Press On Regardless 1983


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 1983

HANNU MIKKOLA/FABRIZIA PONS TAKE BUDWEISER PRESS ON REGARDLESS PRO RALLY

HOUGHTON, Michigan. -- Finnish rally ace Hannu Mikkola and co-driver Fabrizia Pons of Italy ran away from the field at the 35th running of the Budweiser Press On Regardless PRO Rally in the upper peninsula of Michigan last weekend. Mikkola was a last minute replacement for American Champion John Buffum who had planned to run his Audi Quattro in the event. Buffum came down with an illness contracted in Africa where coincidently, he had been running a chase car for Mikkola at the Bandama Rally in the Ivory Coast.

Second, some 27 minutes back, were Jon Woodner and Ginny Reese in their Peugeot 504 Coupe which had to be nursed through the last half of the rally with make-shift repairs to the front suspension. Only 15 seconds behind Woodner in the 720 mile, two- day event was the Mazda RX-7 of Rod Millen and R. Dale Kraushaar. Their third place finish was the story of the rally as they rolled the car on the sixth of the rally's 23 stages while in the lead. Rod's brother, Steve, who was driving the Mitsubishi Starion in its first National PRO Rally stopped and helped Rod get the car back on its wheels so it could continue, bent but not broken. Unfortunately for Steve, he managed only one more stage before putting the Mitsubishi into the woods and out of the rally for good. Rod kept on, though, rising up through the ranks to his eventual third place finish.

Production class was its usual donnybrook with Gene Henderson dominating things in the early going until a big rock took a bite out of the ANC Eagle's transfer case puttinq it out of the rally. Steve Nowicki then came on in his Plymouth Arrow and fought off a late surge from Erik Zenz in a Saab 99 to win by one minute. Third in the class went to Guy Light in his Oldsmobile Omega, six minutes off the pace.

In addition to Steve Millen, several other frontrunners found the Bud P.O.R. too tough including Taisto Heinonen of Canada in a Mercury Lynx which retired after three stages with no clutch; Clive Smith whose Chevy Chevette V-6 went out on stage 18 with no brakes and broken suspension. Mark Hardymon who put his Mazda RX-7 off the road for good on stage 2. Gary Eaton who smashed the steering box on his Peugeot 505 and Walter Boyce who retired with a broken fuel line on his Ford Escort.

In spite of several roll-overs and arguments with trees, the race was free of serious incidents and injury -- a tribute to the fine work of the organizers, safety groups, control workers and marshals.

The PRO Rally tour now moves to the West Coast for the Tour de Forest PRO Rally in Oregon in late November followed by Michigan's Sno*Drift and the Carson City International in Nevada the first two weekends in December.


SCCA NATIONAL PRO RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP


EVENT: Budweiser Press On Regardless          			EVENT CONDUCTED BY: Detroit Reqion, SCCA
LOCATION: Houghton, Michigan              			LENGTH: 720 miles, 23 stages, 214 stage miles
DATE: November 4-6, 1983                  			WEATHER: Clear, cool
ENTRANTS: 65 FINISHERS: 25             				TERRAIN: Forest


FIN.                                    				CHAMP. MFG.   CHAMP. MFG.
POS.  	DRIVER/CO-DRIVER/HOMETOWN		CAR		SCORE	POINTS POINTS POINTS POINTS
 1.	Hannu Mikkola, Finland      		Audi Quattro 	237.15    20     20     
	Fabrizia Pons, Torino, Italy                            	  20

 2	Jon Woodner, Washington, D.C.  		Peugeot 504    	264.59    15     15
	Ginny Reese, Chelsea, Mich. 		                	  15

 3. 	Rod Millen, Costa Mesa, Calif. 		Mazda RX-7 	264.85    12     12
	R. Dale Kraushaar, Tigard, Oreg.                        	  12

 4.   	Bruno Krelbich, Ridgewood, N.Y. 	Audi Quattro   	268.75    10
      	Clark Bond, Bay City, Mich.                      		  10
 
 5.(1P)	Steve Nowicki, New Berlin, Wis.       	Plymouth Arrow 	269.66     8      8     20     20
         Brian Berg, Brown Deer, Wis.                     		   8            20

 6.(2P)	Erik Zenz, WesL Allis, Wis.           	Saab 99  	270.83     6   	  6     15     15
         David Stone, Acme, Mich.                        		   6            15

 7.(3P)	Guy Light, Midland, Mich. 		Olds Omega	276.42     4            12     12
      	Terry Conklin, Midland, Mich.                    		   4            12

 8.(4P)	Calvin Landau, Coraopolis, Pa.        	Dodge Charger  	280.98     3       	10     10
         Karen Landau, Coraopolis, Pa.                         		   3            10        			
 
 9.(SP)	John Crawford, Okmulgee, Okla.        	Dodge Shelby   	286.23     2       	 8
         Craig Marr, Oroville, Calif.                          		   2             8
     
10.(6P)	Don Jankowski, Farmington, Mich. 	Dodge Shelby    289.59     1 		 6
         Ken Nowak, Sterling Hgts., Mich.                   		   1             6
    

				 PRODUCTION CLASS WINNERS
 
 1.  	Steve Nowicki, New Berlin, Wis. 	Plymouth Arrow 	269.66    20     20
        Rrian Berg, Brown Deer, Wis.                      		  20
 
 2.  	Erik Zenz, West Allis, Wis.  		Saab 99      	270.83    15     15
        David Stone, Acme, Mich.                          		  15

 3.  	Guy Light, Midland, Mich.    		Olds Omega  	276.42    12     12
        Terry Conklin, Midland, Mich                 			  12
 

	UNITED STATES RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER NINE EVENTS
 
 DRIVER (Current Car)         	       		PRODUCTION DRIVER (Current Car)
 1.	John Buffum, Audi	  120      	1.	Steve Nowicki, Plymouth	       100
 2. 	Rod Millen, Mazda 	   95      	2. 	Gene Henderson, AMC 		75
 3. 	Jon Woodner, Peugeot   	   83           3. 	Guy Light, Oldsmubile    	65

CO-DRIVER                    			PRODUCTION CO-DRIVER
 1. 	Doug ShephPrd     	  100      	1. 	Brian Berg          		68
 2. 	Ginny Reese       	   83      	2. 	Terry Conklin            	65
 3. 	R. Dale Kraushaar	   77      	3. 	Jim Kloosterman     		63

MANUFACTURER                 			PRODUCTION MANUFACTURER
 1. 	Audi            	  135      	1. 	Plymouth             		88
 2. 	Mazda             	  107      	2. 	AMC                 		76
 3. 	Peugeot           	   63      	3. 	Dodge               		66
    					
                             		SEED WINNERS

       FIA/SEED 1 - Mikkola/Pons                  	SEED4 -no finishers
           SEED 2 - Kreibich/Bond                   	SEED5 -Schaffner/Blumenfeld
           SEED 3 - Zenz/Stone                        	SEED6 -Forbes-Robinson/Chatterton


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