Salem, Missouri. Taking
a quote from one of Missouri’s most famous pen men, Mark Twain, “It’s not the
size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” I feel
that the battle that is about to unfold at Round 2 of the 2013 Rally America Championship
will come down to who is willing fight to the bitter end, regardless of the
size of the team behind them.
All three of the contenders in this battle are more than capable of taking it to each other. David Higgins comes in with the backing of years of experience from Vermont Sports Car and the development they have poured into his Subaru STI and that willingness to change any part on the car, twice, if needed.
Ken Block brings a newly found pace from his WRC experience and a car of WRC caliber; which is not always a blessing with its mechanical differential, I might add [high speed spins]. Antoine L’Estage comes in with the most seat time and that always mysteriously prepared Libra Racing Mitsubishi.
All three of the contenders in this battle are more than capable of taking it to each other. David Higgins comes in with the backing of years of experience from Vermont Sports Car and the development they have poured into his Subaru STI and that willingness to change any part on the car, twice, if needed.
Ken Block brings a newly found pace from his WRC experience and a car of WRC caliber; which is not always a blessing with its mechanical differential, I might add [high speed spins]. Antoine L’Estage comes in with the most seat time and that always mysteriously prepared Libra Racing Mitsubishi.
I can’t say for sure if defending Rally America Champion
David Higgins has compiled a bucket list, but if he has I would bet there is a
box he would like to check off, “beating Ken Block and Antoine L’Estage at
Rally in the 100 Acre Wood!”
Although Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew are currently sitting
second in the championship, since his return to U.S. Rally, Higgins has been frustrated
twice in Missouri. David lost out to Antoine L’Estage in 2011 and again to Ken
Block in 2012. But this could very well be Higgins’ year. Should the weather
conditions hold as currently forecasted, it is looking like the dust that
slowed Higgins charge on Block last year will not be a factor. To ensure the
best chance of victory, Higgins and his Team Subaru STI must throw the caution notes out the window and open
big right out of the gate, ultimately they must be leading going into day two.
Of course, there will be the possibility of sweeping some
loose gravel on the stages when running first on the road, but this is only an
issue over the first 2-3 stages.
Although we are expecting rain on the Thursday before the rally,
both competitive days of the rally as shown as dry at the time of this post. Water does drain off fast in the Ozark Plateau
so, although I don’t expect major dust, we could see some lingering dust going into the closing
night stages, it will be a big advantage to be out front at that
point. With my expectations of a big push from David Higgins, I will give him a
very slight margin to take the overall victory at 100AW next weekend, but as mentioned it
will require that the Manx Man not hold back and go all out; not unlike the
pace we saw at STPR last year as he clawed his way back to the podium.
Mr. Block has been ruler of all things rally in Missouri. Although I truly believe that Ken and his long standing co-driver Alex Gelsomino are more than capable of making it # 7 in Salem next Saturday night, they are not unbeatable. Ken’s biggest challenge at 100AW may very well come from himself. Although it is great to win every stage, it is not required for victory, so Block would be well advised to manage his pace.
This is the fastest rally on the Rally America calendar and
can, for the most part, be very forgiving should a driver get in the wrong side
of the crowned stages. But it can also take
you out in a heartbeat. Every other year the organizers will swap the stage configuration
around a little to keep drivers from becoming complacent. I have to say that the 2013, layout is my
least favorite configuration. As Travis Pastrana can also attest to, heading
into the opening stage” Floyd Tower”
with the bit between your teeth can prove disastrous. This is a very deceptive stage with some
nasty off camber turns. Pastrana barely made it a mile into this test in 2011,
before wrecking hard.
Although nothing can be taken away from Block’s victories at
100AW, he will be the first to tell you they came with a lot of luck. After
battling with Ken for victory at 100AW for many years, Pastrana would come
closest to unseating Block in 2010; Pastrana was well ahead at the mid-point on
day two only to be sidelined by a simple off.
Ken got away with a few big spins in 2012, and also recovered
from a puncture to claim victory number 6. With the increased pressure I am
expecting from Higgins in the Subaru, I feel it is vital for Ken and Alex to have
a super clean run in their Hoonigan Racing Ford Fiesta to keep the streak
alive.
Antoine “The Fox” L’Estage comes in with the smallest of the
teams going for the outright victory. L’Estage
and co-driver Nathalie Richard are coming into round two as the point’s leaders
after their victory at Sno*Drift last month. Although I do expect to see Antoine setting some fast stage times on the opening day, I can’t see him pushing the same all-out pace I expect from Higgins and Block. We should expect a more cunning approach from the sly Canadian in his Rockstar Energy charged Mitsubishi.
Antoine will keep both Higgins and Block within reach and
should the opportunity arise expect him to mount an attack late on day two. The
final stages of this rally are run in the dark and, ironically, they are stages
that suit L’Estage and Richard very well. I swear I have seen his eyes turn
green at night!
