| Left Smoking Again For Imediate Release: Vancouver B.C. Oct 22 - Rowdy Rally Racing returned home after a disappointing finish in the Mountain Trials Rally in Merritt. After an early exit in the Pacific Forest Rally a few months earlier, the team�s focus was to finish the rally. Points were more important to the team than risking a crash, battling for the class win. The car received a full overhaul at Bavaria Car Studio to insure the utmost reliability. After running a very conservative first stage, the team began to pick up and got into a competitively safe speed. �I was surprised I was able to keep my calm, a lot of times I tell my self before a stage to take it easy and conserve the car. Usually after the start flag drops the red mist takes over and I pushing as hard as I can,� noted driver Budd Stanley. �Once we had the first stage out of the way, we began to push harder and got into a nice rhythm. We were at just the right speed to post competitive stage times, yet not having any close calls.� After the first service the team had moved within striking distance of the top ten. The stage times where matching the much more powerful Subaru Impreza�s. At the start of the second leg, the team turned up the pressure to make a push up the leader board. Stage 4 saw the team push the MR2 to its limits, launching the car into the air at 150kph on a tarmac jump. However stage 6 would see everything go wrong. Setting a quick pace, a large jump fractured a cooling pipe leaking coolant out of the system. With a badly overheating engine, the team managed to limp out of the stage but would retire on the road section after, unable to continue. Rowdy Rally Racing will be hard at work at Bavaria Car Studio, trying to get the car ready for the Kananaskis rally. The team currently sits in 5th place in Group 2. Rowdy Rally Racing would like to thank its current sponsors, Bavaria Car Studio, RPM magazine Optima Batteries and MRM motorsports of Scotland. These four companies have supported the team through out the 2003 season. With out them the team would not be able to compete in the sport they love so much. For more information about the team, please visit the teams website at www.geocities.com/rowdyrallyteam. To follow the teams progress as well as regular reports on the rallies, please pick up an issue of RPM magazine. -30- |