SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #9 - Wild West International Rally

Media Alert

DENVER, Colorado Ninth round (of ten) for the 2002 season. A highly competitive 
field of SCCA and FIA Performance Rally cars from across North America and the 
World are slated to start the 10th anniversary of the Wild West Rally as well 
as the supporting Sou'wester and Simpson Stages SCCA ClubRallys. Cars will 
compete on the quick, hard-packed gravel state forest and Simpson Resource 
Company roads on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state. This 
performance rally event is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). 
The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai Motor America, Mitsubishi 
Motor Sales of America, and Subaru of America.

When & Where:
7-8 September 2002 (Saturday & Sunday) headquartered in Olympia, Washington; 
approximately 60 miles southwest of Seattle, Washington.

Headquarters Hotel - Friday & Saturday Press Room;
West Coast Olympia Hotel; 2300 Evergreen Park Dr., Olympia, WA 98502. 
Hotel main phone: 360.943.4000

Complete Event Schedule: (Subject to change)

Thursday, 5 Sept. 2002  
 4:00 PM -  8:00 PM Press and Competitor Registration - WestCoast Hotel. 
 4:00 PM -  8:00 PM Scrutineering - Olympia Dealer Mall Texaco. 

Friday, 6 Sept. 2002  
 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Press Stage - CREDENTIALED PRESS ONLY - Location TBD. 
 3:00 PM -  6:00 PM Press and Competitor Registration - WestCoast Hotel. 
 3:00 PM -  8:00 PM Scrutineering - Olympia Dealer Mall Texaco. 
 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Welcome and Rally Staff Appreciation Party - WestCoast Hotel. 

Saturday, 7 Sept. 2002  
 7:30 AM -  9:30 AM Scrutineering - Olympia Dealer Mall Texaco. 
 8:00 AM -  8:30 AM Late Press Registration: Press Room - WestCoast Hotel. 
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Parc Expose - Thurston County ORV Park. 
11:15 AM 	    Start of Leg 1 - ORV Super Special Stage. 
    Approx. 7:30 PM End of Leg 1 - Parc Ferme - Mason County Fairgrounds. 

Sunday, 8 Sept. 2002  
 7:30 AM 	    Parc Ferme Closes - Mason County Fairgrounds. 
 8:00 AM 	    Parc Expose - Downtown Shelton. 
 9:00 AM 	    Start of Leg 2 - First Car Out - Downtown Shelton. 
    Approx. 4:07 PM Finish of Rally - Little Creek Casino. 
    Approx. 6:00 PM Awards Banquet - Little Creek Casino. 

Selected entries (Driver/co-driver):

Current Overall Drivers Championship points leader David Higgins (120 points), 2002 Subaru WRX. 

Current Manufacturer Championship Leaders (106 Points), Hyundai Rally Team USA: 
Mark Higgins (Winner of last month's Ojibwe Forests Rally) with Claire Mole (#5),
and Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker (#6) both in 2003 Hyundai Tiburons.
 
Subaru Rally Team USA: 2001 Driver's Champion Mark Lovell with Steve Turvey (#1);
Ramana Lagemann and Michael Kidd (#2) in 2002 Prodrive prepared Subaru Impreza WRXs. 

Mitsubishi Rally Team USA: Rhys Millen and Garry Cowan (#3), recovering from their huge off at 
Ojibwe, return in Rhys' trusty Lancer Evolution 6.5. Ascending 2002 Group 2 Manufacturer and 
Driver Champions, Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Matt Chester (#90) put the finishing touches on 
their nearly flawless season, with what may be the final appearance of their Group 2 Lancer. 

Henry and Cindy Krolikowski (#44) are swapping their Group N 2000 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti for 
a ride in Dodge's 2002 Neon SRT-4 for this event only. The Krolikowski's are very familiar with
Dodge front-wheel-drive turbos, the couple were Group 5 champions in their privately entered 
Dodge Shadow in 1999 and have been lobbying the manufacturer heavily for this ride. If Henry 
rediscovers 'the magic' with the SRT; the Krolikowski's could be one of the big shows of the weekend. 

