SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA -- Carl Jardevall is looking forward to driving the rugged coastal mountain roads of the Oregon Trail ProRally this weekend . Jardevall (of Half Moon Bay, California) and co-driver Amity Trowbridge (of Seattle, Washington) will be introducing their new ride to the SCCA ProRally Championship -- an Open class 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. And fans of the "Sideways Swede" will now be able to follow the team’s exploits on a new web site: rally.nordicmotors.com.

The Mitsubishi replaces the Volvo 740 Turbo that Jardevall has been rallying since 1997. The all-wheel drive, turbocharged "Evo" is a considerable step up in horsepower and traction. Over the past three years many teams in the SCCA ProRally Championship have switched to cars built to compete in the World Rally Championship such as the Evo or the Subaru WRX. Jardevall realized that if he was to remain competitive overall he would have to join the all-wheel drive revolution.

"We won Group 5 and finished third overall at Oregon Trail in 2000 in our Volvo" said Jaredvall, a native of Sweden. "Last year we were running in the top five in Oregon with the Volvo when we slid off the road on the final stage and were unable to finish. The roads there are great and they suit my driving style. With all-wheel drive I expect to be much faster than in the past."

Jardevall and Trowbridge took the Mitsubishi for a shakedown run at the DooWop I and II ClubRallies in Washington last month, and won every stage except one, taking first overall on DooWop I. In that single exception, the car slid off the road and became stuck on the first stage of DooWop II. It was nearly an hour before the team could get the car back onto the road and they were then able to complete the rally. With an overall win and clear dominance of the DooWops, the combination of Jardevall, Trowbridge and Mitsubishi have shown that they will give the front running teams in ProRally a run for their money.

However, Jardevall understands that it will not be an easy run for the team. "There are three factory teams and some very good independents this year. They have hired some of the best drivers in the world. I am still learning this car so I can’t expect to beat them all the first time out. I certainly hope to be competitive, however."

The Nordic Motors crew has made a few changes to the Evo since its outing at the DooWops. The biggest has been to upgrade the braking system. Jardevall felt the brakes were not as efficient as on the Volvo he rallied, so has added stainless steel braided brake lines and harder compound brake pads. Since the expertise of the Nordic Motors crew is in Swedish cars, they have turned to TAD Motorsports of Illinois for technical assistance. TAD Motorsports maintains several Mitsubishi Lancer Evos for independent rally teams, including the runner-up in last year’s ProRally Driver Championship, Seamus Burke.

rally.nordicmotors.com Also new to Nordic Motors in Motion is a dedicated web site to promote the team’s rally efforts. Located at rally.nordicmotors.com, the new site features many photos of the team’s Volvo from the past several seasons, as well as results and pertinent information on team members. Many of the photos go back to Jardevall’s early rally exploits in Sweden driving a series of Saab 96s. The web site was designed and is maintained by Tim Winker of the Wink Timber Media Agency, a public relations concern specializing in promotion of motorsports teams. (www.WinkTimber.com)

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 Seattle, Washington, and is an engineer for the State of Washington Department of Transportation.