ProRally: Ojibwe Friday Notes

Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally Round #7 - 1998 Michelin PRO Rally Championship Bemidji, Minnesota

Friday, August 29 - 1:00 PM

8. A couple of changes/additions from the last version of the entry list:

--The Gail Truess/Pattie Hughes Mazda 323GTX is in the 04 class in the divisional events as well as Production GT in the national. --An additional divisional entry is the U2 Datsun 510 of Alex Timmermans/John Golden. --Also entered is the Paul Moorman/Suzanne Wootan Saab Sonnet as a U2 Divisional entry. --Although Bryan Hourt will drive both sections of the divisionals in the Honda Research Team's Honda Civic, but Peter Cardimen will co- drive on Friday night while Michael Dunn will do the honors on Saturday. Dunn was previously listed as co-driving for both days.

9. One of the best battles for the season points will be played out this weekend in the overall two-wheel-drive competition, known as the jon Woodner Cup. In the spirit of Jon Woodner, a PRO Rally driver and road racer in the 1970s and early 80s who competed successfully in 2WD cars against 4WD competitors, competitors in 2WD cars across all the classes compete for points awarded by overall finishing positions. Ralph Kosmides/Joe Noyes might have a big lead in Group 5, but their lead in the Woodner points is only four points. Dave White's VW GTI is second, with Bill Malik's Volvo 240 third, only four points behind White.

10. In Group 2, White has a 13-point lead over Malik, with the two cars having turned similar stage times over the last two years. A victory by Dave or a DNF by Bill would virtually clinch the class for the GTI, while a Malik win would mean the championship would go down to the wire.

11. In the Production class, the Jay Kowalik/Scott Embree Honda Civic has a chance to catch points lead Trevor Doniso, who did not bring his Plymouth Neon here from Washington state. As Donison has used several co-drivers to gain his finishes, none has accumulated enough points to run for the championship, so Embree has the co-driver lead at the moment. A Kowalik win will put him only two points behind Donison, and give Embree a commanding lead in the co-driver's chase.

12. In Production GT, no less than five teams - all of whom are here - have a shot at the championship, and that doesn't include two other drivers who could easily score wins here this weekend. Although the Bryan Pepp/Jerry Stang Eagle Talon and the Chris Czyzio/Eric Carlson Mitsubishi Eclipse are out of the points chase, both have won their class at national events, and either could score a win here. Points leaders Lee Shadbolt/Paul Eklund have a seven-point lead in their Subaru Impreza over the only two-wheel-drive car in the class - the Dodge Shadow of Kendall Russell/Lynn Dillon. Both Shadbolt and Ms. Russell have acculumated their points as a result on no DNFs this season and consistent, high finishes. The actual favorites this weekend - all of that said - are old rivals Steve Gingras/Bill Westrick in their Eagle Talon and Cal Landau/Marcus in their Mitsubishi Eclipse ('97 and '95 champions respectively). Both need a win to stay in the points race.

7:00 PM

13. The Jeffrey Panton/John de Mercado Toyota Celica GT4, the Jamaican team which finished second overall here three years ago, will not be at this event as the car did not make it here from Miami. Word from the team was that the car was not ready to run.

14. Jeff Becker, 22-year co-driver veteran and six-time national co-driving champion with Paul Choiniere, has left Minnesota only hours before the start of the rally to go home to be with his wife Tess, who is in the hospital with a viral infection. Wayne Brooks, a veteran co-driver from White Plains, NY, will step into the navigator's seat for Choiniere. Brooks, who is in Minnesota on vacation with his family, thought he would come to the rally and work this weekend, and is now involved in the national points chase we have detailed previously. He started rallying in 1977 with Mark Everett (designer of the current series poster), and had actually co-driven for Paul in the '80s.

Although Becker was able to head home from Bemidji on Northwest Airlines (they wanted to get their plane "home" before the strike), he had to take TWA through St. Louis to get home to New York. Carl Merrill had graciously offered the company plane, but Jeff held that offer in reserve only if he got stuck due to the strike.

15. 45 cars will start the 12th running of the Ojibwe Forests PRO Rally. The cars will running five stages through the White Earth State Forest southwest of Bemidji.

16. In last night's Triple Caution Rally X at Bemidji Speedway's 1/4-mile oval to benefit Muscular Dystrophy, divisional co-driver Al Kintigh, from Brooklyn Park, Minn., borrowed J.B. Niday's Ford Escort and smoked the field with a time of 47.75 seconds (and no penalty cones). Doug Davenport, Kintigh's driver for the Ojibwe Forests event, had a time of 48.78, but hit three cones for an adjusted time of 54.78. Honda Civic driver Jay Kowalik was second with a time of 49.28, while Mark Utecht, the reigning Divisional national champion was third with a time of 49.69. Utecht toured the short course in 45.69, but hit two cones. an afternoon downpour left the course muddy, and the early 4WD competitors could not handle or brake on the course.

