| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2000 | For more information, Contact: Mark Utecht Mayhem Racing Phone: 651-408-1203 E-mail: mayhem83@isd.net Website: http://www.mayhemracing.com |
STACY, MINNESOTA -- It was a fight to the finish in the Group 5 category at the Sports Car Club of America's Lake Superior ProRally in Houghton, Michigan. Mayhem Racing's Mark Utecht went into the final ProRally of the season tied for first place in Driver's points in the Group 5 class, and came away with the Championship. Mayhem co-driver, Brenda Corneliusen, had already wrapped up the Group 5 title for co-drivers. Both also captured the Jon Woodner Cup for highest placing among all two-wheel drive competitors.
The competition for the championship ended early as Bryan Hourt (of Ohio) had electrical problems with his Honda Civic on the first stage of the rally, then got stuck in the mud, costing him 15 minutes. Utecht then took it relatively easy on his 1986 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo for the remainder of the two day Lake Superior ProRally, eventually finishing second in Group 5 to the hard charging Steve Nowicki aboard a Mazda RX7.
A second place finish for Mayhem Racing at SCCA's Prescott Forest Pro Rally in Arizona just three weeks prior resulted in a tie for the points lead between Utecht and Hourt. Utecht and Corneliusen were forced to find a temporary replacement for their Periwinkle Blue Dodge Omni GLH after it was damaged in an accident at Wild West ProRally in Washington just two weeks before the Prescott event. Their rented Volkswagen GTI performed admirably in Arizona, despite breaking a rear axle. Crew members were able to make repairs and the team went on to finish second in Group 5.
"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 in September. 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."
In addition to the Group 5 championship, Mayhem Racing took the Jon Woodner Cup, awarded to the most successful two-wheel drive Driver and Co-driver in the series. The Woodner Cup is named for Jon Woodner, a top two-wheel drive ProRally competitor in the 1980s, who died when his experimental airplane crashed in 1988. Co-driver Corneliusen had already wrapped up both the Group 5 and Woodner Cup titles for Co-drivers before the final event of the season, as Hourt and other front running drivers in the two-wheel drive categories used more than one co-driver 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:
Mayhem Racing's 2000 ProRally Results:
| Date | Event | Group 5 | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/29 | 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 |
| 10/20-21 | Lake Superior, Houghton, Michigan | 2nd | 13th |
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