Prescott, Arizona -- Brian Scott (Pine, AZ, driver) and John Dillon (Thousand Oaks, CA, codriver) capped their 2007 rally season with the overall victory at the Prescott Rally on 5-6 October 2007. Not only that, Dillon seized the lead in the California Rally Series championship (by just three points!) in the Open 4WD class. The event, part of the United States Rally Championship series, is sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and uses desert roads between Jerome and Perkinsville. The team finished second overall at this rally last year.

"This was a great weekend for us," reported the driver. "The car [a Subaru WRX STi] was solid, the notes were spot on, and the weather was chamber-of-commerce perfect. Our only drama came at the last service on Saturday. After fueling the car, it refused to start. We pushed it into our service area, where Aaron Laeng of Laengworks replaced the starter motor while new crew members Bill and Brandon took care of the other routine maintenance tasks."

"Actually, we had one other tiny drama," joked Dillon. "At the top of the First View stage on Saturday, which offers dramatic drops off the edge of the cliff, Brian spun the car. Fortunately he did it in the one wide sport in that whole section of road and continued after losing just a little time. It was the only stage we didn't win all weekend."

For business reasons (Scott had a corporate golf tournament and Dillon had a speaking engagement), both driver and codriver were unable to participate in "recce" (reconnaissance) which would have given them the opportunity to preview the roads. Instead they ran blind with only the organizer-supplied stage notes. In the end though it didn't matter, as they chalked up a pair of regional wins along with the USRC overall victory.

The car was built by Andy Brown of Techsport Racing and is currently maintained by Doug Chernis of Race Technik. Andy has since moved to Australia, while Doug had other commitments. Fortunately the team was able to secure the services of Laengworks for the Prescott Rally, along with first-time crew members Bill and Brandon. "The guys really had to hustle at that last service. The transit time was a bit tight, so when we were hit with the unexpected starter problem, we knew the guys were gonna have to work hard," reported the codriver. "They proved their mettle today."

"They also had to isolate a clunking sound, which turned out to be an exhaust bracket problem," explained Scott. "They proved they could handle it though—I'm glad they were here to help!"

Primary funding comes from Scott Roofing Company, providing roofing services for homes and businesses all across Arizona. Perforce Software (www.perforce.com/wrt), the FAST Software Configuration Management company, provides financial support to the Widget Rally Team. Widget 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.

Scott and Dillon race again once more this year, at the Laughlin International Rally in November. There'll be a twist howeverboth will be driving! Dillon will sit behind the wheel for the first time in rally competition, with Jeff Secor calling the notes, while Scott will run his trusty Subaru with old friend Michael Taylor navigating. They'll both take advantage of Laengworks for their vehicle service needs at the event.