Off the Line

            The Official Semi-occasional Publication of

            Team Harco Motorsports          Winter 1998/99

 

The Biggest Year Ever

The 1998 season will be one to remember.  Aside from repeat championships in road rally and autocross, there were a couple of results that really stand out.  The Team Harco/ Dragon Lady rally Colt was used to take second overall at the 50th running of the legendary Press On Regardless rally.  The same old “war horse” was used to gain the national championship for navigators, for W. David Watts, at the last PRO Rally of 1998 - the Lake Superior PRO Rally.

 

The “Flying Colt”. Brockway I at Lake Superior PRO Rally, Oct 24, 1998

 

Repeat Championship In CenDiv

For the second season in a row, Scott Jr was able to claim the CenDiv Road Rally championship.  Just as last year, the title is a shared one.  This time tough it is a tie with Ohio’s Greg Lester.  Greg has been a tough competitor for several years and is one of the top navigators in the country.  Scott’s regular road rally navigator, Jim Mickle, was able to claim second place in CenDiv points.  Fellow Detroit Region SCCA competitor, and rival, Rob Moran claimed third in E class and edged Scott for the Detroit Region championship.

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Line

 

The Official Semi-occasional Publication of            Team Harco Motorsports                                 Issue #9 -- Winter 1998/99

 

            Contents

CenDiv Rally Roundup ….......................…......…........  1

Detroit Region Rallies  ……………………………..…….  3

A Good Year On Hoosiers …………….……………..….  4

A Tale of Two Talons ………….............…..…….…......  5

1998 Lake Superior PRO Rally …….…….……………..  6  

Looking Ahead  .…..................................…..........…...  8

Thank You  ........…..............…............................…….. 8 

1998 Press On Regardless …………………..…………  10

The Team Harco Calendar  ..................…...........……. 14

 

 

On the Cover: The Team Harco/Dragon Lady rally Colt takes flight.  Lake Superior PRO Rally, stage number 13, Brockway Mountain, near Copper Harbor, MI.  Oct. 24th, 1998.  Photo by Randy Jokela

 

 

Off the Line is edited and published, time permitting, by Scott D. Harvey, Jr.

 

 

The name Off the Line, (aside from its many connotations) is used here, without being registered and is used without any ones permission.  Any resemblance between this newsletter and other published columns, of the same name, is not intended to detract from their readership in any way.

 

Comments, Questions, Back Issues, etc.

 

            Team Harco Motorsports

            221 Ormsby

            Waterford, MI 48327-1750

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            E-mail: TeamHarco@Juno.com  

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            (fax)  (248) xxx-xxxx

 

 

 

CenDiv Rally Roundup

 

Bringing a strong score into the second half of the CenDiv Road Rally Championship paid off for Scott again in 1998.  With points scored for two wins and a second place finish in the first three rallies, in Michigan anyway, Scott was in good shape to make a run when the season picked-up again in the fall.

After “CAST in Stone” in May, the CenDiv calendar really does not have any of the, more challenging, dirt road rallies until “Johnny Appleseed” and “Crossing the Line” in October.  The break between, Detroit region’s “Dawnbuster”, in June, and “Appleseed” would provide plenty of time for upgrades to “the ultimate rally machine”, the Team Harco/ Dragon Lady Talon.  It turns out the car was ready just a few short weeks prior to the rally in Ohio.  (More on that later).

Johnny Appleseed, Canton, Ohio.  Oct 3, 1998

Greg Lester always puts on a good rally and this years “Johnny Appleseed” was no exception.  The route was very similar to last years.  Which is to say, very hilly and twisty.  The weather even cooperated this year.  Instead of sunny and warm, it was cool and damp.  This goes a long way toward keeping the dust down and the civilians in their homes.  Both big bonuses when trying to run a road rally.

Winners of the event were Dave Harkcom and Donna Rinkel.  This would be Dave’s first rally since returning from a five year stay in Europe.  This would be Donna’s first ever win.  She did not want to believe it until the scores were finally posted, even though I congratulated her before hand.  I knew our scores would likely come-up just short.  Jim Mickle and I were able to claim second.  It would have been worse for the Harco crew, but Spencer/Moran made a mistake at the last two controls and threw away the win.

Top scores were Harkcom/Rinkel 41, Harvey/Mickle 45, Spencer/Moran 78, Johnstonbaugh/Hutson 134.  The first non-E class car would be Worden/Robinette to take the Stock class and 5th overall with 168.  Kimball/Kimball took the class win in L, with 374, good for 8th.

Crossing the Line, Marshall, Michigan.  Oct. 10, 1998

Terry Palmer’s “Crossing the Line” has become a regular stop on the CenDiv schedule.  No fewer than six Equipped teams came to Marshall, Michigan to slug it out.  While it is difficult to find fun and interesting roads in the flat farmland regions of south central Michigan, Terry must have found most of them.  This years rally was run on some good roads.

