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Trunkmonkey Racing finishes Maine Forest Rally 2006, takes regional podium in class

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, HAVERHILL, MA (07/26/2006) — New England-based motorsports team Trunkmonkey Racing successfully completed Maine Forest Rally 2006 which hosts River Valley Rally and Bethel Rally of the Rally America Eastern Regional Championship. Competing in Production GT class, driver Sean Sosik-Hamor and co-driver Andrew Hobgood piloted the 762 PGT Trunkmonkey Pink Impreza to take 3rd in class at River Valley Rally and 2nd in class at Bethel Rally over the two days of competition and 78 miles of Special Stages.

Trunkmonkey Racing has been extremely active in the New England motorsports community for the past five years both competing in and organizing Rallycross, Ice Racing, Road Rally, and New England Subaru Impreza Club gatherings as well as marshaling and crewing at various ProRally and ClubRally events. The team’s second running of Maine Forest Rally, this year marked the anniversary of the Trunkmonkey Pink Impreza’s 2005 debut and showed the car’s and service crew’s ability to stand up to punishment under pressure.

Said Sean Sosik-Hamor, “This year has proven that Trunkmonkey Racing is about teamwork and the support of friends and family, especially my wife Kelly who has supported me since the start of my racing career six years ago. Like all other events, Maine Forest Rally was a learning experience, and I feel confident that we will be even better prepared in the future to handle unexpected situations as they arise on course and in service.”

Remarked Andrew Hobgood, “This year’s event was a lot faster and smoother than last year, while a reliable car and well-tuned service crew really let us push the limits with MFR’s notoriously sparse route book. A clean finish and some fast stage times were the main goals for the event, and we definitely achieved them.”

Team crew chief Sabrina Vollers also added, “We were better equipped and more organized than last year which really paid off in efficiency and overall confidence of the team. Everyone was so dedicated and took their responsibilities very seriously, but it didn’t stop us from having fun with makeshift tarp tents during the passing rain and toting our obligatory inflatable monkey to spectate Mexico from the top of an RV.”

As always, the Trunkmonkey Racing service crew was the backbone of the team with Kelly Sosik-Hamor in charge of team amenities and Sabrina Vollers acting as crew chief while Brian Knapp and James Mackey took care of repairs and maintenance at service. Team member Brian Batty, Manchester Subaru technician Mike Rowe, SubaruProParts.com, and Town Fair Tire were also instrumental in preparing the Trunkmonkey Pink Impreza during the weeks leading up to Maine Forest Rally.

Many thanks also go out to Pepper Computer for providing the team with an EVDO to Wi-Fi Access Point for wireless Internet access in the backwoods of Maine. In addition, a pre-production Pepper Pad 3 Handheld Computer was supplied by Pepper to store PDF versions of Rally America rulebooks and bulletins as well as all required Subaru Impreza factory service manuals, addenda, and reference documentation.

Trunkmonkey Racing would like to thank their 2006 sponsors and partners:

Finer Touch Auto Body: 118 Maple St., Manchester, NH (603-668-4713)

SubaruProParts.com: http://www.subaruproparts.com/

RallyDecals.com: http://www.rallydecals.com/

RallyHo Motorsports: http://www.rallyhomotorsports.com/

Wicked Big Meet: http://www.wickedbigmeet.com/

North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club: http://www.nasioc.com/

Pepper Computer: http://www.pepper.com/

Town Fair Tire: http://www.townfairtire.com/

For more information about Trunkmonkey Racing, please visit:

http://www.trunkmonkeyracing.com/

For more information about Maine Forest Rally, please visit:

http://www.maineforestrally.com/

For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Sean Sosik-Hamor

e: [email protected]

p: 978-457-3575

Photos Copyright (c) 2006 Pete Kuncis

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Going ape over Tomkinson ads

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Despite the originality of the opening ceremonies and the thrill of the downhill, the thing I remember most vividly about last month’s Olympic Games had nothing to do with athletic competition.

I can’t stop giggling about those silly Tomkinson trunk monkey commercials.

Have you seen them?

