ProRally: Susquehannock Trail: Pre-event notes, late news

SCCA® ProRallysm Championship Round 3
Susquehannock Trail

WELLSBORO, Pennsylvania - The field is set at 64 and conditions are near perfect for the start of the 27th-consecutive Susquehannock Trail Rally, the oldest continuously active SCCA ProRally Championship event in the country.

The one-day event will be held on Pennsylvania state forest roads in the "Endless Mountains" to the South and West of Wellsboro. The rally starts Saturday morning, at 10:31 AM EST sharp, following a 90-minute open-to-the-public Parc Expose of all rally cars entered.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ramana Lagemann, seeking for his first career victory, will lead the field into the lush, but wet "Endless Mountains" Forests.

Late Breaking News:

* Weather: Competitors and event staff alike have been holding their collective breath this week while determining whether or not the Stoney Creek Water Crossing at the end of Special Stage One will be part of the rally as recent rains have pushed the water level to the maximum. Clear skies on Friday helped lower the creek and with rain not forecast until Saturday afternoon, the Water Crossing was declared a go by the event organizers late Friday afternoon, but steady rains returned overnight, and at 8:AM this morning, the stage was cancelled due to rapidly rising waters.

* 2002 British Rally Champion Jonny Milner will begin his belated run at the Group N Championship on Saturday after competing in the Open Class in the first two rounds of the ProRally Championship. Originally scheduled to run in Group N all season, his car was not ready prior to this weekend. Milner begins his quest already 16 points behind both Mark Utecht and Shane Mitchell, who are tied for the Group N Class lead.

* Eight-time John Woolf Cup winner Paul Choiniere drew the number two position in the start order for Saturday. STPR is Choiniere's and long-time co-driver Jeff Becker's first event of the 2003 season.

* Leon Styles, who finished fourth at Rim of the World - his best finish ever in Rally competition, had a rod thrown through the block in Friday's practice stage, and was likely to withdraw from the event, but secured a Mitsubishi Eclipse late last night and will be able to start.

The SCCA name and logo is a registered trademark of the Sports Car Club of America, Inc. ProRally, ClubRally and RallyCross are service marks of the SCCA.

The SCCA ProRally Championship is presented by Mitsubishi and Subaru, and is televised in North America on SpeedChannel. Time and date listing information available at www.speedtv.com

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