2004 Rim Of The World

2004 Rim of the World ProRally

Local Time is GMT -8

Civil Twilight Start 5:29 AM	Sunrise 5:57 AM
Civil Twilight End 8:09 PM	Sunset 7:42 PM

Rim of the World Rally

gets ready to rock Southern California

The streets of Los Angeles are a veritable car show 365 days a year, but for two days in May, 40 miles outside of town, there will be a collection of cars no automobile enthusiast has ever seen in one place.

“We are taking the 2004 Subaru Rim of the World Rally... <more>

Update Time	News
Fri 07-May-04 13:46	Welcome to Rim of the World, round 3 of the SCCA ProRally Championship Series. The weather here in Lancaster, California is beautiful with sunshine and blue skies. We are expecting the temperature to be in the 80's during the day and drop down into the 50's at night. The rally will begin at 7:00 this evening with Opening Ceremonies and the first running of the side by side Super Special at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. The Rally America truck will be at the Fairgrounds service area throughout the event to bring you all the latest news and information. Please note, Rally America will not be doing the timing and scoring at Rim of the World. We will be updating our site with scores as they become availible but they will not be official. You can also access scores at http://www.rimoftheworldrally.com.
Fri 07-May-04 14:09	We have the first retirement of the event. Car 83, Utecht/Secor have withdrawn with gearbox problems. They encountered the same problem on todays press stage that forced them out of Oregon Trail on stage 5, the car was stuck in neutral. They were never really able to determine what caused the problem when they pulled the gearbox out on Sunday in Oregon, but it had seemed to fix itself. The Mayhem team will hopefully be ready to go at STPR.
Fri 07-May-04 14:49	CPD racing had a tough but exciting Oregon Trail. The team had its first podium finish when the number 90 car, driven by Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Jimmy Brandt, finished third. Both of the yellow Subarus sustained quite a bit of damage. Car 88 was damaged when Havir and Putnam rolled on stage 14, car 90 was also damaged on stage 14 when O'Sullivan and Brandt made a trip through the trees. The 88 car is here at Rim and looks great with the help of Hoey's Auto Body in Olympia, Washington (they are fast and good!). The second car, formerly number 90, will be ready to go next weekend at Headwaters ClubRally as number 584 (Kintigh /Meyers). After Oregon: Before Rim:
Fri 07-May-04 15:05	Don't forget, you can contact us on the Rally America forums. We will do our best to answer your questions and get you the information you want.
Fri 07-May-04 17:29	Our first entry from Car 233, Eklund / Price..."good to be in sunny CA! Hoping/intending on a cleaner event this time around; OTPR was fun, but troublesome for Primitive racing. Thanks for coming (and holding off the torrential rains of '03)."
Fri 07-May-04 17:43	The driver's meeting has just finished. It should be noted that this is the 21st year for the Rim of the World Rally. This year, the title sponsor is Subaru and the presenting sponsor is Autosport Engineering. As the organizers always do, they have concluded the driver's meeting with a group photo. It should also be noted that there are 350 volunteers working this weekend that are dedicated to helping the event go on and to make it an enjoyable and safe rally for all. Thank you, Volunteers. Driver's have been released to get ready for the Super Special Stage, which Dan Coughnor aptly noted that the rally "will not be won on the jump and the end of the straight-away"...although some will undoubtedly try. Good luck to all the competitors.
Fri 07-May-04 19:27	Most of the cars have run Special Stage 1, the 0.7 mile stage was tight and slippery. There was a "yump" on the front straight and a water splash near the end to add to the excitement. Car 25, Burke / Bradley and Car 54, Richard / Richard were the first pair to run. It became obvious that, because of the dust, whoever got out in front was going to have a huge advantage.
Fri 07-May-04 19:39	Car 374, Styles / Dillon and Car 74, Lagemann / Orr were the second pair to run. Lagemann had to come to a complete stop more than once because of the poor visibility. Car 88, Havir / Putnam took the lead over Car 23, Nelson / Beavis early in their run and never looked back taking the win.
Fri 07-May-04 19:42	The Rocket Rally Team posed for a team photo prior to the start of the rally.
Fri 07-May-04 19:53	Doug Robinson prepares for the rally with a good meal...Mountain Dew and a burger.
Fri 07-May-04 19:57	The Super Special Stage on Special Stage 1 appeared to be especially challenging for the 2WD cars as a number of them were high centered in burms (that the AWD's had been able to go through), some of those include Car 60, Davis / Sorenson, Car 93, Olson / Jones, Car 408, Leavitt / Reid, Car 373, Hill / Navarro, Car 363, Rodi / Schiller, and Car 324, Plasten / Busek.
Fri 07-May-04 20:06	Car 51, Streets / Beckwith had trouble from the start, it sounded like they may have broken the transmission They limped their way around Special Stage 1 to the finish where they needed a tow to exit the stadium. Car 16, Komorowski / Hackett were kind enough to pull them out.
Fri 07-May-04 20:27	Here are some pictures of service prior to the start of the rally.
