Press Notes
By Ed Jacobs
MEDIA ALERT
Event:
Susquehannock Trail ProRally; Round 4 of the 1999 Michelin SCCA Pro Rally Championship. ProRally cars from across North America will race on the demanding mountain roads of North-Central Pennsylvania.
When:
June 4-6, 1999
Where:
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Headquarters:
Penn Wells Hotel; Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Sanction:
Susquehannock Trail is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
Schedule:
Friday, June 4
12:00-8:30 p.m. Registration; St. Paul's Episcopal Church; Wellsboro
Raffle ticket sales (4 Michelin tires) proceeds to Tioga
County Special Olympics
12:00-4:30 p.m. & Worker registration; St. Paul's Episcopal Church;
Wellsboro
5:30-8:30 p.m.
1:00-5: p.m. & Technical inspection
6:30-9:30 p.m.
4:00-6:00 p.m. Press stage/practice stage
Saturday, June 5
10:20 a.m. Parc Expose - rally cars on display; Village Green,
Wellsboro
11:00 a.m. First car starts daylight section of Susquehannock Trail
ProRally and Tioga ClubRally
11:00 a.m. onward Rotary Club Chicken Barbecue; St. Paul's Episcopal
Church hot dog and soda stand; raffle ticket sales for
Michelin tires; Village Green; Wellsboro
2:40 p.m. Second Parc Expose - rally cars on display; Village Green;
Wellsboro
5:00 p.m. First car starts evening section of Susquehannock Trail
ProRally and Finger Lakes ClubRally
Sunday, June 6
1:20 a.m. First car finishes Susquehannock Trail ProRally
8:00 a.m. Provisional results posted; Penn Wells Hotel lobby;
Wellsboro
8:45 a.m. Awards; Arcadia Theatre; Wellsboro
9:30 a.m. Brunch; tire raffle winner selected; Penn Wells Hotel;
Wellsboro
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 weather.
Selected entries (driver/co-driver):
- Seven-time series champion Paul Choiniere and multi-time series co-driver champion Jeff Becker, plus teammates Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley; in Open Class Hyundai Tiburons
- Canadian champions Frank and Daniel Sprongl, in an Open Class Audi quattro
- Jamaican hotshoe Dean Panton, in an Open Class Hyundai Elantra
- Rim of the World winners Garen and Doc Shrader; in an Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV World Rally Championship-type supercar
- Overall points leader Pete Lahm and Matt Chester, in another Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV
- Lance Smith and Mark Williams, in a brand-new Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V
- Defending Group 5 champions Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in a Group 5 Toyota Supra
- Irish champion Frank Cunningham and Nick Pessoa, in a European-spec supercharged Group 5 Volkswagen Golf G60
- New England strongman Chris Havas and Eric Tremblay, in a Group 2 Volkswagen Golf GTi
- Sno*Drift Production GT winners Tom Ottey and Pam McGarvey, in a Mazda 323 GTX
- Doo Wop Production GT winners Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes, in another Mazda 323 GTX
- Sno*Drift Production winners Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire, in Volkswagen New Beetle
- Peter Malaszuk and Darek Szerejko, in the US debut of the Daewoo Nubira, in Production Class
Additional news interest:
A charity rally to benefit Special Olympics will be held Friday afternoon. A raffle for a set of Michelin tires also will benefit Special Olympics.
Event rank:
Susquehannock Trail 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, June 4, in conjunction with the press stage.
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, June 4. During the event, action photography and video will be possible from special viewing areas set up along the rally course, as well as other sites.
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, June 4.
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 Pro Rally Championship
330.644.7774; 330.645.2045 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Event press room (Thursday, June 3 until Sunday, June 6): 570.724.4985
Email: windrivr@ix.netcom.com
SCCA ProRally: http://www.scca.org/amateur/prorally/
Susquehannock Trail ProRally: http://www.flr-scca.com/stpr/
1999 Susquehannock Trail ProRally
June 4-6, 1999
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Entry List and Start Order
Car
Number Seed Class Driver/Co-Driver Vehicle
2 FIA Open Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley Hyundai Tiburon
141 FIA Open Frank Sprongl/Daniel Sprongl Audi quattro
3 FIA Open Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon
6 1 Open Steve Gibgras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon
106 1 Open Gabriel Marin-Ortiz/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V
13 1 PGT Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse
7 1 G5 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra
10 1 G2 Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom Volvo 240
14 2 Open Garen Shrader/Doc Shrader Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV
80 2 Open Jon Kemp/Rod Hendricksen Audi quattro
57 2 Open Arthur Odero-Jowi/Jim Hurley Mitsubishi Eclipse
162 2 Open Keith Townsend/Jennifer Cote Toyota Corolla
16 2 PGT Gail Truess/Pattie Hughes Mazda 323 GTX
21 2 PGT Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Mitsubishi Eclipse