West Coast notable local favorites: Paul Eklund and Scott Huhn (#32) Open Class 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX; 

Group N points leaders Ralph Kosmides and Jimmy Brandt (#22) 1999 Subaru Impreza WRX hope to 
put some distance between themselves and the hard-charging east-coast team of Tim O'Neil and 
Martin Headland at their "home" rally; 

Jay Streets returns with (#51) 'the school bus' - the ex-Carl Yardevall and always crowd 
pleasing Group 5 1992 Volvo 740 Turbo; 

Group 5 points leaders David and Rick Hintz (#207) may put the finishing touches on their 
championship bid with a solid run in their 1990 Mazda RX-7 Turbo; 

Rising star Mark Nelson with veteran co-driver Charles Bradley (#110) will continue to impress 
in their Open Class 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI; 

Tim Paterson and John Allen (#107) return after their big roll at Maine Forest in their rebuilt
Open Class 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. 

Event Rank:
This rally is a full points SCCA ProRally Championship event. Drivers earn points towards the 
national championship, and supporting manufacturers (Hyundai, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Mazda) 
earn points towards overall and class Manufacturers' Championships.

Press / Media / VIP - Registration & Credentials:
Event Press/Photo and VIP credentials will be available at registration on Thursday evening, 
Friday Afternoon, and Saturday morning at the WestCoast Olympia Hotel Press Room (See above 
for times). Access to press-only photo areas will require an OFFICIAL Press Pass. Credentials 
are available ONLY to members of the working press. Identification and/or proper work orders 
are required. Minors are not eligible for Press or VIP credentials.

Visuals, Interviews & Media information:
During the event, action photography and video will be possible from spectator and press-only 
viewing areas along the rally course. Drivers, co-drivers and crew will be accessible 
throughout the event, including the Saturday morning Super Special (Details at event) and 
services. Media Relations will be able to provide driver and co-driver interviews, event 
results and other information via telephone and e-mail. The press room phone number will be 
available on event day.

Contact: 
Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Pre-event: 303.967.9660; 303.694.3654 Fax (USA Country Code: 1)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Pacific Time (GMT - 8 hours) 

SCCA ProRally: www.sccaprorally.org/
SCCA Wild West Rally: www.nwr-scca.org/rally/wildwest.html

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




SCCA  ProRally Championship
Round #9 - Wild West International Rally

Start Order & Late Breaking News

OLYMPIA, Washington A highly competitive field of cars are set to start the 
Wild West International Rally, Round #9 of the 2002 SCCA ProRally Championship 
(And the supporting Sou'wester and Simpson Stages SCCA ClubRallys) for the final 
West Coast swing of the year. Last year's rally in the forests of the Olympic 
Penninsula proved to be a dramatic battle of mechanical attrition, strategy, and 
some good ol' luck, with two independents taking 1st and 2nd and leaving the year's 
Overall Driver trophy up for grabs. This year looks to be no different, especially 
with the door for the Overall Manufacturer's Title being wide open as Hyundai clings 
to a mere 4 point lead over Subaru.

Late Breaking News:
Weather: As with much of the western United States, this area of Washington State is 
very dry, and special efforts are being made to ensure the rally will be safe from fire. 
A heavy 20-minute deluge early Thursday evening that briefly flooded some highways has 
helped some, but not enough to keep the dust down, or to diminish the fire danger. 
Organizers met this morning, and have elected to grant all entries two-minute starting 
windows, with the top four (seed 0) entrants getting three-minute start intervals. 

Mark Nelson (110) is the surprise pre-event withdrawal of the event, irreparably damaging 
the motor of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI at the press stage. Nelson, who with veteran 
co-driver Charles Bradley has come so far this season, was tied with Rhys Millen for 4th 
place in the Overall Driver's Championship points race.
 
With David Higgins leading the championship, a strong finish here will likely clinch the 
overall for the aspiring young rallyist from Wales. However, Mark Lovell, the 2001 
champion, and David's brother Mark, in the works Subaru and Hyundai respectively, are not 
about to give David a bit of breathing space. Rumors abound that Ramana Lagemann, following 
his excellent finish at Ojibwe Forest, will be given a free reign this weekend to mix it 
up at the front, and Paul Choiniere, in the now very well sorted Hyundai Tiburon will be 
keeping the pressure on as well.
 
The Hyundai Tiburon Media Car (190) makes another appearance this year, this time with 
veteran SCCA ProRally driver Garen Shrader at the helm, and actor/talk-show host 
Mario Lopez as co-driver. This is Lopez' first motorsports experience, and is looking 
forward to participating first-hand one in of America's fastest-growing motorsports, with 
the Championship's most successful and oldest teams, Hyundai's Libra Racing, captained by 
rally legend John Buffum. 

