Lagemann wins Olympus!  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
Lagemann came from a three second deficit to claim the top spot on the podium. The team had an excellent stage, “it couldn’t have gone any better”, smiled Lagemann, who beat Pinker by eight seconds on the final stage of the rally. Pinker didn’t go down without a fight; the team pushed hard through the final 26 miles, but in the end came up just a little short. Foust rounds out the podium, another 25 seconds back. They ran the last stage cleanly and chose to not take any chances.

The Rally America National Championship moves to the East coast for the next round, Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania June 2. Make sure to check back for the latest in the Championship battle and the chase for a spot in X Games 13.

Iorio/Holter Secure 5th spot overall  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
After SS14, Car 18 Iorio/Holter was sitting 10 seconds out of SS5 and were ecstatic with the possibility of moving up. "Ken's (Care 43) power was going away on SS12, and we beat them by 40 seconds,: stated co-driver Ole Holter.

The team loves the "super challenging" great roads as well as the people out here in the pacific northwest and would like to thank Rally America, the organizers, and all the workers that make it possible.

The team was ultimately successful in securing the 5th spot overall.

Another good day gone bad  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
Car 103 Gubelmann/Arguelles was having a good day. They had set a 6th fastest time on SS11 and the team felt they were working together well and “were flying”, stated driver Wyeth Gubelmann.

They had also felt they had a fast time on SS12, despite a couple of “moments”; on SS12, they incurred some damage on an “off road excursion” at the flying finish. Despite their problems, it seemed all was well.

That was until SS13 at about 7.5 miles in. “I went off – way off – and now the car is upside down on the side of a mountain” driver Wyeth Gubelmann stated.

Partially in jest, Wyeth went on to say, “I was flying – trying to beat everyone in world – I was going really fast – having a great stage”.

After the crash, Wyeth scrambled up hill with OK sign and Felipe stayed with car. To add insult to injury, the car had a small fire under the skid plate. The bright spot is that Felipe had stayed with the car, and despite being challenging to get back into car to get fire extinguisher, Felipe saved the day by putting out the fire.

One stage left in Olympus Rally  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
With one stage remaining, the Rally America crew is heading to the finish of the rally at the Little Creek Casino. The first car is expected to be in about 5:30 pm, make sure to check back for the final scores and stories of the Olympus Rally.

Rocks take their toll on competitors  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
#11, Choiniere and Becker, hit a large rock on SS14 that damaged the right front of the car. The crew reported that they changed the control arm, steering knuckle, tie rod, strut and wheel in service; they were able to continue. The same rock was hit by #744, Dimiters and Ockwell. They damaged the control arm, tie rod, and possibly more. Dimiters is still leading Group N despite the damage to their car.

Pinker takes lead!  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
The rain is coming down hard as the teams prepare for the finish of the Olympus Rally. Less than 30 seconds separate the top three cars with one stage, a 26-mile stage, remaining. The lead has changed in the last set of stages; Pinker has regained the lead over Lagemann, but only by three seconds. Pinker is pushing hard for the first place Championship points and to secure a slot in the X Games Rally. Those first place points are possibly more valuable to Lagemann, who currently sits outside the top ten in the Championship. It will be a tough balance between the benefit of first place points, and a possible DNF.

Block sitting fourth  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
#43, Block and Gelsomino, would “love to go for it”, but right now, they really just need to be concerned with finishing. The strategy is to be “quick but cautious” for the rest of the rally. They feel as though they have been down on power all day; the crew is changing the turbo and intercooler in hopes that they can find the problem. Block is currently in fourth place with one stage remaining in the rally.

Johnson extends PGT lead  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
Johnson and Wimpey, #46, are solidly in the PGT class after 12 stages. Johnson did report that he was have trouble focusing on the 26 mile long stage 12; “I don’t know if it’s the car or if it’s me killing my confidence today” said Johnson. The car has taken a little bit of a beating today, “but it should stay together” smiled Johnson.

Morning retirements  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
Verdier and Crouch, #429, have been reported off with their hood up; it appears that their rally is over. Also reported out was #288, Cavett and Perry, with a blown engine. #466, Gottlieb and Rustigan, withdrew after SS12; they broke both strut towers and tore off their exhaust. #295, #211, #35, #692, #243, and #437 have also been reported off and OK along this morning’s route; we will let you know more details as they become available.

Lagemann into the lead  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
After 12 stages #74, Lagemann and Williams, have moved into the lead of the Olympus Rally by six seconds. The team reported that they have had no problems on the stages and just need to run clean the rest of the day. For the next set of stages, they have chosen to switch to a soft compound tire.

