Pre-season notes - 1995 SCCA/Michelin PRO Rally

--Some interesting items about Paul Choiniere's new Hyundai
  Elantra (specs posted at the end of this message):

  o  Buffum has taken technology from several Hyundai
     models and meshed it with the proven Audi experience
     to come up with a combination that may be hard to beat.

  o  The car that raced at Maine, and will be at South
     Carolina this coming weekend, is a "mule" for a more
     finished product that will be ready later this spring.

  o  Because Maine was so icy and this rally will be so
     sandy, we still might not have an idea exactly how fast
     the car will run.

--Because of his busy schedule, Jeff Zwart will not be able
  to race his Porsche in 1995.  By the way, if you missed the
  feature article on the front page of the Life section on
  Jeff (with color photo) last month in USA TODAY, let me
  know and I can send it to you.

--Carl Merrill will join the series - complete with a new tub
  on his powerful Ford Escort Cosworth - at the Doo Wop
  weekend March 18-19.  Henry Joy's new right-hand-drive
  Mitsubishi Lancer should debut at the Sunriser event April
  7-8 in Ohio, while Greg Lund's Ford Merkur Cosworth will
  make it first appearance in the firendly confines of the
  Wild West PRO Rally in Washington April 21-22.

--Because of a legal dispute involving ownership of their
  Toyota All-trac rally car, Vinnie Frontinan and Frank
  Arruda will not be at South Carolina.  Vinnie flew to
  Ireland to run an event this past weekend.  We will be able
  to say more once we receive a lawyer's statement of the
  topic.

--Rapidly-improving rallyist Jason Priestley, who was fourth
  overall at one of the recent California Rally Series events
  in his Toyota All-trac, hopes to make his national points
  debut at the Doo Wops as well, and plans to run "at least
  five nationals if the show doesn't get in the way."

--Lesley Suddard will be making her second start in the ex-
  Doug Shepherd Dodge Charger - more horsepower than Lesley
  has experienced in her short rally career.

--The Greg Trepetin Honda Prelude V-Tech will be making its
  debut in South Carolina.  It will be interesting to see how
  it runs against the V-Tech of Jim Anderson, with a year of
  rally seasoning on his car.  Throw last year's Production
  rookie sensation Tad Ohtake into the mix with his Ford
  Escort GT, and the Production class could be the battle of
  the weekend.

--In Production GT, defending champion Selcuk Karamanoglu has
  not found a rally car for 1995 as of yet, so South Carolina
  looks like a battle between two veterans:  the Mitsubishi
  Eclipse of Cal Landau and the Mazda 323GTX of Tom Ottey.

--So far, no trucks or Group A cars are entered.

                       1994_Hyundai_Elantra
                      Open Class PRO Rally Car

Driver:     Paul Choiniere Co-driver:  Jeff Becker

1990, 1992 - 94 Overall SCCA PRO Rally National Champions 1994 - six 
victories in eight rallies to win the overall title 1994 - winner for 2nd 
year in a row at Mt. Washington 1995 - signed to drive a Hyundai Elantra 
in the series

             DIMENSIONS & SPECIFICATIONS

        Length:                   4369 mm (172.0")

        Width:                    1679 mm (66.1")

        Height:                   1321 mm (52.0")

        Wheelbase:                2540 mm (100.0")

        Wheel Track:

              --Front             1480 mm (58.3")
              --Rear              1490 mm (58.6")

        Weight:                   2520 lbs.

        Driveline:                Hyundai Elantra converted to all-
                                  wheel-drive; technology from new
                                  HCD III sport-utility vehicle

        Engine:                   4 Cylinder, 16 Valve
                                  2.0-Liter, Turbocharged (based on
                                  Hyundai Scoupe turbo); water
                                  injected with special
                                  intercooler; Turbo and Electronic
                                  Controls

        Power:                    340 HP @ 6500 RPM

        Torque:                   360 F/LBS @ 4700 RPM

        Transmission:             5-Speed Close Ratio "Dog" gear
                                  box; Front & Rear Clutch Type
                                  Limited Slip Differentials,
                                  Viscous or Locked Center
                                  Differential
        Suspension:

              --Front             50 mm. diameter Bilstein gas
                                  pressure shocks - degressive
                                  valving; spindles modified
                                  for larger wheel bearings;
                                  fabricated lower control arm and
                                  compression strut of Libra Racing
                                  design; upgraded springs on
                                  adjustable platforms.

              --Rear              Bilstein gas pressure shocks with
                                  coil cover springs; rear trailing
                                  arm with twin adjustable
                                  transverse links.

        Steering:                 Standard Hyundai power steering
                                  system modified to give a
                                  "quicker" ratio; steering arms
                                  modified to eliminate "bump"
                                  steer


        Brakes:                   Lockheed 4 Piston aluminum
                                  Calipers with 12" discs front
                                  and 11" discs rear

        Tires:                    Michelin Special XGT Rally
                                  Tires on 7" Speedline Wheels

        Electrics/Lights:         Hand-built wiring loom with
                                  PIAA driving lights


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