Munising, Michigan --Team Yo! Rallysport heads for the ice-covered back roads of northern lower Michigan this weekend to compete in the first round of the SCCA ProRally series, the Sno*Drift ProRally in Atlanta, Michigan. The team will, for the first time, enter the National "Pro" field and compete against the elite of the sport -- teams that will gather from across the United States, Canada, and even Great Britain and Jamaica.

"I feel a little intimidated," says team driver, Jerry Brownell. "We'll be bringing our 18 year-old Chevy Citation X-11 to compete against teams with six-digit budgets running cars that cost more than my house. But within our class, we've got a chance to do well. I'm expecting my 6 winters of Upper Peninsula winter driving experience to give us a bit of an advantage." Last year the team competed in the very competitive Group 5 class (two-wheel-drive open class with up to 5.1L adjusted engine displacement) in the SCCA's Central Division, finishing 5th after a season-ending crash at the Lake Superior ProRally in October.

"I can't wait to get back on the road," says Jim Windsor, the team's co-driver of Ft. Wayne, IN. "Since we DNF'ed at LSPR, we've spent a lot of time in the off-season putting the car back together, and planning for the start of this year's season. We're looking forward to putting in a good run at Sno*Drift. Besides, it's the closest rally to home!"

Entering the Sno*Drift ProRally in the national field is part of the team's plan to take their competitiveness to the next level. "We are a low-budget team right now and rely on sponsorship to get us through the season," says Brownell. "We recognize that our sponsors are going to expect us to compete at a high level to provide a payback on their investment. So, we are taking an aggressive approach to building our competitiveness and increasing our recognition and exposure."

The Sno*Drift ProRally is the first of 10 National ProRally events on the 2001 schedule. This event takes competitors through some of the most challenging back roads of Michigan's Montmorency County. Recent thaws and subsequent re-freezing is expected to have made the stage roads icy and treacherous, adding an unfamiliar element for many teams.

The SCCA ProRally series is a "stage" or "performance" rally series that stretches across the nation. It is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America and televised on SPEEDVISION. This form of motorsport is experiencing incredible growth in the United States and is the 2nd most popular spectator sport in Europe. Competitors race flat out against the clock for hundreds of miles on a course of back roads closed to public use. The team is given a route book just prior to the start, and the co-driver (or navigator) tells the driver where every jump, dangerous turn or other obstacle is to the hundredth of a mile. There is no practice and the pair has not even seen the road prior to competition.

To find out more about ProRally, visit the SCCA website at www.sccaprorally.org. To find out more about the Sno*Drift ProRally, visit www.sno-drift.org. Visit the Team YO! Rallysport website at http:/ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/teamyo.

Information:
Team YO! Rallysport, 1567 Coit N.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Phone 616-361-2516
E-Mail: brownell@benteler.com