Fri 07-May-04 20:36	Car 99, Iorio / Ho has been listed as a DNF on Special Stage 2, his crew reports a broken gearbox.
Fri 07-May-04 20:48	The cars are running Special Stage 3 and Special Stage 4 right now. After Special Stage 4 the cars will be returning to the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds where they will finish for the night. We expect that the service crews will do any work that they need to do here before returning to their hotels for the night.
Fri 07-May-04 20:52	Special Stage 2 has reported that Car 378, Hsu / Von Wincklemann is out with a mechanical at the start of the stage.
Fri 07-May-04 21:16	The following is a list of the top five teams (with total scores) for the first leg of the rally: Car 25, Burke / Bradley 36.82 Car 374, Styles / Dillon 38.51 Car 88, Havir / Putnam 38.57 Car 54, Richard / Richard 39.1 Car 74, Lagemann / Orr 39.16
Fri 07-May-04 21:18	Karen Wagner with JaggedEdgeMotosports.com stopped in to give us an update on Car 49, Thompson / Nelson. Special Stage 1 was ok, it was a little muddy since the water truck made a pass just prior to their run. The team worked hard to get the car ready after their roll in Oregon. Laeng Works did a great job on the car and it is running great. They would like to say hi to Erick and Ty who are watching at home. Karen also dropped off a picure of the car in action on Special Stage 1.
Fri 07-May-04 22:27	Car 25, Burke / Bradley report that they had a good run, trying to run both clean and safe. Due to road position, they did not experience the dust issues that plagued most of the other teams. As both Driver and Co-driver are Irish, they are accustomed to rallies that are mostly tarmac (as they are in Ireland, reports Co-Driver Charlie Bradley), and thus, felt very at home on the stages tonight. They were the first (of many) to report a very large rock on Special Stage 4, and loss of brakes resulted. Despite pumping, they still had "no pedal".
Fri 07-May-04 22:33	Car 88, Havir / Putnam report that the stages very fast and dusty. They found it particularly dusty on Special Stage 3 when they were catching Car 23, Nelson / Beavis due to a linkage problem the 23 car was having. Co-driver Scott Putnam reports that Doug is driving well and that they were trying to survive tonight's stages. The 88 car did sustain a broken driving light that they incurred during a "big jump".
Fri 07-May-04 22:43	There were more victims of the Special Stage 4 boulder. Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace and Car 22, Kosmides / Becker both hit the huge rock causing a right front flat for each of them. It was the fate of Car 30, Plsek / Burmeister as well. The team hit the rock and reportedly broke the right front suspension, the crew was heading out to get them out of the stage. There were many other teams that told us about the boulder and felt very fortunate to have missed it!
Fri 07-May-04 22:43	Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace found it to be a challenging evening as they were stuck in dust in Special Stage 2 as they caught and passed Car 52, Sheperd / Gladyz and stuck again in dust on Special Stage 3, due to car 23's linkage problems. On top of all that, the found the 3 foot diameter rock that so many other teams also had problems with in Special Stage 4, and ultimately lost their brakes in the last 2.5 miles of that stage.
Fri 07-May-04 22:54	Car 22, Kosmides / Becker had more problems than just the boulder tonight. They had no boost on Special Stage 2 and then ended up stopped on Special Stage 3 (along with about four other cars) waiting for Car 233, Eklund / Price to be pulled out. They are looking forward to tomorrow and hope to have a better day.
Fri 07-May-04 23:01	Car 54, Richard / Richard have also had another challenging night,; on Special Stage 1, they experienced a large amount of dust, on Special Stage 2 their intercom kept going in and out, and finally, about halfway through Special Stage 4 that experienced a puncture on the right front, which they continued driving on. This worked well until the last corner, which was a sharp left (2L), they missed it due to the right front tire issue, and also stalled the car.
Fri 07-May-04 23:04	Car 23, Nelson / Beavis were stuck in second gear for a large part of Special Stage 3 and all of Special Stage 4. There were some hilly places that the team feared they wouldn't make it through, but they were able to push on and make it back to service. After the crew had a chance to look at the car they determined that it was a linkage problem and no gearbox change was necessary. The clutch did take a lot of abuse though, they were looking for a replacement to put in before tomorrow.
Fri 07-May-04 23:11	We have received our notes from Car 233, Eklund / Price from the evening stages: Special Stage 1 - Great Fun; keep this...hope the crowd liked it! Special Stage 2 - Thought for the stage - It's Rim-It's Dusty. Went well, smoking the tires and heating the rakes on the pavement. Good tme until...last corner at flying finish, missed the road and went off...Missed the lights by 4 feet and stalled the car (lost 20-25 seconds). Special Stage 3 - still dusty...going well again. Tricky lighting conditions with the hanging post. Left the road on aKL. Crossed the road and high centered over the edge. Blocked the road and 3 cars...apologies to Car 62, Havas / Kean. Special Stage 4 - more dust, some rocks. Easy on this one to make certain we got a finish for the day. Much carage observed. Night service - Thanks to Shadd/Kala! Shadd repaired the exhaust leak (from the press) and weas please to announce the PBR cas held!!! That is rally!
