2004 Lake Superior - Update Info

2004 Lake Superior ProRally

Local Time is GMT -5

Update Time	News
Fri 22-Oct-04 12:40	The final round of the 2004 SCCA ProRally series is getting ready to start here in Houghton, Michigan. This event marks the 10th running of this rally as the Lake Superior ProRally (LSPR). It is an overcast day with temperatures in the low 50's, there is an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms later tonight. The seeded draw was held at 8:00 last night at the Franklin Square Inn. Here is the first ten cars on the road: Car 122, Martin / Perry Car 29, O' Neil / Headland Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino Car 99, Iorio / Ho Car 527, Gilligan / Peterson Car 88, Havir / Putnam Car 52, Shepherd / Gladysz Car 25, Burke / Sharkey Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley Car 83, Utecht / Secor The first car is scheduled to start at 3:00pm from Houghton and will transit 42 miles to the first stage. The cars will run Special Stage 1, Special Stage 2, and Special Stage 3 before arriving in Kenton for the first service of the night. The teams will have two short services and one 60 minute service and will be reseeded based on their times on the first three stages. Rally America will be at Parc Expose and then heading off to Kenton for the three services of the night. Make sure to check back often for all the latest information.
Fri 22-Oct-04 12:55	The practice stage held last night was very well attended. There were a large number of competitors as well as a large number of spectators who took advantage of the 2.05 mile road at the Keweenaw Research Center. Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley needed to replace the clutch after their two runs of the stage. The Subaru Rally Support Program truck (operated in conjuction with Vermont SprorsCar) was able to provide the parts necessary for their repairs. With the exception of Dan Coughnour getting a flat on the course, there were no other incidents or problems to report.
Fri 22-Oct-04 12:57	The start order and practice stage pictures from Morgan are being posted to the site at this moment.
Fri 22-Oct-04 14:18	Cars are at Parc Expose and we are having trouble connecting to our normal satellite at this location. We are using the backup satellite system and updates will be a little slower until we get to the service at Kenton.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:07	Drivers were welcomed at the drivers meeting at 2:40. The teams were warned of rocks and water on the stages, especially Special Stage 1.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:11	The first cars leaving the start.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:14	Here are some more pictures from Parc Expose.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:21	Car 122, Martin / Perry reported a PRE-RALLY incident to us. Dennis was a special guest driver last night in the MTU, student built, mini baja car. Unfortunately, his test run resulted in a roll. Dennis told us that he is now done with incidents for the rally.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:30	The cars are stopping for a quick service here in Kenton after Special Stage 1. We have heard reports that Car 42, Burmeister / Shindle is off with a mechanical about 2 miles into Special Stage 1. It has also been reported that Car 553, Brownell / Windsor, failed to start Special Stage 1 and need their crew for a tow and Car 620, Wilke / Wren is being towed into service with a mechanical problem.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:34	Ole Holter, co-driver for car 101 told us that "since the championship is wrapped up, they are only here for one reason...to beat Car 42, Burmeister / Shindle". Unfortunately, it looks like they have done that with the reported DNF of the 42 car. I'm sure they would have wanted to beat them on the road.
Fri 22-Oct-04 18:43	Car 523, Kendall / Friburg lost a plug wire on a jump on Special Stage 1. They ran the rest of the stage and the transit to service on 3 cylinders. They changed plugs and wires and were set to go.
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:00	Despite both driver and co-driver being ill this week, Car 29, O' Neil / Headland is coming back in good form. This is the first ProRally together for the team since LSPR 2002. They are having a good time, and their chemistry appears to be right on track as Tim and Martin are posting an unofficial stage time of 7:02.5 for Special Stage 1. A few of the other unofficial times for Special Stage 1 are as follows: Car 88, Havir / Putnam 7:31.5 Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino 7:25.1 Car 122, Martin / Perry 7:09.5 Car 25, Burke / Sharkey 7.17
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:12	Car 99, Iorio / Ho reports that Special Stage 1 was not as "mucky" as they had expected. Matt states that he is happy to finally be racing against Tim O'Neil, who trained him; Matt has raced against Tim previously, but feels that he is now more competitive. Matt is not driving his trademark Subaru, but an Evo this weekend built and serviced by Cascade Autosport. Matt selected Cascade Autosport for service and rental of the evo because of the similarity in car-preparedness philosophy between the two. Matt is very pleased and states that Cascade built a great car and that it is handling well. As an added note, Peter Van Bogart of Cascade Autosport would like to say hello to his wife, Ginger, and his daughter, Katie.
