Rumford, Maine -- Lauchlin O'Sullivan (San Francisco, CA) and John Dillon (Thousand Oaks, CA) took home the Seven Rivers ClubRally victory on Friday in the Production GT class but a transmission failure on Saturday's first stage ended their bid for a National win in Maine. O'Sullivan, who won more U.S. rallies in 1999 than any other driver, reported "We were five minutes into the Wilson Mills stage when something let go in the tranny. I was finally able to get the car into fourth gear so we completed the stage without shifting. Once we stopped at the time control the car stalled and refused to continue."

The team started the SCCA national season in March with a dominating victory at the Cherokee Trails ProRally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but since then they have been plagued with mechanical problems. Alternator woes took them out of contention in Oregon (while leading in class) and California, while a driveline problem in a rented Eclipse ended their day early in Pennsylvania (but not until after the duo set a new PGT record on the Phasa Run stage.)

The disappointment in Maine forced team owner John Moore to announce the dissolution of M&M Motorsports. "We had the best team around, but the car kept letting us down," he said, adding "the budget's just not there to continue rallying this year."

With the end of M&M Motorsports, O'Sullivan, Dillon, and crew chief Tom Laeng are now investigating other options. "Lauchlin is an outstanding driver who simply needs a proper car around him," noted Laeng. He pointed out that O'Sullivan's Mitsubishi kept pace with many of the Open-class cars, even though PGT cars are constrained by rules to be basically "showroom stock," and Open cars can add many performance modifications. "Until we can work a new deal, I hope someone will put Lauchlin and John in their rally car."

Meanwhile, other drivers have approached Dillon to be their navigator. "I'm flattered that they'd like me on board, and I'm certainly interested in the offers. However, my first loyalty remains with Lauchlin if we can pull something together this year. We're always ready to rally!"

Depending on circumstances, O'Sullivan, Laeng and Dillon's new team may not be ready until the 2002 season. "The key word now is 'flexibility,'" said O'Sullivan. "We're ready to jump into another car, but it may take a little time to get our own package together or to hook up with a top organization. Meanwhile, we need to keep in the public eye so we're considering all offers."

"Naturally the end of M&M Motorsports is a serious setback for our championship efforts," noted Dillon. "However, we have proven, and will continue to prove, that we have a positive 'rally on' attitude. We're willing to make the extra effort necessary to move ahead. Something great will happen for the team soon."

"I wish Lauchlin, Tom, John, and the rest of the crew the best of luck," said Moore in closing. "While Laurie and I can no longer support the team financially, we'll be cheering them on from our hearts at every event. I know they'll be on the podium again soon."