The weather may have been too good though, as little was to separate the top finishers in the rally.  In fact the top four finishers were separated by only three points and fifth place was only a few more points back.  Spencer/Moran scored the victory with 22 pts.  Second were Parps/Lester with 23.  Third would be Harvey/Mickle at 24.  Fourth was Townsend/Shue with 25.  Henderson/Harkcom would claim fifth with 31.  If anything, the points race would tighten-up after this rally and would not be decided until the final event on the schedule - “Thumb’s Up”.

Thumb’s Up, Imlay City, Michigan.  Nov. 14, 1998

Jim Mickle’s “Thumb’s Up” rally would be celebrating its tenth running in 1998.  Once on the national calendar, it has become a mainstay on the CenDiv schedule.  This years rally would prove to decide several class championships in the Central Division of the SCCA as well as the Detroit Region’s championship.

The pair of Mark Henderson and Rick Shue teamed up to take the win.  Both Rick and Mark are typically drivers in Detroit region rallies, but they also have done a fair bit of navigating.  Exactly how they decided who would take which seat is not known.  Second place would be taken by Parps and Lester.  Third place would be taken by Wittine and Talcott.  First in L, and 6th overall, would be Welch and Palmer.  8th overall and 1st in Vintage would be Jones and Potvin in their unstoppable MGB.  First in Stock would be Brian Scott and Mark Kleckner.  (The class win would wrap-up the overall championship, among all competitors, in the Detroit region, for Mark).  The Novice winners would be Bob Kay and Mike Bennett.

 

The typical “check point ahead” sign seen on many road rallies.

 

By failing to win, Greg Lester was unable to take sole possession of the E class championship, in the division.  With three wins and two seconds he scored the same number of points as your humble editor.  A lot of strong competition was provided in all classes in both the CenDiv and Detroit region championships.  The following chart shows this, as no one was able to claim the same class win in both.

 

 

1998 CenDiv Road Rally Championship Final Standings

Equipped Class

1T           Scott Harvey, Jr                      Detroit                    46            1T           Greg Lester                             NEOhio                   46              2            Jim Mickle                     Detroit                    42              3            Rob Moran                             Detroit                    40              4            Donna Rinkel                          NEOhio                   33                5          Mark Henderson                     Detroit                    24

Limited Class

1              Thomas Benham                     Detroit                    44               2           Ken Swarm                             NEOhio                   42               3                David Benham                        NEOhio                   36               4T        Terry Palmer/ Arthur Welch   Detroit                    30            5T           Eric Jones/ Bill Potvin    OVR/ NWOhio       11           

Stock Class

1              Richard Worden                      Detroit                    44               2           Mark Kleckner                        Detroit                    37               3           Brian Scott                        Detroit                    34               4           Steve Baumbach                      Detroit                    17            5T           Scott Forehand/ Dave Fuss        LOL                        10            5T           David Zelkowski                    Detroit                    10

1998 Detroit Region Road Rally Championship Final Standings

Overall Points (all classes)

                Name                                       points                      # scores

1              Mark Kleckner                        62                            7                 2           Rob Moran                             53                            7                 3           Scott Harvey                    50                            6                 4           Mark Henderson                     45.9                         8                 5T        Bryan Murphy                       38                            5              5T           Brian Scott                              38                            4              5T           Richard Worden                      38                                4

Equipped Class

1              Rob Moran                             44                            5                 2           Scott Harvey                           40                            5                 3           Mark Henderson                               38                            5                 4           Jim Mickle                              34                            4                  5          Bryan Murphy                                28                            4

Limited Class

1T           Terry Palmer/ Arthur Welch   30                            3                 2           Bruce Fisher                            28                            4                 3           Tom Benham                   26                            3                 4T        Jim Fekete/ Jim Shaffer           18                            2                 5           Lynn Dillon                            10                            1

Stock Class

1              Mark Kleckner                        48                           5                 2T        Brian Scott                              38                            4                 2T                Richard Worden                      38                            4                 3           Steve Baumbach                      33                            4                 4           Matt Martinchick                            17                            3                 5           Tom Woodside                       10                            2

Detroit Region Rallies

Dawnbuster, Brighton, MI, June 20-21, 1998

As mentioned in the last issue of Off the Line, the pairing of Scott, Jr and Mark Henderson for the ”Dawnbuster” rally was an interesting match-up.  Things were going well for the pair two-thirds of the way through the, dusk-to-dawn, rally.  A commanding lead went away when roadside signs became difficult to find during the course of the final third.