Fri 07-May-04 23:16	Car 52, Sheperd / Gladyz's problems started when they broke a half shaft on Special Stage 1. The car was one wheel drive and handling poorly when they bumped a rock on Special Stage 2. They ended up with a bent tie rod and a whole bunch on tow out. On the transit to Special Stage 3 the team decided to see what they could do about the problem, so they disassembled the front end to try and adjust the steering. After putting the car back together they continued on with slightly less tow out and slightly better handling. They were able to make it back to service and fix the car for tomorrow. They are looking forward to a less eventful day tomorrow.
Fri 07-May-04 23:20	Car 93, Olson / Jones had transmission problems starting on Special Stage 1 when the car popped out of first when they launched at the start. They ended up stopping at least twice on stage when they encounter the same problem. Bob drove the rest of the stages with his hand on the shifter.
Fri 07-May-04 23:20	Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom reports that he has never seen such challenging roads, and finds it "unbelievable" that the cars handle such rough and rocky conditions without breaking. Travis/Christian sustained a tire puncture on Special Stage 2, which they continued throughout the stage with and changed on the transit. As Christian was very quick with the jack and spare, Travis reports Christian to be a "great co-driver". Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom is a Group N entrant this rally, as opposed to his PGT entry at SnoDrift...Even though, he had a significant amount more horsepower with the GN car, Travis still found that he wanted even more horsepower in some spots during the rally...he was quick to note that "he did not need more horsepower, but he certainly wanted more".
Fri 07-May-04 23:24	Car 374, Styles / Dillon are having a good time out there in the Perforce Evo. They are "cruising" and both driver and co-driver are on it! Things are going well for their teammates Car 724, Korpal / Schleicher, they had a lot of fun on Special Stage 4 in particular.
Fri 07-May-04 23:27	As previously reported, Car 62, Havas / Kean towed Car 233, Eklund / Price on Special Stage 3. This caused a backup of at least 3 cars behind them. Dave Kean estimates that they lost between 2-3 minutes. In addition to that, they broke a motor mount and ruptured a coolant line. This resulted in an increase in water tempature and a decrease in oil pressure. At this point, they do not know the extent of the damage to the motor, and thus, whether they will be running tomorrow. Despite the troubles they are having, Dave states that they enjoyed Special Stage 1, had a particularly good Special Stage 2 and stated that "Chris was going for it!!!"
Fri 07-May-04 23:27	Car 215, Thomas / Gauger made it through the first day of competition with out any drama. Jamie was a little concerned about the right side inner tie rod end that started to be a problem just prior to the start of the rally. They plan to keep going and are hoping it will last.
Fri 07-May-04 23:32	Car 49, Thompson / Nelson's car is working okay. They lost the brakes on Special Stage 4, it made for one fast stage! The team is looking forward to tomorrow, they just hope it isn't as dusty. They would like to thank everyone for their help.
Fri 07-May-04 23:50	Car 88, Havir / Putnam's crew will be working late tonight. On the way back to the hotel after tonights stages the gearbox let loose. The spare they have is not 100% so they will be trying to make one good one out of two bad ones. Hopefully the team will get things together for tomorrow and be able to continue the great run they started today.
Sat 08-May-04 07:44	Good morning and welcome to the second day of Rim of the World ProRally. The cars have started to leave the service area to make their way out to the stages. The teams are heading out to run Special Stage 5 and Special Stage 6 and will then return to the fairgrounds for service. After service the cars will run the first of the three super specials and head back out to the woods for the afternoon stages. Some of last nights retirements have joined the ClubRally tody. Car 99, Iorio / Ho has resolved their gearbox issues and are running again. Car 30, Plsek / Burmeister told us last night that they may run today, they needed to fix a broken tie rod and they would be good to go. Car 88, Havir / Putnam has a new 6 speed synchro gearbox in it this morning. Doug is accustom to having a dogbox so his driving may be effected by the change...as long as he remembers to use the clutch they should be fine. Car 62, Havas / Kean and Car 52, Sheperd / Gladyz both appeared to have their problems from last night resolved and are pressing on this morning.
Sat 08-May-04 07:48	The day two start list shows that there will be 66 cars starting today, Car 25, Burke / Bradley is preparing to start Special Stage 5 at this moment.
Sat 08-May-04 07:52	Car 62, Havas / Kean, Car 118, Workum / Gelsomino, Car 22, Kosmides / Becker, and Car 424, Moberly / Moberly were all given a time of 16.35 on Special Stage 3. Those cars were the ones effected by Car 233, Eklund / Price's off that blocked the stage road.
Sat 08-May-04 08:34	We have some Special Stage 5 times called in from the field by Car 88, Havir / Putnam (completely unofficial of course). Car 25, Burke / Bradley 11:80 Car 374, Styles / Dillon 11:87 Car 54, Richard / Richard 12:01 Car 88, Havir / Putnam 12:00 Car 74, Lagemann / Orr 12:77 Thanks for the scores Scott!