79 2 PGT Tom Ottey/Pamela McGarvey Mazda 323 GTX
44 2 G5 Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow GT
111 2 G5 Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC
83 2 G5 Mark Utecht/Diane Sargent Dodge Omni
180 2 G2 Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay Volkswagen Golf
108 2 G2 Gerald Sweet Stuart Spark SAAB 99 EMS
67 2 Prod Jay Kowalik/Scott Embree Honda Civic
64 3 Open Sylvester Stepniewski/Adam Pelc Audi 4000 quattro
99 3 Open Sakis Hadjiminas/Brian Maxwell Volkswagen Fox Kit Car
29 3 Open Dean Fry/Donald Kennedy Subaru Legacy
179 3 Open Demetrios Andreou/Constantin Mantoupolas Audi Coupe
115 3 PGT Seamus Burke/Patrick Keenan Mitsubishi Galant
171 3 G5 Gregory Trepetin/Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude
123 2 G5 Vincente Frontinan/Peter Watt Volkswagen Corrado
61 3 Prod Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire Volkswagen New Beetle
11 4 Open Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi quattro
116 4 Open Thomas Lawless/Sean Divine Mitsubishi Eclipse
22 4 PGT Michael Curran/Joe McGirl Eagle Talon
166 4 G5 John Daubenmier/Stanley Rosen Chevrolet S-10
121 4 G5 Mark Bowers/Duffy Bowers Mitsubishi Starion
65 4 G5 Don Rathgeber/Jim Brandt Ford Mustang
38 4 G5 Lesley Suddard/Marc Goldfarb Dodge Charger
117 4 G5 Frank Cunningham/Nick Pessoa Volkswagen Golf G60
144 4 G2 Charlie Langan/Hughie Langan Ford Escort
119 4 Prod Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerejko Daewoo Nubira
130 5 Open Jim Kuhn/Jennifer Logel Audi quattro
126 5 Open Arthur Wojcik/Charles Cox Mitsubishi Galant
168 5 PGT Celsus Donnelly/Kevin Mullan Eagle Talon
81 5 PGT Robert Bohn/Dave Bruce Mitsubishi Eclipse
70 5 PGT Kendall Russell/John Dillon Dodge Shadow
66 5 G2 Richard Pilczuk/Brian Pilczuk Volkswagen Golf GTi
42 5 G2 Eric Burmeister/Mark Buskirk Volkswagen Golf GTi
129 5 G2 Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera Nissan 200SX
71 5 G2 Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardimen Honda Civic
36 5 Prod Evan Moen/Thomas Young Plymouth Neon ACR
58 5 Prod Roland McIvor/Brendan Bohan Nissan Sentra SER
76 5 Prod Ted Mendham/Lise Mendham Nissan Sentra
104 6 Open Martin Donnelly/Peter Cunningham Eagle Talon
159 6 Open Michael Zamikhovsky/Ron Norton Toyota Celica
191 6 Open David Liebl/Louis Binkley, Jr. Toyota AllTrac
43 6 Open Carlos Arrieta Sr./Belen Arrieta Audi quattro
152 6 Open Wojciech Hajduczyk/TBA Plymouth Laser
186 6 Open Jerry Cuffe/Barry Cuffe Audi 80 quattro
175 6 Open Alex Erisoty/Ben Greisler Audi 90 quattro
109 6 PGT James Frandsen/Todd Bourdette Audi 200
19 6 PGT Rod Dean/Nichole Hunter Plymouth Laser
100 6 PGT Donal Mulleady/Barry Smyth Mazda 323 GTX
97 6 PGT Paul Dubinsky/Yvon Dubinsky Eagle Talon
112 6 G5 Jens Larsen/Claire Chizma Mazda Rx-7
187 6 G5 John Shirley/Philip Barnes Triumph TR-7
169 6 G5 Carlos Arrieta,Jr Dick Casey SAAB 900
77 6 G2 Robert Pao/Bob Barrall Volkswagen Golf GTi
60 6 G2 John Rahill/Vladimir Hladky Volkswagen Golf
47 6 G2 Ken Kovach/Mark Rinkel Ford Escort
56 6 G2 Douglas Davenport/Allan Kintigh Volkswagen Golf
15 6 G2 Brad Hawkins/John Dobbins Volkswagen Jetta GLi
118 6 G2 Brenden Lawless/Garrett Meegan Volkswagen Scirocco
137 6 G2 Phil Smith/Pam Smith MGB-GT
69 6 G2 Charles Sherrill/Mark Rea Honda Civic CRX Si
199 6 G2 Michael White/Michael Ronan SAAB 99 GLI
78 6 Prod Scott Naturale/Patrick Munhall Volkswagen Golf GTi
173 6 G2 Patrick Lilly/Mark McAllister Volkswagen Golf GTi
156 6 Prod Donald Paulsen/Charles Paulsen Volvo 240 GT
909 6 G2 Konstantin Roumiantse/Elena Roumiantse Volkswagen Golf GTi
132 6 Prod William Tremmel/Peter ColomanVolkswagen Jetta GL
148 6 G2 Jason Williams/Jeff Williams Toyota Celica
Classes: Open; PGT Production GT; Prod Production; G2 Group 2; G5 Group 5
Susquehannock Trail ProRally
Round 4
1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
June 4-6, 1999
Press Notes #1
Good morning and welcome to a crisp, brilliantly clear day in
north-central Pennsylvania. In a little over an hour 80 cars -– well, 79
cars and one pickup -– will start round 4 of the 1999 Michelin SCCA
ProRally Championship.
1.) If you had to pick a prototype day for a ProRally, or just about any
other sporting event that takes place at this time of year, today would
be a great choice.
2.) It’s in the low 70s, with a nice breeze and just a cloud or two
overhead. The cars are gathered around the picturesque village green
here in the center of Wellsboro, in a Parc Expose. The usual large crowd
of spectators is strolling around the green looking at the cars and
chatting with the participants as we get ready to start.
3.) Perhaps the biggest smiles to be seen belong to Noel Lawler and
Charlie Bradley -– because the weather has been so great. Despite all of
the rain in the East lately, it is quite dry here, meaning that this
will be a “dust” rally. Since Lawler and Bradley start
first-on-the-road, in one of the two factory Hyundai Tiburons, they’ll
have clear sailing and a much easier time than everyone behind them.
4.) The big news, though, is that this event will be sort of an
unofficial North American rally championship showdown. A late entry
change has brought together the Canadian champions, the seven-time US
champion and the Mexican national champion.