There are two ads playing now. In the first, a woman is pulled over for speeding. When it’s clear the officer intends to write her a ticket, she presses a button and a monkey hops out of the trunk of her car. First, he offers the patrolman a fistful of cash. When the officer shakes his head, the monkey pulls a secret weapon from behind his back: a doughnut!

In the final scene, the monkey forlornly looks out from the squad car’s back window as he’s being driven away to lockup.

The second ad, which I’ve seen only once, shows a trunk monkey kicking out the back seat of a stolen car and forcing the thief to pull over. The monkey drags the culprit out of the car to the railing of a bridge and throws him over, reclaiming the car for his owner.

Rick Tomkinson, owner of Tomkinson Automotive Group, believes most car dealers’ ads have left the public “shell shocked” from the barrage of gimmicks and come-ons.

Tim Borne, chairman of Asher Agency, agrees.

“Car dealers do bad advertising, as a rule,” he said.

Tomkinson wants to distance himself from the pack. “We want to give people a chuckle and hope they’ll come in and give us a try,” he said.

The idea, he said, is to increase his 30-year-old Fort Wayne-based company’s name recognition. Tomkinson sells Dodges and BMWs at 929 Avenue of Autos and Chryslers and Jeeps at 4801 Coldwater Road.

Making TV commercials can be expensive – a real hurdle for small- and mid-sized local retailers. But placing your name on one that’s a canned spot – one that can be personalized by a number of companies in different markets – can allow a business to run ads with better production values.

“It could allow you to look bigger than you are,” said John Ferguson, president and principal of Ferguson Advertising.

That’s the case here. Car dealerships in two other markets are running the same series of ads, which were designed by R/West, a West Coast agency, Tomkinson said. It’s the same agency that does those Career Builder.com ads that show a frustrated guy working at a company surrounded by a bunch of monkeys. Now, I know you’ve seen those clever commercials.

“Local or national, it’s tough to stand out,” Ferguson said. But, he added, a good concept can be the launching pad for a memorable ad, even without a big budget.

The trunk monkey ads have made an impression on Ferguson. They’ve also caught the eye of Chad Stuckey, founder and president of Brand Innovation Group.

His team gathers Monday mornings to dissect the commercials they remember seeing over the previous weekend. The real test of a good spot is whether viewers can remember what it was selling.

“Good humor’s hard to pull off,” Stuckey said. “Those (trunk monkey) ads make me laugh every time I see them. But will it make me go out and buy a car? I don’t know.”

Borne, of Asher Agency, said that although Dodge customers might get a kick out of the monkey, “For a BMW buyer, is that the image you want?”

I can’t afford a BMW, so I don’t know. I just know what’s funny. And so does Tomkinson. He thinks the ads’ tone will at least distinguish his dealership. The advertising guys I consulted say it’s tough to gauge commercials’ effectiveness without conducting focus groups before and after. Most of the results are measured anecdotally.

Tompkinson’s showrooms are seeing more customer traffic in recent weeks, although the owner concedes that consumer interest tends to take an upturn as winter ends and spring arrives. Still, those ads are making an impression.

“There’s no question it’s going to raise our name as the one company that’s not screaming at (customers),” he said.

There’s no question that I’m thinking Tomkinson. But I bought a new car only a few months ago. Do you think he’d sell me just the monkey?

Source: The Journal Gazette
Byline: Sherry Slater

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NEDiv Rallycross News

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By: Chris Brenton

Hey all,

Thanks to all who turned out for the annual meeting and congrats to all the trophy winners. Seems like everyone had a blast.

Kathy Beliveau was presented with a thank you gift of a two night stay at the Wayside Inn which is nestled between Bretton Woods and Cannon mountain. Beyond the local skiing, she’ll be treated to a whirlpool bath, champagne, flowers and complimentary meals. Rumor is she is even considering letting Scott come along. 😉

Kathy Moody won the Chairman’s award for all her support of the RallyX program. I think we all agree that this award is *very* well deserved. Thank you Kathy for working so hard to make sure the rest of us can have fun.