46 cars entered the event, with local residents joining rallyists to pay the $10.00 entry fee to benefit MDA. KKBJ-FM Mix 103 in Bemidji helped promote the rallycross, which raised more than $500 for the charity. Michelin will also give away a set of tires as a result of MDA raffle tickets sold at the track and elsewhere. All the recorded time will be posted.

17. David Summerbell, who has won one rally (Rim) and finished third in another (Wild West), started rallying in his native Jamaica after doing motocross and road racing. His competitive career started at the age of eight in swimming. Fellow Jamaican Peter Moodie got him into rally, and he hopes to drive in FIA World Rally Championship. Summerbell, 28 years-old, has worked with Murray Thomas' T.A.D. Motorsports to upgrade the stock Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV with a larger fuel tank, the latest GAB suspension, and more boost since the car's debut in April.

8:00 PM 19. Triple Caution Rally X - Bemidji Speedway - Official Times Class Car Entrant 1st Pylons Total 2nd Pylons Total # Run Run

O4    6    Steve Gingras  50.27   3     56.27   50.97    0    50.97
O4   10    Cal Landau     54.24   4     62.24   55.77    1    57.77
04T  00    Jim Anderson   70.77   1     72.77   66.04    7    80.04
04  135    Paul Eklund    53.27   0     53.27   55.53    2    59.53
04T  99    Dan McDonald   DNF           DNF     59.34    1    61.34
04   91    Peter Winters  68.77   5     78.77   71.41    1    73.41
04   35    Lee Shadbolt   56.16   1     58.16   53.25    1    55.25
04   501   Mike Bodnar    63.10   0     63.1
04   14    Mark Larson    57.21   0     57.21   57.05    0    57.05
O2S   1    Doug Dill      88.99   0     88.99   74.24    0    74.24
04  502    Molly Bodnar   65.11   1     67.11   64.15    0    64.14
02   53    Brett Corneliusen
                          57.57   0     57.57   56.16    0    56.16
O2P  11    Ralph Kosmedies
                          71.12   0     71.12
02   32    Jay Kowalik    DNF           DNF     49.44    1    51.44
02   63    Craig Kazmierczak
                          60.87   0    60.87    55.08    2    59.08
02   22    Jermey Lind    DNF          DNF
04   503          Bodnar  60.07   1    62.07    58.56    4    66.56
02   147   Parker         57.96   0    57.96    56.57    1    58.57
02     7   John Niemi     61.57   0    61.57    53.93    0    53.93
02    77   Bryan Hourt    53.07   0    53.07    47.58    2    51.58
02    11   Kerry Freund   73.72   1    75.72    61.63    0    61.63
02         Joe Noyes      DNF          DNF
02    23   Checkers the Pit clown
                          56.58   0    56.58    54.21    1    56.21
02    83   Joe Ebberts    56.61   0    56.61    57.87    0    57.87
02    89   Stuart Lenz    70.79   0    70.79    58.71    1    60.71
02   191   Bob Carter     92.52   6   104.52
02    28   Ron Hirabayashi
                          56.88   2    60.88    DNF
02    62   Doug Davenport 58.77   0    58.77    48.78    3    54.78
02   122   Jared Kemp     67.76   0    67.76    61.65    0    61.65
02    83   Mark Utecht    51.96   5    61.96    45.69    2    49.69
02   173   Curt Mueller   63.67   0    63.67    62.55    1    64.55
02    37                  65.85   0    65.85
02    47   J. B. Niday    54.18   0    54.18    50.04    0    50.04
02     9   Tim Winker     58.08   2    62.08    50.10    0    50.10
02    38   Jim Buchwitz   60.40   1    62.40    56.95    0    56.95
02         Jacob Heinz    59.25   0    59.25    52.32    4    60.32
02    471  Al Kintigh     57.49   1    59.49    47.75    0    47.75
02         Roland McIvor  53.40   1    55.40    50.54    0    50.54
02    504      Bodnar     55.56   1    57.56    DNF           DNF
02     69  Jerry Winker   52.70   0    52.70    53.76    0    53.76
02     22                 71.80   0    71.80
02    178  Allan Plantikow
                          64.34   2    68.34    54.06    0    54.06
02    177                 61.59   1    63.59    53.36    0    53.36
02     17  Mark McNamara  DNF          DNF
02     12  Jim Dale       55.35   0    55.35    52.52    0    52.52
02    132  Jay Kowalik    51.62   2    55.62    47.28    1    49.28
02         Glen Mazzone   DNF          DNF      DNF           DNF