SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA -- The desert near Los Angeles looks very little like the forests of Sweden where Carl Jardevall grew up, but he hopes to use what he has learned about rallying in California to his advantage this weekend at the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Rim of the World ProRally near Palmdale. Jardevall, along with co-driver Amity Trowbridge, will compete in the Group 5 category in the Nordic Motors Volvo 740 Turbo. Group 5 is for two-wheel drive cars with turbocharging or V8 engines.

"We were leading Group 5 and running third overall at Rim last year when we suffered a suspension failure that originated with a crushed rubber bushing" said Jaredvall. "In preparing for this year’s rally the service crew and I have gone over all of the suspension a little more carefully. Overall, the Volvo is a good choice for Rim as the roads tend to be fairly rough and our Volvo is a very stout machine."

Jardevall and Trowbridge were leading Group 5 and running 6th overall at the Oregon Trail ProRally in April, but slippery conditions caused a spin just one stage from the finish and the Volvo slid into a tree and off the road. "I had pretty well used up the tires," said Jardevall, "so we had very little traction, and the muddy conditions only made it worse. Fortunately the safety features built into the Volvo kept us from any harm, and it was easily repaired in time for this next rally."

"The Nordic Motors Volvo has been quite reliable and required very little service other than maintenance between rallies," continued Jardevall. "We continue to make improvements as needed, but overall the car is very good. Probably the biggest change we made over the winter was to give the Volvo a new Bright Yellow paint job."

The Nordic Motors team finished in the top five overall on SCCA ProRallies twice last season. At the Oregon Trail ProRally, Jardevall and Trowbridge finished third, and at Wild West they were fourth overall. At the Ojibwe Forests ProRally in Minnesota, overheating problems dropped them from contention early in the event, but once the problems were repaired the team set stage times competitive with the front runners, and faster than the other Group 5 teams.

The Nordic Motors Volvo will be carrying a special passenger at Rim of the World, "Race Car Jack", a 4.5-inch tall toy clown from the Jack in the Box restaurants. The bendable toy will later be auctioned off to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and its youth mentoring program.

Nordic Motors is an independent Volvo and Saab repair facility, owned by Carl Jardevall and located in San Carlos, California. Co-driver Amity Trowbridge lives in Olympia, Washington, and is employed by the State of Washington.