Contact: Kurt Spitzner - SCCA ProRally Championship Director
Press room phone: 360.943.4000 (Host Hotel switchboard, ask for press room)
Email: sccaprorally@aol.com
Time zone at event: Pacific Time (GMT - 8 hours) 

SCCA ProRally: www.sccaprorally.org/
SCCA Wild West Rally: www.nwr-scca.org/rally/wildwest.html

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

Wild West - SCCA ProRally Championship Round #9, 6 September, 2002
ProRally Top 50 Start Order - Subject to revision 
(Balance of event entry list available to view at www.nwr-scca.org/rally/wildwest/o2entry.html

Start Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car 
 1    6 0 Open Paul Choiniere 	   USA Jeff Becker       USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 
 2    1 0 Open Mark Lovell 	   UK  Steve Turvey      UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 3    5 0 Open Mark Higgins 	   UK  Claire Mole       UK  03 Hyundai Tiburon 
 4   16 0 Open David Higgins 	   UK  Daniel Barritt    UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 5    3 1 Open Rhys Millen 	   USA Garry Cowan       NZ  02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
 6    2 1 Open Ramana Lagemann     USA Michael Kidd      UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
 7   39 1 Open Carl Jardevall      USA Amity Trowbridge  USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
 8  107 1 Open Tim Paterson        USA John Allen 	 USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
 9   32 1 Open Paul Eklund 	   USA Scott Huhn 	 USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
10   22 1 GN   Ralph Kosmides 	   USA Jimmy Brandt      USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti 
11   88 2 Open Doug Havir 	   USA Scott Putnam      USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
12   44 1 G5   Henry Krolikowski   USA Cindy Krolikowski USA 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4 
13   29 2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	   USA Martin Headland   CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
14  217 2 Open Janice Damitio      USA Chris Davis       USA 91 Eagle Talon TSi 
15   51 2 G5   Jay Streets 	   USA Matt Gauger       USA 93 Volvo 740 Turbo 
16   28 2 GN   Bill Malik 	   USA Dave Kean 	 USA 01 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 
17  374 3 Open Leon Styles 	   USA John Dillon       USA 90 Audi S2 quattro 
18   78 3 Open Paul Dunn 	   USA Ben Bradley       USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV 
19  102 3 Open Scott Trinder       CAN Paul Westwick     CAN 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 
20  103 3 GN   Wyeth Gubelman 	   USA Therin Pace       USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
21   45 3 GN   Shane Mitchell 	   USA Paul Donnelly     USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
22   94 3 GN   Craig Peeper 	   USA Alex Gelsomino    USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 
23  223 3 PGT  Greg Lingelbach     USA Steve Andrews     USA 90 Eagle Talon TSi 
24  207 3 G5   Dave Hintz 	   USA Rick Hintz 	 USA 90 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 
25  210 3 G5   John Lane 	   USA Tina Lingacher    USA 85 Volvo 240 turbo 
26  245 3 G5   Carey Wright 	   USA David Kean	 USA 86 Mazda RX-7 
27   90 3 G2   Lauchlin O'Sullivan USA Matt Chester      USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 
28   42 3 G2   Eric Burmeister 	   USA Eric Adams 	 USA 01 Mazda Protégé MP3 
29  201 3 G2   Todd Hartmann 	   USA Shawn Callahan 	 USA 92 VW Golf Gti 
30  266 3 G2   Scott Fuller 	   USA Jeff Call 	 USA 96 VW Golf Gti 
31  258 3 G2   David Schrenk 	   USA Chad Little 	 USA 76 SAAB 99 
32  288 4 Open Gary Cavett 	   USA Matt Van Bogart   USA 95 Subaru Impreza 
33  451 5 PGT  Janusz Komorowski   CAN Paul Nelson 	 USA 92 Eagle Talon TSi 
34  369 4 PGT  Brian Scott 	   USA David Hackett 	 USA 92 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 
35  283 4 G2   Nate Tennis	   USA Leon Owens 	 USA 73 SAAB 99 
36  216 5 Open Richard Buckner 	   USA Jason Grahn 	 USA 93 Subaru Impreza 
37  268 5 Open Dave LaTourette     USA Paul Beatty 	 USA 98 VW New Beetle 
38  306 5 GN   Wolfgang Hoeck 	   USA Julie Lin	 USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 
39  252 5 PGT  Robert Trinder 	   CAN Bill Westhead     CAN 98 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS 
40  514 5 PGT  Roland McIvor 	   USA Bill Montgomery   USA 95 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 
41  255 5 PGT  Andy Sharples 	   USA Julie Sharples    USA 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 
42  271 5 PGT  Matt Tabor 	   USA Monika Tabor 	 USA 89 Mazda 323 GTX 
43  220 5 PGT  Bruce Davis 	   USA Lee Sorenson 	 USA 92 Eagle Talon TSi 
44  265 5 G2   Derek Adolf 	   USA Jason Speer 	 USA 94 Acura Integra 
45  253 5 G2   Noah Third 	   USA Jason Lane 	 CAN 88 VW Golf 
46  225 5 G2   Mark Durley 	   USA Allan McGuirl 	 CAN 01 Ford Focus ZX3 
47  227 5 G2   Derik Nelson	   USA Lea Flagg 	 USA 88 Mazda 323 
48   72 5 Prod Jon Hamilton 	   USA Ken Sabo 	 USA 00 VW Golf TDI 
49  190 0 Prod Garen Shrader 	   USA Mario Lopez 	 USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 
50   68 5 Prod Eric Macaire 	   USA Dennis Kask 	 USA 00 Ford Focus ZX3 