Joe Moody was again recognized as the worker of the year for 2005. I think we need to try and make 2006 the year that Joe reaps the rewards of all his hard work by coming out and spanking the dirt with the rest of us. Rumor is some guy who was downing way too much Tequila offered Joe a co-drive in an STi at the Stafford event.

Over the weekend the subject of Tim Chevalier winning at Nationals was a repeated topic of conversation. Many commented that Tim was the guy to beat, right up till a bunch of us watched his son Ryan hand him his butt multiple times playing Richard Burns rally. While Ryan is only nine, its now obvious where Dad has been getting all of his RallyX driving pointers. Be afraid when this kid gets a license and starts turning out for events. 😉

Don’t forget that Stafford is in less than two weeks! WAHOOO! If you have not pre-registered yet, get it in now.

The RallyX committee met over the weekend to hammer out the rules for 2006. I’ll let Scott announce what was decided, but I want to drive home a couple of points before the banter starts:

  1. The rules are now mandatory nationwide. We do not have the same level
    of flexibility that we did in the past.
  2. Creating supplementary changes to the rules is an arduous process and
    not to be taken lightly.

So what we have is not that different from what Scott posted to the list earlier, but its the best we can do. Please review the rules when posted and be ready to class your car at Stafford. If anyone needs help, please feel free to drop me an e-mail.

Rumor is SpeedTV will not longer be carrying WRC. This is based on comments from Speed employees as well as the fact that Monte Carlo is next weekend and it does not show up in Speed’s TV listings. For those who will go through nasty withdrawals (like myself), you can subscribe
to a live feed.

If you have A/V outputs on your computer, you can even continue to watch it on a TV the same as you always have. The difference is you’ll get a lot more vid and commentary with less commercials.

HTH,

Chris

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Couple sure love will overcome

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“Trunk monkey” can’t enter U.S., fiance may not be allowed in Canada after border arrest

An Amherst woman who got caught trying to sneak across the U.S. border in the trunk of her American fiance’s sports car says the couple, who met online, will find a way to spend their lives together despite any legal obstacles.

Dora Arlene Sauveur, 36, was arrested July 19 at the border crossing at Houlton, Maine, and served 23 days in a county jail at Bangor, Maine. Her friends started calling her “trunk monkey” and “suitcase” after her arrest.

Her fiance, Martin Ellis Crossno, 34, of South Carolina started serving a similar jail term last week.

Ms. Sauveur is banned from visiting the United States for 20 years and Mr. Crossno is now a convicted felon and might not be allowed to visit Canada.

Ms. Sauveur said the couple will find a way to be together, even if it means moving to France or Mexico or living in tents across from each other at the Canada-U.S. border.

“I’m sure we’re going to figure something out,” she said. “We’re getting married.”

She said Mr. Crossno has written to Oprah Winfrey and hopes to win the American TV talk show host’s support or appear on her program.

Ms. Sauveur and Mr. Crossno, who had clean records at the time of their arrest, last saw each other in court the next day. They had spent the night in adjoining cells but couldn’t see each other.

“We could talk to each other,” Ms. Sauveur said from her home Monday.

“They took him first, and he said, ‘I love you, baby.’ ”

When they were being transferred — in shackles and handcuffs — from the jail to the courthouse, their paths crossed and Ms. Sauveur defied the guards’ orders against personal contact and quickly gave Mr. Crossno a kiss.

Since then, the pair have mostly communicated the way they met — over the Internet.

Ms. Sauveur, who referred to herself as a “crazy Newfie,” had been married to Doug Sauveur of Amherst for nine years. They had two sons, now ages nine and six, but split in July 2003.

She met a different South Carolina man, Todd Mumford, 33, on the Internet in May 2004, went to visit him and ended up moving in with his parents.

She briefly returned to Canada and went back to Mr. Mumford’s parents’ house in August 2004. Her relationship with Mr. Mumford ended a few months later but she continued to stay with his parents and met Mr. Crossno last April.

She hit it off with the computer expert, whom she said hadn’t had a girlfriend for about eight years.

“We went hiking and we both clicked,” she said. “We just talked to each other all the time and we just grew more fond of each other.”