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:32	Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley reports Special Stage 1 as a good warmup, and described the stage as "a little slippery". The team hit a few rocks, but there does not appear to be any damage. The team is happy with the engine (which was rebuilt after Cog). The team is being supported by Autosport engineering.
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:34	Car 88, Havir / Putnam is taking it easy and just trying to survive the Friday night stages. They are slowly dialing the car in, and will be stepping it up tomorrow. Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino is also using the strategy of taking easy tonight. The team states that they don't need to take any chances, and only need to worry about themselves as the championship battle for Open Class has been decided and they are both solidly in 2nd spot (for both the driver co-driver championships). The team is very thankful to Autosport Engineering for all their support. In turn, Autosport Engineering team boss, Graham Wilcock, would like to thank his crew, Dave, and Bob. Dave is Graham's lead tech, and Bob is a local rally supporter and businessman, he owns Bob's Party Store, in Hubblle, (which is right on the service route tomorrow!!!!).
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:45	Car 59, Moro / Dillon is going well. the team is working on team chemistry as this is their first time together. John reports that the car is "comfortable" and running great. The only problem they are reporting is a small lighting issue, which they have diagnosed and fixed. Their goal is to keep it on the road and "be there at the end". John states that he is still in contention, albeit a long shot, to win the overall co-driver championship; his competition is Nathalie Richard. While he would love to win that championship, he (and Leon) has already secured the Open Class championship, and is very happy about that.
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:51	Car 508, Ottey / McGarvey is reporting that they had a good run on Special Stage 1, but noticed a misfire on the transit after that. The team is hopeful that they can fix the problem as they are looking to secure 2nd place in the CenDiv in Open class (in Club). It is their hope to finish in the top ten in the ProRally (a feat they have accomplished twice this year).
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:55	Car 46, Johnson / Goldfarb had a right front tire puncture 4 miles into Special Stage 1, and drove it out. The team lost about a minute. Matt states "that he had to slow down until the tire carcass left the wheel, then he was able to speed back up on just the wheel!! No damage just lost time".
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:57	Car 83, Utecht / Secor has been reported as being stopped on stage. Mixed reports are coming in...they range from a flat tire to a seized engine. We will update as soon as we have further information.
Fri 22-Oct-04 19:59	Cars are returning to the Kenton Service Area for a minimum of 30 minutes. The reseed is now in progress and first car out is at 8:30 PM.
Fri 22-Oct-04 20:37	Please be aware that there is a thunderstorm moving in that may effect our satellite communication. We will do our best, but there may be some interruption in our coverage.
Fri 22-Oct-04 20:38	Car 93, Olson / Greek has filled out the Rally America Update form, Rebecca's comments are as follows: "We blew some turns, otherwise we are running smooth. Bob and I are getting accustomed to each other and should be clicking the rest of the night. Hi to MOJO (Mother Joanne, my mom) and my CO Rally Boyz!"
Fri 22-Oct-04 20:41	Car 535, Himes / Himes also filled out the Rally America update form, they stated that they had "very fast stages...Group F shaping up to be a very tight battle between numerous competitors - too close to call". The team would like to thank their sponsors-Himes Firewood, Scrappy's Repair, and NAPA.
Fri 22-Oct-04 20:50	Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino were taking things easy on Special Stage 1, but they turned it up for Special Stage 2 and Special Stage 3. They are currently sitting in fourth place.
