Iorio takes first Overall win!  - Sunday, June  4, 2006
Matt Iorio and Ole Holter took their first overall rally win this morning at STPR. Matt was a steady competitor all day and managed to avoid the problems that the other teams were having. The team took the lead after stage 7 and managed to gain nearly a minute advantage over their closest competitor on the last three stages of the rally, Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom.

Coming in second were early leaders Pastrana and Edstrom. The team had a flat left rear tire with about four miles left in stage 9. They decided to drive out on the flat, and all was OK until about a half mile from the finish. Pastrana went off the road and down into a small ditch puncturing the right front tire. After limping to the finish, the team was able to change the right front, but had to leave the left rear flat tire on the car for the last stage. Edstrom tried to convince his driver that they should take it easy on SS10 and just make it to the finish, but the competitive nature took over. Pastrana pushed in an effort to maintain their second place position, and it paid off for them, beating O’Sullivan by a mere four seconds.

Rounding out the top three was the first X Games qualifier, Lauchlin O’Sullivan and Scott Putnam. The team had some gearbox issues early in the rally, but persevered to maintain the last podium position. Lauchlin is incredibly excited and honored to be included in the X Games!

The Overall Rally America Championship now has three contenders, Pastrana, Pinker, and Block are only separated by a few points. The rest of the season should be very interesting!

Check back for the next round of the Rally America National Championship, Maine Forest Rally July 21-22.

Bartram takes Production  - Sunday, June  4, 2006
The co-driver of Car 86, Bartram / Hotson is feeling a little ill, the team is just trying to finish. Kenny took awhile to slow down since he didn't realize Dennis was off the pace, but once he did, things were much better. The steering wheel was out of whack, but they can't seem to find anything that is bent on the car. They don't want to stop if Dennis can and will continue as they are in the hunt for the Production class Championship. Team manager Mike Halley said sarcastically in the middle of one of many rain showers we encountered "ain't rally grand, blue sky and sun...that's different."

The team did make it to the finish, wining the Production class and finishing 27th overall.

Group N  - Sunday, June  4, 2006
Car 774 of Dimiters/Ockwell had been optimistic early on and stated that they wanted to win Group N, with Otis stating "that is why we are here, for the win". Ultimately, the team had no moments and did get the win. Dimiters would like to thank Dr. Levy, Cyril Kearney, the NC Rally Crew, and Autosport Engineering for all their support.

Car 100 of Anton/Joswiak hit a bank with the left front on Special Stage 3 and broke the left front control arm. The car came around and also broke the rear lateral link. The team was able to drive it out, but blew the left front AND left rear. They were able to borrow a tire from Pat Moro (who had DNF'd) and with their own spare, changed both. The team lost approximately 2.5 minutes by hitting the bank, but the team was able to fix everything in service and had no additional major moments. The team finished 2nd in Group N, they would like to thank their crew for the great job they did.

Car 945 of Kelly/Boyd had been leading Car 100 after Special Stage 7, but apparently had trouble in the last few stages, and finish 3rd in Group N.

It's not all about 4 Wheel Drive!!!  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 70 of Duplessis/McNelly is having an awesome time. This is the team's 4th rally and first national entry.

The team is not without moments - "we have had a few close ones where we went a little wide; the stages are drying and the stuff is getting faster, but I was hoping for slippery conditions that might level the playing field between the higher horsepower cars, but we are having fun and making the most of this" states Driver Christopher Dupplessis.

It has been reported on Rally-America.com that as many as four exhibition-only two-wheel drive entries will also be selected and the team entertains thoughts of going to the X Games, but realize that they cannot worry about that - "sure I would love to go, it would be a bonus, but rally is mental, and I am only concerning myself with running my only rally right now, I am not worried about other competitors or the X Games, I just want to finish here" states Duplessis.

Christopher, at 19, is the youngest entrant in this event, and if it sounds like he has more wisdom than he should given his age, it is because he understands competition and the mental components that go along with it - he has been racing go-carts since he was 6; at 12, he attended Team O'Neil Rally School as well as several other race schools. As soon as he was became legal to run rallies, he did, both as a driver and a co-driver.

In his first rally as a driver, he won his class in G2; on his third rally, he finished 1:10 behind 8 time champion Paul Choiniere and captured a 2nd place overall position.

It appears that Christopher is again creeping up through the field here - he is described by spectators and competitors as a "sleeper" - meaning he is driving an unassuming white golf but driving it to max - he is a popular favorite at the spectator areas and his white golf is flying quietly up the standings.