Rounding out our top five predictions for 100AW, we expect
to see an interesting battle between another vetern rally dog and an up and
coming pup!
Both Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Joseph Burke are coming to
100AW with cars that have just undergone a total rebuild. Laughlin will be back
defending his 2012 SP title in a Subaru, while Burke will be making his first
return to the Rally America Championship in over a year in a Mitsubishi. Neither
should be expected to challenge for the overall victory unless there is some
major retirements, but taking into consideration that one of the top three
could very well DNF, an overall podium finish for either is not out of the
question. Barring no mechanical issues, I would give the edge to Burke, as his
flat out style in not unlike that of Block’s and these stages reward pace.
Coming off an overall podium finish at Sno*Drift, Andrew
Comrie-Picard (ACP) will have the big push on at 100AW to add to his 2WD championship
points tally over the Ford Fiesta brigade.
After running his Scion Racing XD naturally aspirated at Sno*Drift , ACP’s
mechanics have now bolted the turbo back
on the XD for more grunt on the long fast stages of 100AW.
With the absence of Chris Duplessis in the 2013 2WD
championship, Ford will be hoping that Dillon Van Way and his new co-driver
Andrew Edwards will make for a winning combination. Van Way will also be
running a turbo charged Fiesta. This could very well be Dillon’s moment to
shine, but it will require a little more push on his part to better the
experience of ACP.
Ford Racing/Team
O’Neil driver “Fast Eddie” McNelly is also expected to be in the 2WD hunt at
100AW. McNelly got up close and personal with a tree in 2012, while battling
ACP. Although I don’t expect the pace of
days gone by, Tim O’Neil makes a welcome return to stage rally this week. Tim
will take to the wheel of one of his fleet of R2 Fiestas. He will be joined by SP championship
co-driver Terry Hanson. Maybe, just maybe, we will see some of the magic that
Tim dished out in his VW Golf back in the day.
100 Acre Wood Rally 2013 Stage 1 Start Order
| Position | Car # | Driver / CoDriver | Class | Vehicle | Speed Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43 | Ken Block / Alessandro Gelsomino | O | 2012 Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V | 107.22 |
| 2 | 75 | David Higgins / Craig Drew | O | 2013 Subaru WRX STI | 101.49 |
| 3 | 17 | Antoine L'Estage / Nathalie Richard | O | 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X | 100.51 |
| 4 | 90 | Lauchlin O'Sullivan / Scott Putnam | SP | 2008 Subaru WRX-STI | 87.58 |
| 5 | 115 | Joseph Burke / Alexander Kihurani | Overall | 84.16 | |
| 6 | 425 | Adam Yeoman / Jordan Schulze | O | 2007 Subaru WRX STI | 81.81 |
| 7 | 14 | David Sterckx / Karen Jankowski | SP | 2011 Subaru STI | 74.95 |
| 8 | 77 | Viorel Dobasu / Karl Atkinson | O | 2011 Mitsubishi Evolution X | 73.11 |
| 9 | 20 | Andrew Comrie-Picard / Jeremy Wimpey | G5 | 2012 Scion xD | 72.18 |
| 10 | 669 | Evan Cline / Jake Blattner | SP | 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STi | 72.07 |
| 11 | 339 | Chris O'Driscoll / Lori O'Driscoll | SP | 2007 Subaru WRX | 70.41 |
| 12 | 94 | Peter Fetela / Ray Vambuts | O | 1998 Subaru Impreza STi | 70.28 |
| 13 | 550 | Justin Pritchard / Ryan Scott | L | 2001 Subaru Impreza | 68.68 |
| 14 | 377 | Mason Moyle / John Hall | SP | 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI | 68.06 |
| 15 | 600 | Dillon Van Way / Andrew Edwards | G5 | 2011 Ford Fiesta | 67.44 |
| 16 | 198 | Arkadiusz Gruszka / Lukasz Wronski | O | 2006 Mitsubishi EVO IX | 65.62 |
| 17 | 313 | Edward McNelly / Ole Holter | G2 | 2011 Ford Fiesta R2 | 65.58 |
| 18 | 319 | Chris Greenhouse / Christopher Gordon | G5 | 2003 Dodge Neon SRT4 | 64.66 |
