June 6 , 2000
For more information, contact: Paul Giblin (603) 383-4088
E-mail: paulgiblin@usa.net

Scheible & Hughes Claim Overall Victory At Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally June 5th, 2000
Vermont SportsCar Extends Overall Points Lead in SCCA Pro Rally Driver Championship to 22 Points After Only 4 Events!


Wellsboro, PA, USA - Vermont SportsCar, along with the SCCA Group N team of Karl Scheible of Spenserport, NY and Russ Hughes of Leroy, NY, claimed their second overall victory in as many events in the United States-based Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pro Rally Series this past weekend in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

Driving a Vermont SportsCar owned and prepared 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V, the Pro Rally team of Scheible and Hughes managed to score their second overall win this season at one of the toughest events in the nine-event series - the Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally. Going up against the toughest field of teams and cars this season, the duo went into the event with their sights set on finishing the event and capturing enough points to retain their slim lead in the newly added SCCA Group N Championship.

"This is a tough event," stated Scheible prior to the rally, "We want to make it to the end. I know we have a chance at some points if we can just last until the finish. I've been coming here since 1977 and I've seen lot's of teams rush out to huge leads in the beginning, only to lose it during the night stages."

The twenty-fourth running of the Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally proved to be just that, an event of attrition. Current SCCA Pro Rally Champion Noel Lawler called it a day early in the rally with a blown headgasket in his Hyundai Tiburon, while SCCA Pro Rally legend Bruno Kreibich also called it quits early with a broken oil pump drive-belt in his Audi Quattro. Scheible and Hughes managed to stick to their game plan throughout the daylight stages of the rally though, and with the night stages quickly approaching, they were gaining valuable positions on the leaders.

Eric Comas, the internationally known Nissan works driver and reigning Japanese GT champion who began his rallying career at the Oregon Trail event in April, joined the field in Wellsboro in an attempt to gain more points towards the Group N Championship. However, in Special Stage 4 (SS4), Comas learned all about trees in curves, clipping one with the right front corner with his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV in a turn that he said "looked like a 4th gear turn." This unfortunately, ended Comas weekend.

The conditions were nearly ideal for STPR, which has been dry hot and dusty for the last several years. Described as "wicked fast" by Matt Chester, co-driver for the #10 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV of Peter Lahm, a sentiment that was echoed by Brian Maxwell who also found the conditions "typical" of STPR, but without the blinding dust.

As the night stages continued, Scheible and Hughes carefully worked their way up to fourth place on the road, behind the teams of Paul Choiniere & Jeff Becker in their Hyundai Tuburon, Jon Kemp & Gail McGuire in their Audi 4000 Quattro and Doug Sheppard & Peter Gladysz in their 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

Eventually, Choiniere & Becker dropped by the wayside with troublesome gearbox problems in their Hyundai Tiburon and after a re-seed, Scheible and Hughes found themselves in second place behind Kemp & McGuire. In the final stages though, an uncharacteristic bobble by Kemp allowed Scheible to position his Evo V in such a way as to pass the Audi 4000 of Kemp and McGuire and drive to the teams second overall victory in as many rallies.

The overall victory at the Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally in Wellsboro, PA gave the Vermont SportsCar team of Scheible and Hughes a twenty-two (22) point lead in the overall 2000 SCCA Pro Rally Championship and a twenty (20) point lead in the SCCA Group N Championship after just four events.

The next scheduled rally in the nine-event SCCA Pro Rally Series for the Vermont SportsCar team of Scheible and Hughes will take place at the Maine Forest Rally in Rumford, Maine July 28-29, 2000.

Vermont SportsCar is based in Colchester, Vermont and receives corporate support from the following international corporations: Lazer Digital Services, Flower City Printing, Ohlins Suspension Systems from Sweden, Hella Lighting Systems, New England Racing Fuels / Sunoco Race Fuels, Compomotive Motorsport Wheels, Stack Instruments, Goodridge Components, Aearo Peltor and MOMO Automotive Accessories.

For more info regarding the SCCA Pro Rally series, the team of Scheible & Hughes or Vermont SportsCar, please contact Paul Giblin, Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Vermont SportsCar at 603-383-4088 or via E-mail at: paulgiblin@usa.net. Please visit the team's web site at: WWW.VTCAR.COM