Portland, OR (October 30, 2007) – The final round of the 2007 MaxAttack! Triple Crown Rally Series concluded this weekend at Lake Superior Performance Rally in Michigan. Billed as "the oldest, toughest, and meanest” rally on the Rally America calendar, LSPR did not disappoint, testing the teams and cars over two long days and nights of technical roads with every possible surface. Sixteen two-wheel-drive cars, representing eight different manufacturers, battled for their piece of the $8,000 purse and final bragging rights for the year.
The weekend-long battle between the Dodge Neon SRT-4s of Cary Kendall/Scott Friberg and Doug Shepherd/Karen Wagner ended with Shepherd and Wagner holding onto a narrow margin of victory. "With two stages left, I only had 11 seconds on them. I don't remember the last time I've been in a battle like this," stated Shepherd, as the team accepted their oversized first place check for $2,000. The rally veteran had some words for his younger competitors. "Speed is all about your attitude, not your age." Kendall and Friberg claimed second place, and a check for $1,600.
The Ford Mustang of Mark Utecht and Rob Bohn ran with car number 535 in honor of MaxAttack! co-founder Jake Himes, who sported that number in his screaming yellow RX-7. "His spirit was riding with us," stated Bohn. An inspired Utecht pedaled the rear-wheel-drive Mustang through some of the roughest stages that he has ever seen at a blistering pace; he ended the weekend third in MaxAttack! and received an extra-large check for $1,400. The team also received a big thank you for pulling one of their close competitors (Kyle Sarasin, Ford Focus) out of the first stage.
The last three positions changed hands continuously throughout the weekend with seven different teams in the hunt. Kyle Sarasin and Mikeal Johansson climbed through the ranks after losing three minutes on the first stage with broken axles, only to have the same problem stop them within sight of the finish line on the very last stage. Eric Burmeister and Dave Shindle (Mazdaspeed3) towed the stricken Focus across the finish to get Kyle and Mikael to the end of their final 2007 MaxAttack! rally.
This show of generosity allowed the Seattle-based team of Tom and Don Burress, driving a VW Rabbit, to sneak by Burmeister and claim fourth place and a check for $1,200. The Burress brothers announced that they would donate their winnings to the Jake Himes Family fund.
Burmeister and Shindle, in the Mazdaspeed3, dropped to fifth and received a check for $1,000, and ended the season in the runner-up position for the Jake Himes Cup. Eric did not regret his decision to stop and tow Sarasin, simply stating, "It's what Jake would have done." Sixth place, and a check for $800, went to Evan Moen and Daniel Victor, who overcame many technical problems throughout the weekend.