Regester returns to run Regional  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
#35, Regester and Smith, were unable to fix a coil problem in the allotted 45 minute service prior to last nights Parc Ferme. They DNF’d the National rally, but were able to fix the problem overnight and will compete in the Regional rally today. After an Oregon Trail filled with car trouble, the team stated, “we just want to finish a rally!”

Pastrana out  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
It has been reported that #199, Pastrana and Edstom, are off on SS11. The team rejoined the Regional Rally this morning after DNFing the National Rally yesterday. The team is OK, but it doesn't appear they will be able to continue.

Choiniere presses on  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
#11, Choiniere and Becker, is back in the rally this morning despite a leaky head gasket. They plan to press on and try and maintain their position. The hope is that the car will “oblige them like it did in Oregon” and they will be able to finish despite their mechanical issues. The crews anticipate the cars to arrive for their first service around 11:30 am.

Day two begins  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
The teams were allowed to leave parc ferme at thirty second intervals starting at 7 AM. After parc ferme, they were allowed a short 10 minute service before proceeding to a 30 minute parc expose in Downtown Shelton, WA.

The cars have begun leaving parc expose on the way to running 2 stages before returning for service. SS11 is a 10 mile stage, followed by SS12, a 26.35 mile stage that is sure to be a test of endurance.

The weather in Washington is a typical overcast day with periods of rain and currently, about 48 degrees. A high of 54 degrees is predicted.

Foust loses time with flat on SS10  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
On SS10, Car 34 Foust/Beavis, had a "spectular" flat, according to co-driver Chrissie Beavis. "During the last mile of the stage, we had a flat, and we had rubber bouncing off the windshield".

The flat cost the team 19 seconds over the fast time of leader Andrew Pinker. Currently, Foust sits in the 3rd position overall, 30 seconds off the lead.

Day one complete  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
The cars have arrived and the National cars have entered the Parc Ferme. In first is Pinker and Durant, who are having an excellent rally; “we just haven’t had the issues that everyone else has had” said Durant. The team loved the challenging roads that were run today. Lagemann sits in second place, 30 seconds behind Pinker, and only one second ahead of Foust who is in third place. With five stages remaining, anything can happen. Make sure to stay tuned tomorrow as the teams contest the final stages of the 2007 Olympus Rally.

Choiniere/Becker pressing on  - Sunday, May 20, 2007
With an overheating car, Choiniere/Becker pulled out of the final service and into the overnight parc ferme. The team unable or unwilling to replace what they believed to be a bad head gasket.

The car 11 team is hoping to "cruise through and baby it" through tomorrow in order to be there at the finish. The team is in the hunt for a spot at the X Games and would like to try and maintain 5th position in this event. While it seems to be an insurmountable goal, Choiniere, a 7-time national champion, has faced worse and prevailed.

To be continued...

Car 55 Sarasin/Johansson break drive shaft  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
After SS2, where they lost 11 seconds due to a flat tire, the team had made a valiant effort to gain the time back.

They had great stage times are were challenging Car 26 Kendall/Friberg. "We were charging up and had made up a bunch of time," stated driver Kyle Sarasin.

Unfortunately, they broke a drive shaft just after the beginning of SS8 and have withdrawn. Car 55's crew are busily trying to repair the car, and they are expected to run in the regional rally tomorrow.

Johnson leads PGT  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
“I love my new car!” said Johnson of his #46 Hankook Subaru. He is far more comfortable in this car; he feels he’s driving faster, and yet is taking fewer risks. “I’m getting a little ballsy out there, I’ve been hanging it out and hauling!” Look for a good battle to shape up in PGT between Johnson and Verdier as the event progresses.

Car 18 Iorio/Holter having a frustrating rally  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Car 18 Iorio/Holter broke a prop shaft less than a mile into the last stage (SS10). The problem cost the team between one and two minutes and will likely cost the service crew a considerable amount of stress to get done before the end of the 45 minute service prior to parc ferme as fixing it may require change the differential, rear end, etc.

Cars to arrive soon  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Due to some delays, the cars have just started stage ten. We expect to start seeing the cars at the final control of the night around 8:00 pm.

Afternoon stages prove to be a challenge  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Things have been challenging for a large number of the teams on stages 5, 6, and 7 as the rain came and went this afternoon. Foust had a spin on one stage but was otherwise clean. Block had problems on all three of the stages; the windshield fogged up on SS5, he stalled on SS6, and had a flat on SS7. “Let’s just say it’s been a challenging day” said Block. Pastrana stopped on SS7 with fuel issues and was towed back into service. Lagemann had a spin on SS6 that cost them some time, but “we’re still in the mix.” Iorio had some issues with fogging on SS5 that hurt their times. They are still pushing hard, “we’re running clean, but we’re just not going fast enough” said codriver Holter. With the same three stages to be run again, teams are hoping that they are not plagued by the same problems.

