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ProRally: Doo Wop III/IV entry list and preview notes (REVISED)

Here's the revised final entry list with car numbers for the Doo Wop rally weekend - the list we posted on Friday did not have late entries or car numbers: Round ...

Here's the revised final entry list with car numbers for the Doo Wop rally weekend - the list we posted on Friday did not have late entries or car numbers:

Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series Doo Wop PRO Rally III & IV - Olympia, Washington Final Entry List - 3/18/95

Start Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/ Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division ----- ---- ------------------ ----------------- -------------------

1 3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth/Open Ogunquit, ME Toronto, ONT National

2 4 Henry Joy Chris Griffin Mitsuibshi Eclipse/Open Atlanta, MI Tujunga, CA National

3 6 Peter Moodie Michael Fenwell Mazda 323GTX/Open Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica National

7 9 Tim Paterson Penny Paterson Mazda RX-7 Redmond, WA Redmond, WA Divisional

6 28 Mike Whitman Kevin Linville Datsun 510/Group 2 Farmington, NM Durango, CA Nat/Div

5 10 Sam Bryan Rob Walden Saab 900/Group 2 Kent, WA Seattle, WA Nat/Div

15 16 John Sparks Vern Johnson Toyota Corolla Portland, OR Portland, OR Divisional

19 17 Todd Hartmann Kirk Knestis VW Golf GTI Issaquah, WA Issaquah, WA Divisional

23 71 Janice Damitio Barry Berg Toyota Celica GTS/PGT Montesano, WA Nat/Div.

9 13 Doug Schrenk Michael Leinish Saab 99 Olympia, WA Olympia, WA Divisional

30 36 John Forespring Chris Forespring Toyota Starlet Olympia, WA Olympia, WA Divisional

24 66 Scott Trinder Robert Trinder Suzuki Swift Vancouver, BC Vancouver, BC Divisional

32 78 Terry Simons Michael Jones Dodge Omni Kent, WA Kirkland, WA Divisional

20 31 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Ford Escort Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Divisional

34 74 Pete Shelton Thomas Forster Mazda RX-3 Seattle, WA Lynnwood, WA Divisional

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35 76 Rob Hansen Brian Kirby Mazda RX-3 Kent, WA Maple Valley, WA Divisional

12 21 Chad Dykes Pat Hanson Toyota Pick-up/Group 2 Escondido, CA Escondido, CA Nat/Div.

14 20 Steve Walker David Lowe Mazda 323GTX/Open Issaquah, WA Bainbridge Island, WA Nat/Div.

25 27 Bill Malik Roine Andresson Volvo 240 Burbank, CA N. Hollywood, CA Divisional

26 96 William Nation Erik Thompson Mazda RX-7/Group 2 Los Angeles, CA Portland, OR Divisional

17 26 Jason Priestley Kevin Caffrey Toyota Celica Alltrac/PGT Lake Hollywood, CA Van Nuys, CA Nat/Div.

8 18 Dave White Jimmy Brandt VW GTI/Group 2 Benicia, CA Lake Odessa, MI Nat/Div.

18 57 Matt Sweeney Lucinda Strub Toyota Pick-up/Group 2 Van Nuys, CA Van Nuys, CA Nat/Div.

38 87 Bonnie Hertz Lance Guensch Dodge Colt Tualatin, OR Lake Oswego, OR Divisional

32 64 Jim Breazle Cristy Breazle VW Rabbit Seattle, WA Seattle, WA Divisional

33 81 Simon Levear Lee Shadbolt Datsun 510 Tigard, OR Tigard, OR Divisional

27 34 Dave LaTourette Dave Carroll VW Beetle North Bend, WA Seattle, WA Divisional

37 91 Jack Broadhead Jack McCarter Datsun 510 Seattle, WA Seattle, WA Divisional

29 32 Jeff Call Brent Dilly VW GTI Kirkland, WA Tacoma, WA Divisional

4 1 Dale Beard Richard Simmons Mazda 323GTX/PGT Elma, WA Bonney Lake, WA Nat/Div.

13 2 Greg Lund Lynne Lund Datsun 510/Group 2 Duvall, WA Duvall, WA Nat/Div.

31 84 Zeltoko Dekovic Mike Blore Toyota Starlet Olympia, WA Olympia, WA Divisional

36 79 Jack Horn Monte Horn Mazda GLC Ranier, WA Olympia, WA Divisional

16 12 Duane Bender Mary Jo Czyzio Datsun 510 Redmond, WA Redmond, WA Divisional

22 30 Gary Caffroy John Arnold Mazda RX-7 North Bend, WA McCleary, WA Divisional

10 14 Brian Cooper Cam Jackson Datsun 210 Aberdeen, WA Portland, OR Divisional

11 22 Rui Brasil John Elkin Audi Quattro San Jose, CA Lytle Creek, CA Nat./Div.

