The independent., May 06, 2004, Page Page 13, Image 13

The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2004
from page 12
with co-driver Sean Elliot, was
steady all weekend in his 1990
Volkswagen Jetta and finished
more than 10 minutes ahead of
G2 competitors Mark Brown
and co-driver Ole Holter. In
Production, Mark Tabor ran a
smart rally as the lone class
entry and finished the event in
his 2003 Acura RSX Type S,
which gave him and co-driver
Kevin Poirier full class points.
After having a month
between Rounds One and Two
of
the
2004
ProRally
Championship presented by
Hot Wheels, competitors and
teams face a quick turnaround
as Round Three begins May 7
in Lancaster, Calif.
Above, ProRally overall winner, Patrick Richard with co-driv-
er, Nathalie Richard, show their winning form on a dusty turn.
Above, a support person inspects a tire on the winning 2002
Subaru Impreza WRX STi during a service stop on April 25.
Below, winning car #54 with driver Patrick Richard of
Garibaldi Highlands, B.C. with co-driver, also sister, Nathalie
Richards. This car with Patrick Richard at the wheel has now
won both of the first two ProRally races of 2004. Next to #54,
on the left, is car #25, which was in first place at Oregon Trail
until blowing a head gasket on the last stage.
Page 13
Scappoose woman enjoys being Rally co-driver
Teresa
Holem,
of
Scappoose, has been a
Performance Rally co-driver for
the past two years.
It all started years ago when
she was living in Hillsboro and
a friend mentioned that people
with the type of car she drove
(a Subaru Impreza) were run-
ning Rally Cross and she could,
too. She researched Rally
Cross and so it began. Holem
ran Auto Cross and Rally Cross
before starting in Performance
Rally.
About two years ago, a
friend introduced Holem to
Charles Buren, who said, “If
you’re interested, I could use a
co-driver.” Two weeks later, she
was in a 1986 production
Toyota MR-2 car at the inagur-
al Mt. Hood Rally Cross held in
Odell. She has been co-driving,
mostly with Buren, ever since.
Holem and Buren are in the
process of building out a 1995
Subaru Impreza, that they hope
to have ready to run in this
year’s Mt. Hood Rally in
October.
In the recent Oregon Trail
Rally, she co-drove for Gary
Rea in his 1988 Mazda 323
GTX. They finished a very
respectable 20th out of the 36
cars in their class.
Last year, Holem was co-
driver for Buren in the Oregon
Trail Rally, where they hit three
tree stumps, breaking every
piece of suspension on the car.
They were able to limp back to
the service area and get if fixed
enough to get home, but were
not able to finish the rally.
Asked what a co-driver’s job
is, Holem answered, “The co-
driver is really in charge of the
car, the drivers just do what
they are told.” She added that
co-drivers make sure the car
comes in on time, and call the
“tulips” (slang for the pictorial
directions in the route books),
so the driver can compensate
for varying road conditions.
“Co-drivers must be very
thorough and detail-oriented,”
Holem explained. “They must
make sure that everything is in
the car that might be needed
during the stage.” Once the car
is on the course, no outside
help is available. If extra fluids
are needed, the supply must be
available in the car.
Holem has never broken any
bones in this sport, she said,
“But when we hit the stumps
last year, I bit through my
tongue three times and proba-
bly should have had stitches.”
However, she went on to say,
how much fun Rally is, how
nice the rally people are and
how much she loves the
Vernonia area. Like many
Vernonia residents, she hopes
Rally can come back to the
area again and again. When
Rally returns, keep an eye out
for this intrepid co-driver.
Above, Scappoose co-driver, Teresa Holem, in her designat-
ed seat during a service stop at Washington Grade School on
Sunday, April25. She and driver, Gary Rea of Keizer, finished
20th in their class in this1988 Mazda 323 GTX.
May 7 & 8, 2004
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