Press Release

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1999 -- Team TPi had just broken into the top ten when their rally came to a premature end on a decreasing radius left-hander at the end of a downhill stretch. "Dust was not a factor," explains driver Jowi Odero-Jowi, "it was purely driver error". At the end of a downhill stretch Jowi, driving the Open class Team TPi Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, was carrying too much speed into an off-camber left-hand corner which tightened almost half-way through. The tail end of the car clipped the bank on the outside of the turn which spun the car nose first into the bank. The car then rode half-way up the bank then slowly rolled over coming to rest on the roof.

Jowi and navigator Jim Hurley emerged from the incident unscathed. They managed to get the car back on it's wheels with help from some spectators. Vehicle body damage was minimal, but they were unable to continue due to a broken oil cooler and lower control arm. Up to that point the car had performed extremely well.

This is the first event the team has run with a specially built hybrid turbocharger from Turbochargers.com (Texas Rebuild) and an upgraded intercooler and custom intercooler piping by Alamo Autosports of Arlington, Texas.

Team TPi entered the event, their first National event running with the "big guns", in the Open class. The TPi Mitsubishi Eclipse has not been built to its full Open class potential; the team hopes to gradually develop the car as the finances become available.

The event lived up to its reputation of being an extremely fast and unforgiving event. 80 cars started the event. Dust was a problem. Attrition ran high as mechanical problems and "off-road excursions" thinned out the field. Only 41 cars made it to the finish. Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker won the event in their factory-backed Hyundai Tiburon closely follwed by teammates Noel Lawler and Charlie Bradley, also in a Hyundai Tiburon.

Team TPi is sponsored by Alamo Autosports of Arlington, Texas (import car performance products and technical advice), Big Billy Barrett Mitsubishi of Mesquite, Texas (new & used car dealership, service facility), Texas Rebuild/Tubochargers.com (turbocharger upgrades and rebuilds), Thermal Research & Development (performance exhaust systems), Castrol North America, Inc. (synthetic lubricants and hydraulic fluids), Automated Information Retrieval Systems/AIRS (online real estate foreclosure information systems - serving Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX), Dave Thomas of Waxahachie, Texas (trailer & tactical advice) and Front Wheel Drive Supply of Hurst, Texas (drive axles, bearings & hubs, rack & pinion steering racks). Team TPi's Internet media services and website are courtesy of AIRS, Inc.

Visit Team TPi's Website at www.tpirallying.com

For more information please contact Jowi Odero-Jowi:

Tel: (817) 465-4354
Fax: (817) 465-4354
E-mail: jowi_tpirallying@compuserve.com