| 19 | 99 | Garry Gill / Paddy Robinson | SP | 2007 Subaru Impreza | 64.53 |
| 20 | 44 | Henry Krolikowski / Cynthia Krolikowski | O | 2000 Subaru Impreza | 62.49 |
| 21 | 30 | George Plsek / | SP | 2003 Mitsubishi Evo | 57.85 |
| 22 | 718 | Dustin Kasten / Corina Soto | O | 1995 Subaru Impreza | 57.55 |
| 23 | 700 | Rob Weir / Daniel Norkus | O | 1996 Subaru Impreza | 57.21 |
| 24 | 660 | Charles Surdyke / Kim DeMotte | L | 1993 Subaru Impreza | 53.23 |
| 25 | 888 | Jari Hamalainen / Tero Maki | G2 | 1996 BMW 318iS | 51.69 |
| 26 | 37 | Billy Mann / Mary Warren | G2 | 1996 Honda Civic | 51.41 |
| 27 | 548 | Matt Bushore / Andrew Bushore | G2 | 1985 Volkswagen Jetta | 49.5 |
| 28 | 824 | Cameron Steely / Billy Irvin | G2 | 2002 Ford Focus | 44.63 |
| 29 | 542 | Matthew Conte / Ron Erickson | L | 1994 Subaru Legacy | 43.73 |
| 30 | 911 | Ron Malott / Paul Malott | G2 | 2001 VW Jetta VR6 | 43.09 |
| 31 | 11 | Matt Brandenburg / Brian Huntsbarger | G2 | 1994 BMW e36 | 43.08 |
| 32 | 244 | Ian Topping / Jeff Secor | G2 | 1980 Volvo 242 | 41.5 |
| 33 | 298 | Christy Carlson / Krista Skucas | O | 2002 Subaru WRX | 40.33 |
| 34 | 902 | James Robinson / Jordan Guitar | P | 2009 Honda Fit | 39.33 |
| 35 | 636 | Samir Kaltak / Rachelle Kaltak | L | 1997 Subaru Impreza | 38.41 |
| 36 | 335 | Verena Mei / Leanne Junnila | G2 | 2011 Ford Fiesta | 37.6 |
| 37 | 696 | Bryan Holder / Tracy Payeur | G2 | 1996 Plymouth Neon | 36.16 |
| 38 | 353 | Rory Gardiner / Steven Harrell | L | 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS | 31.31 |
| 39 | 661 | Kevin Young / James Dallman | L | 1993 subaru impreza | 30.7 |
| 40 | 165 | Ryan Wilcox / Rebecca Ruston | O | 1996 Subaru OBSTi | 29.7 |
| 41 | 48 | Michael Bond / Jack Penley | O | 2006 Subaru Impreza STI | 27.46 |
| 42 | 363 | James Haas / Misha Avrushenko | G2 | 1992 Mazda MX-3 | 26.72 |
| 43 | 602 | Brian Schwantner / David Schwantner | G2 | 1996 Volkswagen Golf | 20.48 |
| 44 | 553 | Anthony Wood / Sam Wood | G5 | 1983 Chevy Citation | 20.44 |
| 45 | 237 | Micah Nickelson / Tyler Ptacek | G2 | 1987 Volkswagon Golf GTI | 19.17 |
| 46 | 25 | Aaron Hargis / | G2 | 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R | 15.24 |
| 47 | 605 | Jeff Keller / Jason McDaniel | G2 | 1963 Saab 96 | |
| 48 | 573 | Neil Salmons / Brian Penza | P | 2008 Honda Civic Si | |
| 49 | 202 | Nick Roberts / Nick Judkins | SP | 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI | |
| 50 | 789 | Zach Williams / Kyle Williams | G2 | 1992 Ford Festiva | |
| 51 | 737 | Damian Van Dillen / Matthew Molitor | L | 1990 Subaru Legacy | |
| 52 | 39 | Futoshi Murase / Kieran Wright | G2 | 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 | |
| 53 | 773 | Markus Saarinen / Alicia Saarinen | G2 | 2003 Mini Cooper | |
| 54 | 575 | Christopher Martise / Dylan Stevens | L | 1996 Subaru Impreza | |
| 55 | 213 | Stephen Sherry / Makisa Sherry | G2 | 2002 Ford Focus SVT | |
| 56 | 107 | Edward Stiefvater / Keith Hummel | P | 2013 Ford Fiesta | |
| 57 | 100 | William Lauze / Maggie Stiefvater | G2 | 2011 Ford Fiesta | |
| 58 | 63 | Scott Harvey / Brian Arpke | G2 | 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer | |
| 59 | David Jefferies / | Overall | |||
| 60 | 175 | Brent Hercelinsky / Juan Orozco | G2 | 2012 Ford Fiesta R2 | |
| 61 | 19 | Timothy Penasack / Marc Goldfarb | SP | 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi | |
| 62 | 701 | Richard Miller / Juanita Miller | G5 | 1995 Ford Mustang GT | |
| 63 | 154 | Travis Clark / Kendal Clark | L | 1985 Audi Quattro | |
| 64 | 864 | Erik Hill / Chris Van Den Elzen | G2 | 2001 Ford Focus | |
| 65 | 375 | Panos Karpidas / | G2 | 2012 Ford Fiesta | |
| 66 | 29 | Tim O'Neil / Terry Hanson | G2 | 2012 Ford Fiesta R2 |
Stay tuned for regular updates with the very best of images
throughout the weekend.
Photos and Words by Neil McDaid
