Prescott Forest Rally VIII
July 8 & 9, 1995
Michelin/SCCA PRO Rally Championship - Round 7
1995 SCCA Divisional PRO Rally - Coefficient 3
California Rally Series Championship
1. Entry Fees:
Divisional:
$219.00 (postmarked by June 15, 1995)
$249.00 (postmarked by June 29, 1995)
$279.00 (after June 29, cash only)
National:
$239.00 (postmarked by June 15, 1995)
$269.00 (postmarked by June 29, 1995)
$299.00 (after June 29, cash only)
Entry is limited to 40 by the Forest Service.
2. Event Description:
The event will cover approximately 160 miles with 64 stage miles. Elevation varies from 5000 to 6500 feet. Road conditions vary from very narrow, tight and twisty to faster, more open.
3. Tentative Schedule:
Saturday, July 8
08:00 - 11:00 Registration and Scrutineering
10:00 - 11:00 Beginner's School
13:00 - 14:00 Parc Expose
13:30 Drivers' Meeting/Time Cards Issued
14:00 First Car Out
22:30 First Car Finish
Sunday, July 9
07:00 Scores Provisional
09:00 Awards
All pre- and post-rally activities will be at the headquarters.
4. Headquarters:
Marshall John's Grill and BBQ
Depot Market Place
Prescott, AZ
(520) 778-3663
5. Miscellaneous Information:
Send entries to:
Prescott Forest Rally Assoc.
1052 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301.
Please help the registrar and send a copy of all your licenses, registrations, and memberships with your entry. Also your car number if you have one already. Questions? Jeff Hendricks, (520) 445-3218 (days), (520) 778-7312 (evenings).
The headquarters is not a hotel and this is prime vacation time in Prescott; make your room reservations ASAP or you might be sleeping in your car!
Motel 6
1111 E. Sheldon St.
(520) 776-0160
Super 8
1105 E. Sheldon St.
(520) 776-1282
American Motel
1211 E. Gurley St.
(520) 778-4322
Prescottonian Motel
1317 E. Gurley St.
(520) 445-3096
Comfort Inn
1290 White Spar Rd.
(520) 778-5770
Prescott Resort (Sheraton)
1500 E. Hwy 69
(520) 776-1666
Press Notes #1 Prescott Forest Rally Prescott, Arizona Round #7 -
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series July 8, 1995 - 2:00 PM (Pacific)
1. Welcome to Prescott, Arizona, and the seventh running of
the Prescott Forest Rally, Round #7 of the SCCA/Michelin
PRO Rally series. This is the fourth year that national
PRO Rally drivers will be able to score points at the
Prescott Forest Rally, with veteran and recent Pikes Peak
runner-up Rod Millen winning the event in 1992 in a Mazda
323GTX, defending champions Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker
taking the win in 1993 in their Audi Quattro S-2, and
Jeff Zwart/Martin Headland winning last year in their
Porsche Carrera 4.
2. As in 1994, this year's Prescott Forest Rally is a
coefficient 3 rally where the national drivers can
score 60 percent of their normal points; that is, a
divisional PRO Rally where national competitors can score
championship points equal to 60 percent of their normal
value. Drivers running for national points will receive
60 percent of a full national event (first place - 12
points instead of the normal 20; second place - 9 points
instead of 15; third place - 7.2 points instead of 12,
etc.). The final overall national standings will by-pass
the divisional-only competitors. The rally was a
coefficient 3 event in '92, went to a full national in
'93, and back to a 60 percenter last year.
3. Many of the top national PRO Rally point leaders did not
make it to Prescott this weekend for a number of reasons.
With only six of the 11 events in the series counting
towards the final point standings, and with most of the
top runners already having run five or six events, this
was a logical event to skip, especially for those on the
East Coast. Also, with only a maximum of 12 points to be
garnered for a class or overall win, most of the
top racers will take their chances with the four
remaining full-points events.
The lack of top runners is in no way a reflection on the
roads or the organizers, and this is always a well-run
event and several of the road are nationally-known as
fine rally stages.
4. For the first time in many years, there are no clear
favorites for the overall win, as, with the quirks of
seeding cars, the first car on the road is a Production
car with only 125 hp! The Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Kia
Sephia, which was sixth overall and first in the
Production class at Rim of the World in May, will be
first on the road as Lonnie is a national seed 2 and
divisional seed one - higher than the other competitors.
The car has a 1.8-litre, DOHC, 125 HP motor, combined
with a strong chassis and independent front and
rear suspension.
Others that have a shot at the top spot for this event include:
--The Ken Cassidy/Karen Burrows Mitsubishi Galant - Tony
Takaori's right-hand drive Group A car that finished second
here last year behind Zwart.
--The Chris Weleff/Brian Paul Group A Toyota AllTrac - always
competitive in class with the Group A cars having the most
horsepower here.