5.) The 1998 winners of this rally, Frank and Daniel Sprongl, are here
with their always-potent Audi quattro S2. They are the multi-time
Canadian champions and winners of the last three events in Canada.
6.) A driver change in Lance Stewart’s new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V has
put defending Mexican national champion Gabriel Marin-Ortiz in the
driver’s seat, with Mark Williams navigating. Marin has three national
titles to his credit, and has won both of Mexico’s nationals run so far
this year.
7.) Of course, seven-time US champion Paul Choiniere is on hand. Along
with co-driver Jeff Becker, he’s in the other factory Hyundai Tiburon.
Among them, these three drivers have more than a dozen national
championships. They will start two, three, five (Sprongl, Choiniere,
Marin).
8.) One of the fast teams that will not be here to give them a run for
the money is that of Pete Lahm and Matt Chester. They’re the overall
points leaders right now, but Lahm has run up against mid-season budget
problems and will have to skip this event. His program to run the Lancer
Evo IV came together at the beginning of the year, far too late in most
companies’ budget year to generate much meaningful sponsorship. However,
he does expect to run in the next round of the series, Wild West, which
will take place in two weeks in Shelton, Washington.
STPR ProRally
Press notes
Page 2
1.) For those who were wondering, we elected not to attempt to put out
the normal preliminary start list due to the very large oversubscription
here. The field is limited to 80 starters, but 105 entries were
received, perhaps the largest entry ever for a ProRally. With that many
extra cars, it was certain that there would be a fair number of changes.
There were, almost up to the start.
2.) Among them was Frank Cunningham, who lost a brand new engine in his
Group 5 Volkswagen G60 this morning before the car ever turned a wheel
in competition. This was after the truck towing the rally car broke down
yesterday in New York, and a replacement had to be brought from Boston.
After all of the hassles to get the car here, they never even made it to
the start.
3.) Prior to the arrival of cars in town, Jamaican Dean Panton withdrew
his entry. He had been set to run a Hyundai Elantra.
4.) Jim Anderson is bringing his Group 5 Honda Prelude VTEC out for the
first time this year. It’s sporting a new graphics treatment, a new
sponsor, Stock Charts, and new Wilwood four-piston front brakes. Future
mods will include switching to gearing from an Accord Type R to better
use the VTEC power.
5.) Leslie Suddard’s Group 5 Dodge Charger is carrying new sponsorship
that is very appropriate for this area. LYMErix is the first vaccine for
the treatment of lyme disease, which is a rapidly increasing problem in
a number of places around the country. The area around Wellsboro has one
of the higher incidences.
6.) Two-time PGT champion Steve Gingrich has moved up to Open Class, and
this is the first time out for his upgraded Eagle Talon.
7.) There will be a bit of friendly sponsor rivalry within Libra Racing,
as Noel Lawler’s Hyundai Tiburon is now sporting the logos of Hanson
Beverage’s Energy drink. Teammate Paul Choiniere’s Tiburon carries the
identification of Energy’s prime competitor, Red Bull.
8.) We will have 13 stages today and tonight, four on the
morning-afternoon leg, and the remaining nine on the evening-night
section. Overall, this is a comparatively compact event, with the stage
and transit miles virtually evenly split, at 158 stage miles and 157
transit miles.
9.) Another of the teams coming out for the first time this season is
the two-car entry from Team Honda Research. This is not a “factory”
effort, even though both drivers and co-drivers are engineers at Honda’s
research and development facility in Ohio. Jay Kowalik and Scott Embree
have revised suspension on the Civic HX Coupe, which is again using
Honda’s continuously variable transmission. Bryan Hourt and Pete
Cardimen are in the Civic DX with the manual transmission.
The first DNF reported was at the end of Stage 1, the famous creek
crossing. Ivan and Olga Orisek flashed across the creek and up the bank
on the far side, but were unable to get their Audi quattro to turn when
they crested the bank. They went straight on into a large tree, folding
in the front of the car and scattering nearby spectators. No one was
injured, but it is said that there were some very wide-awake spectators
in the area after that.
STPR ProRally
Press notes
Page 3
19.) Roughly a half mile from the creek crossing, near Bergeron’s
Corner, the organizers set up a radar gun to see who was really fast.
Noel Lawler, first on the road, turned in 84 mph. Paul Choiniere was a
tick slower, at 83. However, Frank Sprongl, the meat in the Hyundai
sandwich, dusted everyone at 91 mph.
20.) As anticipated prior to the start, reports coming in from the early
stages indicate that dust is the major factor that everyone expected
that it would be. In fact, about the only driver or co-driver not
grumbling about the dust was Kenyan Arthur Odero-Jowi. He and Jim Hurley
were just motoring along pretty happily.
21.) Jim Anderson reported that he was happy with the new brakes, but is
bothered by the dust and is a little concerned about the overall balance
of the Prelude. Without any turbocharging or supercharging, he feels
that he is still well down on power to other Group 5 cars.
22.) Dust is a factor for Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes, in the Group 5
Toyota Supra. However, it has warmed up noticeably since this morning,
and heat is their big concern, both for the car and the occupants. Like
a like of veteran co-drivers, Noyes had gotten ill during the last event
as a result of the high heat. So they are running the car with the
windows removed and window nets in place. While dust is a problem with
respect to visibility, Noyes reports that they aren’t getting that much
into the car until speeds get up around 100 mph. The engine cooling
problem was in fact related to the failure the “mister” which sprays
water onto the radiator for improved cooling.
