5. The weather is a factor at every rally, and this year’s STPR will be no
exception. A low pressure system is coming in from the Ohio Valley this
evening which will spawn showers after midnight. On-and-off rain in the
morning on Saturday will taper off in the afternoon, with a chance of rain
again later in the evening. Although this might mean the spectators might
get wet, it could turn out to be ideal conditions for the rally drivers.
The temperatures will be cool and comfortable in the 60’s during the day
and in the 50’s at night, and the dampness will keep the dust down on the
roads. Of course, too much rain will mean mud, and that would be another
story. We’ll check with John Buffum, former rally champion and long-time
Michelin rally tire distributor, and see what choices the teams have for
tire tread and compound selection.

6. The start list for tomorrow’s event is now out, and Pat Richard from
British Columbia, BC - winner of the first three rallies of the season,
will be first on the road for tomorrow’s event in his Group N Subaru.
Richard has won so many Production GT class championships in both Canada
and Europe that he doesn't recall an exact number, although "last year was
a bad year because I didn't get any anywhere," Richard said. In just
under five years (it will be five this summer by his count), the
30-year-old has already carved a niche in Canada's rally elite group and
now, as one of Canada's all-time best, Richard has chosen to drive his 2004
Subaru Impreza WRX STi, the same car he ran en route to winning the
Production Cup in the Canadian Rally Championship, south of the border this
year, intent on adding a U.S. championship to his resume.

With his win at Sno*Drift in Atlanta, Mich., in late January, Richard did
two things. Though early, he instantly validated the popular notion that
the FIA Group N class (which became better known last year as American Mark
Utecht and Irishman Shane Mitchell waged a full-season battle for the
largest class contingency payout in SCCA ProRally Championship history),
might produce its first Overall Drivers' Champion ever. He also earned his
first U.S. National event win, something that Richard said he needed to
solidify his chances at running a full season in the states. Richard said
he knows that success in the next two rounds of the SCCA ProRally
Championship, Oregon Trail and Rim of the World in California, has not only
solidified his points lead, but given him respect among the U.S. rally
elite.

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