--The Roger Hull/Sean Gallagher Eagle Talon Production GT
car - as a former organizer, Hull knows the course and used to
put a pickup in the top 10; he should finish well if the new
Eagle is running right.
--The Harris Done/Larry Scott Group 2 Mazda RX-7 - always in the
top ten here and at Rim - could finish high with the big guys
not entering.
--Mike Whitman/Kevin Linville Datsun 510 - like Peterson, Mike's
a former divisional national champion with a good finishing
record in the rough stuff.
5. As far as the national points go - with so few of the leaders
here - the possible impact of the Prescott Rally is as follows:
--No one is here from the overall top 10.
--In Group A, Chris Weleff can take the lead with any finish
as he is only three points behind the leaders, but both Rick
Davis and Bruce Newey plan to run several more event, and Chris
will probably not make it back East.
--In Production GT, David Ralakis can solidify third place in the
standings with a finish.
--In Production, Lon Peterson can climb into season-long
contention for the championship IF he finishes and IF he and
Kia can find a way to make the rest of the events against points
leader Tad Ohtake and the two Honda Preludes (and Bob Elliott's
VW GTI.
--In Group 2 - with Goran Ostlund not running this year and Sam
Bryan not here - there are more contenders who need the 12
points than in the other classes. Bill Malik, Dave Peterson can
all take over undisputed possession of second place - and move
within striking distance of Bryan - for the points lead.
6. In case you missed it, Paul Choiniere in his Hyundai Elantra won
again at Mt. Washington on June 25, beating Frank Sprongl's Audi
Quattro S-2 by a little more than one second. Other top
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally finishers at the Climb to the Clouds -
a 7.4-mile road to the top of New England's highest peak -
included: Bruno Kreibich - Audi Quattro (3rd); Carl Merrill -
Ford Escort Cosworth (5th); Tim O'Neil, VW GTI (6th and 1st in
class); Jon Kemp - Audi 4000 Quattro (9th); Bob Elliott - VW GTI
(10th and 1st in class); Carlos Filipe - VW Golf (11th); Don
Taylor - Dodge Omni (12th); Jon Pizzagalli - VW GTI (15th); Jeff
Becker - Audi Coupe (19th).
Merrill Chevy S-10 All-wheel-drive pick-up did not finish after
it broke a half-shaft - its third of the weekend. Merrill ran his
car up the mountain, took a helicopter back down, and run the
truck.
Press Notes #2 Prescott Forest Rally Prescott, Arizona Round #7 -
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series July 9, 1995 - 1:00 AM (Pacific)
7. Although this is a little backwards for the normal press
notes format, we will give you the results first (FLASH!)
and then the rally details will follow. The Prescott
Forest PRO Rally is over, and it was the guys who needed
the points the most who finished on top. Harris Done and
co-driver Larry Scott were first in their Group 2 Mazda
RX-7, defeating fellow Group 2 competitor Bill
Malik/Roine Anderson by more than a minute in the five
stage event. Chris Weleff/Brian Paul's Group A Toyota
AllTrac won that class and was third, followed by the
Production class winners Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann in
their Kia Sephia.
Other class winners included:
Roger Hull/Sean Gallagher, Eagle Talon (Production GT)
Dave Turner/Ben Bradley, Mitsubishi Pickup (Rally Truck)
Tony Chavez/Jose Soria, Mitsubishi Eclipse (Open)
Final entry list, rally details, and final results coming
later today (Sunday).
Press Notes #3 Prescott Forest Rally Prescott, Arizona Round #7 -
SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series July 9, 1995 - 11:00 AM (Pacific)
8. As you can see from the results, there were many
surprises at this event, and we apologize again for the
backwards order in which they have been presented, but we
wanted to get the results out as soon as we had them.
9. One of the biggest surprises was the entry of the Audi
Quattro of Rui Brasil/Carlos Tavares. Rui was in Hungary
(the Eastern European country) on business until early
Friday morning, and had originally cancelled his entry.
But rally fever was two much for the Portuguese/American
driver from San Jose, and he spent 26 hours on airplanes
to get to Prescott in time to start the event. The 300
HP Audi became the instant favorite to win the event, but
two flat tires on stage #2 sunk his chances. Breakdowns
on stage #2 were especially crucial as stage #3 was the
same road backwards, and there was no service in-between.
Thus, two flats on #2 meant you ran with two flats on #3.
By the way, stages #2 and #3 were both a grueling 18
miles long.
Rui lost more than 15 minutes to the field, and finished
9th overall.
10. Winners Harris Done (pronounced "Doane" with a long "O")
and Larry Scott always lurk in the top ten when they make
it to SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally events, but this was their
first victory. Their Mazda RX-7 Group 2 car is the first
two-wheel-drive car to finish first in a national points
event since Tim O'Neil won a national event in a
Production class car in 1989. Done, who lives in Los
Angeles and is a movie cameraman, is a regular competitor
in the California Rally Series.