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


SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #9 - Wild West International Rally

Lagemann Cooks, Havir Endovers, Millen Rises with a Bullet 

OLYMPIA, Washington - The first day of competition at the penultimate round of the 
2002 SCCA ProRally Championship season would have driven any betting man crazy, with 
several key players either taking themselves out or suffering setbacks early in the going. 
There was one team however, staying the course just as they have all season, avoided 
trouble, but remained competitively at the top of the competition.

Key Notes:

With one day to go, David Higgins, the season's winningest driver, the man that has been 
driving the works teams from Mitsubishi, Subaru and Hyundai mad, whilst giving every 
independent team someone to look up to, is just 12 hours away from securing his place in 
SCCA ProRally history. But he will have to outwit, outplay and outlast his challengers to do
 it. So far, he's doing pretty well in the "outlast" category, as Wild West roads have 
been gobbling up the competition: 

Brother Mark Higgins, fresh from his convincing win with substitute co-driver Claire Mole 
at Ojibwe Forests, suffered engine failure just 2 miles into SS2. Michael Gibson who is 
healing well from injuries sustained in a rally overseas last month, should be back with 
Mark for the season finale at Lake Superior. 

Defending champion Mark Lovell dropped several minutes in the final stage of the day due to 
transmission problems, but also did a masterful job of blocking Higgins with his dust 

Paul Choiniere suffered two punctures on a single stage, losing his rear bumper in the process. 

Ramana Lagemann, who early on benefited both from Choiniere's misfortune, (Choiniere's dust 
effectively slowing 2nd on the road Mark Lovell) as well as a loosened team-orders leash 
was leading the rally into SS4, when his engine let go as he neared the finish of the stage.
 Hot oil sprayed all over the even hotter engine, catching fire, and melting down much of 
the engine bay, using up his entire on-board fire systems reserves, as well as a few fire 
extinguishers from the teams parked nearby. Both Lagemann and faithful co-driver Michael 
Kidd are OK, and the car, while the innards are well done, looks hardly the worse for wear 
on the outside. 

Rising SCCA ProRally team of Doug Havir and Scott Putnam suffered a huge setback to their 
budding careers in SS3, ending their day without a scratch to either of them, but writing 
off their new Prodrive built Open Class Subaru WRX in a massive end-over roll. 

Rhys Millen, on the other hand, is having a superb run, and is at the front of the pack, 
nearly a minute and a half ahead of Championship points leader David Higgins. Back in his 
trusty Lancer Evo 6.5 (his new Evo VII still undergoing repairs from his big off at Ojibwe)
 
Scott Trinder and Paul Westrick are getting the most (perhaps ever) out of the unique 
Knight Racing automatic-transmissioned Subaru Imprezas, gaining 13 positions in day one to 
finish 6th overall. 