Eventual winners were Lynn Dillon and Greg Lester (from Indiana and Ohio respectively).  59 points, after more than twelve hours of rallying, would be the total amassed by the winners.  A further five points back would be Herb Spencer and Rob Moran.  Third overall and 1st in L would be Bruce Fisher and Tom Bell, with 151 points, in their aged Datsun 510 wagon (1972 model year).  But it was still not as old as the venerable ’64 MGB of Jones and Ward (5th OA, 3rd L, 360 pts).  Harvey and Henderson carried on and were able to finish sixth overall and 3rd in E (609).  First in Stock (7th OA) would go to Steve Baumbach and Brian Scott with 2162 points.  The Novice crew of Hopeman and Baksi took a respectable tenth overall while winning their class with 2957 points.

Richard Worden and Bryan Murphy were the organizers of this dusk to dawn run.  This would be Richard’s first try as “Rallymaster”.  He did a great job and was seemingly responsive to suggestions for future events.  Most comments were very positive, as well they should have been.  The few comments which suggested changes; mostly involved the use of instructions at signs which may be difficult to read in the dark and which should, ideally, be mileaged.  The rally was great fun and should, hopefully, draw even more competitors next year.

How The Other Side Does It, Waterford, July 10

For the second successive year Scott, Jr would be Chairman of the rally portion of the Waterford Hills weekend.  The “HTOSDI” weekend includes the three major forms of motorsport that the SCCA sanctions.  I.e. race, rally and solo.  All events are held at, or near, the Waterford Hills racetrack.

The rally is targeted at the novice or the rallyist who prefers only paved roads.  Designed to be short and simple, the rally also attempts to include some interesting roads and scenery.  This years event drew 11 entrants and most seemed to enjoy it.  There were a few repeat entrants from last years rally, but there were no repeat winners.

Winners this year, would be Charles and Margaret Brown with 198 points.  The Browns won both overall and Stock.   Steffanie and Frank Schwartz didn’t bring the kids along this time; and really worked at getting good scores.  It paid off with a second place finish and a class win in Novice.

 

For the most part things went well for everyone involved.  There was one minor situation that did occur, though.  A construction crew spilled a truck load of nails in the road right in front of one of the controls.  It only impacted a couple of teams, who were able to use time allowance requests to minimize their scoring penalty.

The “How the Other Side Does It” rally can be taken as seriously, or as lightly as one likes.  It’s intended to be an introduction to the basics of rallying.  It is hoped that word will spread and the number of entrants will increase yearly.

Press On Regardless, Alma, MI, Sept. 11-13, 1998

This years POR would be bigger and, in many ways better, than last years event.  The story of the rally, itself, can be found later in this publication.  This section will deal primarily, with the RallyCross portion of POR.

Gene Henderson asked if I would like to help organize a RallyCross, which would be run at the completion of this years POR.  He has been aware of my efforts to start a RallyCross program in the Detroit region; and in spite of this, he gave me a call.

Not wanting to let the POR “Top Gun” down, I jumped in with both feet and took on the job.  Most of the work was performed by a crew of hard working individuals who made it happen.  Brian Vinson took on the duties of “Chief Cook” while I was finishing-up the rally proper.  Brian, basically, ran the entire RallyCross once we had a course laid out.  He had a lot of help from Richard Beels, James Foster, Mary and Jerry Shiloff, Jim Fekete, Bob Martin, Scott and Marleana Radabaugh,  Kim Vinson and Ron Moen.

The RallyCross was great fun and everyone wanted to know when we could do the next one.  The dust did its best to try to ruin the day.  It became obvious that only one car could be on course at any given time.  As a result the number of runs each competitor could get had to be cut back to three.

The complete story, and scores, should be available in the Feb-Mar issue of the Detroit Region’s newsletter, Open Exhaust.  (Or contact the editor (of this rag) for a copy).

Crossing the Line, Marshall, MI, Oct. 10

Crossing the Line is both a CenDiv and Detroit Region Championship event.  A short summary of this rally is covered in an earlier section.  The Team Harco crew of Harvey/Mickle took a tough 3rd place finish there this year.

Thumbs Up, Imlay City, MI, Nov. 14

Jim Mickle was kind enough to let your humble scribe be included as one of the organizers of the final rally of the year.  “Thumbs Up” is, also, another CenDiv and Detroit Region Championship event.  By scoring organizer points, Scott was in a position to tie Greg Lester for the divisional championship.  See “CenDiv Rally Roundup” for more.

A Good Year on Hoosiers

1998 would prove to be another great autocross season for the Team Harco/ Autometric/ Dragon Lady Colt.  Scott Jr was able to claim the class championship in the Detroit Council (DCSCC) for the 5th season in a row.  For 1999 the little red Colt will wear number 18 all year.  This is a small step up from 21 the previous year.  Though still not as good as the number 7 which was earned for the 1995 season.