28 43 Vic Harvey Tony Latham Mazda 323GTX Prince George, BC Vancouver, BC Divisional

39 89 Anthony Dientse Gary Cox Datsun 510 Seattle, WA Seattle, WA Divisional

# # # Press Notes #3 Doo Wop III and IV PRO Rallies Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series March 18, 1995 - 11:00 PM EST

16. 39 cars took the countdown at PDE Autobody in Olympia under cloudy skies on Saturday morning, with Carl Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth, Henry Joy's Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Peter Moodie's Mazda 323GTR expected to duke it out for the overall national points. All three drivers are running the entire series, and with Paul Choiniere already gaining 12 points in South Carolina, whoever wins this event will be tied with Paul going into their first showdown in three weeks in Ohio.

17. Besides the overall battle, we can look for a couple of class tussles as well. In Production GT, the Toyotas of Janice Damitio and Jason Priestley should have a lively battle with the Mazda 323GTX of Dale Beard, while Group 2 rivals Mike Whitman in his Datsun 510 and Sam Bryan in his Saab 900 will have to watch the new Group 2 Toyota Pickup of Chad Dykes and the ex-Janice Damitio Datsun 510 being driven by Greg Lund.

18. After six hours of rallying, the word from the woods is that the Ford Escort Cosworth of Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur has a healthy lead over the second-place Mitsubishi Eclipse of Henry Joy/Chris Griffin (no time reported yet - we should have those shortly). The Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda is third, with the Mazda 323GTX of Dale Beard/Richard Simmons fourth. The Janice Damitio Toyota and the Rui Brasil Audi Quattro also appear to be in the top five or six finishers, with Beard probably winning the divisional title. Organizer Ray Damitio reports that there were 12 of 13 DNFs, but no major incidents, with many of the DNFs already preparing their vehicles to enter tomorrow's event. For the divisional competitors, and those national competitors able to earn divisional points (seed 2 and below), the Saturday and Sunday events are two separate rallies, so it's just as important to run well tomorrow as it was today.

Details as they come in.

# # # Press Notes #4 Doo Wop III and IV PRO Rallies Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series March 19, 1995 - 11:00 AM EST

19. Still don't have times from the conclusion of Saturday's racing, but we have reports from some of the teams as the day #1 - Doo Wop III - ended at the Doo Wop Diner.

--The leaders - Carl Merrill/John Bellefleur - are running very strong with little more than routine maintenance necessary at the service area. Their Ford Escort Cosworth - reskinned with a '95 tub on the outside, - has also undergone changes underneath as well as Merrill has switched preparation duties from Libra Racing to his own shop. Both the suspension and layout of various engine components have been reconfigured for this season.

--The Peter Moodie/Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTR - last year's Group A national champions - are also running well despite an off-road excursion which cost them 20 seconds on stage #2.

--On the other hand, although experiencing no mechanical problems, the Henry Joy/Chris Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse is not going as fast as Joy would like it to because he "is driving like a mom." Part of that might be attributed to the fact that he and Griffin - a new driving pair - are getting used to each other. Griffin, a Los Angeles-area resident who usually co-drives with his brother in a very fast, but very old Volvo, has been hired by Joy to replace Canadian Brian Maxwell for the 1995 season.

--The Rui Brasil/John Elkin Audi Quattro has been slowed by a number of ills, but should in the top five when the times come out. The car arrived from Northern California with an inoperative odometer. Add to that the fact that co-driver John Elkin has laryngitis, and the team started off behind the eight ball. Then, after tying Merrill for the fastest time on stage #2, Rui went off the road on stage #3, nailing the right rear quarter panel. Then, while inspecting the car last night, the team found that the transmission and suspension mounts were pulling away from the chassis, so the crew was up all night welding metal plates to the components to cement them to the chassis.

--The Group 2 battle is being won by the VW GTI of Dave White/Jimmy Brandt, who have a 29 second lead over the Datsun 510 of Mike Whitman/Kevin Linville. The Saab 900 of Sam Bryan/Rob Walden, the pre-event favorites, is a DNF with a broken front axle. Bryan tried the limp the car around the course with one-wheel-drive, but finally retired his car. The Chad Dykes/Pat Hanson Toyota pick-up, in its debut, went off the road twice - once before the race even started. The truck almost fell off the trailer, damaging a door, on its trip from Southern California. Then Dykes went off the road on stage #3 and hit a tree, finishing his effort for the weekend as well.