23.) Group 2 frontrunner Chris Havas was among the first DNFs in his
Golf GTi. He and Eric Tremblay got into heavy dust as they were catching
the car ahead of them, dropped a wheel into an unseen ditch or hole and
broke the right-front halfshaft. They had been running well and were
enjoying their new six-speed transmission.
24.) Alex Eristoy and Ben Greisler had made a major charge through the
field. At the end of the first four stages, they had moved up to 27th,
after starting 58th. However, they had to disconnect both front
driveshafts on their Audi 90 quattro after experiencing problems on the
first leg.
25.) John Kemp and Rod Hendricksen lost boost in their Audi quattro on
the second stage, but were able to repair the problem between Stages 2
and 3.
26.) Grisha and Sonia Trepetin struggled through the first four stages
with a car that just didn’t want to put out any power over 5000 rpm.
After getting to service, they checked the onboard diagnostics and
traced the problem back to a loose plug on the controller for the VTEC
technology. They also had a flat on the transit after Stage 4, but it
didn’t hurt their time.
27.) Lesley Suddard and Marc Goldfarb are experiencing problems with the
engine cutting out in their Dodge Charger. It gave them a bit of a scare
when it quit in the middle of the water crossing.
28.) Jim Anderson says that this is the fastest STPR he’s ever seen, a
sentiment shared by a number of others. The flip-side of that is that
they also say is it unusually slippery for dry conditions.
STPR ProRally
Press notes
Page 4
29.) There are two errors on previous pages that need to be corrected.
On page 1, the Lancer Evo V being driven by the Mexican champion belongs
to Lance Smith, not Lance Stewart. On page 2, the two-time PGT champion
is Steve Gingras, not Gingrich.
30.) At the first service, Cal Landau and Eric Marcus are reported to
have had no brakes earlier in their Mitsubishi Eclipse, and are working
on the problem. They are running very well though.
31.) There is a three-way battle going on in PGT, among Landau/Marcus
and the Mazda 323 GTXs of Tom Ottey/Pam McGarvey and Gail Truess/Pattie
Hughes. Each team is pushing the others with quick times.
32.) Charles Sherrill and Mark Rea suffered radiator damage on Stage 1
in their Honda Civic Si. They changed radiators and intended to continue
in the rally, even though they missed both Stage 2 and Stage 3. However,
they are officially a DNF.
33.) The factory-backed Daewoo Nubira that is making its rally debut
here is making it an impressive one. It is leading Production. Driver
Peter Malaszuk says that the car is holding up well and could be a
contender for the title this year. The officials on hand from Daewoo to
watch the car’s debut are all smiles.
34.) The PGT Eagle Talon of Celsus Donnely and Kevin Mullan rolled
heavily on Stage 1 and continued, despite being thoroughly bent up. The
car was driveable, and the crew continued, intending to finish the
event. However, the stewards declined to let it continue.
35.) Vinnie Frontinan and Peter Watt have been running well in their
Group 5 Volkswagen Corrado. They felt that they were making sizable
gains on the cars ahead of them. However, they now are having to back
off due to engine problems. Watt is filling in for Frank Arruda, who is
not feeling well.
36.) A seized engine is reported to have put the Volkswagen Golf GTi of
Scott Naturale and Patrick Munhall out of the rally. It is thought that
ingesting water at the creek crossing was not the cause.
37.) Mexican champion Gabriel Marin-Ortiz is having a good time here,
but is disappointed that he can’t run at the level he’s used to running.
It is the first rally he has ever done with no practice and no pace
notes; and he is finding it very much different. It is the first time in
an Evo V. It is his first time working with navigator Mark Williams; and
it is the first time that Williams has had to read route-book
instruction in English and quickly translate them into Spanish for his
driver.
38.) As the cars begin coming back into town for service and a second
Parc Expose, it is obvious that this as been a real battle out in the
forest. After four stages Frank Sprongl has a slim 5.4 seconds over
Lawler, who in turn has about 15 seconds on Choiniere. Truess and Hughes
are leading PGT. Jim Anderson and Martin Dapot are leading Group 5 in
their Honda Prelude. Meanwhile, Evan Moen and Tom Young lead Production
in their Plymouth Neon; and Mark Utecht and Diane Sargent are up front
in Group 2 with their Dodge Omni.
STPR ProRally
Press Notes
Page 5
39.) The Libra crew isn’t very talkative, but seems to be looking for a
turbo leak on Paul Choiniere’s Hyundai Tiburon. That might explain why
he isn’t quite as close to Sprongl and Lawler as would be expected.
Lawler’s car seems to be fine.
40.) The Shraders are finding the dust to be a real problem, and report
having a big moment on Stage 3.
41.) Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes also find the dust to be a big
factor, and the heat is making it a bit tough. Otherwise, they’re having
a good time and are impressed with the spectator turnout.
42.) The fight for PGT honors just slimmed down, as clutch failure in
their Mazda 323 GTX has put Tom Ottey and Pam McGarvey out of the rally
after six stages.
43.) Jim Anderson and Martin Dapot report having a “near-tree” moment in
their Honda Prelude, but they and the car seem to have come through it
okay. The heat is taking its toll n Anderson, who is feeling tired.
44.) A three-man delegation from Canada’s Rally Auto Charlevoix, led by
event president Yves Deslauriers, has stopped by the press room to tell
us about their plans for this year’s rally and to invite American teams
to come and compete. The dates are November 4-7, and among the
interesting points are starting the event from a ferry and running the
first stages on the island that the ferry serves. They also promise at
least four new stages.
45.) Spectators around the village green got to see some real service
action during the long mid-afternoon break between sections of the
rally. The crew of the Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerijko factory Daewoo
Nubira changed the clutch on their car in Parc Expose with plenty of
interested fans packed around watching.
