The champagne has been sprayed
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
The champagne has been sprayed and the New England Forest Rally has come to a
close. Be sure to check out all the action as the Rally America series airs on
ESPN2 and when Rally returns to the X Games in Los Angeles August 5th live, on
ABC
The results are set to go provisional
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Barring any inquiries, results will be final 30 minutes after they have been
posted.
Overall/Open
Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom
Car 17, L'Estage / Williams
Car 43, Block / Gelsomino
PGT
Car 429, Verdier / Crouch
Car 59, Moro / Rossey
Car 19, Penasack / Putnam
G2
Car 70, Duplessis / Headland
Car 514, Losier / Woods
Car 325, Burke / Beavis
G5
Car 26, Kendall / Friberg
Production
Car 574, Lehner / DeRose
Iorio off on transit
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Car 5, Pinker / Durant, and Car 59, Moro / Rossey, both earned some 'rally
karma' at the end of the rally today. Car 18, Iorio / Holter, were stopped on
the side of the road with engine failure when Pinker and Durant stopped to to
help. Pinker was able to tow Iorio for about 20 miles of the transit, but after
noticing that they might run out of gas, they had to leave them. Fortunately,
they had Moro following behind, who was able to hook up to the 18 car and tow it
in the rest of the way. Thanks to the help of their fellow competitors, Iorio
and Holter were able to make it to the finish without penalty finishing in
fourth place.
Informational times are in
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Scores are being called back to the finish and from what we have heard, Car 199,
Pastrana / Edstrom, has taken the win over Car 17, L'Estage / Williams, by less
than seven seconds. In third, over a minute back from L'Estage, is Car 43, Block
/ Gelsomino. Based on this information, L'Estage will receive the final
invitation for the X Games.
The teams still have to make the final transit and their time cards checked for
accuracy and reviewed for penalties.
Reports in from service
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
We have reports from the last service that Car 43, Block / Gelsomino, is
overheating as was Car 17, L'Estage / Williams. Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom, is
dripping fluids, and Car 59, Moro / Rossey, came in with a chipped windshield.
Car 572, Robinson / Jessup is reported off on SS8 and Car 31, Hoche-Mong /
Parekh came into the service on a tow strap. Car 25, Burke / Fries, retired from
the rally earlier in the day with mechanical problems.
There are two stages remaining to decide the 2007 New England Forest Rally.
Pinker moves up
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
After losing a large amount of time with two flats and suspension damage
yesterday, Car 5, Pinker / Durant, has climbed into fifth position. The team
moved up three positions in the first two stages of the day; "we are pushing as
hard as we can, we can't just expect the guys in front of us to slow down and
wait for us" said Marc Blackburn, team Manager for the Jack Daniel's Subaru.
With Championship points up for grabs, don't expect Pinker to slow down any time
soon.
Kendall and Friberg lead Group 5
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Car 26, Kendall / Friberg, finally found their pace after a conservative start
to their rally yesterday. "We're finally running at the pace we should be at"
said Friberg. The team is really enjoying the fun and fast roads here on their
first run at the New England Forest Rally.
Flat tires an issue
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Both Car 690, Bartram / Hotson, and Car 46, Johnson / Wimpey, suffered flats on
SS7. The teams are regular PGT competitors, and have brought their friendly
competition to Open class for this event. "I had a faster stage than Matthew on
seven...but he was driving on the left front rim" smiled Bartram. The 690 team,
who had a flat rear tire on stage 7, didn't even know they had a flat until the
finish and they lost very little time.
"The PGT car is more forgiving with a flat than the Open car, I couldn't turn
right at all" said Johnson. The team tiptoed through the corners and tried to
make up time on the straights. They achieved their goal of having no offs and no
damage to the car. Johnson's plan for the rest of the day, "I need to just drive
my own rally and set some competitive stage times and let the chips fall where
they may."
