SCCA ProRally Championship - Round #4 – Rim of the World

Day One Preliminary Results and Key Notes

Applying a fitting testament to the new world order in US performance rally competition, Mark Lovell wheeled his all new 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX to a commanding 3-minute lead over nearest challenger Richard Tuthill’s Mitsubishi Evo VI in tonight’s opening rounds of America’s toughest rally.  Frenchman Fredrick Dor, in his first-ever visit to the SCCA ProRally Championship, has a comfortable grasp of third place in his ex-World Rally Subaru Impreza WRX.  Mitsubishi drivers Rhys Millen and SCCA ProRally Drivers Championship points leader Seamus Burke round out the top five.

Key Notes:

¨      The Subaru Rally Team USA, based here in the United States but using the vast technical and preparation skills of the UK’s legendary Prodrive operation, re-launched their SCCA ProRally Championship bid this weekend with an all new line-up of Subaru Imprezas, complete with all new service vehicles and crew uniforms.  Even the pop-up tents and the tarps the crews lie on to service the cars are fresh.  The impression is absolutely first-class, and Lovell and Scheible backed it up with class leading performances.

¨      After three wet events in a row, dust was a factor for the first time this season, giving a clear advantage to the first car on the road – Mark Lovell.  Fortunately, there has been a steady breeze throughout the night, giving teams occasional glimpses of clear road between bouts with Rim’s famously choking dust.  Electrical failures were rampant, as the fine silty matter sifted its way into relays and motors, with several cars overheating due to shorted-out cooling fans, and Lon Peterson’s Impreza suffering the first of this years token Rim of the World alternator failure early into the evenings stages.  A ‘really good battery’ has kept the California native, and Rim veteran in the hunt.  Lauchlin O’Sullivan’s Mitsubishi would befall the same fate later in the evening, but alas, without the battery reserves Peterson had. 

¨      As is so typical of Rim, retirements started immediately, with Lee Shadbolts’ Subaru Impreza shattering its rear differential on the spectator stage, and Declan Hegarty’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV rolling over just before the finish line of the same stage.  The car landed on all-fours, and motored under its own power to the finish line, but enough windows were missing for the event steward to end their day.  Both driver and co-driver emerged completely unharmed.  Overall, Day one at Rim claimed 11 retirements.

¨      Subaru is retaining its firm hold on the FIA Gr N championship points chase, with the debut of Karl Scheible’s all-new 2002 WRX maintaining a one and a half minute lead over fellow Subaru driver Ramana Lagemann.

¨      Production class, showing a nice revival of interest with six entries, is providing good competition for a wide variety of cars, with Dennis Chizma’s vintage 1973 Porsche 911 a mere 6 seconds ahead of Tony Chavez’ 1987 VW Golf Gti.  Barely a minute behind is John Buffum’s Hyundai Tiburon, the multi-time champion doing his part to assure Hyundai remains in the overall MFG championship points hunt, while also giving the production class entries a rare treat – being able to compete directly with a true rally legend.

Day One Preliminary (unofficial) Finishing Order (subject to revision prior to re-start tomorrow)

Day One Retirements – ProRally

Day One Retirements - ClubRally

*cars marked with * are allowed to restart rally on day two, (if mechanically able) but will not earn ProRally points.

SCCA ProRally Championship - Round #4; Day 2 – Rim of the World

Preliminary Results and Key Notes

Lovell earns 2^nd win, Millen finally gets his podium, Burke is 4 for 4

Palmdale, CA  The 18^th running of this legendary Southern California event came to a close tonight with a clearly international flavor that is becoming more and more a hallmark of SCCA ProRally competition in the new millennium.

Key Notes:

¨      For a second day, the weather turned out to be flawless, making for great spectating, and setting the stage for some fierce driving conditions – the Rim’s choking dust was still a major factor, but the clear skies an comfortable temperatures allowed the drivers to direct full attention to the job at hand.  While this brutally rough event had a lower attrition rate than is customary thanks to a good job of road grading courtesy of the Angeles National Forest’s caretakers, suspension failures were still a common retirement cause, and kept service crews scrambling throughout the day and night.