20. The Jason Priestley/Kevin Caffery Toyota Celica Alltrac did not make it through the first stage, suffering a fuel pump failure. Priestley also DNFed in the first stage at Doo Wop I last month due to a crash.

21. The propane-powered Open class Toyota Pickup of Matt Sweeney and Lucinda Strub DNFed Saturday when the gasket blew out from their oil filter. The pair hopes to re-start today's divisional event.

22. The rally leaves PDE Autobody in Olympia this morning at 10:30 AM PST, and finishes up at the Oakville, Washington Grange around 4:00 PM PST. The winner of each day's event get appropriate divisional points, while those with a national license - seed 2 and below - will receive 60 percent of regular national points based on the cumulative two-day performance.

# # # Press Notes #5 Doo Wop III and IV PRO Rallies Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series March 19, 1995 - 5:00 PM EST

23. The leading Group 2 entry - the VW GTI of Dave White and veteran co- driver Jimmy Brandt - is the same GTI built several years ago by Guy Light. As a matter of fact, Light is here at the Doo Wops servicing for White, but would much rather be driving. He is waiting for the change in the new Rally Truck rules and some sponsorship to get back on the circuit.

Built as a Production class car, White's GTI is still basically stock except for a Quaife differential. The Benecia, Calif. dentist plans to run Wild West and Rim with co-driver Ben Greisler, and if he is doing well in the Group standings after that, he might try to run the midwest events as well.

24. In some news about an SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally competitor who is not here this weekend, Matt Chester, from Atlanta, GA - a co-driver at several event last year - will be going to Africa this summer to co- drive in the Keynan national championships. He will co-driver for Kenyan rally star Sammy Aslam in a Subaru Impreza in the national events, and in an ex-Stig Blomqvist VW Golf GTI in the international events. He would like to stay in Africa or Europe and become a professional co-driver; he would be the first American ever to do so. Chester co-drove for New England divisional competitor Damon Meyers and Production GT competitor Jim Anderson last year.

25. We finally have the national standings and times after the completion of yesterday's seven stages, and there are some surprises. One of the problems with the scoring was that - among the 39 competitors - the organizer was not sure who was eligible for national points. As it turned out, there were 14 national and 36 divisional starters, with 11 of the national starters also eligible for divisional points. We still don't have everything as final as we would like it, but here are the times as we have them after 7 stages (end of the day Saturday):

Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time_(min:sec.)

Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 107:30 Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open 107:59 Beard/Simmons Mazda 323GTX PGT 109:19 Brasil/Elkin Audi Quattro Open 109.34 Joy/Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse Open (time undetermined) Damitio/Berg Toyota Celcia GTS PGT 112:30 White/Brandt VW GTI GP2 112:43 Whitman/Linville Datsun 510 GP 2 113:12 Kosmides/Noyes Ford Escort GP2 115:21 Lund/Lund Datsun 510 GP2 118:54 Nation/Thompson Mazda RX-7 GP2 120:51 Forespring/Forespring Toyota Starlet GP2 123:40

-more-

-2-

26. Although Peter Moodie has years more rally experience than Carl Merrill, Merrill has almost 100 hp more than Moodie, and with the roads on Sunday be less slippery than those on Saturday, Peter will have a hard time holding off Carl to the end. But both drivers have been known to go off the road after trying too hard, so the results of this rally remain very much in doubt.

27. Janice Damitio, who has rallied for several years in an old Datsun 510, has shown the competitors - as well as organizer and husband Ray - that she is ready for prime time in her new Celica. Her sixth place overall put her right in the middle of the hunt for a top five finish.

28. Both Dale Beard, who finished well against the other national competitors last year, and Rui Brasil, who was in the top ten at Rim of the World in '94, are within striking distance of the top should the leaders falter. Beard has the fastest time among the divisional finishers yesterday, and won the Doop Wop III divisional.

29. After two stages today, or nine stages total (out of 12), we now have the following times:

Driver/Co-driver Car Class Time_(min:sec.)