Unable to compete in enough Detroit SCCA events to reclaim the class championship there; 1998 marks the first time in 5 years that someone else holds the EP title.  That honor will go to Eric Vickerman.  In head-to-head competition, the fire breathing Colt has always been one to two seconds faster than Eric’s Mazda.

The Team Harco Colt has been used in more CenDiv events in the past couple of seasons.  By stepping up to the next level of competition, the team has targeted another team which they hope to beat in the near future.  That team is the Honda America Race Team, or HART.  The team consists of engineers of American Honda, who compete on weekends with their very potent Honda Civic racer.  This car has all the technology and support of Honda racing - no small program.

The first head-to-head meeting of HART and Team Harco was in 1997 at Oscoda.  The little Colt was beaten by about 5 seconds per lap.  An early CenDiv event, in 1998,  in Flint, saw the Honda take the class win again.  Dean Rindler’s best time was 45.620 which beat the best run Scott could muster, by more than three seconds (48.888).  In a repeat of the previous year the Honda team again got the best of the Harco Colt, at Oscoda, but the gap has been reduced.

Before the Oscoda event, the little Colt got a new exhaust header and some other minor changes.  The header was a part of the overall suspension change that has been on the boards for a couple of seasons.  As yet the coil-over front suspension has not been completed, but will come in time.  The header did seem to help boost engine output slightly, though probably the most notable difference is the sound from within the cockpit.  The change to the exhaust system has now made the most prominent sound, from a driver’s perspective, that of the transmission.  That “straight-cut” gear whine is now quite evident and is very reminiscent of the in-car sounds of Trans-Am racers, and the like.

The biggest change, though, would be the fitting of new Hoosier racing slicks to the Colt.  Two new ones were purchased, with “Dragon Dollars” at the Oscoda event.  With the new tires, and the other minor improvements, the little Colt closed the gap to the Honda with runs just under two seconds slower than their best runs.  The laps on the runways of Wurtsmith Airport, also are quite long.  On the order of 60 to 65 seconds.

It was a very encouraging result.  It is well known that new tires can mean a great deal.  But three seconds during a 60 second run is a lot (when comparing the difference from 1997 and 1998, at Oscoda).  It will be interesting to see if the gap can be further reduced as the planned modifications become reality.

With the exception of the two CenDiv events, where Scott took 3rd in class, all other autocrosses saw first place for the little Colt.  In fact, of the twelve autocross events in which the Team Harco/ Dragon Lady autocross Colt competed (in 1998); ten were first place class wins.

 

The Team Harco/Dragon Lady Colt in action at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  Al Zifilippo behind the wheel.  (Aug. 9,1998)

 

The big events outside of the CenDiv would be those at Waterford Hills.  July 4th is the traditional Corvette Club event and the Harco Colt was there again to blister the track.  The other event at Waterford Hills would be the Detroit SCCA, Waterford weekend, “How The Other Side Does It”.  The solo portion is run on an abbreviated version of the track where the best run from Saturday is added to the best run on Sunday to determine each driver’s score.

After all the times were in, the little Colt stood with the 4th fastest time of all - and complete domination of the EP class.  The only cars faster were three, big V-8 powered, muscle cars.  First was John Heinricy’s Corvette, followed by Marcus Merideth’s Mustang Cobra and then Jay Pistana’s, 6.6 liter, Trans Am.  Not too bad for a little 1600 cc four-banger!

The other good showings were turned-in at several Corvette club events in Livonia and the AROC events in Auburn Hills.  Most placements were in the top ten overall.  Surely the guys in the Vettes and the other muscle cars must be getting a little embarrassed getting their clocks cleaned by the little Colt.  Now that the car has new tires, it should be even more interesting in 1999.

A Tale of Two Talons

It all started at the 1998 Detroit Region SCCA Solo II driving school in May.  One of my students, Michael Eggleton, drove a nicely tuned Talon.  We started talking about modifications.  I was so impressed by the extra power his car produced, I had to know more about it.

Shortly after that, I ordered an inexpensive (turbo) boost controller and installed it on my engine.  I experimented with the adjuster and tested for a couple of weeks.  It didn’t seem to change things at all.  I called Dave Buscher, of Buscher Racing, for suggestions and advice.  His advice was that either there were leaks in the pressure pipes or the turbo was shot.  I was hoping to find a leak.  After lots of pipe removal and inspection it was determined that the turbo was shot.

The next step was to order a new turbo cartridge from Turbo City and prepare for its replacement.  A couple of weeks were set aside to complete the job and the old Shelby Charger was put on the road for daily transportation.  Two big things happened to alter these best laid plans.  First the original turbo was removed and inspected.  It showed four major fissures under the wastegate flapper and two large cracks on the exhaust side of the turbo housing.  The cartridge would no longer be sufficient to make the repairs - a whole new turbo would be needed.  Secondly, the Charger had a major unibody failure which has taken the car off the road permanently.

