Munising, Michigan -- Team YO! Rallysport completed a successful weekend of racing at the Ojibwe Forest ProRally, based out of Bemidji, MN this past weekend. Fighting transmission ailments that were associated with their previous efforts at the Maine Forest ProRally, the team managed a 5th place finish in Group 5 in the national event, plus two very important 2nd place finishes in the divisional 10,000 Lakes ClubRally and Paul Bunyan's Ride ClubRally events. The team currently stands in 7th place nationally and first place divisionally in Group 5, a competition class for larger displacement two-wheel-drive vehicles. Moreover, the team has locked up a top-two finish in the Central Division, assuring them an invitation to the ClubRally national run-offs.

The team broke the transmission case at the Maine Forest Rally at the end of July, requiring a complete rebuild, with only three weeks between rallies. It did give the team the opportunity to put in a welded differential that was originally planned for the next season, but there was no time to fully test the transmission prior to heading to Minnesota.

"We lost reverse on either stage 2 or 3 on Friday," explains team driver Jerry Brownell, "so we had to be a little conservative. We couldn't afford any mistake that would require us to back up. Later we started to have issues with 1st gear as well, so we're glad we made it to the end"

"We also found out too late that the wrong ratio gears had been installed," says team co-driver Jim Windsor. "We had more top end speed, which helps us in a fast rally like Ojibwe, but less acceleration was noticeable in the wet sand from the rain."

"I'm happy with the results, though," continued Brownell. "With the welded differential, I had to really adjust my driving style." Indeed, by the later stages of the rally, Brownell had learned to be more aggressive through the corners, which helped make up for the lack of acceleration.

The SCCA ProRally/ClubRally series is a "stage" or "performance" rally series that stretches across the nation. It is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. 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 on a course typically made up of forest and logging roads closed to public use. The team is given a route book prior to the start, and the co-driver (or navigator) gives the driver critical instructions at speed. There is no practice and the pair has not even seen the road prior to competition.

The team's next event is planned to be the Lake Superior ProRally, based out of Houghton, MI in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, October 19-20th. To find out more about SCCA ProRally, visit the SCCA website at www.sccaprorally.org. For information and results of the Ojibwe Forests ProRally visit www.scca-lol.org/rally/ojibwe. To find out more about the Lake Superior ProRally, go to www.up-plaza.com/lspr. 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: jerry@webstratum.com