Sat 08-May-04 09:03	The crew of the two car team of Car 30, Plsek / Burmeister and Car 23, Nelson / Beavis had a short night as the 30 car did not return until 2 AM with a broken tie rod, they accumulated MPL and as such, are running in the divisional today. In addition to having to replace a tie road on George's car, they also had to replace the transmission and clutch in the Car 23, Nelson / Beavis. Although they are running on no sleep, they report that other than that, the cars are fine.
Sat 08-May-04 09:05	Net control is reporting that the Car 62, Havas / Kean is stopped and safely off the side of the road on the Del Sur South stage (Special Stage 5). In earlier conversations with the crew of the Car 62, Havas / Kean, they stated that after their problems last night, they had replaced the coolant hose, welded the transmission mount, and had tested the engine. Although the engine tested fine, they were concerned about the possibility that the engine might be "weak" as a result of the loss in oil pressure (after a broken transmission mount ruptured a coolant line), but chose to go for it..."that is what we came here for" was the crew sentiment. Hopefully, the crew's luck will improve next week, as they are stopping by Vegas on their way home!!!
Sat 08-May-04 09:29	Rally America took an opportunity to interview Car 101, Brown / Holter prior to the start of the rally last night, and at that time, Mark was confident about the weekend's possibilities and was entering all 3 events this weekend (the Pro and both ClubRallies). After OTPR, where Mark's modest goal was to finish the rally and get accustomed to being in the car again, this weekend, the team have announced that they are now running for the championship. It appears that Mark and Ole are now accustomed to being in the car again, as they are currently winning G2 in both the Pro and Club. It appears that the competition is playing some good humored pranks on the Car 101, Brown / Holter team. It is reported that the Car 301, Chavez / Robinson team have poured Mountain Dew under Car 101 to make it look like a coolant leak. Although Rally America cannot independently verify this activity, we find it suspect that Doug has been photographed with the substance in question (see picture above). Mark wanted to be sure that we thanked Lance at Best VW parts in Erie, CO, Mark believes that the one day turn around that Lance was able to accomplish is the reason that they were able to run this event (as the 101 team returned to CO after OTPR 2 weeks ago). Mark states that "without Lance's help, they would never have been able to get to OTPR, never mind out here". Mark also wanted to note that he is very excited about teaming up with Craig Hollingsworth on a new sponsorship deal with Vacation Resorts International.
Sat 08-May-04 09:33	The crew for the Car 60, Davis / Sorenson team report that, like a fair amount of other teams, were up all night. Driver Bruce Davis believes that he incurred the "quarter sized hole" in the transmission on Special Stage 2, and thus, was forced to drive it for the rest of the night with no lube. The crew replaced the transmission overnight and are happy to be running again today. Mom (Mrs. Sorenson) was in last night, and wanted to be sure that we said hi to their daughter, Kallie....HI, KALLIE!!!
Sat 08-May-04 09:37	There is some dispute among the crew of the Car 206, Milos / Milos team as they are not sure if they really ran the rally last night...the car came in "way too clean"...apparently, there is video proof, but there is still some question. Overall, however, the rally is going well for them, and because it is their first rally, their goal is to finish!!!
Sat 08-May-04 10:02	It has been reported that Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace is off on Special Stage 5. The report from the Autosport Engineering crew is that they may have broken the gearbox.
Sat 08-May-04 10:27	The crew of Car 88, Havir / Putnam has reported that they had a soft roll on Special Stage 6, they have finished the stage and are continuing in with some overheating issues for service.
Sat 08-May-04 11:05	Leon Styles of Car 374, Styles / Dillon would like us to say HI for him to his friends and family back home.
Sat 08-May-04 12:09	It seemed that a lot of competitors were reporting punctures on Special Stage 5. Car 25, Burke / Bradley reported a flat about 3 miles from the end of Special Stage 5. In addition to their flat, they had a stuck throttle about 2 miles from the end of Special Stage 6. Despite these niggling problems, Charlie states that they are enjoying themselves and that the stages were challenging in that they were very busy and rough..."typical Rim" Charlie states. Car 54, Richard / Richard reporting a flat on Special Stage 5 about 2 miles from the end. They felt that, in addition to losing a little time due to the tire, that they lost more time in Special Stage 6 when they had to squeeze by the 88 car which had rolled on it's side. Despite these time issues, the team is still sitting in 3rd place. When asked about the goals for the weekend, Nathalie stated that a podium finish would be nice, as would a 1st or 2nd in GN, both being achievable, however, she was careful to remind us that "the rally is not over until it is over" . Car 74, Lagemann / Orr experienced a front right tire puncture about 3 miles from the end of Special Stage 5, losing about 45 seconds to 1 minute of time, the team found the first half of Special Stage 6 to be rough, and felt they had backed off a little too much. Overall, they feel like things are going well with the new car, the only issue they are having is trying to adjust the suspension (a new Argentinian suspension called RS & SP), which had been a little stiff in the early stages of the rally. Car 323, Verdier / Walker had a flat tire about halfway through Special Stage 5. The also blew a front shock and were changing it in service. Despite these issues, they are still leading in class, albeit now by only about 15 seconds. Car 407, Freehill / Elliot reported a "shredded" tire on Special Stage 5, despite the flat, Brooks felt the car was "still hooking up pretty good". The crew reports that things are going well for the team, and that after chasing the Car 101, Brown / Holter car for the entire rally, they are now leading the 101 car by a mere .46. Brooks finds it good to be running at a level with Tony Chavez, as Brooks uses Tony's times as a benchmark.