With all this going for me, I decided to dig in to the Talon even further.  I was not happy with the cylinder head on the car and wanted to put the original head back on.  Low (indicated) oil pressure has been a bit of a concern for a while and third gear was crunching.

The car was out of commission anyway, so why not fix it all?  The turbo was ordered, the head was removed, the block was removed and then the transmission came out.  Parts started coming in from all over the country, most going through Moran Mitsubishi.  The head had all 16 valve guides replaced and one exhaust valve.  The block got all new engine bearings and an oil pump.  The big job, though, would be the rebuild of the transmission.

With the help of Lee Kesh, at the Lawrence Tech fabrication lab, the transmission was completely disassembled and brought back to spec.  Two internal bearings and the third gear synchro were replaced.  That would prove to be the easy part.  All bearings need to be shimmed for proper pre-load or end-play.  This is a very time-consuming and laborious process which cannot be short-cut.

With the transmission finished, things could now begin going back in to the car.  First the transmission, then the block, then the new (rebuilt) front halfshafts, then the head and turbocharger were installed.  In addition to the

drivetrain improvements the brakes were upgraded.  New front calipers from Akebono (with new linings from BBA Friction) were bolted on.  The rear driveshaft, transfer case and exhaust system were reinstalled.  The battery was put back and the car was ready to be started-up.

The engine fired immediately.  Things were great!  The engine ran great, the transmission shifted beautifully and the brakes were better than they had ever been. During break-in, a high-rev misfire was diagnosed and new plug wires fixed that problem.  After a weeks worth of break-in mileage, it was time to experiment with the boost controller.  WOW!  This thing really does work.  With the controller set to give an extra 3-4 psi of boost, I would estimate an extra 40-50 horsepower is now on-tap.

Situated in the proper transverse orientation, “Little Scott” attempts to emulate the anticipated horsepower increase from the rebuilt powertrain.

 

The car was ready in time for the “Johnny Appleseed” rally, in Ohio (Oct. 3), which had been the ultimate deadline for completion of the rebuild.  The car performed better than it ever has.  More “go power” and improved stopping power were both quite welcome and made the event even more enjoyable.

Part two of the story:  After the “Crossing the Line” rally (Oct. 10), I decided to take the car in and get the transfer case replaced, under recall.  The front yoke of the driveshaft has been a known leak path for the transfer case lube.  Chrysler (and Mitsubishi) have finally taken responsibility for this design.  I would have been happy with just a proper yoke, but my car was diagnosed as needing a new transfer case too.  Who am I to argue?

The whole process of getting the car in and a transfer case installed could be another story by itself.  I’ll spare you the details.  Anyway, the day after the first transfer case went in (that’s right, the first transfer case), the car began to shudder and grind when pulling away from a stop.  I stopped and looked for a flat tire or a rear halfshaft problem.  Nothing obvious.  I limped home with the car and started looking things over.  I tracked it back to the transfer case.

I limped to the dealership the next day so they could put another transfer case in.  (The dealership was not Moran Mitsubishi.  Being that the car is an Eagle, recalls must be handled by a Chrysler dealership).  They told me they didn’t know how soon they could get another one in.  When I showed-up during my lunch break a couple days later they said the new part was in - but it did not fix the problem.  I needed proof that they had actually put another t-case in.  After I smelled the Mobil-1 synthetic lube, I had put in the “old” one a couple days earlier, I was satisfied they had.  It has that distinctive smell of garlic which has been aged in a skunk farm.

 

Now was that tab A in slot B, or tab B in slot A?  Don’t try this without a good instruction manual. 

 

But I was still quite disappointed and distraught that my car was not right.  I knew what I had done to repair the car during the five weeks it took.  There was no reason to suspect that; and yet there was no reason to suspect the wrong transfer case either.  Still there was something terribly wrong.  I began to suspect the clutch.  The next weekend was devoted to the installation of a high performance clutch from ACT.  (It took the whole week leading up to that to get the transmission out of the car again).  This still did not fix the problem.  The last things possible (external to the transmission) would be the hydraulics and pedal adjustment.  The clutch master cylinder was rebuilt, bled and the pedal was messed with.  Several tests showed no improvement.

I had three separate opinions that the flywheel was the likely suspect.  That was the last straw.  I was not about to take the transmission out again.  This time I will take the car to Moran and let them keep it until it’s fixed.  They told me something I already knew.  The flywheel didn’t look bad.  But just to be safe, they would recommend a new clutch and pressure plate as the performance pressure plate showed evidence of some “hot spots”.  This way they would stand behind the flywheel change if they install genuine Mitsubishi parts to mate with it.  Low and behold, this still did not fix the problem.  A couple hours worth of inspection were spent to determine that the transfer case did not match the output shaft of the transmission!

