- Sno*Drift
Sno*Drift is a
rally racing event held inAtlanta, Michigan , annually. The event is currently the firstRally America National Rally Championship event of the season. Currently the event is organized into three distinct rallies: the national championship event covering both days of rallying, and two regional rally events each covering one of the two days. Competitors may be entered in any or all of these events simultaneously.Sno*Drift is a winter rally, run primarily on snow-covered gravel surface roads, and is usually held in January.
History
A national event in the 1970s and 1980s
Sno*Drift was first held in 1973 as a National event as part of the
SCCA Performance Rally series nearGrayling, Michigan . Chaired byTim Steiner , the event was won by the team ofErhard Dahm andJohn Campbell driving aJeep Wagoneer , withGene Henderson andKen Pogue finished 2nd in a similar vehicle.Scott Harvey andTom King placed third in aDodge Colt . Of the 38 teams starting the event, 24 finished.The event was repeated the next year with Henderson and Pogue rising to win over Dahm with new co-driver Tom Grimshaw. Third was again captured by Harvey, who also had a new co-driver (
Wayne Zitkus ). The final Sno*Drift of the period was held in 1975, and was won by Harvey and Zitkus, this time with aDodge Ramcharger , while second place was claimed byTom Tolles andVirginia Reese in a Volvo 122S and third byBob Hourihan andDoug Shepherd , also in a Volvo 122S.Sno*Drift was not held again until 1979 when it again became a national event for the
SCCA . This running saw 48 teams enter, of whom 31 finished.Taisto Heinonen andTom Burgess won the event in aToyota Celica GT whileDoug Leverton andGreg Wilkinson placed second in theirDatsun 510 and Scott Harvey andRandy Graves finished third in aDodge Aspen .46 teams entered the 1980 event, while only 24 finished. Overall winners were
Guy Light andJim Brandt in aJeep CJ-7 , followed byJohn Buffum and Doug Shepherd in aTriumph TR7 and byDick Turner and Tom Grimshaw in anInternational Scout . 1980's winner in the production class was the team ofErik Zenz andBrian Berg in aSaab 99 L followed byCurt Spicer andTom Hudak , also in a Saab 99, and byRoger Suppes andWoody Crutchfield in aToyota Corolla .Sno*Drift was held in 1981 with 49 teams entering and 39 finishing.
Jean Paul Perusse and Jim Brandt took the overall win in theirPeugeot 504 , while second place was claimed byRandy Black andFred Baker in aDatsun 510 , and third byBjorn Anderson andRandy Weiser in aToyota Celica .Niall Leslie andDoug Martin captured the 1981 production class win in aDatsun 200 SX , with second in class going to Gene Henderson andJim Kloosterman and third to Guy Light and Jim Brandt, with both teams driving theEagle SX-4 .Sno*Drift saw 50 entries in 1982 with 31 finishing the rally. John Buffum and Tom Grimshaw took first with an
Audi Quattro , with second going toRod Millen andJohn Bellefleur in aMazda RX-7 and third to Doug Shepherd andJim Roller in a Colt. The production class winners were Guy Light and Jim Brandt in anOldsmobile Omega , followed by Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman in their Eagle SX-4, and Erik Zenz andLawson Smith in aSaab 99 EMS .1983, marking the eighth running of the event was also the last of the period run as a national event. 40 teams entered and 29 finished, with Rod Millen and
Michael Parris winning overall in their RX-7, withMark Klos andAndrew Klos taking second in a Jeep C101 andDon Jankowski andKaren Landau finishing third in a Dodge Charger. The Production class was led by a pair of Chargers, the first driven byCal Landau andCraig Marr and the second byDan Coughnour andEric Marcus with Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman finishing third in their Eagle SX-4.Years as a non-national event
Sno*Drift was run in 1984, but was downgraded from a national event to a
