur Audi 90 Sport Mechanical
Floral Park, NY Thornhill, ONT Michelin
18 Dean Fry Don Kennedy Subaru Legacy Engine
Mohnton, PA Shillington, PA Nokia
20 Kurt Thiel George Thompson VW GTI Rollover
Rochester, NY Rochester, NY Michelin
34 Ed Maklenburg Barbara Steencken VW GTI Crash
Milford, MI Milford, MI Pirelli
39 Michael Curran Joe McGirl Ford Mustang Mechanical
Yonkers, NY New York, NY Michelin
32 Pete Pollard Peter Watt VW GTI Engine
Etobicoke, ONT Peterborough, ONT Michelin
30 Frank Cunningham Emanual Lopes VW Rabbit Flywheel
Boston, MA Newark, NJ Michelin
25 C. Mantopoulos Eduardo Besada Audi 200 Quattro Suspension
Staten Island, NY Newark, NJ Michelin
28 Damon Mayers Mark Childs Toyota Corolla GTS Rear End
Taunton, MA Central Valley, NY Michelin
41 Donald Taylor Norean Shephard Dodge Shelby CSX Mechanical
Claremont, NH Manchester, NH Michelin
44 Paul Kelbel Phil Barnes VW GTI Mechanical
New York, NY Cortland, NY Bridgestone
49 Carlos Arrieta, Sr. Carlos Arrieta, Jr. VW Rabbit Mechanical
Alexandria, VA Falls Church, VA
# # #
Results 97 Index
RRN Index