Prescott, Arizona -- A second place finish at the Sports Car Club of America's Prescott Forest ProRally by Mayhem Racing has resulted in a tie for the points lead in the Group 5 category. Mayhem Racing's Mark Utecht and Brenda Corneliusen took second despite losing a rear wheel assembly on their rented Volkswagen GTI. The class victory for Honda driver Bryan Hourt put him into a tie with Utecht, so the season championship will have to be decided at the Lake Superior ProRally, the final event of this year.

Mayhem's steed for this event was the car that Dave White took to the Group 2 Championship in 1998. Built and maintained by former PRO Rally Champion Guy Light, it is one of the strongest cars in the country. Light was also on hand as the chief mechanic for the VW, as he knows the car intimately.

"This GTI is undoubtedly one of the fastest Group 2 cars in the country, so we felt confident that it could be competitive with the larger engined Group 5 cars," said Utecht. "We were correct in that assumption as we were able to finish ahead of all the Group 2 entries."

The second place finish was not without drama, however. "We lost the left rear wheel assembly early on Saturday," said Utecht. "By that I mean the wheel and tire, plus the brake rotor and caliper. The stub axle sheared off due to a casting defect and we had to complete three stage miles on three wheels, then 17 miles of transit to service. Fortunately our crew, with help from other crews, was able to make repairs and keep us in the rally."

It is only three weeks to the final event of the 2000 ProRally season, the Lake Superior ProRally in Houghton, Michigan. Team Mayhem expects to be back in their more familiar Periwinkle Blue Dodge Omni GLH, as body repairs from the accident at Wild West should be completed by then.

In addition to the tie for first place in the Group 5 category, Utecht leads in points for the Jon Woodner Cup, awarded to the most successful two-wheel drive competitor in the series. Co-driver Corneliusen has already wrapped up both the Group 5 and Woodner Cup titles for Co-drivers, as Hourt and other front running drivers in the two-wheel drive categories have used more than one co-driver this season.

"We started the season with a new chassis and the Dodge has been competitive at every event," said Utecht. "Our only DNF was the accident at Wild West. We have placed third or higher in all other ProRallies we have run this year, so I am quite pleased with our performance this season."

Mayhem Racing is based in Stacy, Minnesota, just north of the Twin Cities. Team manager is Mark's wife, Mary Utecht. J.B. Lewis, Brenda Corneliusen's fiance, is Chief Mechanic on the team's 1986 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo.

Sponsors of the Mayhem Racing ProRally effort include:

• FirstCom - business telephone communications
• ProGraphics - custom vinyl lettering for business and racing
• SpecialStage.com - on-line newsletter covering the sport of Performance Rallying
• Warranty Solutions - warranty claims processing and consulting for automobile dealerships

Mayhem Racing's 2000 ProRally Results:

Date	Event	Group 5	Overall
1/28-29	Sno*Drift, Atlanta, Michigan	1st	7th
6/3	Susquehannock Trail, Wellsboro, PA	3rd	9th
7/28-29	Maine Forest, Rumford, Maine	1st	8th
8/25-26	Ojibwe Forests, Bemidji, Minnesota	2nd	11th
9/15-16	Wild West, Olympia, Washington	DNF
9/29-30	Prescott Forest, Prescott, Arizona	2nd	7th

For further details and for photos, contact: Mark Utecht at 651-408-1203 or Brenda Corneliusen at 763-502-8561.

Tim Winker
Wink Timber Media Agency
Phone: 218-729-0821
tim@winktimber.com
www.winktimber.com