She started the application process for American citizenship, met Mr. Crossno’s parents and took him to Canada to meet her family in July.

The couple set out to drive back to South Carolina on July 14 but got stopped at the border. Ms. Sauveur had her sons with her and was asked to talk to a border official. She had all the necessary paperwork and her ex-husband’s permission to take the kids, who were on summer vacation, but a border officer said she had violated her six-month visa on her previous visit to the U.S.

She was denied entry to the country for five years. But with work as a graphic designer awaiting her in South Carolina, she decided to sneak into the country. Although she had a global positioning system device and contemplated running through the woods, she and Mr. Crossno decided she’d hide in the trunk of his car.

“To think back now, it was kind of stupid,” she said.

The American judge told Ms. Sauveur to start acting her age.

She said her jail time involved lots of boredom and horrible food.

“I’d have to ask them, ‘What are we eating?’ ” she said.

After her release, she returned to Amherst and started working at Wal-Mart, a job she will leave next week to work for TeleTech, a call centre company.

Ms. Sauveur said Mr. Crossno recently became very religious.

“I guess he found God before he went to jail,” she said. “He got to bring his Bible in and he’s just going to Bible-thump in jail,” she said.

She isn’t religious, but she said his recent conversion won’t be a problem for them.

To communicate during their time apart, Ms. Sauveur bought a laptop to send instant messages and she also foots the bill for pricey, international, convict-to-civilian phone calls. She said they’ve spoken to each other for up to a half-hour at $5 a minute.

She said her family and friends are supportive, even though some tease her, but Mr. Crossno’s family is somewhat shocked by all that has happened.

“Before me, Martin wasn’t with anybody for like eight or 10 years,” she said. “Then he meets me and in four months I’m meeting his mom, and (after) another month we’re going to meet my parents, and then in another month we’re in jail.”

Ms. Sauveur thinks her ban from the U.S. is “awful mean” and too long.

“It’s kind of crazy to ban someone for 20 years,” she said. “If I had a trunk full of drugs or a trunk full of guns or a bunch of Mexicans stuffed in the trunk, it’d be different, but I don’t think we did it in such a mean way that that’s the punishment we should put up with.”

Mr. Crossno’s situation regarding entry to Canada isn’t clear.

Jennifer Morrison, a spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, said: “If you have a criminal record, then right off the bat you’re inadmissible to Canada, (but) there are some exceptions.”

She said such people have two options — apply for permission at a consulate outside Canada or speak to an officer on arrival at the border.

“It’s their decision to make and they take all the factors into consideration,” Ms. Morrison said.

“It really depends on the situation.”

She wouldn’t speculate on Mr. Crossno’s chances of entering Canada but said a felony conviction always remains on a person’s record.

Despite all the difficulties they’ve been through, Ms. Sauveur said she would do it all over again to be with her man.

“You can’t beat love,” she said.

Source: The Chronicle Herald
Byline: DAN ARSENAULT Crime Reporter

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Trunkmonkey Co-Driver to Wed Crew Chief

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, NASHUA, NH (01/02/2006): Trunkmonkey Racing co-driver Andrew “Kha0S/kz” Hobgood reportedly popped the question on New Year’s Day to Sabrina “sabominator” Vollers, the team’s crew chief. In typical fashion, he first presented her with a tool bag full of Christmas gifts including 1/4″ and 3/8″ drive socket sets, extensions, and combo ratcheting/open-ended wrenches in the most frequently needed metric sizes for her 1993 Nissan Sentra. Said Sabrina, “I had no idea I was getting anything other than the tools! I guess this means they’re his now too!”

Slightly hung over from the previous evening’s festivities, the pair, along with fellow Trunkmonkeys James “macdaddy” Mackey and Nick “rabbitnutz” Rabchenuk, celebrated their engagement with some rare meats at the Outback in Tyngsboro. Said Andrew, “we figured out that if she ever gets tired of the ring, the 17mm ratcheting box fits nicely!”

The couple have no date set yet, but forecast a beach party wedding sometime next Summer with ample amounts of free beer.

