LAUGHLIN, NV -- Todd Moberly, from Pueblo West, Colo., with his father Raymond Moberly, from Colorado Springs, Colo. as co-driver, driving a highly-modified Subaru WRX STI 4WD race car, have won the ninth annual Laughlin International Rally.

For Moberly, it was his first professional auto racing victory, and he was quite excited to beat all the veterans plus the year-end United States Rally Championship titleholder in securing his win.

“I came to the Laughlin event several years ago as a spectator and volunteer, and I knew that this rally, with its stunning views of the Grand Canyon and its twisty roads and steep inclines, was the one I would aspire to win some day. This is my Le Mans, my Indy 500, my Daytona 500. Andy having my dad in the co-driver’s seat made it that much more special,” said Moberly.

“The car ran great for the whole weekend, and we just had to finish the six stage miles of the SuperStages in town to win, but we ran hard there as well, finishing up on Sunday in a tied for the fastest times on those legs as well,” said the younger Moberly.

He beat fellow Colorado resident Weyth Gubelmann (Placerville) and co-driver Cindy Krolikowski in a similar Subaru WRX STI by 29 seconds. Third was the Mistubishi Lancer Evolution of George Plsek (Solana Beach, Calif.) and Jeff Burmeister Minneapolis.

In the Laughlin International Rally, the cars race one-at-a-time against the clock on closed desert roads – each time trial is called a stage - in the Grand Canyon/Colorado River region, with the cars recording the lowest total elapsed time at the end of the event being the winners in each class. The co-driver, who sits in the passenger seat, has stage notes which guide the team through the course turn-by-turn, and has a rally computer to aid him or her by keeping track of mileage intervals and elapsed time. The driver will go as fast as he or she can – no speed limits – with coaching from the co-driver describing the road configuration ahead.

The drivers meet their crew at service areas every couple of stages for service on the cars, and drivers must obey all local traffic regulations when their cars are not actually driving on the closed stage road. Unlike traditional racetrack driving, where repetition on the same course can lead to the “best line” or “best setup” for each corner, rally drivers must react to blind conditions at racetrack speed.

This event is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) and presented by the National Auto Sports Association (NASA). Parts of the event count for points in the Western States Rally Championship (WSRC) and the California Rally Series (CRS) as well. The event is organized by the American Rally Sport Group, Inc. The rally will covered 533 miles including 122 racing stage miles.

The year-end championship goes to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 of Seamus Burke, Powder Springs, Georgia, and Christine Beavis, San Diego, Calif., who finished the Laughlin event in fifth place after having both fuel pressure and exhaust problems during the event. The pair had enough points, however, to secure the season title. Burke becomes the second-straight Irish-American rallyist to win the USRC championship as Tom Lawless won the top spot last year. The USRC season champion always attends the USAC banquet in Indianapolis as part of his prize.

The Burke/Beavis Mitsubishi had a one minute lead on the field going into stage nine – the last stage on Saturday – when nagging fuel feed problems slowed the car to a crawl near Grand Canyon West. They lost three minutes to the field, and fell from first to fourth place in the overall standings, only one place ahead the Wolf Hoeck/Piers O’Hanlon Subaru WRX STI. Although they fell one more place on Sunday, they won the season title by two points overall

The Plsek/Burmeister Mitsubishi caught up to Burke on the road when Seamus slowed down on Saturday with his problems, and lost time on the stage nine as well. They finished only three seconds out of second place and 32-seconds out of first, so that delay cost them a chance to win the event.

In the Regional rally, the Moberly’s and Gubelmann tied for the win on Sunday, with the Moberly’s winning on Saturday (followed by Plsek and Gubelmann), and Gubelmann winning Friday (each day’s results were scored separately for Regional points).

Class winners in the national rally besides those already mentioned included Nathan Conley/Brandye Monks in a Subaru WRX Wagon (SuperStock), Jimmy Keeney/Melissa Salas in a Honda Civic (Open 2WD), and Michael Taylor/Steven Taylor in a Ford Ranger (Stock class).