Sat 08-May-04 12:09	Car 408, Leavitt / Reid are reporting a good rally despite a "complete replacement and reinforcement" of a lower control arm, thanks to Rem Wyatt for that work!! Other than that, the team is not reporting any other problems.
Sat 08-May-04 12:16	A blown turbo hose on Special Stage 5 didn't slow Car 374, Styles / Dillon down much. They are having a great run and even put on a show for the spectators near the end of Special Stage 6 when they had the car up on two wheels. Things aren't going as well for their teammate Car 724, Korpal / Schleicher. They lost the radiator hose chewed up the radiator. They are off on the transit after Special Stage 6 and the crew is heading off to get them.
Sat 08-May-04 12:25	Car 25, Burke / Bradley appear to be out of the rally. They took the jump a little too hot and nosed it in hard on the landing causing terminal damage to the car. Car 88, Havir / Putnam was also a victim of the jump, they broke a left rear half shaft on the landing. They are doing their best to continue.
Sat 08-May-04 12:30	The Car 318, Samuelian / Harders team is reporting some niggling setup issues with the brake booster. Due to this problem, they have not bee pushing it, the co-driver reports that i"if you don't know how fast you can stop, then you really cannot go fast". They are looking forward to the Super Special that will be run after service, stated that it is different and should be good. The team is quite impressed with the weather and glad that the rains of '03 are not haunting them again this year!!!
Sat 08-May-04 12:33	Car 118, Workum / Gelsomino suffered a broken drive shaft on Special Stage 6. They only lost about 40 seconds on the stage which Alex credits to great driving by Peter.
Sat 08-May-04 12:42	Pete Gladyz told us "things are quiet" with Car 52, Sheperd / Gladyz. After saying that, the crew found grease in the right front wheel well. A torn boot was found to be the problem and with pleanty service time they changed the half shaft.
Sat 08-May-04 12:47	There seem to be quite a few problems with gearboxes here a Rim. Car 53, Jankowski / Krolikowski was running well until a problem with the clutch and possibly the gearbox forced them out of the rally on Special Stage 6.
Sat 08-May-04 12:49	Throughout Special Stage 5 and Special Stage 6, the Car 88, Havir / Putnam team struggled with overheating and boost issues, which was causing a lack of power. This culminated in a roll onto the driver's side in the last hairpin of Special Stage 6; however, with the help of a spectator, were able to finish the stage. The roll cost the team about 2.2 minutes. They have fixed the major issues and have proceeded to the Super Special Stage (Special Stage 7).
Sat 08-May-04 12:52	Car 323, Verdier / Walker check out their car after the morning stages. They found a bent shock and were planning on changing it durring the service break.
Sat 08-May-04 12:56	Earlier in the rally, the Car 53, Jankowski / Krolikowski team had reported that there was "far too much motion" in the 2WD car, but that the car was really sticking to the road. The stages were a lot of work, with the corners being quite fast, and one right after the other with rough bumps...there seemed no chance to relax even in transits, which also were challenging. Despite the fact that the team stated that they were just cruising, they have now been listed as a DNF after Special Stage 5. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
Sat 08-May-04 13:00	In light of the issues that the Car 30, Plsek / Burmeister team had on last night's stages (after an encounter with the "infamous" rock" and getting thrown across the road, and almost over a cliff), George has stated that "their bubble got burst last night" and that they are pursuing today's divisional strictly as a means to get seat time without breaking anything.
Sat 08-May-04 13:04	The Car 60, Davis / Sorenson team is reporting that after a long night's work (after going to bed at 4:30 AM and getting 1.5 hours sleep due to a transmissio problem), they are having a good time, and feel that they are quick-reporting a 4th place in class. They detailed lots of air time on Special Stage 5, but not a lot on Special Stage 6; however, getting exactly the same score on both - Lee jokingly calls Bob "Mr. Consistency"!!! Despite the lack of sleep, the team reports that, currently, it all appears to be worth it.
Sat 08-May-04 13:06	Car 369, Willemsen / Bos just returned to service on a tow strap, they appear to be another victim of the Special Stage 7 jump. "It felt like we were twenty feet in the air and hit a brick wall" said Willemsen. The sub frame is bent, the bumper cover is broken, but the thing that is actually keeping them out of the rally is the broken radiator. The jump has been changed slightly from last nights running, it has been made much steeper. It actually appears to be steeper in the outside lane than it is in the inside lane. This change may have caught some teams off guard since they were expecting the same course they ran last night.
