Vintage rally class?

[Burl Vibert]

> > Sprongls return to Quebec to extend record winning
> > streak
> >
> > QUEBEC CITY -- Six time Canadian rally champions
> > Frank and Dan Sprongl will
> > try to extend what may be the longest winning streak
> > in Canadian
> > motorsports here this weekend when they attempt an
> > unprecedented eight
> > straight victories in the Rallye de Quebec, first
> > round of the 2001
> > national championship.
> >
> > No other team has won the rally since its inception
> > in 1994.
> >
> > What's different this year is the car.  While the
> > Mississauga, Ontario,
> > pair will return to Quebec with an Audi, it won't be
> > the all-conquering S2
> > coupe they drove to their seven previous victories
> > in the event. For 2001,
> > the brother team from Four Star Motorsports will
> > bring a rare 1983 Audi
> > Coupe Quattro, a chapter of rally history, for their
> > title defence.
> >
> > The car, originally built to Group B rally
> > specification by veteran Audi
> > campaigner Bruno Kreibich of New York, is a
> > throw-back to another era of
> > the sport, when factory-supported Audi Coupes
> > dominated the world scene.
> > But the car's storied history is no advantage
> > against the icy roads and
> > sophisticated equipment of modern competitors.
> >
> > "We know we probably give away nearly 100 horsepower
> > to our main
> > competitors," admits driver Frank Sprongl. "The car
> > was state-of-the-art in
> > its day, but the new cars have far more
> > sophisticated technology,
> > particularly in suspension and brakes."
> >
> > "If there was a vintage class, we'd probably
> > qualify," grins Frank.
> >
> > Two factors help level the playing field for the
> > team: Tires and their
> > experience in the event.  The team will rely on a
> > selection of proven
> > Yokohama snow and ice tires to cope with the
> > treacherous conditions of the
> > two day rally that begins Friday evening in the city
> > and runs through
> > Saturday. Knowing what it takes to win the rally is
> > another big advantage.
> >
> > "We have to be smarter than the other guys," says
> > co-driver Dan Sprongl.
> > "We know the car is strong, but we have to make up
> > for the deficit in power
> > with driving, tires and tactics. We know what it
> > takes to win here." Last
> > year, they finished the event nearly six minutes
> > ahead of their nearest
> > competitor.
> >
> > The Rallye de Quebec is the first round of the
> > eight-event Subaru Canadian
> > Rally Championship presented by Yokohama.  The event
> > is broadcast
> > nationally in English on Feb. 17 on TSN and on Feb.
> > 16 in French on RDS, as
> > well as the Outdoor Life Network.
> > - 30 -
>
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