46.) Mark Utecht and Diane Sargent dropped to fourth in Group 5 at the
re-seeding during the midday break. They had a spin and a brush with an
embankment earlier on that cost them some time and dropped them back in
the standings.
47.) Gabriel Marin and Mark Williams, in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V
continue to have an enjoyable run, although well off of the pace Marin
would like to maintain. He feels that the dust isn’t a big problem for
him, but does note that the surfaces are different from what he is used
to for dirt/gravel conditions in Mexico.
48.) Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes had several instances where they were
in dust so think that they virtually had to come to a complete stop in
the Supra because they couldn’t see where to go. Their overheating is
better, for both the crew and the car, and is much less than at Rim of
the World.
49.) After seven stages, there have been some significant changes. The
Sprongls, last years winners here, have crashed and are out of the
event. They went off the road on a fast left hander and tagged a tree
with their Audi quattro S2, immediately ending their day. They had been
leading at the time.
50.) After the Sprongl crash, Lawler took over the lead and traded fast
times with teammate Choiniere. The Shraders were in third with their Evo
IV, about two minutes back, with Steve Gingras another two minutes
astern.
STPR ProRally
Press Notes
Page 6
51.) The battle for PGT honors has heated up so much, despite the
retirement of the Ottey/McGarvey duo, that the top contenders are
running sixth and seventh overall. Cal Landau and Eric Marcus have their
Eclipse in sixth, while Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes are seventh.
52.) The Group 5 contenders – Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes, Jim
Anderson/Martin Dapot and Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski – are
clustered within 30 seconds. They’re in ninth, 10th and 11th places,
respectively.
53.) Group 2 is a two-way fight right now. Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark
(Saab 99 EMS)and Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardiman (Honda Civic) were about 30
seconds apart.
54.) Production is equally close. Jay Kowalik and Scott Embree (Honda
Civic) had the advantage by about 30 seconds over Karl Scheible and Gail
McGuire in the Volkswagen New Beetle.
55.) The Hairy Canary contingent, Don Rathgeber and Jimmie Brandt, were
wowing the crowd with the Mustang’s lovely V8 noises at the start and
restart, but were having trouble with uphill traction. Rathgeber has
been successfully rallying Fords since 1974.
56.) On Stage 6, the PGT Eagle Talon of Michael Curran and Joe McGirl
went off the road and did a gentle roll, ending up on its roof. Neither
Curran nor McGirl was hurt in the accident. However, after they had
released their harnesses to get out some helpful spectators rolled the
car back over onto its wheels. At that point McGirl suffered was has
been described as a dislocated shoulder. The stage was stopped and he
was transported to medical facilities.
57.) Group 2 competitors Robert Pao and Bob Barrell have lost an
altercation with a large tree, and are out of the rally. The rear of
their Golf GTi tagged one tree, which snapped the car around and put it
into another tree, caving in the driver’s door. Pao received some minor
cuts and bruises. He’s sore but otherwise okay.
58.) PGT challengers Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes (Maxda 323 GTX) are
reported to have glanced off a bank on-stage, but are still charging
strongly after leaders Cal Landau and Eric Marcus (Mitsubishi Eclipse).
59.) For his part, Landau has been reported to have had brake troubles
earlier in the event, but they are getting things better.
60.) Seamus Burke and Patrick Keenan have had an “interesting” weekend
so far. They lost the clutch in their PGT Mitsubishi Galant on the
practice stage on Friday, had parts flown in from Chicago, fixed the car
and made the start today. But, on the restart the car bore neat
lettering on each rear window “No fifth, no reverse, please push;” and
the navigator had a sign on his lap, just in case. Despite it all, they
finished fifth in class.
61.) Arthur Odera-Jowi and Jim Hurley, who had been running been well in
their Open Class Mitsubishi Eclipse came to grief on a fast sweeping
downhill on Stage 6. The car did a nose stand and then settled back
down, breaking the oil cooler and a lower control arm. That ended their
evening.
STPR ProRally
Press Notes
Page 7
62.) It was a battle almost to the finish, but Paul Choiniere and Jeff
Becker have their first win of the year, and we have our fourth
different overall winner in four events this season. One by one, their
competition fell by the wayside, until it was just the two Hyundai
Tiburons with a realistic chance of the win. Running first-on-the-road,
Choiniere was able to take advantage of the dust-free clear air to
stretch a small lead over teammates Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley.
There were no “team orders” however. Lawler realized that he could not
close the gap in the unmoving dust and drove for the sure second place.
63.) Garen and “Doc” Shrader, who had been challenging in their
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV, went off the road in a big way on Stage 10 and
ended up in a 30-foot-deep ravine. They were not injured, but their day
was done.
64.) Just a mile further down the road, Steve Gingras and Bill Westrick
also joined the ranks of spectators, as they went off in their Eagle
Talon and retired from the event.
65.) Jon Kemp and Rod Hendricksen brought their Audi quattro home third.
Right behind them were Production GT winners Cal Landau and Eric Marcus,
in a Mitsubishi Eclipse, a remarkable fourth overall. Next home was the
Group 5-winning Dodge Shadow of Henry and Cindy Krolikowski. Just a few
ticks behind them were Group 5 runnersup Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes,
in the Toyota Supra. Seventh overall were PGT runnersup Gail Truess and
Pattie Hughes, in the Mazda 323 GTX.
66.) Tenth overall was the Production-winning Volkswagen New Beetle of
Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire. It was one of the real favorites of the
crowds.
67.) Brian Hourt and Peter Cardimen won Group 2 in their Honda Civic,
three spots ahead of their nearest competition.