For more information, please contact the happy couple at:

Andrew Hobgood

Sabrina Vollers

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The perils facing British contractors on the world’s most dangerous road

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Those that have chosen to make their living amid the mayhem and random murder of post-invasion Iraq call it the BIAP-dash. It is the journey to Baghdad international airport, along the most dangerous highway in the world. Three British Shia pilgrims travelled it this week and paid with their lives when their minibus was ambushed. For the growing number of Britons working in Iraq’s burgeoning security industry, escorting diplomats, politicians and senior executives along it is the job they relish the least.

“There is always something going on,” said Jason, a former elite British soldier who works on personal security detail for a major engineering company there. “It could be an improvised explosive device by the side of the road, people taking pot shots at you or a truck loaded with explosives trying to ram you. The danger is there all the time.”

Those who have worked in Iraq are unmoved by the so-called “trophy” film captured on the airport road that emerged this week. Apparently taken from an unofficial website run by former employees of Aegis Defence Systems, the firm owned by Colonel Tim Spicer, the film shows a private security convoy shooting at what appears to be a civilian vehicle.

For the convoys, firing on vehicles that threaten the safety of their clients is the final sanction in a standard operating procedure drilled into them during weeks of intensive training. Andy, who trains security staff specifically to work in Iraq, said: “Our guys are trained to shoot if required. These local vehicles can be acting with bravado or they can be probing, planning a later attack. They are all perfectly aware that they must stay back. If they don’t they are dicing with death – they know that.”

According to Jason, the rear gunner, or trunk monkey that accompanies each convoy, moves through a special procedure to warn off unwanted motorists. “If they ignore the Arabic warning signs, we use a hand signal, then if they persist we fire a warning flare. If that doesn’t work it’s a bullet to the radiator, then the engine block. As a last resort, we’ll shoot the driver.”

The footage, which has been circulated among security personnel on e-mail for some months, has prompted fury from British politicians. The Conservatives even compared it to the scenes captured at the notorious Abu Ghraib jail. Critics of the private security firms say they are maverick forces, unregulated and operating beyond the law. Iraqi security sources say that as many as 60 civilians have been killed in similar shootings.

Aegis Defence Systems won a $150m (ÂŁ86m) contract to provide security services to the US military last year. The company said it has set up a “formal board of inquiry” to investigate the matter. However, it refused to comment on allegations, which surfaced on the internet yesterday, that the man responsible for one of the shooting incidents was a South African employee of the company who worked out of the company’s Victory headquarters. It was claimed that attempts to sack him had failed after his convoy threatened to quit. Despite the dangers, security jobs in Iraq are vastly oversubscribed. A typical eight-week posting can see staff come home with up to $30,000 (ÂŁ17,000) tax-free. There has been a boom in training courses that teach potential applicants everything from the use of firearms, to battlefield first aid and defensive driving techniques. There are even Ministry of Defence grants to help ex-soldiers retrain. A typical five-week course to operate in a level-five hostile environment – London is ranked level one – lasts five weeks and costs ÂŁ4,000.

Jason insists the training is rigorous and firms stringently enforce discipline. Every time a firearm is discharged, staff must account for the ammunition. “This is no place for rampant egos or wannabe Rambos,” he said. “The insurgents are becoming better trained, their technology is improving and their weapons are becoming more sophisticated all the time.”

Andy agrees: “Egos are what get people killed. That is what we try to get across to the guys. The terrorists are not stupid. They are making their own videos and are doing their own training. They are well trained and well motivated. Our guys are on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you cannot relax, not ever.”

Jason added: “After a contract out there you are exhausted but no one is forced to be out there. We are not mercenaries but protection work can be boring in Britain. Out there, it is never dull.”

Source: The Independent
Byline: Jonathan Brown

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WRC in the US for 2008

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It looks like the FIA may be bringing WRC to the US for 2008!