Bad day for Block  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 43, Block / Gelsomino's day didn't start too well and ended even worse. On Special Stage 1 the team was coming into a tight right hand corner at a spectator area where doing everything right just wouldn't work. Ken tried to use the hand brake to make the corner and all the car would do was go straight. The team had to back up, and in doing so, backed over some hay bales that they ended up high-centered on. After about a minute, the team was back on the road with no damage. They did go on to set some very impressive stage times early on and were having a good run. After the service break, the team was having problems with a lack of boost on Special Stage 5 and Special Stage 6. They were able to fix the problem at the gas stop and headed out to run Special Stage 7. Unfortunately, about a mile and a half into seven, they caught a bank and soft rolled one and a half time landing on their roof. Alex stated that if they had landed on their wheels, they would have continued. Ken and Alex are waiting at the finish to do the calculations on where they will end up in the Rally America National Championship. Alex did want to make sure we said "hi" to his wife Christie!

Nichols leading Group 2...but for how long  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 97 of Nichols and Schenk have been leading Group 2 all day and are having a great day - except for a misfire in the engine that continues to get worse.

In service, the team was unsure whether they would be able to continue, and if they did, how long they would be running.

The misfire is acting "like the ignition keeps getting turned on and off" stated driver Jon Nichols , "it may give up anytime and just gets worse and worse, SS7 should have been great for us, but..."

X Games??  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 90, O'Sullivan / Putnam do not fully trust the new gearbox put in the car at the earlier service, "it just isn't feeling quite right" said O'Sullivan. The road conditions are still challenging, they had a few "moments" out there including a spin on one stage where he said they were lucky to get away with just some damage to the bumper. The team still sits in third position, the first X Games qualifying position.

The bad and the good for Pinker  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
With the Group N motor in Car 606, Pinker / Durant's car, the team feels that are down on power compared to their fellow Open class competitors. Special Stage 1 was a good stage for the team, but they weren't happy with their time on Special Stage 2 where they lost around 20 seconds in the slippery conditions. The team began to have brake trouble on stage 5, the first stage after service. At the gas stop after stage 6 the brake pedal was just going to the floor, Pinker stated, “I can’t stop at all!” They were able to make their way to service, loosing some time along the way dropping the team one position into sixth place. The crew will change the brakes and do any other things needed before sending them out to finish the final two stages of the rally. As long as the team finishes, they will take over the first place position in the Rally America National Championship since current leader Ken Block is out of the rally.

X Games in O'Sullivan's Sights  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 90, O'Sullivan / Putnam are here for the X Games! The team has sponsors just waiting in the wings to join them for the rest of the season if they get in. K&N has joined O'Sullivan for STPR and they are also receiving some support from Works, a hometown tuner shop in San Francisco, CA.

Despite not driving quite as well as he would like to and losing fourth gear on Special Stage 3, the team sits in third behind Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom and Car 18, Iorio / Holter. But, Pastrana and Iorio have already been invited to the X Games, making O'Sullivan sitting first among those fighting for a spot. The team was able to change the gearbox at service; with everything fixed, they are ready to defend their position in the second half of the rally. Lauchlin would like to make sure we say "hi" to his wife Minerva!

Critique of Special Stage 5 - Lee Stock 1  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
With the Reseed, Car 199 Pastrana/Edstrom will be first on the road. Pastrana and the other competitors can expect the following on Special Stage 5, Lee Stock I:

The stage starts straight and narrow, but soon becomes twisty as it climbs with two VERY acute uphill switchbacks and a couple of other tight turns to keep them on their toes. Hopefully, the competitors have practiced their handbrake turns, because they may need them as this stage has the first two of the thirteen total switchbacks that the rally has.

The stage has mainly a hard clay surface that can be slippery. The stage then goes through a couple of tight corners of the spectator area triangle. Here the road becomes wider and leads up to a left at sideroad, onto the Rim road. It then climbs to a switchback and follows the canyon Southward, on a smooth, wide mainly clay surface which is very fast.

The surface can become slippery and muddy with rain, with ruts developing if the rain has been extensive. The stage has a lot of nicely linked turns and is a pleasure to drive. There is a difficult right at sideroad at about 18 miles, as it is hidden and the road narrows.

From here the stage runs 4 miles downhill on Fahneystock road which is narrow at times with a couple of tricky corners. These roads can be slippery or rutty if it has been wet. The organizers have provided a long runout after the flag, but the competitors will need their brakes at the end.