Fri 22-Oct-04 20:51	Car 508, Ottey / McGarvey would like to file their "Rallydog Report". The team states that "Car 508 developed an engine problem early on (as previously reported). The car is plagued by a gremlin (probably electrical) that intermittently causes the car to lose acceleration and misfire. This cost them dearly on Special Stage 2 but they discovered it will clear after the car is turned off and rests. It disappeared entirely on Special Stage 3 and they are busy in service trying to run it down". As a clarification from earlier, the team is vying for the CenDiv ClubRally Championship.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:02	Car 42 Driver Eric Burmeister came in to give us his story on the first three stages as follows: Special Stage 1 the team had a cable come off of the ECU and it took them 6 minutes to diagnose and fix the problem Special Stage 2 they "holed" a radiator Special Stage 3 they had spectators chew a lot of gum in order to patch the radiator In Kenton Service, they have glued the radiator. They have a spare radiator, but do not want to have to trust it's integrity. The team has been through a lot, but state that they are "still in it".
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:06	Car 617, Mozer / Efting ran 1/2 of the Herman Stage with a flat rear left hand side tire. The team changed the tire, and then found they had a broken heater hose that had leaked all the antifreeze. The team was able to fill the radiator with their Camelback and continue on.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:10	Car 122, Martin / Perry started by blowing the first corner of the first stage, but things have only gone up from there. There were some deer on Special Stage 2, but they didn't cause any problems for the team. Special Stage 3 was very fast, mostly 4th and 5th gear, Dennis told us "the fastest I've ever run on a stage". This is the first time Car 122, Martin / Perry has been first on the road at a ProRally. Despite some early trepidation, Dennis now thinks that it is "kinda cool". The team is currently in third overall.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:22	Car 29, O' Neil / Headland is having lots of fun out there and really loves working with the CPD team. The car is very easy to drive and is very forgiving. He is happy that he is not first on the road as it is nice to have some tracks to use for a reference.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:33	Car 25, Burke / Sharkey are currently leading the rally. The only problem the team has had was a starter that came loose at the start of Special Stage 2. The problem was able to be fixed at service and the team left from service first on the road.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:33	Upon returning to service, Car 143, Whiteman / Paulin filled out an update form, they said "we had a high speed off on the Bob's Lake Stage and put the car into the woods backwards. When we attempted to drive out, we got stuck in the mud. The driver and Co-driver are fine. Chris says hi to Heather and Emily; Mike says Hi to Jenn and Amelia."
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:39	Car 694 report that the rally is going well so far. The team used Special Stage 1 to work on the notes; and turned it up on the last 2 stages. It seemed the chemistry is good, their times are good, and generally, it has been a good experience for the team thus far. Nathalie would like to say Bonjour to everyone.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:39	Special Stage 4 has been halted due to trees down on the stage. Approximately 15 cars were on on the 17 mile stage when it was stopped. The workers are attempting to clear the road and are trying to get the cars turned around so they can salvage the stage. Special Stage 5 has been canceled due to communication problems.
Fri 22-Oct-04 21:55	Competitors wait outside the RA truck for results and for the reseed.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:07	Car 34, Lahm / Westrick had a loose connection in their light pod and the ran Special Stage 3 without all of their lights. They had cornering lights and highbeams, but no distance lights. The team said they really had to have trust in the notes to be overdriving the headlights like that. They reported that the roads were great...the first time through.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:15	Car 83 driver Mark Utecht has come in and given us their official story. Car 83, Utecht / Secor did have a flat on the left rear on Special Stage 3 that they drove out of the stage on. Unfortunately, that was not their only problem, as the engine seized near the end of the stage and they coasted across the finish. The team has retired from the event, and officially given up their bid for 2nd place in the Group N championship.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:18	Car 507, Wiitala / Takkunen hit a giant rock on the inside of a left hand corner and bent something in the rear end. They are also having engine trouble which is not helping them with their goal for the weekend. By the way, their goal is to beat Car 535, Himes / Himes... so they need to pick up the pace!