There is a happy ending to all this.  The proper transfer case was ordered.  The car was transferred back to the first dealership.  And only another week later, the car was back together and in my hands.  Total down-time for this little fiasco?  Six weeks!  The one thing that helps make it a happy ending is that Chrysler paid for most of the parts and labor subsequent to the wrong t-case installation.  It turns out my car was built early in the 1991 model run but still in calendar year 1990.  There was a component change during that period.  My car got the early parts.  Most ‘91s got the later parts.  If I can believe anything the guys at the C/P dealership tell me, my car has initiated a new TSB (technical service bulletin).  Isn’t that special?

 

 

1998 Lake Superior PRO Rally

Houghton, Michigan, October 23-24, 1998

With the cancellation of the Sno*Drift PRO Rally in February and no Lockwood Lake PRO Rally, it looked like the Harco gang would not see any PRO Rally action in 1998.  That was until, out of the blue, an e-mail note arrived at TeamHarco@juno.com; asking if I’d be interested in running the Lake Superior PRO Rally.  The note was from Dave Watts, who was in contention for the navigator’s championship (National Championship, no less) in Group 2.  When I read the part about how he would cover expenses, I coyly replied that we should keep talking.

The Team Harco/ Dragon Lady rally Colt needed a little work after POR, so I made it clear that the engine needed to be gone through before we could run LSPR.  I had expected to find broken rings in cylinders 3 and 4.  Fortunately, or is it, unfortunately, I did not.  Had I found broken rings it would be obvious why there was so much oil smoke coming out all over the place.  It became apparent that the valve guides were the reason behind the “Puff the Magic Dragon” imitation.  Unfortunately, there was not enough time to get the valve job done before LSPR.  We just put it back together and packed extra oil.

The trip up to Houghton, typically a 10 hour drive, was made in record time - 7 ½ hours!  The weather was incredible.  Someone remarked that is was warmer in the UP than it was in Hawaii.  Though I think it was probably 4:00 AM there.  Sunny skies, temps in the mid 60s and beautiful fall colors.  It doesn’t get better than this.  Especially if you’re driving a slow rear wheel drive car.

 

Our game plan was simple.  Be there at the finish.  Dave had expected that his competition for the championship, Christian Edstrom, would not make the trip from California. Edstrom had the points lead and could claim the championship even if he finished several places behind us.  We were surprised to see his name on the entry list with driver Bill Malik.  Malik is one of the fastest Group 2 drivers in the country, in his unbelievably fast Volvo.  We knew we would not be able to beat him on stage times, but our plan was still to be there at the finish and get as many points as possible.

Interestingly, Christian came down with the flu and was not able to compete.  Taking his place would be Chris Griffin, who had originally been entered as Henry Joy’s navigator.  More musical chairs had made this arrangement possible.  Overall points leader, David Summerbell, blew the engine in his Lancer Evolution on the press stage on Thursday.  Henry Joy, in an incredible gesture of good sportsmanship, stepped-up and loaded the Jamaicans HIS Lancer.

The rally, proper, started on Friday in the early afternoon.  Not wanting to let the fun and excitement get the best of me, I tried to drive within my limits and bring the car home clean for the finish - and the championship for Dave.  With Edstrom out, we only needed to finish 7th , or better, in class.  And seeing as there were only five cars entered in Group 2, I thought our chances pretty good.

It only took the second stage for me to get the wake-up call.  Trying a little harder and pushing the car, that much more, I stayed on the throttle way too long coming out of a turn and put the car up an embankment.  The bank was steep enough that we could have easily rolled over on our lid.  Luckily, I was able get the car off the bank and down on all four wheels.  Only now we were headed straight for a big tree on the other side of the road!  Our Lady of Blessed Deceleration was with us.  I stopped the car just shy of the tree.  A quick reversal and a twist of the wheel got us pointed in the right direction again.  It could have all ended right there.  From then on I kept things under control and stayed on the road.  There were no reasons to take chances - we had to finish.

While we had little trouble, the same could not be said for many competitors.  On the first stage alone, we passed 4 cars on the side of the road.  One car didn’t even make it to the first stage.  Arthur Odero-Jowi/ Lynn Dillon had a transmission failure on the way to the start in their Talon.  (They were able to salvage the weekend though, as they placed well in the divisional on Saturday).  Of the 4 cars we encountered on stage one, two had crashed and two had mechanical problems.  The most exciting of these would be in the form of an oil fire as a turbo oil line broke on the Mazda 323 GTX of Ottey and McGarvey.

 

 

 

We made it through the first night with little trouble, with the exception of a minor carburetor linkage problem.  A washer and rivet saved the day a one of our service stops and to this day, is still holding fast.  We shared service crews with the other Colt team (Scott and Marleana Radabaugh in their 1600 Colt).  They, on the other hand, had problems on the first night and ended with a DNF.  First a failed water pump, then an oil leak spelled the end of their night of fun.  Happily, they were able to also compete in the second divisional and they too finished that one.

