VANCOUVER, BC -- There will be a little more Rocket Fuel in the Rocket Rally Car this weekend. Rocket Rally Racing just finished building an Open class car and will premiere it at Rim of the World Performance Rally, May 4 and 5 in Palmdale, California. Rim of the World is the fourth event in the SCCA ProRally series.

"I'm eager to race in the Open class. I think driving a more powerful car will be quite a challenge. And a blast," said Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally Driver. But Richard won't be the only one benefitting from this move from Production GT. "With its recent popularity surge, Pro Rally has been getting increasingly competitive in the U.S., and we feel racing in the Open class provides our sponsors with substantially more exposure."

The team finished getting the car ready this week. Richard picked up an almost-new black 1998 Subaru Impreza, which already had a roll cage in it. The team's associate sponsors helped outfit it: SPD Tuning Services supplied the drivetrain, Shiv Pathak from Vishnu Performance helped tune the engine, OMP supplied the seats and safety gear, and Rocket Crew Chief Dave Clark of Dave Clark Motorsports prepared the car with the assistance of several Seattle-area veteran rallysists. The car will be run with five to eight pounds of turbo boost. "We had originally set the car with 15 to 20 pounds of boost, but that was a bit too much for me. It was definitely heart pounding. Dave and I decided it would be best if we allowed for a bit of a learning curve, so we detuned the engine." The car was finished late Wednesday night and is being driven today to the California event.

"We're viewing this event as a real shakedown test," said Richard. "I want to test out the car and simply try to stay on the road, maybe post some good stage times. Dave put a lot of hours into it but, as with any new car, there is always more to do." Richard will be driving with Ben Bradley, a veteran rally co-driver and Rocket Rally Co-driver for American events.

The Open class car will only be run in the American-based SCCA Pro Rally Series. Richard will be racing a 2002 Subaru WRX, supplied by Subaru Canada, in the Canadian series, as part of the Subaru Canada Rally Team. In the 2000 rally season, Rocket Rally Racing won the Production GT titles in the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, the American-based SCCA ProRally Championship and the North American Rally Cup, and secured the corresponding manufacturer's championships for Subaru as well.

Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally Driver
info@rocketrally.com
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p. (604) 803-6095