HALF MOON BAY, California -- Carl Jardevall is hoping that he is on a winning streak in 2004, as he prepares for this weekend's Sports Car Club of America Oregon Trail ProRally. He is two for two so far this season, with decisive victories at the pair of Doo Wop ClubRallys last month. Jardevall and co-driver Amity Trowbridge will be in the same Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV that they ran in 2002 and 2003, maintained by Jardevall's Saab and Volvo repair shop, Nordic Motors (in San Carlos, Calif.).

Jardevall's record at Oregon Trail is outstanding as well; he and Trowbridge finished fourth overall here in 2002 in the Mitsubishi. At the 2000 running of Oregon Trail, they were third overall and winners of the two-wheel drive category aboard a Volvo 740 Turbo.

"I really like the roads in the Northwest," said Jardevall, a native of Trollhattan, Sweden, who moved to California in 1985. "They really suit my style of driving, and I have done well there as a result."

"The car is quite ready for this weekend's rally," he continued. "We had no problems at the Doo Wop rallies, so all we really had to do was standard maintenance like change the oil and brake pads."

Oregon Trail is the second event in the SCCA ProRally Championship presented by Hot Wheels. It is based out of Hillsboro, and runs on closed mountain roads between Portland and the Pacific coast. This is the first year that Mattel's Hot Wheels has backed the ProRally series, which is in its 32nd season. Look for special edition Hot Wheels rally cars to be introduced in the next few months.

Jardevall and Trowbridge dominated the Doo Wop ClubRallys in Washington state last month, winning every stage on both rallies. They had no mechanical problems with their specially modified Mitsubishi rally special. They also set a new record for the famous Brooklyn Tavern Stage. Jardevall's time of 6:33 shattered the old record of 6:42 set by Paul Choiniere in one of the factory-backed Hyundai Tiburons in 1998. Jardevall's previous personal best came in 2002 in the same Mitsubishi Evo IV. The Sideways Swede also holds the Brooklyn Tavern record for the fastest stage time in a 2WD car - 6:49 - set in the Nordic Motors Volvo in 2001. The seven-mile stage, considered by many to be the best rally stage in the United States, is a former railroad grade between Oakville and Brooklyn, Washington.

More details on the Nordic Motors in Motion rally effort can be found on the team's web site: rally.nordicmotors.com.