Steamboat Springs, Colorado -- For the second year running, the Holiday Inn Steamboat Springs has been selected as headquarters for the Widget Rally Team for the Colorado Cog Rally. This year's event will be run Sep 17-18, 2005.

As in 2004, the hotel, known as "the Perfect Family Resort for all seasons," will offer special discounts to the team's race fans. To take advantage of the lower rates, simply call the hotel toll-free at 800.654.3944 and ask for "the Widget Rally Team rate." This year's rate is even cheaper than the AAA discount that many fans use.

"Lauchlin O'Sullivan will drive for Widget at this year's event, racing another Evo," explained Denise McMahon, Team Manager for the Widget Rally Team, "but John will once again call the notes." Last year the team (driver Leon Styles, Mission Viejo, CA, and codriver John Dillon, Thousand Oaks, CA) won the rally overall, racing a Mitsubishi Evolution VII prepared by Rhys Millen Racing.

This year's car, another Evo VII, is prepared by Cascade Autosport in Redmond, WA. Lauchlin raced a similar car for the Mitsubishi factory in 2003, finishing second overall in the national championship behind his British teammate David Higgins. Dillon is the defending Open class champion for 2004.

"We really enjoyed our stay at the Holiday Inn last year," remarked Dillon. "A clean, quiet room really helps you decompress when you're trying to get rested for a hard weekend of rallying, and the Holiday Inn provided exceptional comfort. I'm looking forward to staying there again."

"I haven't had a chance to race at Cog before," noted O'Sullivan, "so I'm counting on the experience of Denise and John to make this weekend successful. Thanks to the Holiday Inn and Perforce Software, who've provided us with financial backing, some of the stresses of any rally weekend have been reduced. I can't wait to tackle those fast Colorado roads!" He adds a cautionary note: "I haven't raced in a national rally for over a year [when he won the Ojibwe Forest Rally in Minnesota] so we're going to drive with a bit of extra caution at first. I think we'll get up to speed soon enough that we can challenge for the overall win. It would be nice to make it a repeat victory for Denise, John and the rest of the team."

In addition to the Colorado Cog and Pike's Peak rallies, the Widget Rally Team won the 2004 national Open class rally championship. The team has raced only selected events in 2005 while garnering support for the 2006 season. O'Sullivan and Dillon last raced together in December 2001, where they finished first in their class (PGT) and third overall at the Ramada Express International Rally.

"We extend special thanks to Barbara Robinson of the Holiday Inn Steamboat Springs for her continued support of the team. Barbara's confidence in us is very much appreciated," said McMahon. With a smile she added "Last year we thanked her by winning the rally, a feat we hope to repeat in 2005!"

About the Sport
Rallying is the ultimate team motorsport where street-licensed cars are raced at high speed on dirt trails with two people in the car, a driver behind the wheel and a codriver describing every bend in the road. Competitors are not allowed to pre-run the roads so they are racing "blind," navigating from a route book provided just hours prior to the event. Cars can easily reach speeds above 100 MPH as they snake between trees and along the edges of cliffs in this sport of strength and stamina.

About the Team
The Widget Rally Team, that "serious team with a whimsical name," is also supported by Perforce Software (www.perforce.com), makers of high performance software for computer professionals. The team insists on brakes by Porterfield Enterprises (www.porterfield-brakes.com) and utilizes the web services of Shults Dot Com (www.shults.com) for its internet needs. Satellite phones are provided by WCC Global Satellite Communications (www.wcclp.com).