coefficient 2 divisional event of the , with 28 entries and 20 finishers. The event was held in December as part of the 1985 divisional series. Winners wereTom Bell andMary Jo Czyzio in a Datsun 510, with second going to Erik Zenz and Steve Nowicki in a Saab 99 and third place awarded toRobert Parks andJerry Tobin in anAlfa Romeo GTV .Sno*Drift was run again in 1991, but as a
time-speed-distance rally . 14 teams took part, with Gene Henderson andJim Mickle winning in a BMW 325ix. This team won again in 1992 when the event was repeated.Restoration as a national event in the 1990s
After a long period of dormancy, Sno*Drift was run again as national event for the
SCCA , although not as a full event, but instead at 60%, while also counting as coefficient 3 divisional event. In 1997, it was held inMontmorency County, Michigan , with 27 entries and 21 finishers. Overall winners wereFrank Sprongl andDan Sprongl in anAudi Quattro S2 , followed bySteve Gingras andBill Westrick and by Cal Landau andEric Marcus , both in theMitsubishi Eclipse .Group 5 winners wereMike Villemure andRene Villemure driving aVolkswagen Beetle , followed by Mike Hurst andLynn Dillon driving aPontiac Sunbird and byGail Truess andPaul Truess in aChevrolet Citation .Group 2 winners wereGerald Sweet andStuart Spark in aSaab 99 EMS , followed byWayne Prochaska andAnnette Prochaska in aVolkswagen Golf andArt Burmeister andRandy Moore in aVolkswagen GTI . The Production GT class win went to Steve Gingras and Bill Westrick in a Mitsubishi Eclipse followed by another Eclipse driven by Cal Landau and Eric Marcus and anEagle Talon piloted byBrian Pepp andDean Rushford . The Production class was won by aFord Escort GT driven byTad Ohtake andBob Martin followed by aHonda Civic driven byJay Kowalik andJeff Wheeler . It was intended to run the event in 1998, although this was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.1999 saw Sno*Drift run again as a 60% national event and coefficient 3 divisional event. Overall victory went to
Tom Ottey andPam McGarvey in aMazda 323 GTX, followed up byJon Kemp andBrian Maxwell in anAudi 4000 Quattro and byPeter Lahm andMatt Chester in aMitsubishi Lancer Evo IV. Group 5 was won byHenry Krolikowski andCindy Krolikowski in aDodge Shadow GT, followed byMark Utecht andDiane Sargent in aDodge Omni and byJeremy Butts andPeter Jacobs in aPlymouth Arrow . Group 2 winners were Wayne and Annette Prochaska in aVolkswagen Golf followed byDavid S. Cizmas andDavid L. Cizmas in aSuzuki Swift and by Art Burmeister and Randy Moore in their GTI. Ottey and McGarvey also took the Proguction GT victory, with Chris Czyzio andEric Carlson in second and Cal Landau and Eric Marcus in third, both in Eclipses. Production class victory went to a pair of Volkswagen GTIs, the first driven byKarl Scheible andGail McGuire , and the second byBrian Vinson andRichard Beels . Third was captured by a Plymouth Neon ACR piloted byEvan Moen andRonald Moen .Becoming a full national event
2000 marked Sno*Drift's promotion to a full national event. The national event, part of the
SCCA 'sProRally series, would run all of the stages that comprised the rally. In addition, there would be two SCCAClubRally events. The first, titled simply Sno, covered the first portion of the rally's stages, and was considered a coefficient 2 club rally, while the second, entitled Drift, covered the remaining stages and was scored as a coefficient 3 club rally. Competitors could enter any or all of these rallies and score points the appropriate series. the 2000 and 2001 event results were as follows (results are listed in the format - driver / co-driver / vehicle):* 2000 Sno*Drift national rally (41 entrants/28 finishers)
** Overall
*** 1.Paul Choiniere /Jeff Becker /Hyundai Tiburon
*** 2.Karl Scheible /Russ Hughes / Mitsubishi Lancer
*** 3.Pete Lahm /Matt Chester / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV
** Group N
*** 1. Karl Scheible / Russ Hughes / Mitsubishi Lancer
** Group 5
*** 1. Mark Utecht /Brenda Corneliusen /Dodge Omni
*** 2. Mike Hurst /Rob Bohn / Pontiac Sunbird
*** 3.Bryan Hourt /Peter Cardimen / Honda Civic
** Group 2
*** 1.Douglas Davenport /Lea Hoffa / Volkswagen Golf
** Production GT
*** 1. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Steve Gingras / Bill Westrick / Eagle Talon
** Production
*** 1.Brian Vinson /Luke Stuart / Volkswagen GTI
*** 2. Evan Moen / Kurt Winkelman /Chrysler Neon
* 2000 Sno Club Coefficient 2 Rally (30 entrants; 20 finishers)