Duplessis leads Group 2
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Car 70, Duplessis / Headland, won yesterday's Regional rally and lead Group 2 in
the National. "We're having an excellent time, we haven't scared ourselves once"
smiled Duplessis. The team is working well together, having fun and laughing on
the stages. As you drive through town you'll notice their fan club has been hard
at work putting up signs that say "Go Car 70" everywhere possible. The team is
on pace to add a couple more trophies to the collection this weekend and make
their fans proud.
PGT
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Car 429, Verdier / Crouch, have extended their lead in PGT to nearly a minute.
Things are going well for the Flatiron's Subaru team and they have found a pace
that is comfortable to them. Their strategy of taking time to judge the
competition to determine where they need to be running seems to be paying off.
Second in PGT is Car 59, Moro / Rossey. The team has less than 20 seconds on
third place, Car 19, Penasack / Putnam. Moro has had a clean rally and are
having a good time, but they really need to focus to stay in front of Penasack.
Car 19, Penasack / Putnam, lost time on SS7 when their catalytic converter
broke apart blocking their exhaust. The Dunkin' Rally Crew did a great job
cleaning the cat out and getting the team ready to go for the final stages of
the rally. Expect the Dunkin' Rally Team to make a charge for second place in
the final stages of the rally.
Heading to the finish
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Rally America truck is heading to the finish where we expect to see the
first car arrive at 7:00 pm. Please check back for all the latest news and the
final results.
Pastrana maintains lead, but not by much!
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom, lead the rally after SS8 over Car 17, L'Estage /
Williams, but only by 0.6 seconds. Pastrana is running well, but L'Estage is
running well too. The 17 team has a difficult decision to make over the next set
of stages; they can run conservatively to ensure an invitation to the X Games or
they can push for the win. It may be a difficult task for L'Estage sit back and
let Pastrana drive away to the victory. We will see how it all plays out when we
finish at Sunday River.
Delay
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
There have been delays on the stages this morning and the cars are just arriving
to service. The latest times will be available shortly.
New gearbox for the Hanson's
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
The team of Car 523, Hanson / Hanson, was able to change the transmission in
their Subaru in the overnight service. They put the car on the trailer to get it
to the morning Parc Expose in Berlin, where they were able to finish up their
service.
Car 17, L'Estage / Williams, had also contemplated changing their transmission
after they heard some concerning noise and grinding when they left yesterday's
service. In anticipation, the crew pulled the transmission from the Car 11,
Choiniere / Becker Hyundai that DNF'd yesterday, so, if need be, they could put
L'Estage's car. Fortunately, the crew determined that the swap was unnecessary
and they have continued as is.
Early day two retirements
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
It has been reported that Car 55, Sarasin / Johansson is off about 4 miles into
SS6. They team is OK, but they will not be able to continue. Also reported out
is Car 774, Dimiters / Ockwell, with "a box full of neutrals", they have retired
less than a mile into SS6.
Day two of NEFR begins
- Saturday, July 14, 2007
After being on display in downtown Berlin this morning, the cars have headed off
to begin the final stages of the rally. Six stages remain in the rally with two
service breaks; the first service is at the New Hampshire Community and
Technical College. The first car is scheduled to arrive at 11:00; we will have
the latest news and scores once the cars arrive.
Day one complete in New England
- Friday, July 13, 2007
The teams have finished service for the night and all the National cars have
been placed in Parc Ferme. Teams will be able to remove their cars at 6:30 am
tomorrow. They will have until 8:00 am to get to Berlin, NH where they will
start the final day of the New England Forest Rally. The teams will have six
stages and almost 75 miles to contest before the winner of the rally and the
final invitation to the X Games will be determined.
The Mexico Regional Rally is finished and the scores are final.
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 70, Duplessis / Headland, took the overall win in a Group 2 VW followed by
Car 631, O'leary / O'leary, and Car 110, Cassidy / Getchell.
