[LAC] Event Report: Lake Superior ProRally 2001 - It's a Subaru Kind of World [REALLY LONG]

[robert_a_dupree at bankone.com]

As the corks popped and the champagne flew about with reckless abandon
there was no question that Subaru is a force to be dealt with on the SCCA
ProRally circuit.  Gone are the days when an independant racer could really
compete for top honors in the open class.  With the first season under it's
belt Subaru Rally Team USA is changing the face of the sport in this
country.  Build amazing cars, use amazing amounts of money and use amazing
(mostly imported) driving teams and you too stand good odds at buying
(winning) the championship!

Soapbox = off...

For me personally the LSPR2001 was bittersweet at best.  Team RallyPlex has
been sidelined throughout most of the year and was unable to compete in the
season closer.  So team owner John Rek and myself decided to at least show
up and spectate.  With the S2 out of comission, and John being very
squeemish about putting any miles on his tweak'd UrS4 we had to find an
appropriate transport.  My UrQ was NOT chosen because of the impending
maintenance coming, so we prep'd up a '99 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS.  Not
wanting to be confused for just the average spectator we installed the
interior from the '98 STI Type-R that John dismantled and so with the
addition of the 6" Hella lights in the facia we had a stylish, fun and
relatively safe ride to get to the event.  Our plan was simple: drive the
8hrs to the race, watch and then return all within about 36hours total.

The drive up was uneventfull although plenty of tense moments with John
cruising up 41 and 141 through major herds of rutting deer (spectating at
the rodeside?) at speeds in the ludicrous realm.  As the ever brave and
trusting co-driver I simple just concentrated on other things (sleeping)
while we compressed time and space getting to Houghton, MI.  John was often
frustrated at my shifts behind the wheel because I was a 'sally' by keeping
it under 90 most of the time; although eventually he managed to respect the
talen I have for attracting state troopers (ask Justusson about this talent
with me in Iowa sometime).  Anyway we got to Houghton.

Saturday was a beautiful morning, nice and crisp.  We had a lousy breakfast
and then struck out for Parc Ferme'  where the weather changed ASAP into
rain and drizzel.  After conferring with fellow rally-folks Tony Chavez and
'Mad-Mike' Halley and watching the in car camera of Mad-Mike and the
'StudBug' encountering a very big rock with the outside front car body (and
light bar) on a long sweeping right hander I really beginning to get bummed
about being there in a spectating capacity!  Hanging out in Parc Ferme' I
got to see Eric Burmeister's replacement for his venerable VW Golf.
Zoom-Zoom is the new phrase for him.  Great car, looks neat and much easier
to spell that that damnable German slogan: 'Funkengruven'... or whatever.
Seamus Burke had already gone out on Day 1 and the battle damaged
Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VI was on display; while TAD motorsports was busy
with Nelso, Joy and the other Mitsu contingent.

As spectators we managed to see sections of 3 stages.  We tromped into the
woods about a mile to see a great turn after the start of stage 12.  The
open-class WRX is impressive, but not quite so neat as the EVO VI of Rhys
Millen.  Anti-Lag sounds so bitchin' through the filter of a forest.
Second best sound award goes to the Tuthill driven, Buffam-prep'd Hyundai
Tiburon.  He looked really fast as well.  No off's at this stage.  We left
the woods after the first 15 or so cars.

Next we decided to dead-head up to the top of mount Brockway.  John took
mercy on me (because I've not yet been up the mountain in a rally car,
we've always been out on day-1) and took the 'not yet closed' front way up
the mountain at a somewhat -ahem- spirited pace.  Note to self: the 2.5RS
springs and dampers need uprating a bit.  'Nough said.  We hung out with a
couple hundred other folks to see the premier tarmac stage on the US
circuit.  One bitchin' jump at the top!  Unfortunately the fast-sweep car
never made it to the top of the mountain and so the stage was canceled.
Turns out that car-0 broke somewhere going up the hill and ended up in a
radio black-hole; stage was closed to prevent ecessive race delay.  While
it would be re-run again as 15, the added delay meant John and I made the
call to leave the mountain.  We drove down and got into position to see the
start of stage 15 (up the mountain).  I've got some neat video of open
class cars and how they handle differently beased up tarmac or gravel
tires!  Most impressive was the Mustang sideways up a switchback.  Most
silly was a PGT Subaru WRX early apexing the first part of the turn and
getting thrown out at the second part...  that driver needs to come to a
Q'Club event!  If you stay on pavement can you turn in too late???