Sat 08-May-04 13:12	At the last service, Car 23, Nelson / Beavis reported that all was going well today, despite last night's challenges (puncture on Special Stage 2 and linkage issue on Special Stage 3). Mark believes this to be a tough event with notes due to the fact that there is a lot of information, and it can be tough trying to get all the information out on time. It was especially challenging as Mark descriibed the engine as "tired" and thus not producing as much power, however, Mark is adjusting by keeping his speed up through the corners. This strategy appears to be working as he is currently running 12th whereas he started the day at 19th position. Mark aptly noted, and we certainly agree, that is seems a lot different not to have either Mom or Laura here at the rally. We hope they make an appearance at a rally again real soon.
Sat 08-May-04 13:16	Car 288, Cavett / Lynden was able to continue after problems with what they called an "electrical mess". They have been having coil trouble all weekend and were working hard to find the exact problem to stay in the rally.
Sat 08-May-04 13:17	Car 49, Thompson / Nelson reporting the car is running well, and that they hit some water bars very hard, and thus are having some steering/handling problems. The team now is reporting that they are in "survive" mode. They would like to send a special "HI" to Kathy and Lud (sp?)!!!
Sat 08-May-04 13:22	Jeff Secor, Co-driver of the 83 car, reports that they will definitely ready for the next round of the championshiip at STPR next month. They have ordered the parts that they need, and the parts have arrived in MN. They are definitely looking forward to a GN win, especially after finsihing 2nd in the GN Championship last year.
Sat 08-May-04 13:41	Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom are having a great run. Christian tells us that they are just trying to keep things under control. Travis says he's having alot of fun, especially on Special Stage 5.
Sat 08-May-04 13:43	Here are some images from service.
Sat 08-May-04 16:24	A steady drive and a finish is what Car 118, Workum / Gelsomino is looking for today. They tell us that the roads are a bit rough out there so they are driving to make it to the end.
Sat 08-May-04 16:28	When Car 374, Styles / Dillon came into service, they reported that they were running on three cylinders and had been for the last two stages (Special Stage 9 and Special Stage 10). At the point when they came into service, they were not sure whether they would be able to finish. There were some tense moments in the Styles/Dillon camp, but ultimately, they appeared to have had an electrical issue (bad connection, of sorts) and are now back in the hunt. In addition to the cylinder issue, they also had no rear brakes. It has been a challenging day, but Leon is very excited as this is the first ProRally that he has ever led, and it is also his "home" event.
Sat 08-May-04 16:30	Car 53, Jankowski / Krolikowski have returned to service...As previously reported, they DNF'd earlier in the day. According to their crew, the Car 53, Jankowski / Krolikowski car broke one axle shaft and stressed another one. Despite the DNF today, the team is excited about getting ready to go to STPR, they have stated that Paul Choniere will be driving the car at STPR and they have high hopes for a good finish.
Sat 08-May-04 16:33	Car 89, Hoeck / Lin was another victim of the Special Stage 7 jump, they ended up smashing the intercooler when they landed. The car began overheating on Special Stage 9 and they ran with the heat on for all of Special Stage 10 to try and make it through. Juli is feeling a little rough after all the heat in the car and the tough stages.
Sat 08-May-04 16:37	Phillip Ho, co-driver for the 99 team, reports that they are taking it easy today (after they had gearbox issues last night). Phillip wanted to take an opportunity to thank Jeff Shu of Chase Automotive for let them borrow a gearbox to run today. After they broke last night, the team thought for sure that they were done and were ready to pack it up because they did not have a spare gearbox (due to unavailability of parts), but Jeff took it upon himself to drive to his shop in LA and get one!!! Thanks Jeff!!!
Sat 08-May-04 16:38	The rally is over for Car 23, Nelson / Beavis. A mount on the top of the radiator cracked and they lost all the water. Another retiree, Car 88, Havir / Putnam, was kind enough to give them a tow back to service.
Sat 08-May-04 16:45	Car 52, Sheperd / Gladyz has a small coolant leak, that was present during the last service, and are trying to get it fixed. Doug states that it was really overheating, but it was threatening to. Due to the overheating, Doug has wisely chosen to drive slowly in order to stay out of trouble.
Sat 08-May-04 16:50	Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom suffered a puncture on Special Stage 9 but it didn't cost them much time. The team took a bank to the right rear corner and had some hard hits on the suspension on the downhill part of Special Stage 9. Pastrana and Edstrom dialed it back a little for Special Stage 10 because, as Christian said, "pranging the car was not an option". (I think that means don't break it!)
Sat 08-May-04 16:57	Car 54, Richard / Richard had a lot of work to do at service. The rear subframe was "busted", they "blew up" the front suspension, had some brake issues to sort out, and the car was overheating! Nathalie told us that it was really hot in the car, more so with the heat on. They also got some big air on Special Stage 7, when they landed they broke something in the right front. They were able to borrow a hammer from Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom to do some roadside body work on the fender to keep it from rubbing. No matter how you look at it, it's bad if you need the welder at service.
