2005 Maine Forest Rally
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2005 Maine Forest Rally |
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Local Time is GMT -4
Click here to get the event summary
| Update Time | News |
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| Fri 29-Jul-05 12:58 | Welcome to Maine Forest Rally 2005. The cars are starting to arrive for the Parc Expose, which is being held in the Mexico Recreation Area just outside of Rumford, Maine. The cars will be on display from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm. The teams will leave parc expose to run Special Stage 1 which is a 0.5 mile spectator stage here at the Rec. Area. This stage will provide an up-close viewing opportunity for the crowds of people that thave gathered here. The cars will then head off to the forest to run Special Stage 2 before a 30 minute service break in Oquossoc. After service, the cars will run Special Stage 3, have a 10 minute fuel stop, and then run the final stage of the day, Special Stage 4. Due to some long transit times, we will occasionally be off the air for extended periods of time. Please make sure to check back often for live updates. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 14:12 | Parc Expose    |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 14:16 | Car 587, Johnston / Wilcox found a transmission leak yesterday at tech when the car left a rather large puddle on the ground. The team believes they have fixed the leaky gasket and are set to go for the rally.  |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 14:18 | We'd like to wish a very Happy Bithday to Nathalie Richard! We hope it's a good one!  |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 16:19 | Car 676, McElduff / Irwin are going to give it a good shot this weekend. They plan to see how they get on tonight and launch their attack tomorrow. Their teammates, Car 600 have withdrawn from the event with a seized motor, they blew it up on the practice stage yesterday. Fintan told us that he is probably going to do some damage to his liver today! |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 16:53 | Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom missed a shift near the end of Special Stage 2. Once in service, the crew decided that they need to change the rear diff and the gearbox. Unfortunately, the team will have to trade in their dogbox for a synchro gearbox. This will be a small challenge, but they hope to hold on to second place.  Teammates Car 43, Block / Gelsomino are having a good run, they are just getting used to the roads and a new place. Special Stage 2 was good, but a bit rough, they will see where they are after they check times. Their goal is to finish and slowly improve their times.  |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 16:57 | It has been reported that Car 65, Blomqvist / Goni are down on power due to a loose coil wire. The team will be working on fixing the problem at service. The team is currently sitting in 6th in Group N and 11th overall. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:07 | Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell bent the suspension about five corners into Special Stage 2. They weren't ditch hooking or off line, just found a big rock on the edge of the road with the Cosworth. The team took the rest of stage pretty slowly as not to risk further damage. They have complete faith that their crew will be able to fix it and they will be able to continue at full force. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:11 | Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley came into service with a flat right rear tire. The stages went well, they think that the tire went flat on the transit and they didn't lose any time. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:14 | Service in Oquossoc:   |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:22 | Car 18, Iorio / Holter are sitting in 3rd overall and 1st in Open at the first service break. They aren't having any issues with the car, but the team feels they have room for improvement. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:27 | Car 491, Stevens / Stevens finished Special Stage 2 but have retired. It has been reported that they broke the suspension on the stage and were unable to continue. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:32 | Car 884, Stevens / Hagan are having a good rally and have no worries. Special Stage 2 was good at they begining, but it got rough at the end...but no complaints. Tim would like to say hi and thanks to his daughter Nora. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:41 | Car 88, Havir / Putman reports that Special Stage 2 was fast and flowing early and narrow and rough later in the stage, just like the route book described. The only part where they had any problem was on the transit where they bottomed out on a "rock growing out of the middle of the road". |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 17:46 | We will be packing up and heading to The Phoenix, a resturant in Bethel where the final MTC of the night will be. We will be off the air for at least 90 minutes, so please check back. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 19:29 | Car 107, Paterson / Allen is having fun; they describe Special Stage 2 as smooth and fast. They have no issues and the car is handling well. This is the first rally that they have had no troubles and they are very happy about that! John would like to thank Tim for sponsoring this weekends run! Tim and John would like to thank Peter at Cascade for a great car! |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 19:46 | We have heard that the rally is currently delayed 20 to 30 minutes due to a blockage on Special Stage 3. The organizers were hoping to hold the cars in the regrouping control a little longer in order to allow the rest of the cars to catch back up. We hope to see our first car about 8:45pm. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 19:56 | Car 964, Anton / Coombs states that no news is good news, the team is trying to keep it in one piece. They detail Special Stage 2 as being rough already, and are concerned about the impact on the stage after the field passes over it again, as Special Stage 3 is Special Stage 2 reversed. David and Andrew think that "others can bomb if they want", but Car 964, Anton / Coombs is taking it easy, as they do not want to break the car this early! Andrew was quick to reply that does not mean they are slacking,! They would like to thank service crew, Gen and Eamon. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 20:03 | Car 929, Spence / Amato reported that on the rocky Special Stage 2,they were able to catch the Subaru in front of them and things are great! Their goal for the rally is to avoid major driving errors, and have fun. The teams Group 2 Volkswagon GTi is sponsored by: MFi, ASA Racing, Motorcycle Factory Inc. (www.motorcyclefactoryinc.com), and RobertAmato.com. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 20:14 | Things are working OK for Car 49, Thompson / Marr. They are just cruising and, being the only Production class car in the National Rally, it is theirs to lose. This event is the first gravel event that the car is really working, although they are having to relearn how to drive the car now that it's working right. The power steering belt actually stayed on for a full stage, that makes this the first stage they've been able to complete WITH power steering in this car. The team did give the crowd a good show in one spectator area, they had a little excitement...but only so the crowd could take pictures. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 20:21 | We have found out that the blockage on Special Stage 3 was due to a roll by Car 91, Bottoms / Bosley. The team has been transported to the local hospital to be checked out, but they are reported to be just fine. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 20:28 | Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell started 18th today and they would like to thank the stewards for considering the Canadian events they have been doing (and they have been doing very well!). Last year, they started 28th here, so they are very happy with their starting position today. The last two years they have run this event, Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell have had trouble on the Magalloway stage, so their main goal is to finish Magalloway, and conquer that demon! The Magalloway stage is actually called Middle Dam this year and is slightly different than previous years, but the teams will still run past the spots that represent previous problems to John and Dave. This is the first rally that Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell has had anti-lag and they are getting accustomed to it and are loving it so far! Currently, Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell is leading Open class in the River Valley Rally and are 13th overall in the Maine Forest Rally. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 21:19 | Car 1, Richard / Richard is running used (slightly) tires only for this event, and that is something they have not done in years! His times are not showing that there is much difference with old tires or new - Pat is currently sitting 4 seconds out of 1st position! Pat thought they may have some lingering engine issues from PPIHC, but they have had no problems so far. Car 1, Richard / Richard detailed Special Stage 4 as "sketchy" and Pat took it easy on a couple of the jumps, again something that he does not normally do, but he is trying to think "big picture". |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 21:38 | Car 18, Iorio / Holter were having a great run on Special Stage 3 until they hit a large rock about two miles into the stage causing a flat. The team lost at least four minutes changing the tire. After continuing, they hit another large rock taking a large piece out of the rim. They were very fortunate that the tire held air with the broken rim as they had already used their spare tire. Special Stage 4 was OK despite running with only stock headlights, they didn't expect to be running in the dark so they chose not to put on the driving lights. The team hopes to make up some of their lost time on tomorrow's stages. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 21:49 | Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell detail their night as OK. They bent their suspension on Special Stage 2 and Ramana states that "things have not gotten much better. Ramana states that he is having a problem getting into the rhythm, despite having a great team (thanks to Weegee and DSG), and a great co-driver (thanks to Michael). Right now, Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell is in 8th position. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 21:49 | It was reported that Car 19, L'Estage / Maxwell was unable to leave the service after Special Stage 3 due to a broken alternator pulley. They were franticly trying to find a replacement part in service, but were unable to continue. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 21:56 | Matthew Johnson told us that #SS4 "scared the ever-loving bejeepers" out of him. There was tons of dust that made things very challenging on the stage, especially over the many crests. Everything is good with the car and they have nothing major to do before tomorrows stages. Wendy just wants a booster seat so she can see out of the car! |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 22:03 | Notes of interest... There is an interesting battle amongst the 8th to 12th positions... Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell is in 8th and has a total time of 24:40.1, Car 914, Nash / Fries is in 12th position overall annd has a time of 24:54.3. 5 positions with only 14 seconds separating them...that is great rallying! Unofficially, Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell holds onto a podium (3rd place) finish by .2 seconds over Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 22:05 | Car 856, Jones / Kihurani had some trouble on Special Stage 4 and were kind enough to drop off an update form. They told us: "The landing on the R4 tightens 3 on the last stage snapped the left rear shock. We finished the stage with the tire smoking. On the transit some Irish guys found us and helped shove what was left of the shock back in. The tire rubbed for the 19 mile transit, but we're still in it, and only a minute and a half down! |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 22:09 | Some teams serviced in the hotel parking lot after the final MTC of the night Most predicted that they would get to bed early and will be set to go in the morning.   |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 22:38 | The times have gone provisional, so we are now just waiting for final scores. |
| Fri 29-Jul-05 23:16 | The Regional Awards have been given for the River Valley Rally. We are signing off for tonight, but we will be live from Parc Expose at the Sunday River Brewery tomorrow at 8:30 am. Please check back for the latest news on Maine Forest National Rally and the Bethel Regional Rally. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 08:42 | Good morning, it is a beautiful day here at the Maine Forest Rally. The cars have arrived at the Sunday River Brewery for Parc Expose where they will be on display until 9:00am. It looks like the first car on the road this morning will be Car 1, Richard / Richard. Car 11, Choiniere / Becker, are reported to have had head gasket problems that will keep them from starting day two of the rally. Other car that are reportedly not starting today are Car 787, Bridwell / Katinger and Car 797, Doyle / Doyle. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:03 | The www.Speedtoys.com sponsored Neon of Car 49, Thompson / Marr reports the car is working okay and the driver and co-driver are having fun. Currently, the team is leading the Production class championship and a win here this weekend would give them a comfortable lead going into Ojibwe next month. They would like to thank speedtoys.com for their continued support of the team. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:10 | After Special Stage 3, Car 929, Spence / Amato had to stop on transit. They were flat towed in and pushed themselves through the control and into service. In the 10 minute service, they were unable to diagnose the problem and were did not continue Friday's River Valley Rally. At 2:00 AM this morning, after several hard hours of working to diagnose the problem, Jay Yargeau (their crew) discovered that a chip popped off the ECU. Ultimately, they replaced the chip and are starting today! Thanks Jay! The team would like to thank their sponsors, MFI, ASA Racing, Motorcycle Factory Inc. (www.motorcycleFactoryinc.com). Car 929 co-driver Rob Amato has just lauched his own website, there is a lot of valuable information for co-drivers, so please check it out at www.robertamato.com. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:23 | The cars have stated day two of Maine Forest Rally. The teams will transit out to run Special Stage 5 and Special Stage 6 before a 40 minute service in Errol, New Hampshire. We are expecting the first car to arrive to service at about 1:24 pm.   |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:27 | Here are some more images from the start.   |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:35 | Car 88, Havir / Putman detailed last night's stages as tricky. They were surprised how much Special Stage 3 had changed from when they ran it in the opposite direction on Special Stage 2. They had previously detailed the end of Special Stage 2 as rough, but detailed the same road as a "rock farm" when they ran it on Special Stage 3. The team described "melon sized" rocks that were impossible to weave around. Due to the delay, Car 88, Havir / Putman ran Special Stage 4 at dusk, which presented unique challenges - it would be light in areas that were wide, and they would not need the lights, and a split second later , the trees would close in, and it would become dark and they would need lights. Despite the challenges they faced, the team is in 6th position overall. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 09:43 | And the last car, Car 762, Sosik-Hamor / Hobgood, leaves Parc Expose...  We are packing up and will be on our way to service. We should be back on the air by 12:00 pm, please check back. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 11:52 | We are now positioned in the Errol, NH service area. We are expecting the first car in about 90 minutes. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 12:38 | Car 199 co-driver Christian Edstrom is in service this morning. We took the opportunity to ask what happened on Special Stage 4 last night that caused Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom to DNF. Apparently, on Special Stage 4 they came over a Right 4 over crest (slightly off camber) with too much speed and a little too wide. This caused them to tag the rear of the car and spin into some trees. Christian states that it really was uneventful and thought they could continue on only to find they were stuck in the ditch. Travis and Christian are bummed that they are not in the rally today, but the car will be good to go for Ojibwe Forests ProRally next month. Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom would like to thank Lance and the crew of Vermont SportsCar for the for all of their hard work and would like to thank Red Bull and Subaru for their continued support. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 12:42 | Car 43, Block / Gelsomino "biffed" the left rear corner of the car on Special Stage 5 this morning and bent a piece of suspension. The team was able to straighten it with a jack in order to complete Special Stage 6, and the crew is busy getting ready with new suspension pieces so they can repair it when Car 43, Block / Gelsomino comes into service. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 13:01 | The cars have started to arrive at the lunch service here in Errol. The teams will have a minimum of 40 minutes for this service. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 13:46 | Car 866, Penasack / Goldfarb slid out on a corner on Special Stage 5 and put a hole in the radiator. With Car 1 driver's help, the team was able to let their crew know of their problem. The Subaru Rally Support Truck was on hand and had a radiator for them. The team expected, but did not have any overheating problems on Special Stage 6, and state they were able to get through Special Stage 6 with no problems - Special Stage 6 went much better than Special Stage 5. The car is now in service and getting the radiator replaced. Despite the time lost on Special Stage 5, the team is still leading PGT in the Bethel Rally. Tim is very happy to have their sponsor, Dan Enxing (of Subaru of Nashua) and his family here watching the rally today and would like to thank Dan and Subaru of Nashua for their continued support. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:11 | Car 1, Richard / Richard are holding on to their Group N and Overall lead by 27.5 seconds despite a broken drive shaft that cost them 30 seconds on Special Stage 6. They changed the drive shaft at service but chose not to replace the gearbox. The team is taking a chance by sticking with the slightly abused transmission, but they only had a synchro to replace the dogbox currently in the car. They figure by changing to a synchro gearbox they would lose about 1 second a mile over remaining 30.8 stage miles and most likely lose their lead. So, with fingers crossed, the team will continue on and hopefully be able to stay ahead of Car 65, Blomqvist / Goni.  |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:13 | Car 62, Havas / Dillon had turned in their time card and have withdrawn with suspension failure. The left front wheel is perpindicular to the ground, which made it very difficult to continue! |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:23 | Car 774, Dimiters / Ockwell slid wide impacting a rock with their right rear on Special Stage 6. After the off, the fuel pump was seizing and the engine was cutting out. The team has found a replacement fuel pump so they can change it prior to their service out time. Otis said that the stages were tricky compared to yesterday, but they are doing ok.  |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:26 | Car 46, Johnson / R-Nakamoto is 7th overall and leading PGT today and are ultimately trying for a top 5 finish. After the first two stages, the team is relatively frustrated with their tires and are "trying to find tires that aren't completely useless". Other than the tires, everything is going well. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:31 | The crew of Car 18, Iorio / Holter is having a busy service break. The team had a flat 3 miles from the finish of Special Stage 6, unfortunately, the tire would not free itself from the rim. Finally, after beating the left front fender to pieces for 2.5 miles, the tire freed itself with .5 miles left of the stage. The cause of the flat was, surprise, a big rock in the middle of the road! Aside from the flat, the stage was great, it was the very technical and tight roads that Matt just loves.  |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:39 | Car 790, Duane / Sweeney tells us that the stages are good and fast, although slippy in places. The plan is to drive as hard as they can without going off, "where that brings us, who knows...maybe a class win." Overall, they are having good fun.  |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:53 | Car 912, Cassidy / Getchell went off on Special Stage 6 on a "R5 tightens to 4 - NO CUT"...welll...needless to say, they hit a rock the size of a piano, heard a big bang and got shot across the road and into the ditch. They knew they could not drive it out (they could not even get out the door), so they did not even try. The team is singing the praises of the Hans devices they use, despite the hard hit they took, they are feeling no neck pain at all. The team would like to thank their sponsors, MaineHost.com, Last Ditch Racing, Motul and Team O'Neil. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 14:58 | Car 856, Jones / Kihurani lost their exhaust half way through Special Stage 6 as well as a bolt from their skid plate. The exhaust broke off "right between our seats", with the noise from that combined with dragging skid plate, Alex spent the rest of the stage yelling at the top of his lungs. His throat is a little sore, but they will make it!  |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 15:05 | Car 88, Havir / Putman are sitting 4th Overall and 1st in Open at the service break. The team is not pushing it, in fact the plan is to just concentrate on car control and make it to the finish. They are just going to stick to the plan, as it has gotten them this far. Doug said "I'm just trying desperately not to screw it up." |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 15:06 | Service in Errol:    |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 15:11 | All the cars have left service to run Special Stage 7, Special Stage 8, and Special Stage 9. Their final check in of the rally will be at Sunday River where the awards will also be held. The truck will be packing up and leaving for Sunday River, we should be back on the air by 5:00 if we are able to get a signal at the hotel. Please check back for the final results and final stories of the event. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 17:03 | We are now positioned at the Sunday River Grand Summit Hotel, which is the finish of the rally. We have a few updates to make between now and 6:00 PM which is when we are expecting the first car to be here. Stay tuned. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 17:14 | Notes of interest...As of the stages times through Special Stage 7, 1) there is 1.7 seconds separating the 2nd through 4th overall positions is the Bethel Rally - Car 977, Donnelly / Beavis is in 2nd with a total time of 28:08.7, followed by Car 914, Nash / Fries, and then Car 676, McElduff / Irwin with 28:10.4. The same three are also battling in Maine Forest Rally, but in reverse order with Car 676, McElduff / Irwin leading. Car 914, Nash / Fries and Car 977, Donnelly / Beavis are separated only by 3.1 seconds. 2) there is 26 seconds separating the top three G2 positions...#770 leads with a total time of 31:08.5, followed by Car 856, Jones / Kihurani, and then Car 717, Hans / Fisher in 3rd with 31:34.7. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 17:15 | Car 88, Havir / Putman and Car 866, Penasack / Goldfarb are being reported as stopped on Special Stage 7. We will report more details as they become available. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 17:42 | Car 774, Dimiters / Ockwell is being reported as being stopped 2 miles from the start of Special Stage 9. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 17:46 | The first car has arrived at the final check in of the rally. We will have results up shortly. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 18:11 | From the cars that have arrived so far here are the unofficial standings, please be aware that there may be changes as more cars arrive. Overall and Group N Car 1, Richard / Richard Car 65, Blomqvist / Goni Car 43, Block / Gelsomino Open Car 74, Lagemann / Fennell Car 914, Nash / Fries Car 107, Paterson / Allen |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 18:47 | On Special Stage 7, Car 88, Havir / Putman hit something hard enough to send the end of the strut through the hood of their car. The team was surprised because they feel that they had hit other things harder this weekend, but this one was a rally ender for Car 88. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 18:53 | Car 866, Penasack / Goldfarb experienced what they believe to be a timing belt problem on Special Stage 7 and stopped the car. The team is now being listed as a DNF. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 19:30 | The champagne has been sprayed!  Group N and Overall  Open  PGT |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 19:34 | The scores will go provisional at 8:00 PM. |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 19:39 | Some images from throughout the event.    |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 19:44 | Car 62, Havas / Dillon stopped by to tell us that their suspension failure was the bolt for the ball joint. They also want Dave Kean know that John is just keeping his seat warm, they are looking forward to seeing him back soon! There may be a fist fight brewing....J.B. Niday isn't so inclined to give Dave up with out a fight! Hi Dave!! |
| Sat 30-Jul-05 21:30 | A batch of day 2 photos are up in the gallery section. The scores are official and the awards will be starting momentarily. The Rally America update team is signing off from the 2005 Maine Forest Rally. We will be back on August 26th-27th for the Ojibwe Forest Rally in Bemidji, MN |
