SCCA ProRally - Final Results - Prescott Forest
For immediate release 06 October, 2001
SCCA ProRally Championship - Round #9 - Prescott Forest
Final Results, Key Notes
Lovell Triumphs, Lawler Makes Long-Awaited Comeback
Prescott, Arizona - Featuring much smoother roads than teams had to endure in
Leg One, the remaining survivors of yesterday's night of rallying headed
north of Prescott to historic Jerome, where some of the highest elevation
stages in the world (well over 6500 feet) beckoned. Mark Lovell, who snapped
up the lead from a rapidly fading Seamus Burke halfway through Leg One never
looked back, and finished the event with a 5-minute margin over Hyundai's
Noel Lawler and a hard charging Mark Nelson. The overall Drivers'
championship for 2001 now securely his; Lovell needs only to finish at Lake
Superior in two weeks to secure Subaru's Overall Manufacturers Title.
Key Notes:
¨ Noel Lawler? Yes - along with faithful co-driver Charles Bradley, the
1999 SCCA champions were back on the podium after a 13-month hiatus. The
jubilant Irishmen drove a hard rally, the punishing roads giving their
Hyundai the longest workout of the season. By the final stage, the duo was
battling turbo, starter, and clutch problems, but wouldn't relent. "The
monkey is finally off our back," said a clearly elated Bradley after his
first taste of winners circle champagne in over a year.
¨ Before daybreak Seamus Burke made one of the most difficult decisions of
his season - and withdrew from a rally he had hoped to be, and was at one
time, winning. Leading the unadjusted* drivers championship points over
Subaru works driver Mark Lovell by 6 points, a strong finish was essential to
keep Burke's Drivers Championship hopes alive. The extensive damage to the
car, and the nearly 30 minutes in time penalties that the team accrued making
roadside repairs were more than could be made up even under the best of
circumstances.
¨ Mark Nelson was the star of today's show, winning all but one stage of
the day, and keeping his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI in mint condition as well.
Nelson, in his second full season of SCCA ProRally competition has been
steadily improving all year, and this event was his finest ever, and marked
his first trip to the podium. "We saw his stage times at service and we
realized right away we would be watching our mirrors for the rest of the
day…it was just his event and it was all we could do to hold him off"
remarked Bradley.
¨ In Woodner Cup competition for overall two-wheel drive honors, the
year-end unadjusted* scores have really tightened up, with a showdown looming
at Lake Superior. David White holds a 3-point edge over Tad Ohtake (93 - 90)
but Andrew Havas' strong 5th place overall finish today brings him in
striking distance with 79 points.
¨ In Production, Tony Chavez' 5-minute margin over rival Craig Peeper just
wasn't quite enough to clinch the class trophy, so both will have to travel
to Lake Superior to determine the championship. Peeper has his work cut out
for himself though - to win the year-end he will have to take the class win
in Houghton.
¨ The SCCA ProRally Championship's final event of the season in two weeks,
is in a location and climate very far removed from Arizona's warm and sunny
skies - traveling to the northernmost tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, for
the historic Lake Superior Rally in Houghton.
* at the conclusion of the final round in two weeks, SCCA Drivers
Championship rules dictate that only the best 7 events of the season will
count towards the 2001 championship award. For drivers that entered more
than 7 events, their points totals will be adjusted down, by dropping their
weakest finishes.
Prescott Forest SCCA ProRally Championship Round #9
05-06 October, 2001
Finish Order (official)
times are in hours:minutes:seconds
start Finish Car# Time Seed Class Driver Co-driver year
Car
2 1 14 2:05:56 0 Open Mark Lovell Mike Kidd 02 Subaru Impreza WRX
4 2 3 2:10:45 0 Open Noel Lawler Charles Bradley 00 Hyundai
Tiburon
21 3 110 2:11:15 3 Open Mark Nelson Alex Gelsomino 00 Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo VI
8 4 107 2:11:54 1 Open Tim Paterson Scott Ferguson 97
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV
18 5 188 2:14:40 2 Gr 5 Andrew Havas John Allen 79 Mazda RX-7
12 6 22 2:17:14 1 Gr N Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes 99 Subaru
Impreza WRX-STi
17 7 90 2:19:05 2 GT Lauchlin O'Sullivan John Dillon 94 Mitsubishi
Eclipse GSX
20 8 7 2:20:55 2 Open George Plsek Ronan Burke 92 Audi S2
28 9 331 2:21:20 4 Open David Turner Mike McComas 94 Jeep
Cherokee
13 10 235 2:22:32 1 Gr 2 David White James Brandt 87 VW Golf GTi
29 11 403 2:22:37 5 Open Wyeth Gublemann Therin Pace 02 Subaru
Impreza WRX
25 12 95 2:29:05 2 P Tony Chavez Doug Robinson 86 VW Golf GTi
19 13 63 2:30:00 2 Gr 5 Tad Ohtake Bob Martin 98 Ford Escort ZX2
31 14 94 2:33:54 5 P Craig Peeper Ian Bevan 00 Ford Focus ZX3
33 15 72 2:36:48 5 Gr 2 Jon Hamilton Ken Sabo 81 VW Rabbit
34 16 367 2:45:15 6 Gr 2 Richard Byford Frances Olson 72 BMW 2002
35 17 325 2:50:05 6 GT Bruce Brown Bob Moe 93 Subaru Impreza
32 18 370 2:58:50 5 Gr 5 William Yates Julie Yates 85 Toyota MR2
24 19 51 2:59:29 3 Gr 2 Jay Streets Al Kintigh 85 Toyota Corolla
*complete results will be posted on the Prescott Forest website:
http://www.prescottforestrally.com
Leg One Retirements - official
Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year Make stage
Retirement cause
28 Bill Malik Christian Edstrom G2 93 Volvo SS1 Transmission
33 Rhys Millen Josh Jacquot Open 00 Mitsubishi SS1 Driveshaft
49 Jonathan Ryther Janice Damitio Open 00 Subaru SS1 Fuel tank rupture
349 Tom Juliani Dan Oebker Open 83 Audi SS1 Undisclosed mechanical
1 Paul Choiniere Jeff Becker Open 00 Hyundai SS2 Off-road - stuck
2 Karl Scheible Brian Maxwell Open 02 Subaru SS2 Off-road - stuck
23 Michael Whitman Paula Gibeault Open 93 Ford SS2 Transmission
48 Lon Peterson Bill Gutzmann Open 00 Subaru SS2 Oil line failure
74 Ramana Lagemann Russ Hughes Open 00 Subaru SS2 Accident
124 Peter Workum Clair Chizma Open 02 Subaru SS2 Off-road - stuck
275 Nat T-Stow Jamie Thomas PGT 02 Subaru SS2 Accident
8 Patrick Richard Ben Bradley Open 98 Subaru Withdrawn Engine
failure (pistons)
115 Seamus Burke Frank Cunningham Open 00 Mitsubishi Withdrawn
Road damage
Leg Two Retirements - official
Car # Drivers Name Co-Drivers Name Class Year Make stage
Retirement cause
50 Steve Gingras Bill Westrick Open 00 Subaru SS7 Differential
53 Kyoichi Takaori Ken Cassidy Open 95 Mitsubishi SS8 Turbo
61 Michael Halley Ole Holter P 99 VW SS8 Mechanical
374 Leon Styles Larry Scott Open 91 Mitsubishi SS7 Turbo
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.
SCCA ProRally is presented by Hyundai Motor America, Inc., and Subaru of
America, Inc.