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:22	Car 60, Davis / Brandt keep losing plug wires off the coil pack. This is the cause of the slow stage times on Special Stage 1 and Special Stage 3. They think they have solved the problem and have continued.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:26	After a delay to clear trees off of Special Stage 4, the first car out of Special Stage 4 will be at 10:21 PM.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:33	Car 52, Shepherd / Gladysz hit a rock on Special Stage 3 resulting in the left front being toed out. They also seperated the exhaust on that stage, they ran a little loud to the finish. The team is currently fourth in overall points, their goal is to improve to third here at the final event of the year.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:37	The rain is really coming down, there are very strong wind gusts, and there is frequent lightning here in Kenton. The town actually lost power for a little while around 9:30pm. The stage crews are still dealing with downed trees, this time on Special Stage 6.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:41	The driver of car 622 is a relatively new driver (seed 7), and this is the first time that the driver has run on stage notes. He states that he is becoming much more comfortable with the notes, and finds himself lifting a lot less than he was doing previously with the route book.
Fri 22-Oct-04 22:55	We believe that we have figured out the arithmetic behind the Overall Co-Driver championship. We belive the following to be true: If John (Dillon) finishes in position 2-6, then Nathalie (Richard) must finish no less than one position behind John in order to win If John finishes 7th or lower, then Nathalie will win if she finishes 15th or better If John finishes, 8th or below, and Nathalie finishes the rally, then Nathalie will win If Nathalie DNF's, then John must finish 8th or better in order to win. This is going to be an interesting battle. As soon as we are able to get online consistently (the weather is still not cooperating so that we can get reliable, timely satellite coverage), we will keep you posted on the other ongoing championship battles.
Fri 22-Oct-04 23:08	The cars have started to arrive back in Kenton for a 15 minute service. I'm not sure we will find many competitors out and about in this weather.
Fri 22-Oct-04 23:59	Special Stage 6 is reported to have a large tree on the right side of the road at 3.49 miles. Apparently, the tree is taking up 25% of the road; and is being classified as a Double Caution. Additionally, notes are being given to the teams stating that Special Stage 6 is extremely slippery up to the spectator area. The final note is that there is a large tree on the right shoulder at 9.85 miles.
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:07	Special Stage 6 has just started, Car 25, Burke / Sharkey is the first car on the stage.
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:08	Despite the apparent lack of damage, Car 547, Dondzik / Szela is being listed as a DNF. The team had an off very near to where Car 143, Whiteman / Paulin went off. They hit "something" sideways and broke one suspension arm and bent another. Their evening is done, but it is their plan to continue in the ClubRally tomorrow.
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:19	Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley stated that Special Stage 4 was "wild", the stage was very slick and slippery. The team did not only have to battle weather, but also trees and deer. Carolyn reported that is was hard to make the calls due to the fog/steam that built up on the co-drivers side of the car. John reported that this was probably the hardest stage that he has ever driven. Despite having brake problems earlier (when a stone knocked a caliper off), and having to fight the forces of nature, the team is still leading Group N and are 9th overall after 4 stages
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:29	Car 124 was very busy in the short service, not with damage, but with normal service, and the only thing Peter had time to say was that is was harder to tell if there was more fog inside the car or outside. Graham Wilcock stated that the conditions are slippery and that they are having a visibility issue in the car due to excess water inside the car (a common problem among many of the teams), and that he was expecting the team to have lost some time due to the weather conditions. Currently, Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino is in 7th position and about 3:10 out of first place.
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:36	Car 122 Co-Driver Alan Perry states that, because of the pouring rain, Special Stage 4 was the scariest stage ever and they feel that the notes were the only thing that saved them.