Class winners:
Group 2 Car 70, Duplessis / Headland
Open Car 631, O'leary / O'leary
Group 5 Car 280, Healey / Macleod
Production Car 572, Robinson / Jessup
Scott and Dillon back in the New England Forest
- Friday, July 13, 2007
The car of Car 96, Scott / Dillon, is running well and the team is having a good
run. This is the first time the West coast based team has been to this East
coast event in a long time, so they plan on being a little cautious and making
sure they keep the car on the road.
Block in third
- Friday, July 13, 2007
The conservative approach seems to be working for Car 43, Block / Gelsomino, as
they finish day one in third place. They are staying in the middle of the road
and going for the finish and Championship points. Block is currently second in
the National Championship, 16 points behind leader Andy Pinker. There was rain
that fell while the teams waited between stages three and four that Block stated
helped the road conditions. "The surface is pretty loose, I don't think that the
rain on Wednesday hurt the stages" said Block.
Iorio and Holter are having fun
- Friday, July 13, 2007
It's no surprise to those that know the team of Iorio and Holter, that they
always go all out. With nothing to loose this weekend, they are "going for it".
The team is already going to the X Games, and they have another car that is all
set to go to L.A. if anything should happen to the one they are running here
this weekend. Holter said "Matt is yelling wahoo on the stages, especially over
the jumps when we were doing at least 90 mph. When Matt wahoos, everything is
good!" At the end of the first day, the team sits in fourth place.
"Cowboy" Kenny Bartram runs Open class
- Friday, July 13, 2007
PGT regulars, Car 690, Bartram / Hotson, are stepping up to Open class for the
weekend with their sights set on an invitation to the X Games. "I'm loving life"
grinned Bartram when asked how he liked running the Open class Subaru STi.
Bartram felt they were going as fast on SS4 as they could, but after looking at
their stage times, he said "well, obviously we need to go even faster." They are
currently 9th overall.
Hanson second in PGT
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Despite loosing third gear, Car 523, Hanson / Hanson, are second in PGT and 11th
overall at the end of day one. At the first service today, the team planned to
change the transmission fluid and "get the big chunks out". They will be
attempting to do a transmission change in the hour-long service tonight.
Transmission change for Burke
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 25, Burke / Fries, will be attempting to change the gearbox in their Open
class Mitsubishi in the hour long service tonight. The team lost 5th gear early
in the day, and third gear is "iffy". With only three technicians being allowed
to work on the car in service, swapping the gearbox may be a challenge. When
asked if they were looking to get an invite to the X Games, Burke replied,
"we're just here for the ride".
Pinker in eighth
- Friday, July 13, 2007
After hitting a rock on SS3, Car 5, Pinker / Durant, dropped to eighth place.
The stage was going very well for the team and they really felt like they were
"in the groove" until they hit something about three miles from the finish of
the stage. Neither driver or co-driver saw what they hit, but it caused both
right side tires to go flat and damaged the front and rear suspension. They were
able to change one of the flats at the finish of the stage, but were forced to
drive SS4 and the transit back to service with the flat rear tire. The team was
able to make it to service on time, but just barely; the only penalty they
suffered was the time they lost while running the stages. The crew was also able
to get the car repaired in the allotted time, but again, with just seconds to
spare. The car will be thoroughly gone through in the 60 minute service tonight
in preparation for the final stages of the rally.
Rough week for Dimiters
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 774, Dimiters / Ockwell, has had a difficult week to say the least! Earlier
in the week the team had the car on the dyno and the engine let go. After
changing the engine, they had the car out on this morning's practice stage,
where they broke not one, but three axles. Their Friday the 13th luck continued
when they lost the speed sensor early on today's stages. Despite the problems,
the team sits in sixth place at the end of day one. With the 60 minute service
break before the Parc Ferme, they hope to sort out all of their remaining
problems and run cleanly tomorrow.
