Tigard, Oregon -- Thanks to the many volunteers, some coming from over 200 miles away, the Primitive Racing Subaru Impreza USX turbo is up and running strong! Work was completed this weekend on a new engine, new larger turbo, enlarged downpipe, reinforced rear suspension, new driveline and exhaust gas temp gauge, which propels the intercooled rally car closer to the 300 hp mark. "We are now running out of fuel injector with duty cycles hitting 100%," says team owner Paul Eklund. "These helpers were just great! We crossed several dozen items off the "to do" list that I never could have completed myself. People seemed to have a good time, I would usually bring in pizza or have a big BBQ, some helpers even brought their kids."

The car has now been spot painted and prepped for display at Morrie's Subaru in Minneapolis. It is looking as good as it runs. Nearly every nut and bolt has been checked; hopefully there will be no reliability problems at the Ojibwe ProRally in Minnesota. "We can win that race, as long as we FINISH," quips co-driver Scott Huhn, who has put dozens of hours and more than a drop of blood into the car.

The early portion of the season started with a great victory at the Alcan Winter Rally but has been loaded with setbacks, most stemming from a serious shunt at the Doo Wop Rally in Olympia, Washington. Following the wreck were a series of DNF's caused by a blown transmission, a blown head gasket and subsequent melted crank sensor, and a broken connecting rod at the Dryad Quest Rally. A new 2.2 liter engine is now in the car with a fresh transmission.

After Ojibwe, the team plans to enter the Wild West Pro Rally (9/16), the Prescott Forest Rally (9/30) and possibly the LSPR rally in October. "We still have a chance for a good season points finish," says Eklund, "We took third at Wild West last year and I always love the rough roads at Prescott!"

Next Sunday the car will get a final check out at the Oregon Rally Group's rallycross event in St. Helen's, Oregon.

For more information, visit Primitive's website at www.get-primitive.com

Press Release Index
Teams Index
RRN Index