Sat 23-Oct-04 00:36	Once the teams finish Special Stage 6 they will be returning to Kenton for a final 30 minute service. The club entrants will then be done and will be heading back to Houghton. The ProRally competitors will run Special Stage 7 before returning to Kenton for their final MTC and then they will transit back to Houghton. We are currently about 1 hour and 45 minutes behind the original schedule, this is largely due to the weather.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:02	Car 964, Anton / Richard is reported off on Special Stage 6, they are evidentally waving a tow hook in hopes of getting a pull out. Car 538, Borowicz / Borowicz is off with a mechanical at the start of Special Stage 6, they have requested their crew come and pick them up. Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino is off and OK about 1 mile into Special Stage 6, they were over a berm and possibly high centered. Their crew is preparing to go and get them if need be.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:18	Car 25, Burke / Sharkey has just started Special Stage 7, the final stage of the night.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:29	Car 63, Keaney / Fries noted Special Stage 6 to be "mucky" and "slippy" , and stated they had a lot of moments on the stage, where there was water running across the road. On Special Stage 4, the team got stuck in a deluge of heavy rain.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:33	This is the first time together for Car 774, Dimiters / Edstrom as Peter is on vacation, and Christian is sitting in. The team reports no moments throughout the night, as they are "slowly sliding around" and just hoping to finish today. The team has chosen to put on a set of grooved tires on for the last stage in an effort to try and make the most out of the greasy conditions.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:34	Car 46, Johnson / Goldfarb is putting safety first, or as they say, "safety fast". They have been setting some good times throughout the night, but chose to not push too hard on the slippery Special Stage 6.
Sat 23-Oct-04 01:38	Car 523, Kendall / Friburg is definitely the minority tonight, as they seemed to be the only team that seems to enjoy the conditions on the later stages tonight. The team are former ice racers and with the conditions tonight being reminiscent of ice, the team states they felt they were running well.
Sat 23-Oct-04 02:08	We have reports that Car 122, Martin / Perry has rolled on Special Stage 7. In an effort to avoid the upside down car of 122, which was on the road, Car 88, Havir / Putnam wound up in the trees. Everyone is reported OK. We will be sure to follow up on this story as soon as we can.
Sat 23-Oct-04 02:18	Car 511, Johnson / Himes is reported off and OK 11.58 miles into Special Stage 6. They are requesting the crew meet them at the finish of the stage.
Sat 23-Oct-04 02:25	Car 29, O' Neil / Headland is currently leading the event and is very excited with their accomplishments tonight. They report that, despite the fogging issues that plagued them earlier in the evening, they are having a great time. Tim emphasized how impressed he is with the car, the crew, and just, the whole package that CPD Racing is providing this weekend.
Sat 23-Oct-04 02:40	We have heard reports from competitors that Car 527, Gilligan / Peterson is out on Special Stage 7 with motor trouble. Results have recently been updated and Morgan's photos from day one can be found under Pictures. Please make sure to check them out.
Sat 23-Oct-04 03:09	The ClubRally competitors finished after Special Stage 6 and have proceeded back to Houghton. Car 786, Hoskinson / Wintle, the last ProRally Entrant that is expected to finish is now enroute to Houghton. With all the competitors accounted for and the scores in, Rally America will sign off for the next few hours to get some much needed rest. We expect to begin posting entries again around 9:00 AM when Parc Expose begins. See you then!!
Sat 23-Oct-04 10:16	Good morning and welcome to day two of LSPR! It is a chilly and rainy day here at Quincy Mine where Parc Expose is being held. People here seem to be moving a little slowly today, this is possibly due to a very late night paired with a fairly early morning. The first car is scheduled to leave at 10:30 am, they will run Special Stage 8 and Special Stage 9 before the first service break at Mt. Bohemia.
Sat 23-Oct-04 10:32	Here are some images of Parc Expose:
Sat 23-Oct-04 10:35	Just a few notes from last night (and very early this morning) Car 42, Burmeister / Shindle is still running on the "holed" then repatched, then "gummed" (thanks to spectators), and finally, glued radiator. Despite, having to glue it yet again, the radiator appears to be holding up under the pressures of rally. Car 786, Hoskinson / Wintle did finish last night, but not without an excursion with a deer. The team described the deer as suicidal, as the deer had crossed the road in front of them, giving them a false sense of security, and then, the deer doubled back and hit them! There is no apparent damage to the car.
Sat 23-Oct-04 12:22	Special Stage 9 has just started, Car 29, O' Neil / Headland is the first car on the road.
Sat 23-Oct-04 12:33	Despite the rain, wind, and generally, unfavorable conditions, the Spectator area was well attended. and, NO, Rally America was not spectating, but this is proof that we really do have to move around (this is what usually causes us to be off-line and not be able to transmit to the website)!!!
