Frazier Park, California -- Co-driver John Dillon of Thousand Oaks, California and driver Anton Musev of Santa Maria, California won the 10-hour long Gorman Ridge Rally on Saturday, 21 August 1999 racing an Audi 4000S Quattro. The race, organized by Harris Done of Santa Monica, was sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) ClubRally department. Dillon is the current points leader in the national ProRally championship in the Production GT co-driver category.

Rally is a form of motorsport where production automobiles are raced over closed sections of rural dirt roads, off road parks, and forest trails. Two people ride in the car, neither of whom are allowed to pre-run the course. The co-driver (sometimes called the navigator) feeds instructions to the driver regarding upcoming hazards, read from a route book provided by event organizers just prior to the start of the event.

Gorman Ridge was the first time Musev and Dillon have rallied together, and it was the first overall victory for each of them. "John is an outstanding co-driver," enthused Musev. "I understood every call and he kept me focused on my driving." Dillon, in turn, praised Musev for his racing ability. "Anton has been called a wild man behind the wheel, but I thought he showed amazing car control, especially after the first couple of stages when he really got a rhythm going."

Early in the race (halfway through the second stage) the Audi's shift lever broke, forcing them to finish the stage with only third gear. During the third stage, Dillon figured out a way to stabilize the base of the shifter with his thumb, allowing Musev to rally through to the service break, where their crew (also new to the team) improvised a bracket from a piece of scrap metal. "I thought the rally was finished," said Musev about the shifter, "but Dick [Young] saved the day for us with his mechanical cleverness." For the record, Musev's crew chief is 12-year old son Alan, but a couple of Dillon's friends from the Widget International Racing Team (Dick and Kay Young) came out for the day and were drafted at the last moment to assist in keeping the Audi running. "We love racing, but we love it more when we're part of the action," said Dick Young. "And to be a part of the winning team--wow, that's icing on the cake!"

Even more amazing, the "low bucks" team raced on used tires, one of which had to be repaired with a can of stop-leak product halfway through the day. The car carried two spares, but each of them had slow leaks too--there was no budget for new tires this weekend.

The Gorman Ridge Rally is part of a local rally series, but Dillon is also racing in the national SCCA ProRally Championship. With three races left in the season, the co-driver currently leads the points race in the national series in the Production GT category, racing with Kendall Russell from Knoxville, Tennessee. His next race will be the Ojibwe Forest Rally in Bemidji, Minnesota next week. If schedules allow, Musev and Dillon may team up again at the Ramada Express International Rally in Laughlin, Nevada in mid-December.

For more information, check out the following websites: www.scca.org for SCCA information, www.californiarallyseries.com for local rally events, and www.teamleconte.com for team news.