Pastrana towed into service  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
#199, Pastrana and Edstrom, had some sort of fuel issue that forced them to stop on the side of the stage seven. The team was towed into the service area by #232, Tabor and Poirier. They have continued, but may have exceeded their maximum permitted lateness.

Trouble for some - Teams to continue on  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Car 11 Choiniere/Becker had an off on SS6 and lost a little over a minute. When asked what happened, co-driver Jeff Becker stated "we had too much speed and too little road." The team's troubles were compounded by not having any brakes either - a problem they will be trying to rectify in service.

Car 20 Comrie-Picard/Goldfarb lost 2.5 minutes on SS5 due to losing a turbo hose about 3 miles into the stage. The team was forced to open the wastegate to minimize the possibility of blowing up the motor. Despite having an ill-sounding car in service, the team has fixed the problem and continued on.

Car 429 Verdier/Crouch "overshot a corner and then stalled the car on SS5, SS6, AND SS7" stated driver Stephan Verdier. The team was running with no intercom on SS5 and despite it working on SS6, they were still distracted. On SS7, "it was just my error" Verdier went on to say. "Now I know where the turns are, so we should be better, and if we get our stuff together, we will be competitive".

Car 26 Kendall/Friberg had two mistakes on SS5 that cost them about 30 seconds and are really "really eating tires". Fortunately for the team, Car 5's (Sarasin/Johansson) crew sold them some of their tires. A respectable gesture, and a sign of the sport, considering Car 5 and Car 26 are direct competitors in the Group 5 class.

Car 207 Hintz/Dillon had a flat on SS7, but was able to continue on.

Trouble for some - Teams Not Likely to continue on  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Car 199 Pastrana/Edstrom have been reported as stopped on SS7 with a mechanical issue. The car was towed to the end of stage and subsequently, pushed into service at least 40 minutes late.

Car 288 Cavett/Perry have a bad clutch and are withdrawing for the day. They will replace the clutch this evening and are planning to run the regional event tomorrow.

Car 245 Wright/Kean is reported as stopped on SS7 with mechanical problems. No further information is available at this time.

Leader Board after 7 stages  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
After 7 stages, the leaderboard is as follows:

Car 5 Pinker/Durant 41:03.2
Car 34 Foust/Beavis 41:12.4
Car 74 Lagemann/Williams 41:17.4
Car 43 Block/Gelsomino 41:54.6
Car 11 Choiniere/Becker 42:39.5

Cars arriving at Service  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
The cars are starting to come in to the last service of the day at the Straddleline ORV Park. The top teams ran SS7 competitively, but net control has reported that, starting with Car 201 Hartmann/Callahan, the cars will be transitting the stage due to rogue spectators. This could delay the event further, but will hopefully be minimized by adjustments made at the regrouping control that is being done here.

Once the teams depart here, they will run 3 more stages before ending at the Little Creek Casino.

ACP concerned with rough roads  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Comrie-Picard and Goldfarb, #20, are choosing their lines on the stages very carefully today. The stages are very rough and they are concerned that the sharp rocks could puncture a tire. After four stages the team is in sixth place; they are in a pack of five cars that are within five seconds of each other. #34, Foust and Beavis, have stepped out in front by seven seconds leaving the rest to battle each other behind them.

Good competition made possible by great crew!!  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Car 26 Kendall/Friberg have a 20 second lead on Car 55 Sarasin/Johansson. Given that Car 55 lost 11 of those seconds on SS2 (with a flat tire), it has otherwise been a tight battle. “It is very competitive and it is good fun having such good competition in our class” stated co-driver Scott Friberg.

After a few tense moments with some parts issues prior to the rally, the car has been running well – a feat that Kendall/Friberg attribute to their crew back in Minnesota (Ron and Sam) as well as their crew on the ground here at Olympus Rally (Dave and Paul).

Bartram sixth in PGT  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Bartram and Hotson, #690, lost time on stage one after they snapped third gear in their transmission. The Sisu crew did an incredible job, and was able to change the transmission in 28 minutes. Despite their best efforts, the team suffered a penalty of 1 minute and 20 seconds for leaving the first service eight minutes late. Currently, the Alpinestars Subaru sits sixth in the PGT class.

Car 203 Heredos/West running strong  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
In a live update form, Car 203 Heredos/West stated, “We have finished the first four stages. (We are) running strong after a minor carburetor issue that the crew fixed swiftly. We are looking forward the class battle with Car 295 Buren/Buren. We would like to say hi to Joy/Michael and Heidi.”