68.) Attrition was high in this event. Only forty-one of the 78 starters
finished the event.
Final Results; Susquehannock Trail ProRally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania; June 4-6, 1999
OA Car Cl. Total Score
Pos. # Driver/Co-Driver Class Pos.Penalty (minutes)
1 3 Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Open 1 0 149.23
2 2 Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley Open 2 0 152.36
3 80 Jon Kemp/Rod Hendricksen Open 3 0 162.29
4 13 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Prod GT 1 0 165.43
5 44 Henry & Cindy Krolikowski Group 5 1 0 166.77
6 7 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Group 5 2 0 167.23
7 16 Gail Truess/Pattie Hughes Prod GT 2 0 167.26
8 111 Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Group 5 3 0 168.06
9 106 Gabriel Marin-Ortiz/Mark Williams Open 4 0 171.10
10 61 Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire Prod 1 0 172.52
11 21 Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Prod GT 3 0 172.56
12 83 Mark Utecht/Diane Sargent Group 5 4 0 172.74
13 71 Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardimen Group 2 1 0 173.59
14 67 Jay Kowalik/Scott Embree Prod 2 0 174.33
15 38 Lesley Suddard/Marc Goldfarb Group 5 5 0 174.59
16 108 Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark Group 2 2 0 174.91
17 76 Ted Mendham/Lise Mendham Prod 3 0 176.97
18 121 Mark Bowers/Duffy Bowers Group 5 6 2.5 177.18
19 81 Robert Bohn/Dave Bruce Prod GT 4 0 177.79
20 123 Vincente Frontinan/Peter Watt Group 5 7 0 178.01
21 115 Seamus Burke/Walden Robinson Prod GT 5 4 180.63
22 175 Alex Erisoty/Ben Greisler Open 5 0 182.75
23 70 Kendall Russell/John Dillon Prod GT 6 0 186.65
24 109 James Frandsen/Todd Bourdette Prod GT 7 0 188.08
25 56 Douglas Davenport/Allan Kintigh Group 2 3 2.5 189.00
26 171 Gregory Trepetin/Sonia Trepetin Group 5 8 0 189.34
27 199 Michael White/MichaelRonan Group 2 4 7 189.69
28 42 Eric Burmeister/Mark Buskirk Group 2 5 6.5 190.56
29 65 Don Rathgeber/Jim Brandt Group 5 9 0 192.08
30 137 Phil Smith/Pam Smith Group 2 6 0 194.27
31 47 Ken Kovach/Mark Rinkel Group 2 7 5 197.68
32 60 John Rahill/Vladimir Hladky Group 2 8 0 198.78
33 112 Jens Larsen/Claire Chizma Group 5 10 0 200.33
34 187 John Shirley/Philip Barnes Group 5 11 2.5 201.86
35 97 Paul Dubinsky/Yvon Dubinsky Prod GT 8 1 203.06
36 156 Donald Paulsen/Charles Paulsen Prod 4 0 203.11
37 152 Wojciech Hajduczyk/Cezary Fidler Open 6 15 208.78
38 119 Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerejko Prod 5 15.5 208.80
39 132 William Tremmel/Peter Coleman Prod 6 11 209.92
40 130 Jim Kuhn/Jennifer Logel Open 7 24 212.42
41 126 Arthur Wojcik/Charles Cox Open 8 1 215.63
42 29 Dean Fry/Donald Kennedy Open 9 0 DNF
43 169 Carlos Arrieta,Jr/Dick Casey Group 5 12 0 DNF
44 19 Rod Dean/Nichole Hunter Prod GT 9 4 DNF
45 22 Michael Curran/Nichole Hunter Prod GT 10 2 DNF
46 79 Tom Ottey/Pamela McGarvey Prod GT 11 0 DNF
47 100 Donal Mulleady/John O'Reilly Prod GT 12 35 DNF
48 168 Celsus Donnelly/Kevin Mullan Prod GT 13 1 DNF
49 36 Evan Moen/Thomas Young Prod 7 0 DNF
50 58 Roland McIvor/Brendan Bohan Prod 8 45 DNF
51 78 Scott Naturale/Patrick Munhall Prod 9 0 DNF
52 6 Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Open 10 0 DNF
53 11 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Open 11 0 DNF
54 14 Garen Shrader/Doc Shrader Open 12 0 DNF
55 43 Carlos Arrieta, Sr./Belen Arrieta Open 13 0 DNF
56 57 Arthur Odero-Jowi/Jim Hurley Open 14 0 DNF
57 64 Sylvester Stepniewski/Adam Pelc Open 15 0 DNF
58 99 Sakis Hadjiminas/Brian Maxwell Open 16 0 DNF
59 104 Martin Donnelly/Peter Cunningham Open 17 1 DNF
60 116 Thomas Lawless/Declan Hegarty Open 18 0 DNF
61 141 Frank Sprongl/Daniel Sprongl Open 19 0 DNF
62 159 Michael Zamikhovsky/Ron Norton Open 20 0 DNF
63 162 Keith Townsend/Jennifer Cote Open 21 9 DNF
64 179 Demetrios Andreou/Constantin Mantoupolas Open 22 0 DNF
65 114 Frank Cunningham/Nick Pessoa Group 5 13 0 DNF
66 166 John Daubenmier/Stanley Rosen Group 5 14 0 DNF
67 10 Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom Group 2 9 0 DNF
68 15 Brad Hawkins/John Dobbins Group 2 10 0 DNF
69 66 Richard Pilczuk/Brian Pilczuk Group 2 11 0 DNF
70 69 Charles Sherrill/Mark Rea Group 2 12 0 DNF
71 77 Robert Pao/Bob Barrall Group 2 13 7 DNF
72 118 Brenden Lawless/Garrett Meegan Group 2 14 0 DNF
73 129 Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera Group 2 15 0 DNF
74 144 Charlie Langan/Hughie Langan Group 2 16 0 DNF
75 155 Padraig Purcell/Patrick McGrath Group 2 17 0 DNF
76 173 Patrick Lilly/Mark McAllister Group 2 18 2 DNF
77 180 Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay Group 2 19 0 DNF
78 909 Konstantin & Elena Roumiantsev Group 2 20 2.5 DNF
Contact: Ed Jacobs (330) 644-7774
Date: June 7, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Choiniere Wins "Battle of North America;"
Volkswagen New Beetle Wins Production in Only Second Event
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania - Four events and four different winners;
the streak that began with the first event of this year's resurgent
Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship is still going strong. Paul
Choiniere and navigator Jeff Becker got their first win of the season
in their factory-backed Hyundai Tiburon; and they did it in the face
of strong competition that included the Canadian and Mexican national
champions, as well as their own teammates. In addition, the Volkswagen
New Beetle got its first-ever ProRally win in just its second outing.