Sat 23-Oct-04 12:35	The cars are now beginning to come in for their first service (15 minutes) of the day at the Mount Bohemia Service, where we are now located. Stay tuned for more details on all your favorite teams.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:04	Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley came in with the exhaust dragging. This was from the Delaware Delta where they were pushing it. There was a Left 1 that they put it in the ditch, and again on the next Right 3 causing the exhaust issue. John described the Gratiot lake stage (Special Stage 8) as thick mud, with a lot of standing water, and should be interesting when they run it again this afternoon as Special Stage 15.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:07	Car 675, Hanka / Hanka is being towed out of Special Stage 8 by sweep, but will proceed back to service under their own power. We are unaware what the issue was, whether mechanical or an off, but as soon as we do, we will let you know.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:11	Car 46, Johnson / Goldfarb is making some suspension and handling changes, primarily by making the sway bar loose, and changing tires to the Kuhmos. Matt states that the slick stuff is scary and he has already hit a stump, and hence, the reasoning for the changes. Other than handling and suspension , the only other issue with the team is fogging issues, likely due to the conditions and excess water getting into the car. This is a problem shared by many teams today.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:18	Car 774, Dimiters / Edstrom broke a shift linkage one mile into Special Stage 9 and it finally "came apart" at the spectator spot. After that, they were forced to limp through the stage in fifth gear. Unfortunately, noone has a shift linkage, so they are going weld it, which will likely hold it for a while, but they will need to watch it all day, and probably will need to weld it again later. Other than that, Christian describes the rally as very, very mellow.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:28	In his usual manner, Seamus Burke, Driver of Car 25, said very little about how the rally is going except that he would like to reel in Car 29, O' Neil / Headland. His quiet strategy appears to be working as he has been quicker than Tim O'Neil on both stages this morning, but Tim still holds the lead. To this, Seamus merely says "I should not have let him gain as much as he did last night". The afternoons stages are destined to be interesting.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:35	Car 29, O' Neil / Headland tells us that even though Car 25, Burke / Sharkey, is beating them, they are having a "real good time". O' Neil / Headland still hold a seven second lead over Burke / Sharkey, but that may be insufficient as Seamus is really turned it up. At least Tim is being consistent, he tells us he has blown the hairpin on Special Stage 9 everytime he's run it for the last three years!
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:45	Car 99, Iorio / Ho did a little off road excursion and did a little tree trimming on Special Stage 8. They report that the stage started very wide and sandy, but turned into a swamp shortly after. There are large puddles on the inside of the corners and streams running across the road on the straight aways. All the water made for some very difficult road conditions. They have changed to heavily grooved front tires for the next three stages. They just hope to have some tires left for Special Stage 12 after their run up Brockway Mountain on the pavement on Special Stage 11.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:51	It has been reported that Car 558, Cox / Donavan was off on Special Stage 8, they have been towed to the end of the stage where they will meet their crew.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:52	Car 93, Olson / Greek reported that Special Stage 9 conditions were slippy, but fun. The team noted that Special Stage 9 was OK until they took out a few small trees (instead of the really big ones right next to the small ones!). They believe that the tree incident cost them about 30 seconds and are posting an unofficial score of 9:30.3 for the stage. It is the team's goal to finish 1st in the PGT in Club.
Sat 23-Oct-04 13:54	Car 774, Dimiters / Edstrom has retired from the event. Unfortunately, they were unable to make the repairs to the shift linkage in the time allowed for service.
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:00	A broken half shaft on Special Stage 8 made for some slow stages for Car 52, Shepherd / Gladysz. Doug said that the uphill section of Special Stage 9 was particularly slow with one wheel drive. They team was able to make the necessary repairs in service and are ready to go have some more fun.
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:06	Driver for Car 848, Jason Harper, states the he is having so much fun on the stages this morning (and in the rally overall), and sees how this sport can become an addiction!! Jason has been taking it easy, just trying to get accustomed to the car and the conditions, but he would like to start getting more aggressive in the upcoming stages. He is very grateful for the amazing effort on everyone's part to make him succesful in his first rally; in particular he would like to thank Vermont Sportscar (Lance and all the crew) for the great ride and service, Subaru for all their help, Jeff Becker (for daring to ride with a rookie driver at his first event-and for being unflappable), and also to Tim O'Neil for teaching him to drive.