The Sullivan County Visitors Association and Rally New York, Ltd. have reached an agreement to pursue a bid for a future round of the World Rally Championship. Rally New York, Ltd. is seeking approval to submit a bid to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to host a World Rally Championship here in the Sullivan County Catskills. The FIA is interested in expanding the World Rally series especially with a location in the United States. The observation year would be slated for early 2007 with the actual event held from 2008 on an annual basis.

Rally New York, Ltd. has already received approval from the Town Supervisors of the towns where the championship would be held and legislative approval from Sullivan County. “We are very interested in bringing an automobile race of this importance to Sullivan County and fully support the efforts of this experienced promoter” stated Chris Cunningham, the Sullivan County Legislative Chairman. The Sullivan County Visitors Association is working hand in hand with Rally New York seeking public and private partnerships to sponsor the event. “A World Championship event of this caliber will give Sullivan County world recognition and a substantial boost to the economy of Sullivan County, the region and the entire State of New York” said Roberta Byron-Lockwood, President & CEO of the Sullivan County Visitors Association.

Ivan Orisek, President of Rally New York, Ltd. stated that the process is a two year venture with the first year being an observation event in which observers from the FIA would evaluate the rally to see if it meets specifications to be included into the World Rally Championship. The next year would be the actual event seen on TV by hundreds of millions of rally fans around the world. The economic effects of an event of this magnitude are millions of dollars during the event and residual millions due to the extreme exposure of the race.

Ed Jackson, Deputy Clerk of the Course added: “This is a culmination of our five-year effort to bring rallying in the United States out of distant wilderness inaccessible to spectators and to the vicinity of New York City.” Sullivan County Catskills is a resort area located only 90 miles northwest of New York City with excellent highway access.

Rally New York, Ltd. is already the promoter of Rally New York USA and International Rally New York, two of the eight events being held in the 2006 United States Rally Championship. Rally New York will seek support of ACCUS, the United States Affiliate of FIA, the United States Auto Club (USAC) and National Auto Sport Association (NASA) for the bid to the FIA.

Herb Clark

Vice President of Marketing & Sales

Sullivan County Visitors Association

(800) 882-CATS

[email protected]

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WRC rally news

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Next year is looking pretty interesting. The short of what is going on with the WRC:

Some logistic issues for the event in two weeks. Cars may be let into Corsica but not back out again. Guess there is a problem with the ferry workers. This is a serious enough problem that the event could be canceled as the next event is in Spain the following weekend. A delay getting off the island could cause major problems as Corsica & Spain are tied together via the “engines must be used for two events” rule.

FIA is trying *really* hard to screw up rally as we know it. The 5 minute rule now applies to the last day so you don’t have to actually finish a rally receive points. There is also talk of changing the 5 minute rule to the 10 minute rule as its mathematically possible (and leverage once by Citroen with Duval) to gain better points by leaving the rally. Not a lot of support for changing it to 10 minutes at this time.

Ford has signed Gronholm as a driver for 06 & 07. Sure the new RS is suppose to be a killer car, but its still an untested ride. Doesn’t Gronholm remember what he went through with Peugeot last year??? Wondering if the guy enjoys the abuse. 😉

Speaking for Ford, they have requested a rule change to have all events end in a super special where the outcome will have a greater impact on the final finish order. In other words, a driver that wins the event could end up in second if someone beats them in the final super special. Huhhh??? they claim its to get better TV coverage of events, but I’m guessing it has more to do with the fact that Ford is sucking wind in the last half of this season and they know the super specials are Loeb’s only real weak spot.

Speaking of Loeb, he is still not signed for 06. He is hoping to get a private ride through Citroen, and that the manufacturer will officially return in 07. This could be a problem as the FIA is banning certain drivers (like Loeb) from driving old style rally cars in 06 as the old cars will be faster than the new spec models. From what I hear Citroen still does not have parent company approval to return in 07, so who knows what will happen at this point. Would be kind of interesting if a privateer grabbed the driver’s title.

Martin is out of the WRC for the rest of the season. Rumor mill is that he is no longer trying to find a ride for 06, so he may be out of rally completely. Can’t say I blame him in the least.