Six stages remain in day one  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
The cars are running stages five, six and seven at this time. They are due to return to the final service here at the Straddleline ORV Park around 4:00 pm. They will then run the final three stages of the day and return to the Little Creek Casino (around 7:30 pm) where the National teams will have a 45 minute service before an overnight Parc Ferme.

Good day gone bad for Car 459 Harris/Warner  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Car 459 Harris/Warner had been having a good day prior to SS4. This is the first rally on stage notes for driver Pat Harris – “using notes for the first time seems weird” stated Pat. It is also the first time the team had an all female crew as well.

After the first series of stages, the team could not have been happier that they were still in the hunt for the finish; unfortunately, the joy was short lived as the team is now being listed as a DNF. Apparently, they have broken a transmission, and given the lengthy time it would require to change a transmission in the Mazda, the team made the choice to withdraw.

Block keeps his eye on the Championship  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
The #43 team, Block and Gelsomino, is having fun while keeping an eye on the National Championship, which they are currently leading. “The roads here are very different from anything I’ve ever driven” said Ken Block, driver of the #43 Monster Subaru. The surface is loose and is very unpredictable, so they have chosen not to push…yet. Block feels that flats will be the biggest battle here this weekend, and like most teams, they will be carrying two spares for the longer stages of the rally. With the roads as loose as they are, the #43 team would prefer to start tomorrow a little farther down in the order in the hopes that some of the rocks will be swept off of the road. They currently sit in 5th position, ten seconds behind the leader.

Some early problems  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
#55, Sarasin and Johansson, suffered a puncture someplace prior to the start of stage two. The control workers at the start of two informed the team at the start line that they had a flat. They believe they lost at least ten seconds on the stage.

#215, Thomas and Gauger, had a difficult start to their rally. The team had no brakes from the start of stage one, fortunately they were able to make it through the first two stages and to service where they were looking into the problem.

Picture courtesy of www.onalimbracing.com.

Tricky roads in Olympus  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
The road conditions will play a large factor in the outcome of the Olympus Rally 2007. #34, Foust and Beavis, feel that the conditions will be a challenge. Tight and twisty roads transition to wide-open 5th gear straights, while the surface could be anything from marbles to extremely sharp rocks. “It doesn’t matter if the stage is three, ten, or 20 miles long, it has a little bit of everything” said Foust. The Rockstar team feels confident that their medium compound Yokohamas are the best choice for the rocky stages. They have also raised the car, although, Foust wishes that for some of the long straights that it could be lower. The rain has been falling here at the ORV Park, which is welcome to many competitors. Foust was hoping for rain, being the first team on the road with only a one minute interval, it should help with the dust. After two stages, #34 is provisionally in second place.

Provisional scores after stage two  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Please note, the scores for the first two stages will be up shortly. We are having some technical problems at this time.

Here are the results as they are shown currently. Be aware that there may be some changes later:
#74 Lagemann
#34 Foust
#5 Pinker
#43 Block
#199 Pastrana
#11 Choiniere
#20 Comrie-Picard
#744 Dimiters
#429 Verdier
#18 Iorio

Close battle for Championship and X Games  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Entering the Olympus Rally, the top four drivers in the 2007 Rally America standings are separated by just 10 points. After three of nine events, Ken Block and co-driver Alessandro Gelsomino lead the standings, followed by Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis. The 2006 Rally America national champions, Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom, are third, while Oregon Trail Rally winner Andrew Pinker is fourth.

In addition to the 2007 Rally America National Championship title, drivers are competing for entry into X Games 13. For the second consecutive year, rally racing will be featured in the Summer X Games, with the first five races of the 2007 Rally America season serving as qualifying events for the popular action-sport competition.

Olympus Rally Begins  - Saturday, May 19, 2007
Olympus Rally, the 4th round of the Rally America National Championship, has begun. The two-day event is a demanding and technical course and known for rugged terrain and unpredictable weather.

While a new addition to the Rally America schedule, the Olympus Rally has a storied past. The Olympus Rally was part on the original SCCA Pro Rally Championship in 1973 as well as a World Rally Championship event from 1986 to 1988.

The teams started the morning at the Capital Mall in Olympia, WA with a parc expose and will be running 10 stages today, two of which are a super special at the Straddleline ORV Park in McCleary, WA – these stages are sure to be a fan favorite. The day will conclude at the Little Creek Casino at 8 PM and will include a parc ferme for the national competitors.

The event will continue again tomorrow morning starting from the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, WA, at 7:15 AM. From there, the teams will have a short parc expose in downtown Shelton and will proceed to run 5 stages and finish at 4:30 PM at the Little Creek Casino.