1999 Michelin SCCA ProRally Champions Announced
13 November 1999
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — There was a clean sweep of new driver and
co-driver champions in the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship this
season. However, there were several familiar faces in the manufacturer
championship ranks, along with one new one.
The John Woolf Cup, awarded annually to the series' overall
driver champion, went to factory Hyundai Tiburon driver Noel Lawler,
who won three of the season's nine events and finished second in
another. Hyundai teammate and seven-time US champion Paul Choiniere
was runner-up on the year.
The Grant Whitaker Cup, which goes to the overall co-driver
champion, went to Lawler's navigator, Charlie Bradley. Hyundai
teammate and multi-time co-driver champion Jeff Becker finished
second. In addition to the Woolf and Whitaker cups, the two men from
the land of shamrocks also won the Open Class driver and co-driver
championships, respectively.
The Woodner Cup, symbolic of the top performances throughout the
season by two-wheel-drive competitors, is awarded to both the top
driver and the top co-driver. This year, the cup went to the
independent husband-and-wife team of Henry and Cindy Krolikowski, who
drove a Dodge Shadow GT. They won Group 5 four times in a hard-fought,
come-from-behind charge that won Henry the driver's crown and Cindy
the co-driver's. The road to the Woodner Cup also took the
Krolikowskis to the Group 5 driver and co-driver championships. To get
there, they had to overtake the factory Toyota Supra Turbo of
defending class champions Ralph Kosmides (driver) and Joe Noyes
(co-driver). In each instance, the margin was just two points.
Every year, the Donison Cup goes to the Production Class
champion. Independent Karl Scheible handily won the title this season,
driving first a Volkswagen Golf GTi and then the first Volkswagen New
Beetle to compete anywhere in the US. The honors for Production
co-driver champion went to Scheible's navigator, Gail McGuire, as the
duo took one win with the Golf, then three wins, a second and a third
with the New Beetle. Factory Daewoo team members Peter Malaszuk
(driver) and Darek Szerejko (navigator) finished second on a limited
schedule.
The Production GT driver championship went to independent Mazda
323 GTX driver Gail Truess. Truess, who also is a PPG Pace Car driver,
won the class in both Washington-state events, en route to becoming
ProRally's first female driver champion. Independent Subaru Impreza
driver Lee Shadbolt finished second. Shadbolt's navigator, Claire
Chizma, worked very hard for the win and two seconds that secured her
the Production co-driver crown. Divisional steward John Dillon was the
runner-up in the season-long battle.
The fight in Group 2 was every bit as heated as in the other
classes, but that didn't stop Honda Civic driver Bryan Hourt from
helping chief rival Bill Malik (Volvo 240) repair his car and finish
an event late in the season. Hourt still won the Group 2 driver
championship, with Malik second. Hourt's regular navigator, Pete
Cardimen, had to miss an event, which made the race even tighter for
the co-driver title. However, he was able to edge out Malik's
navigator, Christian Edstrom, for the championship by just four
points.
Among the manufacturers, there were several repeat winners, plus
one fast-moving newcomer.
On the strength of overall victories by Noel Lawler and Charlie
Bradley, Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, and John Buffum and Lance
Smith, Hyundai once again was the overall
manufacturer champion, with Toyota runner-up. Those same strong
performances that won the overall honors also powered Hyundai to the
Open Class title as well, with Subaru finishing second in that
category.
In the fight for supremacy among two-wheel-drive vehicles,
Toyota won the overall 2WD crown. This was the result of three wins
and two seconds in Group 5 by Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes in their
Supra Turbo. Fast-paced newcomer Daewoo finished second. The points
racked up by Kosmides and Noyes also carried Toyota to the
manufacturers' championship in Group 5.
A win in California and strong showings elsewhere by drivers Lee
Shadbolt and Canadian Patrick Richard were all that Subaru needed.
Their performances in all-wheel-drive Imprezas carried Subaru to the
Production GT manufacturers' championship.
The newest member of the ProRally manufacturers' circle ended its
hectic first season with a championship. Running a limited schedule,
Daewoo took home the Production Class title. This came on the strength
of impressive showings by Peter Malaszuk and Darek Szerejko in a
factory-backed Nubira that entered the championship at mid-season.