** Overall
*** 1. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Mark Utecht / Brenda Corneliusen / Dodge Omni
*** 3.Sylvester Stepniewski /Adam Pelc / Audi Quattro
** Group 5
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Corneliusen / Dodge Omni
*** 2.Colin McCleery /Jeff Secor / Volkswagen GTI
*** 3. Rene Villemure / Mike Villemure / Volkswagen Beetle
** Group 2
*** 1. Douglas Davenport / Lea Hoffa / Volkswagen Golf
*** 2.Charles Langan /Hughie Langan / Ford Escort
** Production GT
*** 1. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2.Scott Harvey, Jr. /Bob Martin / Eagle Talon
** Production
*** 1.Jouni Pohjolainen /John Matikainen /Nissan NX 200
*** 2.Ryan Brooks /Shanti Traskowski /Acura Integra
* 2000 Drift Club Coefficient 3 Rally
*** 1. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Mark Utecht / Brenda Corneliusen / Dodge Omni
*** 3. Sylvester Stepniewski / Adam Pelc / Audi Quattro
** Group 5
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Corneliusen / Dodge Omni
*** 2. Rene Villemure / Mike Villemure / Volkswagen Beetle
*** 3. Colin McCleery / Jeff Secor / Volkswagen GTI
** Group 2
*** 1. Douglas Davenport / Lea Hoffa / Volkswagen Golf
*** 2.Joshua Scott /Roxanne Slancik / Volkswagen GTI
*** 3.Mark Brown /Ole Holter / Toyota Corolla
** Production GT
*** 1. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Scott Harvey, Jr. / Bob Martin / Eagle Talon
** Production
*** 1. Jouni Pohjolainen / John Matikainen / Nissan NX 200
*** 2.Tom Young /Jim LeBeau /Dodge Neon ACR
*** 3. Ryan Brooks / Shanti Traskowski / Acura Integra
* 2001 Sno*Drift National Rally
** Overall
*** 1.Paul Choiniere /Jeff Becker / Hyundai Tiburon
*** 2.Mark Lovell /Steve Turvey /Subaru WRX STi
*** 3.Seamus Burke /Frank Cunningham / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV
** Group N
*** 1. Mark Lovell / Steve Turvey / Subaru WRX STi
*** 2.Karl Scheible /Brian Maxwell /Subaru Impreza
*** 3.Henry Krolikowski /Cindy Krolikowski / Subaru WRX STi
** Group 5
*** 1. Tad Ohtake / Bob Martin / Ford Escort
*** 2. Mike Hurst / Rob Bohn / Pontiac Sunbird
*** 3. Colin McCleery / Jeff Secor / Volkswagen GTI
** Group 2
*** 1. Eric Burmeister / Mark Buskirk / Volkswagen GTI
*** 2. Matthew Johnson / Eric Adams / Volkswagen GTI
*** 3.Thomas Lawless /Brendan Lawless / Honda Civic
** Production GT
*** 1. Mark Utecht /Brenda Lewis / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Gail Truess /Pattie Hughes-Mayer / Mazda 323 GTX
*** 3.Bruce Perry /Phil Barnes / Eagle Talon
** Production
*** 1. Scott Carlborn /Dale Ewald /Jeep Comanche
*** 2. Tom Young / Jim LeBeau / Dodge Neon ACR
* 2001 Sno Club Coefficient 2 Rally (32 entries; 26 finishers)
** Overall
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Lewis / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Bruce Perry / Phil Barnes / Eagle Talon
*** 3. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
** Group 5
*** 1. Mike Hurst / Rob Bohn / Pontiac Sunbird
*** 2. Colin McCleery / Jeff Secor / Volkswagen GTI
*** 3.Wiktor Biegalski /Andy Malikowski / Mitsubishi Eclipse
** Group 2
*** 1. Thomas Lawless / Brendan Lawless / Honda Civic
*** 2.Phil Smith /Dallas Smith / MGB-GT
*** 3.Brad Hawkins /Adrian Wintle / Volkswagen Golf GT
** Production GT
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Lewis / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Bruce Perry / Phil Barnes / Eagle Talon
*** 3. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
** Production
*** 1.Jim Cox /Kaarii Louise Cox /Chevrolet S-10
*** 2. Ryan Brooks /Randy Berdan / Acura Integra
* 2001 Drift Club Coefficient 2 Rally (32 entries; 26 finishers)