Our rally got real exciting on day two.  Already ten stages had been run on Friday.  For Saturday, there would be only six stages, two of which would be run on Brockway Mountain, near Copper Harbor (as far north as you can go in Michigan - shy of Isle Royale).  Brockway is an asphalt road which really amounts to a hill climb for the first half of a mile and then a scenic roadway, along the ridge of a small mountain (how big of a mountain can it be if it’s in Michigan?).  We did not have time for the scenery but we did have a chance to go for “maximum attack” on the second running.  The stage was run twice, in the same direction.  Having seen it once the first time through, I knew what to expect and drove at the limit the second time around.  Throughout the rally, we were consistently turning stage times around 20th fastest.  The second time through on Brockway, we turned in the 11th fastest time.  Not too bad when one considers we had the oldest car in the rally and probably one of the least powerful.

Brockway also has a couple of places where the car gets airborne, or “Yumps”.  Regrettably, no one has come forward with photos from our second time through, as we really yumped high that second time.  The one of us the first time through will have to do, until next year.  The rally then raged through the last two stages of the day and then paraded to the awards reception at the D & N Bank in Hancock.  There were interviews with the winners.  Hand shakes and hugs all around.  Champagne corks and flash bulbs popped with equal frequency.  Several new champions were crowned that day.  David Summerbell came away with the overall driver’s championship.  And W. David Watts claimed the navigator’s championship in Group 2.  The old Colt came home 3rd in Grp 2 and 19th overall.  We had a great time and Dave Watts has the championship he worked so hard for.

Thank you Dave, for asking me to drive and be a part of the fun.  Had it not been for Dave’s financial support, I would have been home reading updates of the rally on rally-l.

 

 

Looking Ahead

At the time of this writing, we are in the midst of one of the coldest winters in several years.  It is anticipated that we will have several ice races.  The lakes are frozen and there is more than a foot of snow on the ground.  The ice racing season usually gets going strong in February and early March.  We should be in good position this year.

Also coming up, is a winter rally organized by your humble editor.  Stepping up from the little Waterford Hills rally, I have taken on a full blown TSD Road Rally.  Designed from its inception to follow, as closely as possible, the guidelines for a CenDiv rally, the Son of Sno*Drift is just a lowly Detroit region rally.  Though we do hope to draw a number of the competitors from the entire Great Lakes region.  My expectations are that if response is favorable, Son of Sno*Drift will be on the CenDiv calendar in 2000.

The name, itself, has been taken from a Detroit region classic rally, Sno*Drift.  Sno*Drift has for many years been a, somewhat, frequent winter rally on the PRO Rally schedule.  While not trying to pretend to be a PRO Rally, Son of Sno*Drift will still present the competitors with plenty of winter driving challenges and enjoyment.  The date of SoS*D is (Saturday) January 23, 1999.

After Son of Sno*Drift and some (hopefully) ice races, the Harco crew will turn its attentions to competing in the real Sno*Drift.  The Sno*Drift will be a 60% national Pro Rally again in 1999.  The Team Harco/ Dragon Lady rally Colt should have a rebuilt cylinder head in time for that event.  Plus the other things which need attention after LSPR.  Beating-out the right front fender and fabricating another fiberglass bumper section, for example.  (Both courtesy of our little balancing act on that embankment).  Sno*Drift will be run on Feb. 19-20, 1999, in Atlanta, MI.

The 1999 Team Harco calendar looks a lot like it did last year.  If anything, the level of competition will continue to escalate and our goals will also be aimed high.  Better showings in the CenDiv Solo events, and repeat regional championships are planed for 1999.  More Pro Rally events and repeat championships in road rally are also targeted for the new year.  High on the list of wishes, is to win the Detroit Region rally championship.  It has been even more elusive than winning the Divisional Championship.  We also expect to go after the National Championship at the USRRC (United States Road Rally Challenge).  The Talon was out of commission in November, 1998 and the team of Harvey/Mickle had to withdraw their entry.

With the continued support of our friends and sponsors, we are confidant that 1999 can be an even better year than 1998.

 

Thank You

The hardest part of putting together this publication is when it comes time to thank those who have helped us each year.  It is so difficult to put into words the appreciation and gratitude which we hold for those who help and support our efforts.  No matter how much I write, it can never be enough; nor can it really express my heartfelt thanks for your support.  Well here it goes anyway…

First and foremost on the list, must be the “Dragon Lady” (Sue Vartanian).  Her financial contributions and support have done the most to keep the Harco “boat” afloat.  The cost of engine rebuilds, racing tires, entry fees, fuel and oil, and the thousand other little things have been made much more attainable through the Dragon Lady’s generous contributions.