Websites:
SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/
SCCA Wildwest ProRally: SCCA Wild West Rally: www.nwr-scca.org/rally/wildwest.html 
Wild West - SCCA ProRally Championship Round #9, 7 September 2002
Day One Results - (Unofficial)

Start Finish Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car Time 
 5  1   3 1 Open Rhys Millen 	USA Garry Cowan 	NZ  02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 1:16:46 
 4  2  16 0 Open David Higgins  UK  Daniel Barritt 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:17:23 
 1  3   6 0 Open Paul Choiniere USA Jeff Becker 	USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 		 1:19:12 
13  4  29 2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	USA Martin Headland 	CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:20:13 
 7  5  39 1 Open Carl Jardevall USA Amity Trowbridge 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV  1:20:43 
19  6 102 3 Open Scott Trinder  CAN Paul Westwick 	CAN 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 	 1:20:45 
21  7  45 3 GN   Shane Mitchell USA Paul Donnelly 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:20:53 
 8  8 107 1 Open Tim Paterson 	USA John Allen 		USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV  1:21:18 
 9  9  32 1 Open Paul Eklund 	USA Scott Huhn 		USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:22:01 
10 10  22 1 GN   Ralph Kosmides USA Jimmy Brandt 	USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti 	 1:23:15 
17 11 374 3 Open Leon Styles 	USA John Dillon 	USA 90 Audi S2 quattro 		 1:23:15 
18 12  78 3 Open Paul Dunn 	USA Ben Bradley 	USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV  1:23:52 
 2 13   1 0 Open Mark Lovell 	UK  Steve Turvey 	UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:24:15 
14 14 217 2 Open Janice Damitio USA Chris Davis 	USA 91 Eagle Talon TSi 		 1:24:44 
22 15  94 3 GN   Craig Peeper 	USA Alex Gelsomino 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:25:33 
38 16 306 5 GN   Wolfgang Hoeck USA Julie Lin 		USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 1:25:36 
41 17 255 5 PGT  Andy Sharples  USA Julie Sharples 	USA 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 	 1:26:24 
24 18 207 3 G5 	 Dave Hintz 	USA Rick Hintz 		USA 90 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 	 1:26:28 
27 19  90 3 G2   L. O'Sullivan  USA Matt Chester 	USA 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR 	 1:26:48 
12 20  44 1 G5   H. Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski 	USA 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4 	 1:27:14 
36 21 216 5 Open Richard BucknerUSA Jason Grahn 	USA 93 Subaru Impreza 		 1:27:24 
39 22 252 5 PGT  Robert Trinder CAN Bill Westhead 	CAN 98 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS 	 1:27:57 
28 23  42 3 G2 	 Eric BurmeisterUSA Eric Adams 		USA 01 Mazda Protégé MP3 	 1:28:22 
35 24 283 4 G2   Nate Tennis 	USA Leon Owens 		USA 73 SAAB 99 			 1:29:43 
33 25 451 5 PGT  J. Komorowski  CAN Paul Nelson 	USA 92 Eagle Talon TSi 		 1:29:54 
16 26  28 2 GN   Bill Malik     USA Dave Kean 		USA 01 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI  1:31:07 
43 27 220 5 PGT  Bruce Davis 	USA Lee Sorenson 	USA 92 Eagle Talon TSi 		 1:31:38 
48 28  72 5 Prod Jon Hamilton   USA Ken Sabo 		USA 00 VW Golf TDI 		 1:33:27 
51 29 215 5 P 	 Jamie Thomas 	USA Bruce Weiman 	USA 95 Subaru Impreza 		 1:34:03 
42 30 271 5 PGT  Matt Tabor 	USA Monika Tabor 	USA 89 Mazda 323 GTX 		 1:35:04 
46 31 225 5 G2 	 Mark Durley 	USA Allan McGuirl 	CAN 01 Ford Focus ZX3 		 1:36:54 
56 32 276 7 G5 	 Brian Palidar  USA Thomas Palidar 	USA 79 Mazda RX-7 		 1:37:28 
62 33 218 8 Open Travis Rea 	USA Gary Rea 		USA 88 Mazda 323 GTX 		 1:39:07 
52 34 232 5 P    Mark Tabor 	USA Kevin Poirier 	USA 91 Nissan Sentra SE-R 	 1:41:01 
58 35 239 7 G2   David Ellis 	USA Judd Gallagher 	USA 77 VW Rabbit 		 1:41:08 
40 36 514 5 PGT  Roland McIvor  USA Bill Montgomery 	USA 95 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 	 1:44:29 
61 37 222 7 P 	 Bruce Tabor 	USA John Elkin 		USA 91 Nissan Sentra SE-R 	 1:44:45 
60 38 231 7 P 	 Kristen Tabor 	USA Janice Tabor 	USA 95 Geo Metro 		 1:49:31 
20 39 103 3 GN 	 Wyeth Gubelman USA Therin Pace 	USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	 1:52:51 
15 40  51 2 G5   Jay Streets 	USA Matt Gauger 	USA 93 Volvo 740 Turbo 		 2:07:23 