Sat 08-May-04 17:02	Some locals were kind enough to help Car 16, Komorowski / Hackett after they broke the left rear shock mount on Special Stage 9. A nice woman at an art show found somebody to get them some bolts so they were able to put things back together. They were also having some brake problems, possibly loosing fluid, but were able to make it in for service.
Sat 08-May-04 17:29	The Car 288, Cavett / Lynden car has retired due to coil issues, this was an issue that plagued them all weekend, and finally, they just ran out of coils. The team had been running on three cylinders all day and the car just finally shut off on Special Stage 10 and refused to refire for about 20 minutes. Additionally, it appears that the power steering pump is gone. The crew noted that, on a positive note, their transmission is still intact...This is not a sentiment that all team's can share, as transmission's have been issues for a lot of team's this weekend.
Sat 08-May-04 17:46	Car 343, Moser / Moser has retired due to a ball joint issue...the ball joint came apart, and the team was able to put it back together and finish the stage, however, they had accumulated MPL. This is the team's first rally, and at the time they went out, they were leading their class in the ClubRally. Although Tim has raced in other forms of motorsports, such as Formula, Indy lights, 12 hours of Sebring, and the 24 hours of Daytona, Tim states that he has always wanted to rally race, and now has the opportunity. The opportunity is in part possible because of his wife, Joanna, who alllows him to rally, and his dad, who rides with him as his co-driver. He wanted to say thank you to Joanna and to his dad, Dick.
Sat 08-May-04 17:50	Car 233, Eklund / Price were nice enough to bring us their wonderful updates again. Special Stage 5 was dusty and soft, according to Paul it was classic Del Sur! The route book only has 20 instructions for this nine mile stage....lots of them are 1.5 miles to the next call. The really soft spots catch your attention on Special Stage 6. After using the new head/neck restraints for a day and a half they are pleased with them. They are secure and have good mobility. WOO-HOO summs up Special Stage 7. The conditions were varried. Dry, dusty, or muddy...you tell us?! The team had high hopes and a good start to Special Stage 8. The stage was good early on but the later cars may have some trouble with rocks getting pulled out. Prior to Special Stage 7 the team found some silver bits when they checked the tranny fluid. They changed the fluid and continued. 10.0 miles into Special Stage 8 they lost second gear but were able to finish the stage and limp back to service where they retired. Paul stated that it was "Disappointing to have the Primitive Subaru running high overall but have to leave with a mechanical." The team would like to say thanks to everyone - Kala, Shadd, and Bill. Now they are just looking forward to the tri-tips ala Subaru. (that's the dinner here at the finish provided by Subaru of America)
Sat 08-May-04 18:04	Only about 12 seconds seperate Car 374, Styles / Dillon and Car 54, Richard / Richard in the overall standings. With only two stages remaining, the final super special may be the deciding factor. Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom is setting some very fast stage times. They had the second fastest time on Special Stage 10 and Special Stage 11, and they were the fastest car on Special Stage 12.
Sat 08-May-04 18:19	Times from Special Stage 13 have started to come in and they show the Car 374, Styles / Dillon has lost time and is now behind by about 45 seconds. Car 374, Styles / Dillon lost the lower turbo hose about one mile into Special Stage 12 and has no boost. If Leon can stay in front of Car 188 he will claim his first National Open class win.
Sat 08-May-04 19:27	Ramana Lagemann and Travis Pastrana discuss the rally... and possibly the strategy for the final stage?? Only 10.8 seconds seperate the two Vermont Sportscar supported teams, so Special Stage 14 should be interesting.
Sat 08-May-04 19:39	The first car is scheduled to start Special Stage 14 at 8:35. The cars will be running in reverse order, therefore, the rally will not be decided until the final run of the night.
Sat 08-May-04 19:41	Car 54, Richard / Richard reports that it has been an interesting evening as they were able to take 20 seconds off the Car 374, Styles / Dillon team on Special Stage 12, but had no brakes during the last 1.2 miles of Special Stage 13 and lost some time. Despite the niggling issues and that fact that the team is still trying to perfect their timing with the notes and communication (as it is only the second rally in the last 3 years that Pat and Nathalie have competed together), it appears that they will get their second win in as many tries.
Sat 08-May-04 19:51	Car 74, Lagemann / Orr reports that they were pushing a little harder in this evenings stages in an effort to spur some intra-team rivalry, as the Car 74, Lagemann / Orr and the Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom were trading stage times all day. Despite a niggling water spray problem that has been plaguing them (although was not reported) all weekend, which appeared to get worse after the last service, it appears that they will get a 3rd place finish. Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom also reported that they too were really happy with the car and their times. They, too, pushed it harder and made "big jumps bigger" in the later stages, and despite charging, felt that the car stuck better in the corners when they were charging...Travis joked that was probably a good thing that the car stuck more while charging, otherwise it could have been a mess. It should be noted that Travis/Christian set the fastest stage time on Special Stage 12.
Sat 08-May-04 19:57	As earlier reported, the Car 301, Chavez / Robinson car has been listed as a DNF. In a very in-depth interview with Tony/Doug, it has come to our attention that they broke a spindle; to which, Tony's says is all Doug's fault. Doug seems ok with that and states that because it is his car, so it must be his fault.
