Friday Updates #4

-Edward McNelly and Pascal Belperron are driving their second rally in their ex-Chris Duplessis VW Golf. It is a proven car, and is now sporting a fresh refrigerator-white paint scheme.

-The Merkur XR4ti of Tim Chevalier and Alan Moody was finished just before the rally, so it is brand-new to them. They are using the New England Forest Rally as a shakedown for the car, which looks really nice.

-Simon Wright and Angela Cosner drove their Ford Focus through the Mexico spectator stage flying a large Stars and Stripes flag, as well as a large Union Jack, in honor of their USUK racing team.

-Justin Carven and Geoff Clark report that the Greasecar VW Rabbit is now equipped with a new suspension, which they are keen to try out on the rough Maine roads.

-Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow are biding their time, waiting for the real stages to begin. They report no issues with their Honda Civic.

-Verena Mei, an a brand-new Ford Fiesta, felt very nervous before the first stage, but after the first stage the butterflies went away. She has enlisted experienced co-driver Keith Morison to read the notes. This is her first rally as a driver; she co-drove for Wyatt Knox in this year's Sno*Drift Rally.

-Cameron Steely and Josh Buller had some early mechanical problems with their Ford Focus. The intake split on Stage 3, the second running of the Mexico Rec Center, and they had to nurse the car through the stage. They are getting it fixed at service, and hope to be back up to speed.

-Erik Potts and Steven Case broke a shock on their Ford Focus on a jump. They were sharing spares with another team, and discovered that the spare shocks at their disposal did not actually fit their car. They were using an angle grinder at service on the strut mounts in the hope of getting the new shocks to fit.

-The VW Golf of Chris Rennie and Joe Vital had an off two days before the New England Forest Rally during a shakedown run. The car pirouetted around and landed on its side. They were able to bang out the damage, and were good to go for this weekend's event.