Special Stage 5 is 21.28 miles and is also SS8. In the past, the Open class cars have set stage times of 18:48 (David Higgins, 2003) - this is an average of 66.9 miles per hour.

Sprongl off the pace  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
There were fuel issues for Car 61, Sprongl / Sprongl also. Despite having a full tank, the car appears to be "burning so much fuel - I am not sure if it is because the roads are so soft and working the engine harder than normal, but I am using more fuel - I am not even running the pace and I am still having fuel issues" states Driver Frank Sprongl.

Frank has not been in this car since the Tall Pines 2004. Frank and Dan Sprongl run the CARS series with a Suzuki Swift, and sustained a rollover last weekend, and Frank found himself thinking about that crash after a spin on Special Stage 1. Frank forced himself to think about the current rally and try to get last weekend off his mind. Frank stated "I may not be trusting the notes fully, because at Calgary, we rolled as a result of a corner that tightened that was not in the notes - either way, I am not running on the pace". Frank also humbly stated, "it really is my (the driver's) fault, not anyone's else - I would like to see myself running with the fast guys times by the end of the rally".

The spin on Special Stage 1 resulted on a L4 when they came into the corner way too hot, the car got light and Frank saw a big tree that it appeared they were going to hit, but did not because the car snapped back the other way. Because the roads are so narrow and thus, so hard to get turned around on, the spin cost the team about 20 seconds they believe.

The team is here to run alongside the fast competition that is here, and to feel out that competition. For Frank and Dan, it is not about the X Games, "it is for no other reason than for fun and to feed the competitive spirit" stated Frank.

Langbein back in the saddle  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
This is the first time that Langbein/Wimpey have been back in the car since their roll at Oregon Trail Rally. Eric is feeling good about being back in the seat.

"It is a case of the lowest common denominator out there - if we have a slippery corner early in the stage, I find myself thinking it may happen again and I drive tentatively because it is hard to judge before you get to a corner how much grip it will have - initially, I felt bad, but I am realizing that everyone is having the same problems" states Langbein.

The team's strategy is to keep it on the road, without losing too much time - "we will reevaluate after the next leg and if it feels good, we may step it up".

Johnson presses on  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Car 46, Johnson / DeMotte have had enough excitement for the weekend already! The team lost third gear on Special Stage 2, they did not have much trouble adapting and were still driving at a good pace. Then, on a tight right hand corner on Special Stage 3, the team hit a bank breaking the left front control arm. They were able to limp through the remainder of the stage and back to service where they began the repairs. In order to make it to the Parc Expose on time, they got a tow back into Wellsboro from a fellow competitor where repairs are being completed. DeMotte says that Johnson is driving extremely well and they are having a great time despite their problems.

SOA in it for the Championship  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
The Rally America National Championship is still the focus of Subaru Rally Team USA. Already being on the list of invitees of the X Games makes a big difference in the game plan for Car 43, Block / Gelsomino and Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom here at STPR. Ken stated "it will be a fun rally for us to watch" as the others fight it out for the two X Games qualifying spots available at this rally. The two teams will be running hard to stay in front of the other Championship competitors, but not really taking many risks. After the reseed later today, the team will reevaluate their strategy and make changes as needed.

X Games Criteria for Selection  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
The buzz for the weekend is that rallyists will be chosen from the results of this event for the ESPN
X Games to be held in Los Angeles in August 3 - 6.

Rally will join the ranks of current X Games sports: BMX, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Wakeboard. X Games 12 will air live on ESPN and ABC Sports.

Those drivers already invited to the X Games include: Rhys Millen, former rally driver for Mitsubishi USA, Drifter and Stunt driver, WRC veteran Colin McRae, motocross superstar turned Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana, eight-time U.S. champ Paul Choiniere and 2005 Rally America champion, Pat Richard.

Also selected to compete are: D.C. Shoes founder and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, who is currently leading the Rally America Championship; 2005 Production GT champion and stunt driver Tanner Foust; and 2005 North American and Rally America Open class champion Matt Iorio.

For those who are not chosen initially by the committee, they can earn spots in Wellsboro this weekend by finishing in the following spots:

1. The highest finisher, not already invited, among Open Class, PGT and Group N at Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally will receive an invitation to the X Games Rally.
2. The second highest finisher, not already invited, among Open Class, PGT and Group N at Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally will receive an invitation to be the second alternate entry to the X Games Rally.
3. The highest finisher, not already invited, among Open Class, PGT and Group N at Maine Forest Rally (next month) will receive an invitation to the X Games Rally.
4. The second highest finisher, not already invited, among Open Class, PGT and Group N at Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally will receive an invitation to be the third alternate entry to the X Games Rally.