Day One Leading Retirements - (Unofficial)

Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 
  5 Mark Higgins 	Claire Mole 	O 03 Hyundai 	SS2 Engine 
  2 Ramana Lagemann 	Michael Kidd 	O 02 Subaru 	SS4 Engine Fire 
 88 Doug Havir 		Scott Putnam 	O 02 Subaru 	SS3 Roll-Over 
190 Garen Shrader 	Mario Lopez 	P 03 Hyundai 	SS2 Stuck in ditch - time barred 

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



SCCA ProRally Championship
Round #9 - Wild West International Rally

Millen Earns 1st win, "Diggins" Snaps up 1st Championship 

OLYMPIA, Washington - It was a cold and rainy day in western Washington state, 
which suited the Higgins brothers well - and while neither was able to outlast 
the competition on this particular weekend, one of the brothers - David - was 
able nonetheless to capture the overall SCCA Drivers Championship with one event 
to spare. Rhys Millen, his rally program with Mitsubishi drawing to a close, 
drove the rally he had to drive, placing his well-used Lancer Evo 6.5 at the head 
of the class for the first time this year.

Key Notes:

David Higgins' steady season of well calculated rallying proved to all that a properly 
funded and staffed, completely independent team operation (in this case AV Sport of 
Tempe AZ) can find significant success rallying alongside the manufacturer supported 
teams. Suffering an uncharacteristic engine problem that cropped up early in the day, 
David Higgins and co-driver Daniel Barritt were forced to retire at the end of SS11 - 
after enduring an agonizingly long 49-minute stage for the duo that most teams were 
able to complete in 14-15. 

In the Mitsubishi camp, Rhys Millen drove what may be the best day of rallying in his 
career, winning two of the days six stages outright, and tieing another with challenger 
Mark Lovell. In the cool weather, the overheating problems that have plagued this team 
nearly all season were kept at bay, and the comfort level of not only being at a familiar 
rally, but also in a familiar, if older car, paid off handsomely. 

Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, who may have had the top spot this weekend were it not 
for the two-punctures-on-one-stage misfortune in Day One, drove an inspired rally, posting 
stage times that were nearly always in the top three all day, and winning SS9 by nearly 
a minute over Rhys Millen. 

Lovell and co-driver Steve Turvey, springing back from a disastrous final stage in Day One, 
when their transmission lost most of its forward gears, drove a fierce game of catch-up, 
winning two stages; but a 2-minute bauble in SS9 effectively kept them off the podium. 

Surprise third place overall finisher was the Group N team of Tim O'Neil and Martin Headland, 
who have been steadily working their way towards the top spot in that category since their 
strong showing at Pikes Peak. The New Hampshire and Ontario, Canada based team did have an 
altercation with a tree early in the days proceedings, but it didn't slow them down a bit 
as they headed to their best finish of the season. 

Several other year-end championships were decided this weekend. In Group 5, the Brothers 
Hintz: David at the wheel and Rick at the Terratrip; won this uniquely American big-bore 
2WD class in their well aged by trusty Mazda RX-7 turbo, two minutes ahead of 1999 Group 5 
champions Henry and Cindy Krolikowski in their borrowed Dodge Neon SRT-4. Production class 
was also decided, but in two different cars. Jon Hamilton secured the driver's championship 
in his Soy-Diesel fueled VW Golf TDI, and David Weiman, who seemingly has ridden in just 
about every other car in the Production class this year, finished his season riding along 
with "Subie-Gal" Jamie Thomas, who also posted a career high ProRally finish of 17th overall
and 2nd in class. 

Heading towards the final event of the year, the Lake Superior Rally in mid-October, the 
Group N championship will be down to the wire, with just a 5-point gap between leader 
Ralph Kosmides and challenger Tim O'Neil. While the overall Drivers points chase is decided, 
the Overall Co-Driver's isn't, with Subaru's Steve Turvey leading over Daniel Barritt. 
The Overall Manufacturers Championship which saw Hyundai extend its lead over Subaru to 11 
points (121 to 110) this weekend, will likely result in a mad dash to the finish in Michigan,
as Subaru fights to repeat its 2001 win, while Hyundai pulls out all the stops to regain 
the title it held for the five consecutive years prior.
 