His win is even more impressive since he broke a strut on
that infamous stage #2, and ran the rest of #2 and #3 on
a broken strut. Done said after the rally that the 100
degree-plus heat really took its toll on the 4WD turbo
cars, and he was able to take advantage of that for the
win.
11. Second place finishers Bill Malik and Roine Anderson -
also Group 2 entries and like Done and Scott always in
the top ten at national events - made the biggest gain in
the point standings with their second place finish.
Malik now has 42.3 points in the Group 2 standings - just
3.8 points behind leader Sam Bryan. Mike Whitman, by
finishing third in Group 2, now moves into fourth place
with 33.2 points, just 12.8 behind Bryan. Neither driver
was planning to go to the Midwest or East Coast events,
but...
12. 22 of the original 30 starters finished, with 11 national
finishers.
13. With his victory in the Rally Truck class - his second of
the season, Dave Turner takes over the lead in that
class with his ex-Chad Dykes Mitsubishi Pickup. With
only Greg Healy scoring points - a win a Sunriser in
April - Turner's lead in the Truck class could be
insurmountable.
14. The next event on the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally circuit is
the Maine Forest Summer Rally, July 29, in Rumford,
Maine. By just starting the event (and gaining the two
starting points), Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker will
clinch the 1995 SCCA/Michelin national
15. The Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia scored its
second straight national Production class win, and is
well on its way to a divisional and CRS championship.
Kia, a Korean manufacturer selling cars in 11 Western
states, has so far not shown interest in a national rally
program, so Lonnie will probably not contest the rest of
the series. The only problem they had was an electrical
problem early in the event when a loose wire left them
running on three cylinders, but competitors Dennis
Chizma and John Moore helped them fix the problem and get
them on their way.
16. The Mike Whitman/Kevin Linville Datsun 510, which
finished fifth overall and third in Group 2, had a 20
second lead over Done/Scott after two stages, but then
Whitman broke a brake line followed by the U joint on the
drive-shaft, and Mike lost time he couldn't make up.
17. Although they don't count as part of the national
standings as they were entered as divisional cars only,
the Dennis Chizma/John Moore VW Rabbit ran a very
respectable rally with a time that would have placed them
sixth overall in the national. Similarly, the Robert
Tallini/Terry Stonecipher Toyota would also have finished
in the top ten in the national event.
HARRIS DONE'S 2WD MAZDA WINS SCCA/MICHELIN RALLY IN PRESCOTT
PRESCOTT, Arizona -- July 9 -- Harris Done, a movie cameraman from Los Angeles, and co-driver Larry Scott, from Escondido, Calif., driving a 1979 Mazda RX-7, became the first two-wheel-drive competitors in seven years to win a SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally event as they scored a one minute victory at the Prescott Forest Rally.
Second place went to another older 2WD car - the Volvo 240 of Bill Malik, from Burbank, Calif., and Roine Anderson, from Santa Clarita, Calif.
In 100-degree-plus weather and unusually high humidity for the Arizona desert, most of the more powerful all-wheel-drive turbo cars had either overheating or turbocharger problems, and Done thought that might have aided his win.
"Although we were just as hot in the driver's compartment, our car ran cooler than the 300 HP cars, and we didn't have any flat tires," said Done, who has always done well in local events, but had never won a national points rally until today.
Besides Done and Malik, who were also first and second in the Group 2 class, the other class winners included the Chris Weleff/Brian Paul Toyota All-Trac (Group A), the Roger Hull/Sean Gallagher Eagle Talon (Production GT), the Tony Chavez/Jose Soria Mitsubishi Eclipse (Open), the Lon Peterson/Bill Gutzmann Kia Sephia (Production), and the Dave Turner/Ben Bradley Mitsubishi Pickup (RallyTruck).
With Turner hailing from Hemet, Peterson from Victorville, Chavez from Santa Fe Springs and Weleff from Riverside, all the big winners at Prescott were from Southern California except Roger Hull, who is a local Prescott resident.
Of the contenders that did not finish or finished far down because of mechanical problems, the combination of stages #2 and #3 - an 18-mile road which was run in both directions - seemed to be the backbreaker. Rui Brasil, the event favorite, had two flat tires on #2, and had to run the entire 18 miles on one flat in his Audi Quattro. Mike Whitman's Datsun 510 was leading the event when it broke both a brake line and a driveshaft on #2.
The top series points leaders (Paul Choiniere, Henry Joy, Carl Merrill and Peter Moodie) chose not to come to Prescott because it was only 60 percent points, and there was a conflicting Canadian rally this weekend.
The next event on the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally circuit is the Maine Forest Summer Rally, July 29, in Rumford, Maine. By just starting the event (and gaining the two starting points), Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker will clinch the 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally national championship in their Hyundai Elantra for the fourth year in a row.