The unofficial "Battle of North America" featured teammates
Choiniere/Becker and Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley in factory Hyundai
Tiburons, Canadian champions Frank and Daniel Sprongl, in an Audi
quatro S2, plus Mexican champion Gabriel Marin-Ortiz and Mark
Williams, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V. Rim of the World winners
Garen and Doc Shrader completed the Open Class powerhouse with their
Lancer Evo IV.
The rally took place through the day and night of June 5-6, in
the lush mountains of north-central Pennsylvania surrounding the
picturesque own of Wellsboro. More than 105 teams sought the 80
available starting spots. Those who made it were rewarded with a
demanding and dusty rally, under clear skies, in high heat, on fast
and deceptively slick roads. Attrition ran high, as accidents and
mechanical difficulties relentlessly thinned the field. In the end,
only 41 cars made it to the finish.
The overall lead swapped places frequently among
Choiniere/Becker, Lawler/Bradley and Sprongl/Sprongl, until the
Sprongls misjudged a turn and crashed. By then, Choiniere was
first-on-the-road and running in clear air, free of the choking dust
everyone else experienced. Lawler could not narrow the gap in those
conditions, and came home second overall.
Production GT winners Cal Landau and Eric Marcus (Mitsubishi
Eclipse) charged to a remarkable fourth overall. However, they, too,
had a real battle on their hands for most of the rally, until
mechanical problems and the heavy dust began to take their toll on the
class. Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes were second in their Mazda 323
GTX.
Group 5 winners Henry and Cindy Krolikowski (Dodge Shadow) made a
late-rally dash for the front an impressive fifth overall, just behind
Landau/Marcus. Along the way, they beat out defending class champions
Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes (Toyota Supra), who at times found the
dust so thick that they virtually had to stop.
Perhaps the most remarkable performance of the event was the
Production Class win by Karl Scheible and Gail McGuire. Driving the
first Volkswagen New Beetle in competition in the United States,
Scheible brought the car home an amazing 10th overall, nearly two
minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. That was the Honda Civic
of Jay Kowalik and Scott Embree, who had a similar lead over third
place. Their teammates, Bryan Hourt and Peter Cardimen, made it a
happy weekend for Team Honda R&D, as they brought their Civic in first
in Group 2. Gerald Sweet and Stuart Spark were second in a Saab 99
Ems.
The next round of the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship will be
the Wild West ProRally, which will take place June 18-18 in the
forests surrounding Shelton, Washington.
- WRG -
PR-STPR-002
6799
Final Results
Susquehannock Trail ProRally
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
June 5-6, 1999
OA Car Cl. Score
Pos. # Driver/Co-Driver Vehicle Class Pos. (minutes)
1 3 Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker Hyundai Tiburon Open 1 149.23
2 2 Noel Lawler/Charlie Bradley Hyundai Tiburon Open 2 152.36
3 80 Jon Kemp/Rod Hendricksen Audi quattro Open 3 162.29
4 13 Cal Landau/Eric Marcus Mitsubishi Eclipse Prod GT 1 165.43
5 44 Henry Krolikowski/Cindy Krolikowski Dodge Shadow Group 5 1 166.77
6 7 Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes Toyota Supra Group 5 2 167.23
7 16 Gail Truess/Pattie Hughes Mazda 323 GTX Prod GT 2 167.26
8 111 Jim Anderson/Martin Dapot Honda Prelude VTEC Group 5 3 168.06
9 106 Gabriel Marin-Ortiz/Mark Williams Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V Open 4 171.10
10 61 Karl Scheible/Gail McGuire Volkswagen New Beetle Prod 1 172.52
11 21 Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Mitsubishi Eclipse Prod GT 3 172.56
12 83 Mark Utecht/Diane Sargent Dodge Omni Turbo Group 5 4 172.74
13 71 Bryan Hourt/Peter Cardimen Honda Civic Group 2 1 173.59
14 67 Jay Kowalik/Scott Embree Honda Civic Prod 2 174.33
15 38 Lesley Suddard/Marc Goldfarb Dodge Charger Group 5 5 174.59
16 108 Gerald Sweet/Stuart Spark SAAB 99 EMS Group 2 2 174.91
17 76 Ted Mendham/Lise Mendham Nissan Sentra Prod 3 176.97
