ProRally: D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally Preview

Event: D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally; final round (of nine) for the 1999 Michelin SCCA Pro Rally Championship. ProRally cars from across North America will race on the demanding forest roads of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This event is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).

When & where: October 21-23, 1999; Houghton, Michigan

Schedule: Thursday, October 21 15:00-21:00 Worker registration; Dee Stadium, second floor 16:00-21:00 Competitor registration (non-press stage teams); Dee Stadium, second floor

Friday, October 22 08:00-14:00 Competitor & worker registration; Dee Stadium, second floor 08:00-14:30 Scrutineering; Dee Stadium ice rink 13:00-14:00 Worker training; Dee Stadium 15:00-16:00 Parc Expose (ProRally cars on display); Dee Stadium 16:01 First car starts D&N Lake Superior ProRally; Dee Stadium

Saturday, October 23 01:24 First car finishes first day of D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally; Houghton, Mich. 08:00-10:00 Worker registration: Dee Stadium, second floor 09:00-10:00 Parc Expose (ProRally cars on display); D&N Bank; Calumet, Mich. 10:01 First car starts second day of D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally 16:37 First car finishes D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally; D&N Bank; Hancock, Mich. 19:00-19:30 Social; MTU Memorial Union Building; Houghton, Mich. 20:00-21:00 Buffet dinner; MTU Memorial Union Building 21:00 Awards ceremony (rally & season); MTU Memorial Union Building

Format: Events in the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship consist of flat-out racing, in any weather, on challenging forest, mountain or desert roads. No practice is allowed. Competitors generally see the course for the first time as they race it. Racing takes place only on "stages," demanding roads closed by local authorities for the event. "Transits" connect racing sections and are driven at normal highway speeds, with teams fully subject to all traffic laws. ProRally vehicles are production-based cars (and some trucks) from manufacturers around the world. They compete both for the overall victory and wins within a class structure that groups together vehicles with similar performance. Each vehicle carries a driver and a co-driver/navigator. Using a detailed route book and a sophisticated rally computer, the co-driver keeps the team on-course and advises the driver of any hazards ahead. This role is as critical as the driver's skill, since the team is traveling at full racing speeds over roads they have never before seen, in any type of weather.

Selected entries (driver/co-driver): * 1999 Overall driver & co-driver champions Noel Lawler & Charlie Bradley; Wild West, Ojibwe & Prescott winners; Open Class Hyundai Tiburon * Seven-time US champion Paul Choiniere and multi-time co-driver champion Jeff Becker; Susquehannock Trail winners; Open Class Hyundai Tiburon * 11-time US champion John Buffum & Lance Smith; Open Class Hyundai Elantra * Rim of the World winners Garen and Doc Shrader; Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV (World Rally Championship-type supercar) * 1995 Lake Superior ProRally winner Henry Joy & Chris Griffin; Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II * 1999 Production Class driver & co-driver champions Karl Scheible & Gail McGuire; Open Class Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V * Group 5 points leaders Ralph Kosmides and Joe Noyes; class winners at Rim of the World, Wild West & Prescott; Group 5 Toyota Supra Turbo * Sno*Drift, STPR, Maine Forest & Ojibwe Group 5 winners Henry and Cindy Krolikowski; can overtake Kosmides & Noyes for title; Dodge Shadow * Group 2 points leader Bryan Hourt and Pete Cardimen; STPR, Ojibwe & Prescott winners; Group 2 Honda Civic * Maine Forest Group 2 winners Bill Malik & Christian Edstrom; can overtake Hourt & Cardimen for title; Volvo 240 * Production GT points leader Gail Truess and Pattie Hughes; Doo Wop & Wild West PGT winners; PGT Mazda 323 GTX * Sno*Drift Production GT winners Chris Czyzio and Eric Carlson; PGT Mitsubishi Eclipse * Canadian Production GT fliers Patrick Richard & Claire Chizma; PGT Subaru Impreza RS * Maine Forest Production winner Evan Moen & Tom Young; Production Class Plymouth Neon ACR * Prescott Forest Production Class winners Peter Malaszuk and Darek Szerejko; factory-backed Daewoo Nubira

Additional interest: * Very strong Open Class field -- three factory Hyundais & three Mitsubishi Lancer Evos, plus several other fast overall contenders * Drivers of first three cars to start event represent 19 US championships * The Group 5 and Group 2 championship are very close, with two teams capable of winning in either class. The title in both classes will be decided here.

Event rank: D&N Lake Superior ProRally is a full-points round of the Michelin SCCA ProRally Championship.

Web sites: SCCA ProRally: http://www.sccaprorally.org/ D&N Bank Lake Superior ProRally: http://up-plaza.com/lspr/