ProRally: Maine Forest: Round seven event news and notes

SCCA® ProRallysm Championship Round 7 - Maine Forest

When & Where:
July 27-28, 2000; Rumford, ME; approximately 75 miles (115 kilometers) Northeast of Portland, ME.

Schedule: (Subject to change)

Friday, July 26, 2002
2:00 PM Official Start of Maine Forest Rally - Downtown Rumford.
9:00 PM (apx.) Finish Leg 1 of Maine Forest Rally - Rumford.

Saturday, July 27, 2002
9:00 AM Start Leg 2 of Maine Forest Rally - Newry.
4:30 PM (apx.) Finish of Maine Forest Rally - Oquossoc.

Selected entries (Driver/co-driver):

* Current Overall Drivers Championship points leader David Higgins (89 points), with Daniel Barritt, 2002 Subaru WRX.

* Hyundai Rally Team USA: Current Manufacturers Points leaders (76 MFG points) with Mark Higgins and Michael Gibson (#5 car), Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker (#6 car), 2003 Hyundai Tiburons.

* Subaru Rally Team USA: Mark Lovell with Steve Turvey (#1 car), winners of the inaugural SCCA Open Class division at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 2002 Subaru WRX. Also for the Subaru Team, Ramana Lagemann and Michael Kidd, 2002 Subaru WRX.

* 2001 Overall Driver's Championship runner up, Seamus Burke (#25) with Rory Kennedy, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII.

* Jonny Milner, current leader of the 2002 Pirelli British Rally Championship, will be trying out American Rally for the very first time, using a 2002 Subaru WRX from Prodrive.

* Mitsubishi Rally Team USA: Rhys Millen, with Garry Cowan, 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII.

* A huge 19 car Group 2 field is headlined by two works teams, featuring Eric Burmeister, with Cindy Krolikowski, 01 Mazda Protege MP3, and Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Matt Chester, 02 Mitsubishi Lancer RMR. Keeping them on their toes in this highly competitive class will be the impressively quick Matthew Johnson (VW Golf), and James Robinson (Honda Civic)

* Other notables: Frank and Dan Sprongl, winners of the 2002 Sno*Drift Rally in January, 1993 Ford Escort Cosworth; Tom McGeer and Mark Williams, 2002 Subaru Impreza; rising star Mark Nelson and Charles Bradley, 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI; and west coast veterans Carl Jardevall with Amity Trowbridge, 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV.

News of Interest:

* The Maine Forest ProRally is substantially revised this year, using a number of roads new to the rally, and no 'out and back' stages, which should improve the flow of cars considerably. The wildly popular Mexico Recreational Park spectator stage, which is approximately 3 miles north of Rumford on Rt. 17, will take place again immediately following the Parc Expose.

* The SCCA ProRally Overall Drivers Championship points battle tightened considerably with Subaru's win at Pikes Peak, but the Hyundais, which appear to have a horsepower edge over the Subarus, are always a major factor at this rally, which historically has favored faster cars. To quote one driver that survived last years event: 'Maine Forest is too fast to drive slow, but its too rough to drive fast."

* SCCA ProRally: www.sccaprorally.org/ * SCCA Maine Forest Rally: www.maineforestrally.org

The SCCA name and logo is a registered trademark of the Sports Car Club of America, Inc. ProRally, ClubRally and RallyCross are service marks of the SCCA.

The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Subaru, and is televised in North America on SpeedChannel. Time and date listing information available at www.speedtv.com

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