¨      Seamus Burke and co-driver Frank Cunningham have been this season’s most consistent performers, finishing on the podium of every event this season, despite changing cars for 3 of the 4 rallys this year.  Now in his own car, the Altanta, GA based Irishman put in yet another exceptional drive, keeping pressure on Tuthill and Millen, and securing a well-earned fourth 3^rd place podium of the season, nearly 5 minutes ahead of the reigning champion, Paul Choiniere. 

¨      Choiniere had a difficult weekend, still fighting with transmission and driveline problems that plagued him at Oregon Trail.  Regardless, the 8-time champion used his decade of experience at this torturous event to keep as game a pace with the front runners as his Tiburon would allow, finishing a solid 4^th overall, and securing 3^rd place Manufacturer points for the Korean automaker.

¨      “Waterbars” are a unique Southwestern US road feature, and Richard Tuthill, who was secure in 2^nd place all through the rally, ran his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI into one hard early into SS12, instantly collapsing both sides of his front suspension completely, ending what could have been his 3^rd podium finish in as many events.  He was not alone in his waterbar agony – several retirements amongst the seasoned Pros and the newer Club entrants were brought on either by impacts with these difficult features, or the after-effects of mangled suspensions, bent frames and shattered cooling systems.

¨      The Group N race was the tightest in the event, even though the class was only 3 cars deep – and populated solely with Subaru Imprezas.  Karl Scheible’s world competition debut of Prodrive’s new 2002 Impreza included an awe-inspiring 17-minute removal and replacement of the car’s transmission in front of a large contingent of Subaru rally fans at the Lake Hughes service following SS10.  Ramana Lagemann showed excellent speed all day, and Ralph Kosmides, in only his second outing with his WRX-STi showed that he is quickly getting acclimated to all-wheel drive, pacing himself and gaining position steadily throughout the event.

¨      Rhys Millen, who’s season has been less than stellar thus far, had a excellent drive all weekend, securing a 3^rd position slot early in yesterdays stages and effectively keeping the heat on Richard Tuthill, and inheriting 2^nd place when the Briton folded up the front of his Evo in SS12.  That 2^nd podium slot nearly eluded Millen on the final stage – when 2^nd gear failed, and the transmission became stuck in 3^rd gear, Rhys had no alternative but to dial back and conserve, but maintaining enough speed to ensure that Seamus Burke couldn’t overtake him.

¨      Millen’s long-awaited and strong finish, and Tuthill’s DNF have substantially changed the face of the Overall Driver’s points race, with the unofficial standings now:  Lovell 63, Burke 56, Tuthill 41, Choiniere 37, and Scheible 36.  Millen has lept from 15^th overall, and is now in 7^th position with 21 points.

¨      With this 2^nd overall win in a row for Subaru, the Manufacturers points race has finally swung to the Fuji Heavy Industries camp – but just barely.  The unofficial points are now:  Subaru 67, Hyundai 64, and Mitsubishi 57.  In the Group N Manufacturers race, Subaru now holds a virtually un-surmountable lead over Mitsubishi, 80 points to 15.

Quotes:

Rhys Millen:  “Coming in 2^nd means so much to me – I found myself hoping for Lovell to finish – to be here with the Evo, right behind Prodrive’s latest and greatest is a huge honor.”

Mark Lovell: “Uggh! Welcome to American Waterbars!  That’s what I was saying as we came crashing down on these huge lumps in the road – here I am in this incredible new car that Prodrive has given me, and I’m realizing that there is no way I can pay for the damage these roads are trying so hard to inflict.  I’m really amazed that the car still looks as good as it does – there were several times I really thought we were done for.”

Day Two Preliminary Finishing Order (unofficial – subject to revision)