Pastrana leads at the end of day one
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 199, Pastrana / Edstrom, leads the rally after five stages. "We're using the
whole road and we're driving more committed, more like Ken Block actually" said
Pastrana, "if Christian says it's a six, I'm wide open." The team started first
on the road today, although not normally known as the fastest position, they
were having a great time making their own lines.
O'Neil looking for X Games spot?
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Also looking at a shot at the X Games is rally veteran Tim O'Neil running in the
CPD Open class Subaru STi. The team lost some time when they had a flat on SS3,
but they lost more time with a spin and stalling the car. After the five stages,
O'Neil is in seventh place.
Johnson runs Open in New England
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 46, Johnson / Wimpey, are having a great time running an Open class car
instead of their normal PGT entry. Johnson has borrowed an Open class Subaru
from Bob Wall in the hopes that they can be in a position to secure the
remaining invitation to the X Games. Things were getting better by SS4, Johnson
was getting into the swing of things and learning the nuances of the new car.
"We need to get up to speed to have a fighting chance", said Wimpey. Johnson
stated that he was having trouble figuring out the braking zones, often braking
early for corners. "Nothing heroic, the car's clean and there's no dents" smiled
Johnson as he pulled into service.
L'Estage in second
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Car 17, L'Estage / Williams, have been running a good pace so far today, but not
pushing as hard as they can. Depending on where they are at the end of the
night, they will decide if they will be pushing for the win, or just the X Games
invitation. After five stages the team is in second place.
Choiniere out
- Friday, July 13, 2007
#11, Choiniere and Becker, have been reported out on stage three with an engine
fire. The team is OK, but the condition of the car is unknown at this time.
Cars are in
- Friday, July 13, 2007
The cars have just arrived to the first service. They are currently in a
regrouping control in order to bunch the field up and allow everyone the same
amount of service time. We will have the latest news soon.
Downs out on shakedown stage.
- Friday, July 13, 2007
#878, Downs and Obry, were unable to run today’s rally due to a broken right
rear axle that they suffered on the shakedown this morning. The team hopes to
be able to fix the car and run tomorrow in the Regional rally.
Rain storms at Sunday River
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Wednesday night flooding rains swept through the Bethel, Maine area causing
problems at Sunday River, the rally headquarters hotel. The rains caused
flooding of the local roads and washed out the bridge leading to the Sunday
River Grand Summit Lodge. There were teams that were stuck in the hotel, some
that had left for diner and were suck outside the hotel, and some that were
unable to even get into the area. Despite the washed out roads and the water
being off throughout the resort, Sunday River did and exceptional job in finding
accommodations for all those that were displaced. By Thursday afternoon, all
of the local roads had re-opened and water service had been restored. You never
know what adventure you’ll find at a rally!
X Games invite up for grab!
- Friday, July 13, 2007
With one invitation remaining for the X Games next month, expect anything!
Teams who are looking to claim the coveted invite will be pushing hard and doing
whatever it takes. How it works; of the teams that have not yet been invited,
the team that finishes this rally in the highest position will be invited to
compete in the X Games.
X Games invitees so far: Travis Pastrana, Colin McRae, Ken Block, Andy Pinker,
Tanner Foust, Paul Choiniere, Matt Iorio, Andrew Comrie-Picard, and Ramana
Lagemann.
New England Forest Rally begins!
- Friday, July 13, 2007
Round six of the Rally America National Championship gets underway this
afternoon in Rumford, Maine. The field of 38 teams will face nearly 100 miles
of stage roads over the two day rally; 25 of those stages miles will be run
today.
The fans will have a great opportunity to see the cars in action in their two
passes of a super special stage at the Mexico Recreation Area. The cars will
then head out to the woods for two more stages before the night's only service
break. One last stage will round out the day followed by an overnight Parc
Ferme for the National teams. Prior to the Parc Ferme, where the teams are not
allowed to touch the cars, the crews will be allowed 60 minutes of service time
to repair and reprep anything that they need to.
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