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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2004)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2004 What is Rally? Oregon Trail Rally results Performance Rally is an increasingly popular motor- sport run on rugged terrain, with each car having a driver and a co-driver. Stages, which are closed sections of road on which only rally cars are allowed, are run by cars that are street licensed and registered. The stages may be on unpaved roads in deserts or mountains, and may have surfaces of sand, gravel, mud or snow. In each rally there will be a number of differ- ent stages. Stages are reached via transit sections, regular roads where the drivers must obey all speed limits and traffic laws. The driver’s goal is to com- plete each stage as fast as possible. The co-driver is responsible for instructing the driver, from a route book pro- vided just prior to the start, on the mileages and directions for turns, hazards, etc., on each of the stages and transits. There are also service peri- ods when the cars are taken to designated places for repairs, the driver and co-driver may get a rest at that time. By Curtis Kitchen Pat Richard showed Group N’s Overall Championship potential at Sno*Drift with his win in January. April 24-25 at Oregon Trail, in Round Two of the 2004 SCCA ProRally Championship, it appeared that Richard would have to settle for second, as Seamus Burke was up by almost 90 seconds after 14 Special Stages and well on his way to showing the Open Class’ resolve to remain the top class in the Championship. But, then trouble showed itself. With just two Special Stages separating the Irish duo of Burke and co-driver Charlie Bradley from their first ProRally win of the year, Burke’s 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution blew a head gasket and ren- dered the pair helpless as they went from their first potential win to their first DNF instead. Carl Jardevall, with co-driver Above, driver Mark Tabor, West Linn, and co-driver Kevin Poirier, Rainier, won the Production class in their 2003 Acura RSX Type S. Picture shows them on a turn during stage 8. PUBLIC MEETING ON INTEREST IN SPEEDWAY DEVELOPMENT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY There is an interest by International Speedway Corporation to locate a speedway that would host NASCAR racing and other events in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Sports Authority has been working with International Speedway Corporation to identify and explore potential sites around the Portland metropolitan area. The Port of St.Helens would like to listen to the public on their interest in developing a world class racing venue in Scappoose,on the location local- ly known as the Meier property – should the site be determined to be a viable location for a speedway.A description of a NASCAR Speedway will be provided but,more importantly,Port,County,and City officials will be in attendance to listen to your concerns and comments. International Speedway Corporation (ISC),a publicly-traded company,is a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States. ISC cur- rently owns and/or operates 12 major motorsports facilities, including Daytona International Speedway in Florida (home of the Daytona 500); Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama;Michigan International Speedway; California Speedway; Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida; Phoenix International Raceway; Richmond International Raceway in Virginia; Darlington Raceway in South Carolina;North Carolina Speedway;Watkins Glen International in New York; Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania and Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Other track interests include an indirect interest in Raceway Associates that owns the Route 66 Raceway and developed Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet,Ill.,which opened in 2001. Please find time to attend a Public Comment meeting; Thursday, May 6th • 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Scappoose High School gymnasium The Port of St. Helens, 503-397-2888. Above, co-driver Claire Chizma of Seattle, Wash. and driver Amy BeberVanzo of Petaluma, Calif. in the 1991 Mitsubishi Galant VR4 that they drove to 13th place in the Club Rally Production GT class. This picture was taken during their stop for service at Washington Grade School. Grumpy’s Towing 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE AUTOS • TRUCKS • BOATS SEMI-TRUCKS • MOTOR HOMES We Bill Most Insurance Companies Prompt Low Service Rates 53279 Columbia River Hwy • Scappoose, OR 97056 503-543-5533 Amity Trowbridge, who briefly held the lead during the middle stages of the event, wound up second after Burke’s misfor- tune Sunday. Lauchlin O’Sullivan, with co-driver Jimmy Brandt, finished third despite problems with a third gear on Stage 15 that nearly crashed the 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX he was testing over the weekend for fellow driver Doug Havir. Richard came out firing early and often Sunday as he ripped off four fastest stage times out of the five run on the last day. “It was definitely an interest- ing weekend,” Richard said. “But we did get the win and we have time to work on some things like reading stage notes. We’ll get those things worked out and be ready in time for Rim of the World.” Stage notes would have been a problem for Richard and his new co-driver, sister, Nathalie. It was the first time the pair had been in the car together in almost three years (she had been in Australia as a co-driver) and both admitted communication was sometimes difficult. Jardevall rebounded after a slow start Sunday morning and after Burke’s bowing out late, grabbed the second spot in his 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. In the other classes, Stephen Verdier, with co-driver Allan Walker, finished seventh overall in Verdier’s 2002 Subaru WRX and put together a solid run in Production GT, winning the class almost four minutes ahead of second PGT finisher Jamie Thomas, with co-driver Matt Gauger. Thomas/ Gauger finished 12th overall in Thomas’ 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon. The bigger news may have been out of Group 5, where cagey veteran Doug Shepherd wore down a multitude of tires driving his 2004 Dodge SRT-4, but found enough rubber over the weekend to still finish over two minutes ahead of the Group 5 2001 Volkswagen Golf driven by silver-finisher Chris Havas, with co-driver Dave Keane, and, more importantly, one spot above the higher- horsepower Verdier entry in the overall standings. In Group 2, Brooks Freehill, Please see page 13