Wild West - SCCA ProRally Championship Round #9, 8 September 2002 Final Results - (Official)

Start Finish Car # Seed Class Driver Country Co-Driver Country Car Time 
 5  1   3 1 Open Rhys Millen 	   USA Garry Cowan 	 NZ  02 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 2:19:47 
 1  2   6 0 Open Paul Choiniere    USA Jeff Becker 	 USA 03 Hyundai Tiburon 	  2:23:34 
13  3  29 2 GN   Tim O'Neil 	   USA Martin Headland 	 CAN 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  2:26:41 
21  4  45 3 GN   Shane Mitchell    USA Paul Donnelly 	 USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  2:28:17 
 2  5   1 0 Open Mark Lovell 	   UK  Steve Turvey 	 UK  02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  2:28:23 
10  6  22 1 GN   Ralph Kosmides    USA Jimmy Brandt 	 USA 99 Subaru Impreza WRX-Sti 	  2:29:28 
 9  7  32 1 Open Paul Eklund 	   USA Scott Huhn 	 USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  2:30:09 
19  8 102 3 Open Scott Trinder     CAN Paul Westwick 	 CAN 00 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS     2:32:45 
17  9 374 3 Open Leon Styles 	   USA John Dillon 	 USA 90 Audi S2 quattro 	  2:33:00 
18 10  78 3 Open Paul Dunn 	   USA Ben Bradley 	 USA 97 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV  2:35:26 
14 11 217 2 Open Janice Damitio    USA Chris Davis 	 USA 91 Eagle Talon TSi		  2:35:50 
24 12 207 3 G5   Dave Hintz 	   USA Rick Hintz 	 USA 90 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 	  2:38:10 
12 13  44 1 G5   Henry Krolikowski USA Cindy Krolikowski USA 02 Dodge Neon SRT-4 	  2:40:26 
22 14  94 3 GN   Craig Peeper 	   USA Alex Gelsomino 	 USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  2:42:17 
28 15  42 3 G2   Eric Burmeister   USA Eric Adams 	 USA 01 Mazda Protégé MP3 	  2:47:45 
48 16  72 5 P    Jon Hamilton 	   USA Ken Sabo 	 USA 00 VW Golf TDI		  2:49:33 
51 17 215 5 P    Jamie Thomas 	   USA David Weiman 	 USA 95 Subaru Impreza		  2:51:03 
43 18 220 5 PGT  Bruce Davis 	   USA Lee Sorenson 	 USA 92 Eagle Talon TSi 	  2:51:45 
20 19 103 3 GN   Wyeth Gubelman    USA Therin Pace 	 USA 02 Subaru Impreza WRX 	  3:04:16 
40 20 514 5 PGT  Roland McIvor 	   USA Bill Montgomery   USA 95 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX    3:04:36 

Day One Leading Retirements - (Official)

Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year Make Stage Retirement cause (official) 
  5 Mark Higgins 	Claire Mole 	Open 03 Hyundai  SS2 Engine 
  2 Ramana Lagemann 	Michael Kidd 	Open 02 Subaru   SS4 Engine Fire 
 88 Doug Havir 		Scott Putnam 	Open 02 Subaru   SS3 Roll-Over 
190 Garen Shrader 	Mario Lopez 	P    03 Hyundai  SS2 Stuck in ditch - time barred 

Day Two Leading Retirements - (Unofficial)

Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year Make Stage Retirement cause (unofficial) 
107 Tim Paterson 	John Allen 		Open 97 Mitsubishi Service Engine 
 39 Carl Jardevall 	Amity Trowbridge 	Open 97 Mitsubishi SS11    Not reported 
 90 Lauchlin O'Sullivan Matt Chester 		G2   02 Mitsubishi SS9 	   Engine electrical 
306 Wolgang Hoeck 	Julie Lin 		GN   02 Mitsubishi SS9 	   Not reported 
 16 David Higgins 	Daniel Barritt 		Open 02 Subaru 	   SS9 	   Engine - valve spring 
 28 Bill Malik 		Dave Kean 		G2   93 Volvo 	   SS10    Not reported 


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