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News Updates for 2007 are now posted on
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Stories from last year's Rim
The 23rd running of the Subaru Rim of the World Rally is
now history, and world extreme motocross champion Travis Pastrana,
from Davidsonville, Maryland and WRC co-driver Jakke Honkanen,
have won his first professional gravel auto rally by scoring
a one minute, 18-second win in his Vermont Sports Car Subaru
WRX STi. Subaru teammate Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino
finished second, and Mitsubishi driver George Plsek and co-driver
Jeff Burmeister were third.
Pastrana said that it was co-driver Honkanen who
was the key to his victory, which relieves the frustration
of five second-place rally finishes over the last
two years.“
Jakke’s experience pushed me to go faster when it was appropriate, yet
help pace me when we had a good lead so I maintained my speed without hurting
the car. It feels great to win – finishing second all those times just
doesn’t do it,” said Pastrana.
Pastrana said that his lead over Block grew as
day turned into evening as he drives better at
night that Ken does, and Block’s flat tire
during the morning stages also set him back.
For Burlington, Vermont’s Lance Smith, Pastrana and Block’s team
owner, it was also a first as Vermont Sports Car had never finished first and
second in cars they had built themselves, so it was a special night for the
team as well.“When we prepared Mitsubishi’s factory rally cars,
we had one-two finishes, but never in our own cars,” said Smith, who
started Vermont Sports Car in 1991.
Photos Press
Information
PIAA Corporation USA is offering to install free PIAA high
performance silicon windshield wipers to the rally competitors
at this years Rim of the World Rally. In exchange, team will
must carry PIAA decals on their car during the event.
This opportunity will be provided to all team during technical
inspection.
PIAA's Super Silicon Wipers feature a silicone rubber compound
that leaves a water repellant coating on the windshield.
Water beads up on the glass allowing for better visibility
and better wiping action; the beads of water are cleared
from the windshield more completely than sheets of water.
As an additional benefit the silicon lubricates the glass
for quieter, chatter free operation. The PIAA Silicone blades
also last longer than conventional rubber blades in harsh
conditions such as mud and dust.
http://www.piaa.com/WiperBlades/silicone.html
23nd ANNUAL LANCASTER RALLY IS BACK IN THE HIGH DESERT ONE
WEEK EARLY –
APRIL 28-29; RIM OF THE WORLD COURSE TO USE
NEWLY-GRADED FOREST ROADS
LANCASTER, Calif. – April 17 – The
23nd running of the Subaru Rim of the World Rally coming
up April 28 - 29 will be the most exciting, most entertaining
high performance auto rally ever held in Southern California,
with two days of dynamic programs running at the Antelope
Valley Fairgrounds and on the fire rim roads of the Angeles
National Forest.
“In the history of the Rim of the World Rally, the
Forest Service staff of the Angeles National Forest has been
a vital part of the event, and the grading of the entire
course this year – with both organizations working
as a team – has result in the best forest roads we
have ever had,” said Ray Hocker, from Ridgecrest, chairman
of the event.
Combine that with the more than 50 race cars, special closed
racing stages at the 7,500-seat Antelope Valley Fairgrounds
arena, and day-long entertainment including world-class drifting
competition will make the weekend a favorite destination
for Southern California families. Extreme motorcross
champion Travis Pastrana, who has made the transition from
bikes to rally cars quite successfully, will lead a large
group of experienced rally competitors in his Subaru WRX
STi.
The sport of Performance Rally, which attracts more racing
fans worldwide than Formula 1, Indy Car or NASCAR, takes
place on every continent, but the Subaru Rim of the World
Rally, presented by Autosport Engineering, is the only rally
in North America that takes place in a major metropolitan
market, giving it the tag as “the Super Bowl of Rally.”
In the Subaru Rim of the World Rally, the cars race one-at-a-time
against the clock on closed ridge-top fire roads – each
time trial is called a stage - in the Angeles National Forest,
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 back at the Fairgrounds 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 rally will cover 272
miles including 93 stage miles.
On Friday, April 28, the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in
Lancaster opens to the public for free ($3.00 for parking
per car) until 5:00 PM to view technical inspection and meet
the rally drivers ($10.00 admission after 5:00 PM). Ongoing
activities include rally video games, car show, remote control
car races, an all-wheel drive dyno, more than 30 booths featuring
auto racing accessories and memorabilia, and more. Drifting
competition in the Nitro2Go Drift Invite throughout the day. The
rally action starts at 6:30 PM with the opening ceremonies
and Super Special Stage I (side-by-side racing) in the arena. Besides
the racing stages inside the fairgrounds, fans can view the
rally at designated areas in the forest as well. Spectating
details are available at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds
during the event or on the event’s website www.rimoftheworldrally.com.
On Saturday, April 29, the fairgrounds open to the public
at 10:00 AM, with admission $15. Fans can visit the Rally
Expo vendor displays, walk through the pits, meet the rally
teams, browse the Auto Show, purchase food and rally merchandise,
and watch radio controlled car racing. The hottest
tuner cars in Southern California will be on display in the
Rim of the World Car Show. Several trophies and awards will
be given out, including Best of Show, Best Custom, Cleanest
Engine Bay, Best Paint, etc. Also going on all day will be
the U.S. Army climbing tower-wall, several inflatable jumpers
for the kids, and the R/C Nitro Car Demonstration from HPI.
The Rim of the World Drift Invite, which will be happening
both Friday and Saturday, hits full stride on Saturday as
there will be an invitation-only event that pits the country’s
#1 “OG” drifters against each other in head-to-head
elimination rounds. Drift Invite will also feature one of
the nation’s first Team Battles in which Drift teams
of 2-3 drivers compete together in an array of matching slides
and sequenced burnouts judged in an X-Games style ceremony
to crown the top
The event will be broadcast on HDNet, the channel available
to high definition subscribers on DirectTV, the Dish Network,
and many cable systems. The USRC is the only rally
series in the world to broadcast all its events in high definition.
The event will also be covered on local Adelphia Cable Channel
3 – check local listings for broadcast times. The
Subaru Rim of the World Rally will also have a radio network
online at www.rimoftheworldrally.com,
with broadcasts starting at 5:00 PM on April 28.
A full schedule, along with a complete entry list and information
for those who would like to volunteer to work with the organizing
committee for the event, is posted on www.rimoftheworldrally.com. "Schedule
of Activities" is under "General;" "Current
Entry List" is found under "Competitors" on
the list of options at the top of each page.
# # #
Contact:
Andy Schupack, Media Liaison
401-739-5677 – now through April 25
401-741-6980 – mobile at the event, April 26 - 30
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