** Overall
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Lewis / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Bruce Perry / Phil Barnes / Eagle Talon
*** 3. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
** Group 5
*** 1. Mike Hurst / Rob Bohn / Pontiac Sunbird
*** 2. Colin McCleery / Jeff Secor / Volkswagen GTI
*** 3.Jerry Brownell /Jim Windsor / Chevrolet Citation
** Group 2
*** 1. Thomas Lawless / Brendan Lawless / Honda Civic
*** 2.Phil Smith /Dallas Smith / MGB-GT
*** 3.Phil Schmidt /Steve Irwin / Toyota MR2
** Production GT
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Brenda Lewis / Mitsubishi Eclipse
*** 2. Bruce Perry / Phil Barnes / Eagle Talon
*** 3. Chris Czyzio / Eric Carlson / Mitsubishi Eclipse
** Production
*** 1.Jim Cox /Kaarii Louise Cox /Chevrolet S-10
*** 2. Ryan Brooks /Randy Berdan / Acura Integra
*** 3.William Tremmel /Peter Coleman / Volkswagen GTI
* 2002 Sno*Drift national rally (46 starters; 34 finishers)
** Overall
*** 1. Frank Sprongl / Dan Sprongl /Hyundai Tiburon
*** 2. Mark Lovell / Steve Turvey /Subaru WRX
*** 3. Mark Higgins / Michael Gibson /Hyundai Tiburon
** Group N
*** 1. Mark Utecht / Jeff Secor /Subaru WRX
*** 2. Henry Krolikowski / Cindy Krolikowski /Subaru WRX STi
*** 3. Mark Cox / Jim Gill /Mitsubishi Evo VI Expansion to a two-day event
In 2002, Sno*Drift was expanded to cover two days, with the Sno club rally covering day one and Drift on day two. In 2003, the event was awarded the ProRally of the Year title by the SCCA. The 2004 event was marked by heavy snow.
Transition to Rally America
In 2005, the SCCA transferred organization and marketing of ProRally and ClubRally to Rally America, Inc., with Sno*Drift as the first event of the 2005 calendar, and thus the first event to take place under Rally America organization.
Summary of events
*
Sno*Drift 1973 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1974 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1975 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1979 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1980 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1981 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1982 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1983 : SCCA national performance rally
*Sno*Drift 1984 : SCCA divisional coefficient 2 rally
*Sno*Drift 1991 : SCCA regional time-speed-distance rally
*Sno*Drift 1992 : SCCA regional time-speed-distance rally
*Sno*Drift 1997 : SCCA 60% national and divisional coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 1999 : SCCA 60% national and divisional coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2000 : SCCA ProRally national rally
*Sno 2000 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 2 rally
*Drift 2000 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2001 : SCCA ProRally national rally
*Sno 2001 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 2 rally
*Drift 2001 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2002 : SCCA ProRally national rally
*Sno 2002 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 2 rally
*Drift 2002 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2003 : SCCA ProRally national rally
*Sno 2003 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 2 rally
*Drift 2003 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2004 : SCCA ProRally national rally
*Sno 2004 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 2 rally
*Drift 2004 : SCCA ClubRally coefficient 3 rally
*Sno*Drift 2005 : Rally America National Rally Championship event
*Sno 2005 : Rally America Central Regional Rally (coefficient 2)
*Drift 2005 : Rally America Central Regional Rally (coefficient 3)
*Sno*Drift 2006 : Rally America National Rally Championship event
*Sno 2006 : Rally America Central Regional Rally (coefficient 2)
*Drift 2006 : Rally America Central Regional Rally (coefficient 3)See also
*
Rallying
* [http://www.sno-drift.org Sno*Drift web site]
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