Moodie/Fennell Mazda 323GTR Open 119:54 Merrill/Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth Open 120:31 Beard/Simmons Mazda 323GTX PGT 122:07 Brasil/Elkin Audi Quattro Open 122.22 Joy/Griffin Mitsubishi Eclipse Open (time undetermined) Damitio/Berg Toyota Celcia GTS PGT 125:53 White/Brandt VW GTI GP2 125:55 Whitman/Linville Datsun 510 GP 2 126:25 Kosmides/Noyes Ford Escort GP2 128:55 Lund/Lund Datsun 510 GP2 133:00 Nation/Thompson Mazda RX-7 GP2 133:50 Forespring/Forespring Toyota Starlet GP2 138:33

As you can see, the standings and time differences are virtually unchanged from the end of stage 7 to the end of stage 9, with all the close races continuing to be close. The rally is running on time and scheduled to end in the next hour, so we hope to have final results in our next report. Also, we were promised a "real" time for the Joy/Griffin entry.

# # # Press Notes #6 Doo Wop III and IV PRO Rallies Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series March 19, 1995 - 9:00 PM EST

29. Peter Moodie's victory today might signal the beginning of the end for the Group A class in U.S. PRO Rally. The SCCA rules for Group A simply defer to the FIA rules, and the FIA has tried to slow down Group A cars to their intended 300 horsepower by putting restrictors on the turbos - in the Mazda 323GTR's case a 32 mm restrictor. Moodie would rather run for the overall title anyway, and not have to follow any of the other Group A regulations, so he has moved to Open. He comes much closer to Merrill and Choiniere with 350 horsepower, and showed that he can beat the top guys if he drives mistake-free. The American Rally Association has Group A under scrutiny, with no entries in the first two events and none on the early entry sheet for Sunriser.

Also, Moodie has moved his car from Rod Millen's shop in California to Murray Thomas' T.A.D. Motorsports shop just outside Chicago. T.A.D., which prepares Henry Joy's car, will have a separate crew in charge of Moodie's Mazda.

30. Although Carl Merrill's Ford Escort Cosworth ran well this weekend, Carl was handicapped by the loss of fourth gear early in the event. Merrill won't make any excuses, but that must have cost him at least the 44-second margin by which he lost to Moodie.

31. The best battle of the weekend among the other classes was the Group 2 tussle, where Mike Whitman's 200-plus horsepower outlasted the FWD of Dave White's stock-engined GTI. With two stages to go, Whitman had White by ten seconds, and Dave gave it his all, but Whitman has more experience and a faster car, and picked up another second to make the final margin 11 seconds.

32. National points after two events look like this:

Choiniere 12 Moodie 12 Merrill 9 Ottey 9 Brasil 7.2 Kreibich 7.2 Ohtake 6 Beard 6 Joy 4.8 Anderson 4.8 Whitman 3.6 Suddard 3.6 White 2.4 Brinkman 2.4 Trepetin 1.8 Kosmides 1.8 Lund 1.2 Nation .6

# # #

Round #2 - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally Series Doo Wop PRO Rally III & IV - Olympia, Washington National Results - 3/19/95

Finish Car Driver/ Co-Driver/ Make/Model/Class/ Pos. No. Hometown Hometown Division/Time (hrs:min:sec) ----- ---- ------------------ ----------------- -------------------

1 6 Peter Moodie Michael Fennell Mazda 323GTX/Open Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica National/1:41:37

2 3 Carl Merrill John Bellefleur Ford Escort Cosworth/Open Ogunquit, ME Toronto, ONT National/1:42:21

3 22 Rui Brasil John Elkin Audi Quattro/Open San Jose, CA Lytle Creek, CA Nat./Div./1:43:35

4 1 Dale Beard Richard Simmons Mazda 323GTX/PGT Elma, WA Bonney Lake, WA Nat/Div./1:45:24

5 4 Henry Joy Chris Griffin Mitsuibshi Eclipse/Open Atlanta, MI Tujunga, CA National/1:46:12

6 28 Mike Whitman Kevin Linville Datsun 510/Group 2 Farmington, NM Durango, CO Nat/Div/1:49:06

7 18 Dave White Jimmy Brandt VW GTI/Group 2 Benicia, CA Lake Odessa, MI Nat/Div./1:49:17

8 31 Ralph Kosmides Joe Noyes Ford Escort/Group 2 Newport Beach, CA Seattle, WA Nat/Div./1:52:38

9 2 Greg Lund Lynne Lund Datsun 510/Group 2 Duvall, WA Duvall, WA Nat/Div./1:57:20

10 96 William Nation Erik Thompson Mazda RX-7/Group 2 Los Angeles, CA Portland, OR Nat/Div./1:58:03

11 36 John Forespring Chris Forespring Toyota Starlet/Group 2 Olympia, WA Olympia, WA Nat/Div./2:02:02