More Dragons have been making their way onto the Harco vehicles when they go into competition.  At LSPR we proudly displayed a “Dragon Powered” logo on the flanks of “Puff the Magic Dragon”.  The same logo should go into battle in the rear quarter windows of the “ultimate rally machine” when it is used to defend the CenDiv Road Rally Championship.  All three cars get the “Dragon treatment” when running in competition.

We are hoping to bring Autometric Body Shops back on for 1999.  The previous year was not a good one in the “collision business”, as the winter was so mild.  This year should be different.  Larry Smith, of Autometric, has been a great supporter of our autocross efforts and we still owe him a great debt; if for nothing else, but the beautiful paint on the Team Harco/ Autometric/ Dragon Lady autocross Colt.

W. David Watts came forward in late September of 1998 and asked if I would drive for him at the Lake Superior PRO Rally.  When he said he would cover expenses, I jumped.  Thank you Dave for the great experience and for covering 90% of the costs.  I am so happy for you on your national championship.  I am also proud to have been a small part of helping you realize your goal - congratulations.

Jim Mickle has taught me as much about road rally as anyone.  Not only from a competitors point of view, but also as an organizer.  His leadership, by example, is unmatched in the world of TSD rallying.  As teammates, we have won a high percentage of the events we have entered.  On a more selfish level, Jim, I thank you for this.

Bryan Murphy has proven many times that he can  compete in any rally, in any class, and win. We have run together in nearly every class and have won most of them.  Bryan has been my regular “brain” at the last few Press On  Regardless rallies - and we have done quite well.

 

Al Zifilippo is as much a friend as a teammate. We have shared some great times together since teaming-up on our first rally in 1992.  We ran every rally we could, mostly TSD events.  This was to get to know each other for the day when we would start running PRO Rallies.  Along the way, we won Stock class championships in the Detroit Region.  After that we took some top tens in the nearby PRO Rallies.  Our best run was at the 1997 Lockwood Lake PRO Rally where we took third overall and first in U2.  Al, thank you for all of your help and friendship.

Lee Kesh and Ray Zeigler, at the Lawrence Tech fabrication lab, have helped in many ways. This past year Lee helped with the transmission rebuild in the Talon and a number of  smaller projects.  Ray is new to the fabrication lab at LTU, but he has jumped right-in to help us.  He welded up the exhaust header for the rally Colt before we ran LSPR.  Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance.

Along the way of rebuilding the “ultimate rally machine”, the guys at Moran Mitsubishi really came through to help the effort.  Randy Kent gave us great discount prices on Mitsubishi parts for the “screaming Eagle”.  Cy and Chris must also receive recognition for their help.

Christa Patterson of Akebono was gracious enough to help with the resurrection of the Eagle by providing a complete set of remanufactured brake calipers.  All four corners!  Thank you, Christa.

Chris Watson and Brett Allen of BBA Friction came through with some excellent brake linings for the Talon.  There is enough friction, fade resistance and overall performance, that I must say these are, by far, the best linings I’ve used on the Talon.

The Colts are stopping better these days too.  Thank you to Roy Eastham of Ferodo who provided us with several sets of some aggressive brake linings.

Allen Hewitt’s, tire mounting machine is still getting an incredible amount of use. With five vehicles to support (not counting the trailer) each with their own, many and varied, needs; a tire machine is one of the greatest tools a racing team can have.

Scott and Marleana Radabaugh, Brian Scott, Mark “Skip” Kleckner, Colin Bothea, Steve Baumbach for helping mostly with service at LSPR, but also general Colt rally business.

Mark Henderson, for being a good sport at “Dawnbuster”.  We should have won that rally.  It was mostly my fault we didn’t.

Mike Eggleton and Dave Buscher/ Buscher Racing for getting the bug started to get more power from the Talon’s engine.  Lots of good advice and ideas.

 

 

Doug Harvey, Mike and Carol McClintock, Mike Burke, Tom Woodside, Pete Gladyz, Arick Rushing and Rod Natho have all supported the team in one way or another over the past few years.

To all of you, we say “Thank you!”.  Thank you for your help.  Thank you for your support.  Thank you for your friendship.

One attempt to provide some return, is the production of this newsletter.  It is our way of keeping you informed and updated on the activities of Team Harco.  It is my sincere hope that you enjoy it and that you will provide feedback whether positive or negative.

Thank you teammates,

 

 

 

The “ultimate rally machine” sits atop a hill, in south central Ohio, during a pause in the action at the “Johnny Appleseed Rally”.  (Oct. 3, 1998)

 

Special Stage #1 of LSPR, 1998.  Harvey/Watts keeping it clean.  (Photo by Steve Baumbach).