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:07	Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley thought that today was going to be the easier day of the rally, they found that isn't the case. They told us that Special Stage 8 was very slippery and wet, "it was almost rediculous how much water was on the road". They report that Special Stage 9 was lots of fun despite being slippery.
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:17	Car 535, Himes / Himes, tells us that they are pushing hard for the competitor established Group F battle. They seem to have quite a bit of grip with their tires, even when hitting slippery things like beavers.
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:20	Sans Thompson stopped in to update us on Car 60, Davis / Brandt. They retired last night on Special Stage 7 with a blown motor and needed a flatbed to come and fetch them. Sans says "Hi Karen".
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:21	Here are some more images from service:
Sat 23-Oct-04 14:33	The cars have started Special Stage 12. Once the teams complete the stage, they will be arriving here at Mt. Bohemia for a 40 minute service break.
Sat 23-Oct-04 15:22	Car 29, O' Neil / Headland and Car 25, Burke / Sharkey have been in and out of service. O' Neil / Headland had a 4 second lead after leaving service the last time, but after Special Stage 10, Car 25, Burke / Sharkey was up a total of 10 seconds, and both teams tied on Special Stage 12. It does appear that Burke / Sharkey are now leading despite coming into the MTC at service out of sequence (he did not incur penalties, he just came in out of sequence, and will have a shorter service as a result). It is shaping up to be an interesting afternoon.
Sat 23-Oct-04 15:30	Car 46, Johnson / Goldfarb has confidence now, something he feels he was lacking last evening. The reasoning for his lack of confidence is that he is accustomed to driving a FWD and now is driving the AWD Subaru. The stages last night were so unpredictable that Matt just did not feel that he knew how the AWD would handle under those conditions and did not want to take a chance in his first rally with the new car. The changes that Johnson / Goldfarb made at an earlier service to the handling have paid off, and is adding to their new-found confidence. The lone existing problem is that the engine cuts out when it gets wet, they are a bit concerned that this could caused major problems during the last stage, Special Stage 15, which was also Special Stage 8 earlier, and is anticipated to be very wet.
Sat 23-Oct-04 15:35	It is being reported that Car 566, Huuki / Huuki is about 1/3 of the way through Special Stage 12 stopped with a mechanical problem. Additionally, Car 511, Johnson / Himes is reportedly moving slowly through Special Stage 12. We have no further details at this time, but will let you know if we get addtional details.
Sat 23-Oct-04 15:54	Car 598, Hascher / Rhoades secured the P Class Championship in CenDiv ClubRally just by finishing last nights ClubRally. Last night they won the war, but today they are going for the battle. They are looking to win P Class today in Club. Right now, they are 2nd in P class, 7 seconds out of the 1st spot, held by Car 534, Heitkamp / Lafferty.
Sat 23-Oct-04 16:28	Car 591, Cizmas / Hackett hit a rock and knocked a floor plug out of the floor of the codrivers side of the car on Special Stage 9. The team had about two inches of water in the floor that would slosh around on the stages, the codriver was even calling when the surf was up. After an unfortunate encounter with a mud puddle at the end og Special Stage 11, the team found a towel to plug the hole with.