12 71 Janice Damitio Barry Berg Toyota Celica GTS/PGT Montesano, WA Olympia, WA Nat/Div./2:14:29

Did_not_finish

10 Sam Bryan Rob Walden Saab 900/Group 2 Kent, WA Seattle, WA Nat/Div

21 Chad Dykes Pat Hanson Toyota Pick-up/Group 2 Escondido, CA Escondido, CA Nat/Div.

26 Jason Priestley Kevin Caffrey Toyota Celica Alltrac/PGT Lake Hollywood, CA Van Nuys, CA Nat/Div.

57 Matt Sweeney Lucinda Strub Toyota Pick-up/Group 2 Van Nuys, CA Van Nuys, CA Nat/Div.

# # #

For Immediate Release Contact: Andy Schupack (401) 739-5677

JAMAICAN TEAM WINS FIRST-EVER U.S. RALLY; EDGES MERRILL TO SET UP SEASON-LONG SHOWDOWNS WITH DEFENDING CHAMPION CHOINIERE

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- March 19 -- Jamaican driver Peter Moodie and his co- driver Michael Fennell let it be known that defending champion Paul Choiniere and challenger Carl Merrill will not have the front-runner spot to themselves for the 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series.

Moodie/Fennell got off to an early lead in their 350 hp. Mazda 323GTR and held off Merrill and co-driver John Bellefleur in the Ford Escort Cosworth for the remainder of the Doo Wop PRO Rally here to score a 44-second win in round #2 of the series. Merrill, from Ogunquit, Maine, couldn't use all of his 400-plus hp. during the event because of the slick conditions on the wet forest roads southeast of Olympia.

Moodie, who moved from the Group A class to Open when the FIA legislated a 32mm restrictor plate this year for Group A, wants to run for the overall championship after winning the Group A title in '94.

"With our car configured as an Open class car, we can compete with Choiniere's Hyundai and Merrill's Escort Cosworth, and we showed this weekend that we can win if we don't make mistakes," said Moodie, who had four successive DNF's the first half of last year before storming back to win his class championship. Moodie first came to the U.S. to race in 1975, when he rented a Super Vee ride from Bill Scott Racing. In Jamaica, he has been both a champion rallyist and road racer.

Other class winners included Dale Beard/Richard Simmons, from Elma, Wash., in a Mazda 323GTX (fourth overall, winners in Production GT); and Mike Whitman/Kevin Linville, from Farmington, NM, (sixth overall and first in Group 2).

Paul Choiniere/Jeff Becker, from Williston, Vermont, won Round #1 of the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series in their Hyundai Elantra last month in Cheraw, South Carolina. As drivers could only score points in one of the first two events, Merrill, Moodie, and Open class contender Henry Joy all sat out South Carolina and went to this weekend's race in Olympia. Choiniere did not go to Doo Wops. All four will face off at the first full national rally of the year - the Sunriser 400 - April 7 - 8 in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Joy, from Atlanta, Mich., was a disappointing fifth overall in his Mitsubishi Eclipse, but hopes his 360 hp, right-hand drive Mitsubishi Lancer is ready for Ohio.

Perhaps the most disappointed of all was the only woman entry - Janice Damitio of Montesano, Wash. - who was running as high as sixth overall in her Production GT Toyota Celica GTS when she ran off the road into a ditch at 100 mph late in the event. Although she and co-driver Barry Berg were able to get the car back on the road, they lost more than 20 minutes to the field and ended up 12th overall.

Actor Jason Priestley, who crashed during the first stage of a rally here in February, has similar luck this weekend as a fuel pump gave way on on their Toyota Celica Alltrac during stage #1, put Priestley and co- driver Kevin Caffery out of the event.

In a PRO Rally, each team consists of a driver and a co-driver (or navigator), and the exact course is kept secret until just before the event - different from World Rally, where practice is allowed. The cars start at one-minute intervals and race against the clock over 6 - 15 stages which range in length from four to 25 miles. Most of the rallies include night stages, making it necessary for competitors to adjust their driving style. Speeds of more than 120 miles-per-hour could be reached on long straight-aways, with the team achieving the fastest combined times winning the event.

All these cars, plus additional national entries, will be back in the Olympia/Shelton area April 21-22 for the Wild West PRO Rally - Round #4 and a traditional stop for the SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally series.

# # #

--------------------------------------------- Ken Beard, Susquehanna MotorSports kenbeard@interramp.com ---------------------------------------------

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