Critique of Stage 3 - Thompson Hollows  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Special Stage 3, Thompson Hollows, is a new stage for 2006.

The competitors can expect the first section of this stage to be a firm gravel surface, which is wide initially. The road will narrow and is firm clay which will be slippery. There are a couple tight rurns and a very tight switchback. Limited visibility will keep the teams on their toes through this section.

The final section of the stage climbs out of the valley ud Deadman Hollow. The road is broken up with a few tight turns and finally the finish as the teams reach the top of the hill and the Grand Canyon of the East.

Critique of Stage 2 - Wilson Hollow  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Special Stage 2, Wilson Hollow, is a new stage for all and the teams should expect that the first half of the stage is a firm clay surface with nicely linked turns that ultimately descend down Cedar Mountain to an acute right. The rest of the stage is very quick, with only a couple of left-handers to keep you alert on your way to another right onto a gravel surface and into the finish.

Stage 2 is 10.83 miles.

Subaru Splash Cancelled  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
The spectator favorite, Special Stage 4 AKA Subaru Splash, has been cancelled due to high water - as of early this morning, the water was reported as being at 22 inches and rising. Historically, once the water rises above 16 inches, the stage gets cancelled.

Critique of stage 1 - Asaph Run  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Sprongl and Sprongl, the first competitors on the road, will be starting Special Stage 1 at 11:11, what they should expect from the stage is as follows:

This stage starts out in the woods, but breaks out into the open after the "vista". From here, there are some long open straights leading back to the woods over clay surfaces that ruts and may be slippery if wet. The stage changes into a twisty descent down into the valley over a firm road surface with some loose shale. A tricky turn over a narrow wooden bridge occurs at the spectator area, followed by a second bridge shortly after and from here, the road turns to a firm new white stone surface. Next a temporary bridge will provide the competitor with a challenge to get up and over without leaving parts of your car behind - be warned!! This part of the stage climbs slowly, with nice flowing curves which tends to be fast but watch for the deep gutters and soft road edges, as these have claimed their victims over the years.

In years past, Open cars have gone as fast as 8:15 (Lagemann, 2003), averaging 72.9 MPH over this 10.03 mile stage.

Past and Present of STPR  - Saturday, June  3, 2006
Round four of the Rally America National Championship is underway from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania with a huge and diverse field of competitors.

Susquehannock Trail (STPR) is an event rich in history and known for being test of endurance for the drivers and their equipment.

The news of Rally America taking "qualifiers" for the upcoming X Games from the finishers of STPR has helped to make this the best-attended Rally America National Rally this year with seventy-three entrants.

There is a lot of speculation on who will take the top honors of the rally; there are at least ten drivers that have an out right shot at the win, while at least that many more waiting in the wings to be the spoiler. No matter who ends up on top, it is bound to be the best competition of the season so far.

In this event last year, Paul Choiniere won his 8th STPR, Shane Mitchell finished in second, and Stig Blomqvist rounded out the podium.

Spectator Notice  - Friday, June  2, 2006
According to the organizers, the road to Wilson Point Spectator Area (page 10 in the Program) is impassible due to deep mud and ruts. Please select a different spectator location.

STPR IS ON  - Friday, June  2, 2006
The high-speed classic known as STPR takes place in north central Pennsylvania on smooth, flowing gravel and clay-based roads. This is the fastest rally in North America, taking drivers at breakneck speeds through lush green forests that grow precipitously close to the road edges. The high speeds and small margin for error make bravery a necessity. STPR is one of the oldest running events on the calendar, dating back to 1977.

STPR is based in the quaint town of Wellsboro in north central PA, near the NY border. The route is near the famed "Grand Canyon of the East," a fifty mile long gorge 10 miles west of Wellsboro. The rally kicks off with the renowned "Subaru Splash" spectator stage, featuring a spectacular water crossing for the cars. Luxuriously dense woodlands are this event's trademark.

Smooth, flowing roads that have a clay base mean plenty of grip and some dust in the dry air. If it should rain (and it usually does!) the clay surface adopts properties that make it behave similarly to grease. When this happens drivers claim it's more treacherous than driving on ice. Spectators should be prepared for warm and/or wet weather. A large portion of the rally is at night, so don't forget your flashlight.