Internal Links: Pacific Forest Photos JPIII Pacific Forest Press Release   External Links: Team Saab 1996 Pacific Forest Press Notes

Nothing to Lose Q: With one race to go, you were still trailing Lon Peterson in the points race. How did you feel about your chances? Jim: After Lake Superior, Lon led by 7 points. However, because only the top six finishes are used for calculating points, I was still in a position where I could catch him. After doing the math, it was painfully obvious that I had to win in Washington state to win the national championship. I knew that Lon had rallied there many times and that I would therefore be at a big disadvantage - but I had to go for it! Q: How did you manage to get yourself and the car out to the Pacific Northwest? Jim: After finishing the Lake Superior rally, I continued driving the car and service van across the country (35 straight hours) and stored it at my good friend Rob Walden's house. He lives in Seattle and co-drives with Sam Bryan for the Saab 9000 Group 5 team. I flew back to NC for a couple of weeks. I flew back to Seattle the week before the rally and prepared the car - including fixing the VSS. Fortunately, Martin Dapot was able to rejoin the team for the last race of the season. Q: Any strategy going into the race? Jim:WIN! WIN! WIN! Or crash out trying! [laughs] It really was one of those classic sports moments that everyone loves, right? It's like being behind by two points in a basketball game with time running out - you gotta hit the three. We had to win! We knew the Prelude VTEC could not compete the next year due to SCCA rules changes so it was literally do-or-die time. Q: How did the Prelude VTEC handle the rough roads of western Washington? Jim: The first 5 stages were run on Friday night and they were probably the roughest stages of the entire year! The pot holes were huge and unavoidable. Even with the Hella lights, the mist and fog were pretty bad. We quickly gave up on going fast and just tried to survive until the morning. Just like in Michigan, the vehicle speed sensor broke again - it was a long night repairing it with help of our one man crew, Dave Turner (who races trucks off-road in his spare time). The combination of Lon Peterson's lighter Kia and his familiarity with the roads allowed him to build a 30 second lead over us during those first 5 stages. Q: So what was the plan for Saturday? Jim: Hope for smoother, more open roads! Fortunately, Saturday's stages were on much better roads and pretty soon we were doing better than 100 mph over the gravel. As the roads smoothed out, my confidence grew. I feel the first four stages that morning were some of the best I have ever driven. I do remember getting a little too close to a stump once though - at 80 mph, it would have ended our rally for sure. Martin had to give instructions constantly but he didn't miss a beat (or lose his lunch!). The Honda VTEC engine really proved its worth that day. The Kia developed rear brake problems again and, using our patented "Maximum Attack" mode, we caught and passed Peterson by SS8. We ended up winning by over 5 minutes. The long battle was over and the national championship was ours!

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