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Trunkmonkey Run For The Border 2005

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The weather was warm and clear, the views were breathtaking, but in the end the “Trunkmonkey Run For The Border” road rally was all about the driving. The event took place over 160 miles of Vermont’s best driving roads. Approximately 80% of the course was dirt, but there were some twisty tarmac sections thrown in just to keep participants on their toes. CAS was a little higher than the average NER event, challenging each driver’s ability to stay on time.

While the rally took place by the New Hampshire/Vermont border, the rally got its name from the fact that contestants followed a portion of the route used by some of the booze runners in the 1930’s. Prohibition spawned a new job opportunity, namely transporting alcohol down from Canada to major cities such as Boston and New York. It was not uncommon for booze runners to stick to the back roads in order to avoid detection by law enforcement. The rally passed through one of the major hubs where alcohol would be transferred from one transport vehicle to another.

Competition on the rally was extremely fierce. The teams of Alan and Kathy Moody, as well as Cara and Alan Dennis both made strong showing in novice class. Their Rallycross skills obviously got a workout on this extended course. In the end however, John Parsons and Andrej Gaspari would edge out the team of Don Grant and George Harding to take the top podium spot by a slim 16 point margin. All the novice teams did an excellent job following the course and none of them maxed out a single checkpoint score. Each team could easily be competitive in stock class.

Speaking of stock class, the competition here was even closer. The team of Ramon Gonzalez and Greg Viscomi edged out the team of Lisa and Howie Lyhte by a mere eight points. That’s less than five seconds over the entire length of the course using a watch and stock odo gear!

Both teams running in class C were formed just days before the event. While each participant was seasoned at road rally, it was their first time out with their respective driver or co-driver. The team of Brett Rudolf and Hal Denham made a strong showing, especially when you calculate in the need to fix a flat tire on course. In the end however it was the team of Tim Chevalier and Steve McKelvie that took the top podium spot in lucky car number 13. Chevalier and McKelvie had an amazing run, pulling single digit scores at 70% of the checkpoints.

There was only a single team competing in class B. This was the team of Mike White and Andrew Steere. Despite the lack of competition they still hit it hard and pulled a respectable score.

Finally, the biggest competition was in class A. The team of Daren Jones and David Schickedarz make the trip all the way down from Ontario and made a strong showing. The team of Scott and Jamie Beliveau also did well, especially when you take into consideration that this is Jamie’s first year out. Just edging them out was the team of Pego Mack and Mark Ziburis. Not only did Mack and Ziburis take the third podium position, but they also won the drawing at the end of the event for the two lamp auxiliary light bar donated by Rally Ho! Racing. This will certainly come in handy on their next night rally.

The top two spots in class A could not have been closer. Mike Friedman and Marc Goldfarb took second with a mere 19 points. Top spot went to none other than Stephanie Gosselin and Fred Mapplebeck with 18 points. That’s just over .5 seconds worth of error separating these two teams. Talk about tight competition!

Other highlights of the rally included a swimming hole at the break area, numerous covered bridges, and free food at the end of the event. By the end of the event, everyone seemed to be grinning from ear to ear, which is what really matters in road rally.

Team Trunkmonkey would like to thank our two generous sponsors for helping to make this event such a success. Thanks to Rally Ho! Racing for raffling off the beautifully made auxiliary light bar. Rally Ho! makes an awesome two or four lamp light-bar for the Subaru Impreza that requires no drilling that can easily be installed or removed as needed. For more info, drop a note to [email protected].

Finally, we would like to thank Finer Touch Auto Body of Manchester, NH. They have been big supporters of both the Trunkmonkey team, as well as multiple SCCA events within the region. Without generous financial supporters like Finer Touch, our sport would be far more cost prohibitive. More information can be found at www.finertouchautobody.com.

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Brooklyn, New York, Auto Dealership Pulls Chimpanzee Commercial

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Plaza Auto Mall pulled its “Trunk Monkey” commercial, featuring a live chimpanzee, after hearing from PETA and local residents about the cruelty inherent in training young great apes to perform for ads. The dealership stated, “Once we first heard of the possibility of the cruelty happening, we immediately discontinued all advertising.”

Source: PETA