NASA - Rally Spec Focus - Rally West Virginia Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           CONTACT: JOHN SHIRLEY
Monday, August 27, 2007             E-mail: nasarallysport@cs.com

NASA - Rally Spec Focus - Bridwell seizes the start of 2nd half of season 
with Rally West Virginia win.

Elkins, WV - NASA Rally Spec Focus teams converged in WV to contest the 3rd 
round of the Eastern States Rally Championship, Rally West Virginia.  This 
event in its second year has quickly earned the reputation as an event that tests 
a team's skill and decision making due to the tight roads that are extremely 
rough in places.  Hampton Bridwell of Black Rock Rallysport summed it up this 
way, "Rally WV was one of the toughest rallies we have seen and the Ford Focus 
platform proved itself once again. The roads were tight, twisty and full of 
surprises and our strategy of placing consistently paced stage times with an aim 
to finish paid dividends." 

Rally Spec Focus is a NASA Rally Sport entry-level spec class whereby drivers 
compete in identically prepared Ford Focus rally cars prepared with specific 
components exclusively sold by suppliers like Ford Racing Performance Parts, 
DMS shock absorbers, Hankook tires, Team Dynamics wheels, and Racetech seats 
and harnesses which all support the program monetarily with contingency awards 
to the quickest teams.

Mechanically, Rally Spec Focus cars remain essentially stock, with only 
modifications to the suspension and minor bolt-on intake and exhaust systems. While 
the stock Ford Focus 2.0 liter engine produces 130-hp, it is expected that a 
Rally Spec Focus car will produce in excess of 170-hp. All Rally Spec Focus 
vehicles can be equipped with available upgraded final drive ration and 
limited-slip differential from Ford Racing Performance Parts.

The Focus showed it speed and toughness again at Rally WV with only one 
retirement and the class winner coming in 6th overall in 2wd.

Three Rally Spec Focus teams started on day one of the rally but only 2 made 
it to the end.  The Rufroad motorsports team of Andrew Frick and Michael 
Hordijk were forced to retire on the 4th stage due to a mechanical failure.  "The 
roads were great and I am disappointed that we were not able to make it to the 
end especially with how close the stage times were with Hampton after the 
first 3 stages."  Their retirement promoted the USUK Racing team of Simon Wright 
and Keiran Wright to 2nd place in the class; they had been slowed on stage one 
due to a shock mount failure.  Repairs were made at service and were able to 
complete the rally without further incident.  "Kieran and I are extremely 
pleased to have finished our third Rally Spec Focus event and our fifth rally of 
the year. The challenging and technical gravel roads make Rally West Virginia a 
real rally experience for the whole team," said Simon Wright of USUK Racing

Hampton Bridwell and Josh Katinger in their Black Rock Rallysport SVT Focus 
seized the opening provided by their competitors' early struggles and built a 
commanding lead at the end of day one.  They then set their sights on the rest 
of the 2wd field again Hampton, "With a 12th overall and 6th in a field of 24 
2WD cars competing in
Max-Attack and a Spec Focus class win, this rally was our best showing to 
date and shows the overall competitiveness and potential of the RSF class".

Full results maybe found at http://www.rallywv.com/results/maxattack.htm

For more information, visit http://www.rallyspecfocus.com or contact John K 
Shirley at (865-805-0831); E-mail: nasarallysport@cs.com

The RSF teams now turn their attention to upstate New York for the final 
round of eastern season, Black River Stages, which will be held in late September.


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