Sat 08-May-04 20:11	Car 118, Workum / Gelsomino had a heavy nose landing in a later stage and took out all the lighting on the pods, but despite this issue, they report that because the car was not theirs, they were taking it easy and only running about 90%. Overall, they were happy with the weekend, and it appears that they will geta 6th overall and 2nd in Open class finish in their first rally together since PPIHC 2003. Alex's lament on the weekend seems to mirror the consensus of most competitors..."whenever you get a finish at Rim, it is as good as a win". The team is looking forward to running their new car at STPR or PPIHC, the car is currently being built by this weekend's presenting sponsor, Autosport Engineering,
Sat 08-May-04 20:50	A new phrase was coined on the final running of the super special stage tonight. To "do a Plsek" is to break and get stuck in front of a stadium full of spectators, at least what the radio announcer called it. Actually, Car 30, Plsek / Burmeister broke a ball joint on Special Stage 14 and were unable to finish. Jeff and George walked in through the infield of the stage to a loud round of applause.
Sat 08-May-04 20:56	Car 407, Freehill / Elliot had a little trouble on the front straight of Special Stage 14. About ten feet into the stage the hood of the car flew up. They pressed on and finished the stage, and the rally, with the hood blocking the windshield.
Sat 08-May-04 21:07	Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom and Car 74, Lagemann / Orr put on a good show for the final stage. Although Travis and Christian beat Ramana and Michael on Special Stage 14 it was not enough to beat them overall. Car 74, Lagemann / Orr take third by only 7.2 seconds. Car 374, Styles / Dillon and Car 54, Richard / Richard also put on a good show.. for the first part of the stage. Richard backed off at about the half way point and safely drove it to the finish to take first overall and first in Group N. The top five for 2004 Rim of the World are (unofficially): Car 54, Richard / Richard Car 374, Styles / Dillon Car 74, Lagemann / Orr Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom Car 323, Verdier / Walker The complete and final scores can be found on the Rim of the World web site.
Sat 08-May-04 21:09	In light of earlier problems, the Car 16, Komorowski / Hackett was just trying to survive Rim. They experienced shock mount problems, driver contacts problem (IE: could not see out of one! associated with the dust), as well as 2 flats. But despite their problems, they noted the positive side of the race, which was that they still had a radiator intact-loss of radiiators and overheating caused a fair amount of casualties over the weekend. It should be noted that driver Komorowski was the Western Canadian Champion 3 times (in Production, Open, and Overall), he also won the series last year after having someone steal his car in the middle of the season!!!
Sat 08-May-04 21:31	The Seed 4 team of Car 424, Moberly / Moberly made an amazing run against the "big guns" today and finished 8th overall and 2nd in class; but don't the numbers fool you, Todd Moberly is the defending National PGT Champion. This is his first time at Rim, and both he and his dad, who co-drives for him, enjoyed the rally and found it to be fast and flowing and generally, a good mix. Despite the good finish, they had their share of troubles throughout the weekend, with a clutch that is gone, 2 bent uprights and shocks, as well as one puncture. With all the work that apparently will need to be done before their next event (PPIHC), Todd was adamant that we send his thanks to Mike Shaw at Subaru and Flat Four Engineering. Todd also wanted to say hi to all his friends and relatives back home. Car 435, Akers / Bartley has previously been listed as a DNF. The crew has confirmed that they had alternator problems all weekend, in fact, they had an alternator "meltdown" last night but had a spare, which they used to replace the old one with, but that too was dead. They would like to the thank the local AutoZone, as they opened especially for the team at 6 AM, as the team needed another alternator. The team was able to start the rally today, and they completed Special Stage 5 and Special Stage 6, and were able to limp the car to service, however, that meant an end to their day in what appears not to be an alternator problem, but a wiring problem. The team would like to thank both Flat Four Engineering and Dynamic Performance for all their help, stating that they are the ones that make it all happen. The team also stated that this was the first time that they have run at Rim and found the event to be well organized and really enjoyed it. They are looking forward to running here again next year.
Sat 08-May-04 21:39	In the last service, just before the final Super Special Stage, Car 429, Foust / Crouch reported that despite the fact that they were here to have fun, that they were glad it was almost over. They had had a very interesting Special Stage 12, as they had to pull over as the Car 376, Masters / Samli car was broadside across the road. They helped flag down the next competitors on the road, and helped the 376 car get back on the road, this cost the 429 car about one minute. They also lost their intercoms late in the race, and were subsequently able to get them working again. Despite these issues, the team is reporting a 2nd in class finish in the ClubRally.
Sat 08-May-04 21:45	In a very brief interview, Chris Rhodes of the 37 car desribed the rally as the "evil race", this was not a relfection on the event, which he described as well organized, but a reflection on the amount of damage he sustained throughout the rally (to include suspension that is "toast" and 3 flat tires today). He was however, excited that he has moved up to 4th in class from 8th last night.
Sat 08-May-04 22:54	The final gallery from Morgan has now been posted. We are signing off for Rim of the World, see you at STPR!