"Grommit"

Car #554

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bemidji, MN
August 20, 2001

Subject: Buskirk/Fernandez take 2nd and 1st place finish at Ojibwe, MN

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It was a long haul to Ojibwe as Mark Buskirk and Paul Fernandez started 
the adventure 4:00am Thursday morning hoping to hit Ojibwe by 
6:00pm (15 hours later).  The team hooked up with "Team YO" and
Burmeister Engineering for a nice dinner and relaxing evening.

Friday started the first coefficient 2 race nick named "10,000 lakes"
having the first car start at 5:00pm.  Mark was very nervous and anxious
to get started as dark storm clouds threatened overhead.  A quick
cloud burst errupted just minutes before the start of the first transit
and continued to the start of the first stage.  Then out of luck, the
sun peaked through the clouds just as the team took to the first stage.

With damp roads dust wasn't an issue for the team as they pushed the
'87 GTI through the turns of the Ojibwe forest.  Stage 1 was consistant
with MN rally roads being fast and wide with many opportunities to get
into 4th gear until a sudden change took the team onto a 2 track road
just wide enough for one car.  "I really pushed hard on the narrow road
and it seemed like we were in a video game", exclaimed Mark.

The team pushed hard through the night and finished the "10,000 lakes"
rally with 2nd place in Group 2 class and 10th overall.  Both Paul and
Mark were very pleased with their finish and quickly rested for another
long day of racing on Saturday.

The temperature on Saturday was in the mid 70's and just perfect for
rallying on the still damp roads.  The first stage was a super special
on the Bemidji speedway oval track.  The locals were given quite a show
as the entire field of 60 plus cars raced the 1/2 mile course through
mud holes and slippery clay.

A transit on Saturday also gave the team an exciting look at the wild
life of northern MN with a black bear along side of the road.  "Hey,
look !!!, a bear", shouted Mark as they came up to what looked like a 
large black lab about to cross the road in front of their racecar.  Luckily
it was spooked by the noise and darted back into the woods.

With each service on Saturday, the team entered complaining about a bad
shake in the front end.  After removing the wheels and scraping 20 pounds
of dirt, the car handled like new again.  The service team of Matt and
Wayne Westveld did some creative rigging on the rear struts as the spring
perch kept loosing through the rough stages.  A little duct tape and
zip ties go a long way in rallying.

The team finished Saturday night with 1st in Group 2 and 13th overall in
the "Paul Bunyan's Ride" rally.  Awards were given to the 1st place
positions which left Mark and Paul taking home hardware for the first
time as driver and co-driver.  Upon accepting their awards on Saturday,
Mark announced his appreciation for the effort and work his co-driver
Paul was doing; "For having been in only 2 rallies, Paul has perfected
his co-driving skills to near perfection; and my driving doesn't make
him sick!"

Special thanks to Matt and Wayne Westveld for servicing.  These guys really
know how to improvise when the part or tool is missing for the job !!!
Also, a special thanks to Colin McCleery of Sierra Rallysports for
preparing and building the car; and to everyone else that has helped
and supported the team.

The team plans to enter the Lake Superior Pro Rally in Houghton, MI
on October 19th and 20th.



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E-mail  Mark Buskirk   mbuskirk@webstratum.com
        Paul Fernandez udflyer2@hotmail.com