18 121 Mark Bowers/Duffy Bowers Mitsubishi Starion Group 5 6 177.18
19 81 Robert Bohn/Dave Bruce Mitsubishi Eclipse Prod GT 4 177.79
20 123 Vincente Frontinan/Peter Watt Volkswagen Corrado Group 5 7 178.01
21 115 Seamus Burke/Walden Robinson Mitsubishi Galant Prod GT 5 180.63
22 175 Alex Erisoty/Ben Greisler Audi 90 quattro Open 5 182.75
23 70 Kendall Russell/John Dillon Dodge Shadow Prod GT 6 186.65
24 109 James Frandsen/Todd Bourdette Audi 200 Prod GT 7 188.08
25 56 Douglas Davenport/Allan Kintigh Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 3 189.00
26 171 Gregory Trepetin/Sonia Trepetin Honda Prelude Group 5 8 189.34
27 199 Michael White/Michael Ronan SAAB Gli Group 2 4 189.69
28 42 Eric Burmeister/Mark Buskirk Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 5 190.56
29 65 Don Rathgeber/Jim Brandt Ford Mustang 5.0 Group 5 9 192.08
30 137 Phil Smith/Pam Smith MGB-GT Group 2 6 194.27
31 47 Ken Kovach/Mark Rinkel Ford Escort Group 2 7 197.68
32 60 John Rahill/Vladimir Hladky Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 8 198.78
33 112 Jens Larsen/Claire Chizma Mazda Rx-7 Group 5 10 200.33
34 187 John Shirley/Philip Barnes Triumph TR-7 V8 Group 5 11 201.86
35 97 Paul Dubinsky/Yvon Dubinsky Eagle Talon Prod GT 8 203.06
36 156 Donald Paulsen/Charles Paulsen Volvo 240 GT Prod 4 203.11
37 152 Wojciech Hajduczyk/Cezary Fidler Plymouth Laser Open 6 208.78
38 119 Peter Malaszuk/Darek Szerejko Daewoo Nubira Prod 5 208.80
39 132 William Tremmel/Peter Coleman Volkswagen Jetta GL Prod 6 209.92
40 130 Jim Kuhn/Jennifer Logel Audi quattro Open 7 212.42
41 126 Arthur Wojcik/Charles Cox Mitsubishi Galant Open 8 215.63
42 29 Dean Fry/Donald Kennedy Subaru Legacy Open 9 DNF
43 169 Carlos Arrieta,Jr/Dick Casey SAAB 900 Group 5 12 DNF
44 19 Rod Dean/Nichole Hunter Plymouth Laser Prod GT 9 DNF
45 22 Michael Curran/Nichole Hunter Eagle Talon Prod GT 10 DNF
46 79 Tom Ottey/Pamela McGarvey Mazda 323 GTX Prod GT 11 DNF
47 100 Donal Mulleady/John O'Reilly Mazda 323 GTX Prod GT 12 DNF
48 168 Celsus Donnelly/Kevin Mullan Eagle Talon Prod GT 13 DNF
49 36 Evan Moen/Thomas Young Plymouth Neon Prod 7 DNF
50 58 Roland McIvor/Brendan Bohan Nissan Sentra SE-R Prod 8 DNF
51 78 Scott Naturale/Patrick Munhall Volkswagen Golf GTi Prod 9 DNF
52 6 Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick Eagle Talon Open 10 DNF
53 11 Ivan Orisek/Olga Orisek Audi quattro Open 11 DNF
54 14 Garen Shrader/Doc Shrader Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV Open 12 DNF
55 43 Carlos Arrieta, Sr./Belen Arrieta Audi quattro Open 13 DNF
56 57 Arthur Odero-Jowi/Jim Hurley Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 14 DNF
57 64 Sylvester Stepniewski/Adam Pelc Audi 4000 quattro Open 15 DNF
58 99 Sakis Hadjiminas/Brian Maxwell Volkswagen Fox Kit Car Open 16 DNF
59 104 Martin Donnelly/Peter Cunningham Eagle Talon Open 17 DNF
60 116 Thomas Lawless/Declan Hegarty Mitsubishi Eclipse Open 18 DNF
61 141 Frank Sprongl/Daniel Sprongl Audi quattro S2 Open 19 DNF
62 159 Michael Zamikhovsky/Ron Norton Toyota Celica Open 20 DNF
63 162 Keith Townsend/Jennifer Cote Toyota Corolla Open 21 DNF
64 179 Demetrios Andreou/Constantin Mantoupolas Audi Coupe Open 22 DNF
65 114 Frank Cunningham/Nick Pessoa Volkswagen G60 Group 5 13 DNF
66 166 John Daubenmier/Stanley Rosen Chevrolet S-10 Group 5 14 DNF
67 10 Bill Malik/Christian Edstrom Volvo 240 Group 2 9 DNF
68 15 Brad Hawkins/John Dobbins Volkswagen Jetta Gli Group 2 10 DNF
69 66 Richard Pilczuk/Brian Pilczuk Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 11 DNF
70 69 Charles Sherrill/Mark Rea Honda Civic CRX Si Group 2 12 DNF
71 77 Robert Pao/Bob Barrall Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 13 DNF
72 118 Brenden Lawless/Garrett Meegan Volkswagen Scirocco Group 2 14 DNF
73 129 Scott Kreisler/John Bonasera Nissan 200SX Group 2 15 DNF
74 144 Charlie Langan/Hughie Langan Ford Escort Group 2 16 DNF
75 155 Padraig Purcell/Patrick McGrath Group 2 17 DNF
76 173 Patrick Lilly/Mark McAllister Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 18 DNF
77 180 Chris Havas/Eric Tremblay Volkswagen Golf GTi Group 2 19 DNF
78 909 Konstantin Roumiantsev/Elena Roumiantsev VW Golf GTi Group 2 20 DNF