Sat 23-Oct-04 16:55	Car 44, Krolikowski / Krolikowski are having a fun rally with very little drama, in fact, they were washing the car at service. They had a small problem on Special Stage 8 when "Gratiot Lake took the drivers side mirror". Henry told us that he cut when it said no cut, Cindy told him "Don't let it happen again". Car 507, Wiitala / Takkunen also cut when it said no cut, but on Special Stage 11. They hit a large rock on the inside of a corner breaking the left knuckle, ball joint, and control arm. They also had a right front flat that they drove out of the stage on. After changing the flat, they ran Special Stage 12 (with the suspension damage) just as fast as their first run through that stage. Micah told us that he overdrove the stage and was very lucky to make it through going that fast.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:02	Several updates from earlier: John Dillon is currently sitting in 11th position, about 2:14 out of 8th position. As you might recall, we believe that John would win the Overall Co-Driver championship if he could finish 8th or better because Nathalie DNF'ed last night. Car 508, Ottey / McGarvey's goal for the weekend was to secure 1st place in the CenDiv in Open class (in Club). It was also their hope to finish in the top ten in the ProRally. Right now, they are leading Overall in the Club Rally and they are sitting 10th overall in the ProRally. They are well on track to reach their goals. Car 694 had a slow slide off the road and hit some trees about 2.5 miles into Special Stage 6 last night. The car was stuck in the mud and unable to get out under their own power. They are very grateful to Car 566, Huuki / Huuki that tried to get them out, but was unable to. Once they were able to get pulled out, they were MPL'ed, but the car was running fine with only a little front end damage.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:02	Car 565, Hodges / Rossey had a really good time on Brockway Mtn. With the notes, they were more prepared for the jump this year...they didn't fly quite as far as they did last year. Car 625, Wray / Grittman also had a blast on Brockway, but it was his first time running the mountain. The team had a broken cat that plugged the exhaust on Special Stage 9 that caused some problems but they were able to fix it at the first service break.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:06	The suspension pick up for lateral link broke loose from the body of Car 52, Shepherd / Gladysz. This problem caused the car to twitch to the left and right at will. The team is grateful to CPD Racing for the use of their welder which they were going to use and try to weld the link in order to go on.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:14	Car 511, Johnson / Himes was previously reported as proceeding slowly through a stage, Apparently, they broke a motor mount at the start of Special Stage 12. They attempted to jack the motor up and secure it with a rachet strap in order to nurse it in. In spite of their issues, they stopped on stage to tow Car 583, Luikart / Bedard; they towed Luikart / Bedard through the stage and into service. They were able to weld the motor mount and continue on.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:14	Car 598, Hascher / Rhoades is being reported as off on Special Stage 13 about 1.3 miles in. No further details are available at this time.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:17	Car 534, Heitkamp / Lafferty has had a challenging rally. Last night, on Special Stage 6, they had a problem with some of the additional notes given at the start of the stage warning them of trees on the sides of the road. The team hit a tree with the right front of the car lodging a piece of the tree between the fender and passanger door. The driver is keeping the log as a trophy! Later, on the transit back to Houghton, the team decided to remove the lights for safe keeping. Unfortunately, they forgot to relatch the hood pins after the removal of the lights. The hood came up and broke the windscreen shortly after they got back on the road. Today, they began to have transmission trouble on Special Stage 12. By the end of the stage they didn't have 2nd or 3rd gear. They made it back into service and were able to get the car into 2nd gear where they intend to leave it for the rest of the rally. They hope to be able to limp the car throught the rest of the rally.
Sat 23-Oct-04 17:19	Rally America will be moving to the final MTC at the Quincy Mine. The cars are expected to arrive at 6:44pm. We will have that final scores and stories from the finish.
Sat 23-Oct-04 19:34	The weather has turned a bit worse and in our current location we have to use our backup satellite system. We will post the scores and move to a new location and post pictures and more updates.
Sat 23-Oct-04 21:58	Car 543, Merbach / Feldt filled out a finish Rally America update form...Merbach of the Optima sponsored car 543 reports in at the finish with a hello to Eusbur Denmark. (we believe we have) a tentative first in class and 17th overall. Thanks for your support. The KC lights worked awesome. But the CD player is skipping a lot on the stage!!!"
Sat 23-Oct-04 22:18	All of the cars are in and the scores are posted to the site. We apologize for the lack of coverage from the Quincy Mine, we were unable to get satellite coverage. We have moved to the location of the final awards ceremony so the scores could be made provisional. There was a scoring inquiry made between Car 29, O' Neil / Headland and Car 25, Burke / Sharkey. After discussion between the competitors involved, they preferred to settle things on the road. The organizer agreed, and chose to take no action. The scores have been made final and the awards are underway. We will be signing off from LSPR. Thank you for following the SCCA ProRallys with us throughout the 2004 season. We look forward to what the 2005 season will bring.