SCCA: Hyundai Strikes Back with 2 Podium Finishes at Maine Forest ProRally
30 July 2000
Rumford, Maine: The SCCA Maine Forest ProRally came to an exciting and controversial conclusion in the streets of downtown Rumford, with the top 10 filled with manufacturer championship cars from across North America. Paul Choiniere, the 7-time SCCA Overall Champion, swapped the lead with teammate Noel Lawler early in the day, and drove his Tiburon to the closest finish of the season, with a margin of only 12 seconds over Canadian Championship points leader Tom McGeer. Visiting the SCCA ProRally Championship Series for the first time in three years, McGeer was always in the hunt, and, based on stage times, would have earned Subaru its first podium finish of the season. Noel Lawler, running on 3 cylinders for most of the day, and using his lead advantage from Leg One, held onto his place on the podium, 1 minute and 48 seconds behind McGeer. Key Notes: ¨ The controversy over the finish positions centers around the McGeer entry, which was protested by a team outside of the original top three for an illegal service infraction. As this release went to press, the matter had been sent to SCCA National appeals court, but the Official Results will show the top three as Choinere,Lawler and Scheible. ¨ The weather continued to throw challenges to all the entrants, with continuous changes from dry to torrential downpours throughout the day. The occasional hard rains turned some of the stages into quagmires or, as was the case in yesterdays brutal SS3, rocky, tire and suspension abusing torture tracks as the dirt normally covering the rocks was washed away. The tire puncture count on Friday alone was at least 35, with the number continuing to climb today. Seeing crewmembers searching for spares was commonplace as teams ran out of their own supplies. ¨ After yesterday's brilliant run, it looked like Noel Lawler's dismal season had finally come to an end. The morning stages started well enough, but his Open class Tiburon developed engine problems during SS6, finally losing a cylinder on the way to the lunch-time service. With team orders to continue, the crew deactivated the fuel injector to the affected cylinder, the defending National Champion soldiered on, ultimately earning a crucial championship points earning 3rd place. ¨ Hyundai's #967 Production Class entry with veteran actor but first-time performance rally pilot Perry King came to an abrupt end about half-way through SS6, when he wedged his Tiburon between two trees, puncturing the radiator in the process. Actual body damage to the car is minimal, and the Driver and Co-Driver are fine, but the loss of coolant ended their day. ¨ Close battles were the order of the day in several classes, with Group 5 and Production classes being particularly hard fought. Mark Utecht, in what is already being regarded as the drive of his career, placed his time honored Dodge Omni in the top 10, with a significant 2.5 minute David and Goliath style victory over Ralph Kosmides in his 1998 Championship winning Toyota Supra Turbo. Kosmides, also in a death-match with longtime nemesis Rick Davis and his BMW M3 powered 318 compact, capturing 2nd place in Group 5 by less than 12 seconds. ¨ A 9 second Production class margin of victory between ultimate winner Ted and Lise Mendham and challenger Dennis and Claire Chizma was due in part to some Good Samaritan work by the Chizmas, who used their restored vintage 1973 Porsche 911 to tug fellow Californian Jay Streets out of a ditch in SS9. Said Claire "There's a reason why we run in the SCCA - it's the people - we know any number of entrants that would do, and have done, the same for us, anywhere in the country." ¨ With strong finishes by all the manufacturers, Hyundai's slim points lead over Mitsubishi is reduced from a mere 7 points to just 5; while Mitsubishi's lead of 3 points over Subaru grows to 6 - maintaining a virtual 3-way tie heading into the final four events of the season. Should the results appeal be approved, Mitsubishi's lead over Subaru would be reduced to just 1 point.