42nd EDITION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT SUSQUEHANNOCK TRAIL PERFORMANCE RALLY PUTS WELLSBORO IN INTERNATIONAL AUTO RACING SPOTLIGHT

With a major loss at the Olympus Rally in Washington State, Subaru Rally Team USA defending champion David Higgins will be looking for a victory at the 42nd Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally® (STPR®) on Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 in Wellsboro. 

STPR® is round three of the seven events that form the 2018 American Rally Association Championship.

Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew of Subaru Rally Team USA took first place overall in the three-day Oregon Trail Rally, round one of the ARA Championship series. They were in their Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2018 Subaru WRX STI. The rally was April 20-22 near Mt. Hood in Oregon. 

This was the seventh time in the last eight years that Higgins and Drew won the Oregon Trail Rally, the perfect start for their 2018 campaign to earn their seventh championship together while driving for Subaru. “I’m happy to get the win and it was great to be back in my Subaru again,” said Higgins at the podium.

The expected tight battle at Oregon Trail between Higgins and Drew against former Subaru World Rally Team star driver Chris Atkinson and his veteran co-driver Stéphane Prévot was short lived. A mechanical issue sidelined Atkinson and Prévot for a portion of Saturday’s stages. Although out of the running for an overall result, they returned for Sunday’s stages and were the fastest on six of eight stages, as Atkinson grew more comfortable with his Subaru. Atkinson has been competing in Rallycross for Subaru for the past two years. The Oregon Trail Rally was his first stage rally event.

In round two of the ARA, the May 19 and 20 Olympus Rally in the forests of Shelton, Washington, Higgins and Drew were sidelined both days; on day one with a flat tire and a broken alternator and on day two with a drivetrain issue. Claiming first overall in the Washington event were Patrik Sandell and Per Almkvist, also of Subaru Rally Team USA. This was the first stage rally for Sandell who normally races the 600hp #18 Subaru WRX STI in rallycross circuits for Subaru.

In ARA point standings, Jeff Seehorn and Karen Jankowski of Spokane, Washington put on a flawless performance to take second place overall and first in the Limited 4wd class in ARA round two. Because they also took second place overall in the Oregon Trail Rally in April, the Olympus Rally win propels them into the lead of the ARA National Championship Series, ahead of Higgins and Drew.

Higgins and Sandell are now tied with one win apiece. Higgins will be competing at STPR®; Sandell won’t and neither will Seehorn and Jankowski. If Higgins takes STPR®, he could regain first place in the series. But, that may be thwarted as he and Drew will once again be pitted against Subaru’s team of Atkinson and Prévot. This early contest for the championship brings Wellsboro into the international auto racing spotlight.

Returning to STPR® to challenge Subaru will be Barry McKenna and Leon Jordan of New York City in their 2011 Ford Fiesta. At last year’s STPR®, McKenna was in third place when he hit a tree. 

Currently, 41 teams are entered in STPR® 2018. Twenty-nine will compete in both the Sherwood Forest and Finger Lakes regional rallies and one entry, Seamus Burke is entered in the two regional rallies and the STPR® national rally; and 11 teams are entered in the national rally only. The number of entrants will continue to change right up until the rally begins. 

STPR®, promoted by the Finger Lakes STPR® Motorsports LLC committee, is chaired by Meridith Croucher, from Newark, N.Y. She heads this unique rally committee that organizes STPR® with members based in both Wellsboro, Pa. and Rochester, N.Y.  Croucher reports that with the sport of performance rally grabbing a national foothold in North America, the area of North Central Pennsylvania and Western New York has become known as the cradle of rally civilization.

“This is the 42nd consecutive annual running of STPR®, making it the longest continuous motorsports event in Pennsylvania,” Ms. Croucher said. “The number of competitors in this sport ebbs and flows. We have seen an uptick in entries in other events that I hope will translate into the same for STPR®. The International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, NY, a motorsports museum, recently received the archives from previous STPR®s. We are told there is quite a bit of interest in our historic materials,” she said.

“With thousands of people coming to Wellsboro and the Tioga County area to participate in the rally, and thousands more coming to spectate, this event brings millions of dollars into the area’s economy and supports the other events and attractions that are important to North Central Pennsylvania,” said Ms. Croucher, whose organization also put on the recent Waste Management Winter RallySprint this past February.

She pointed out that Waste Management and other sponsors make the event truly accessible to the public. “Our event sponsor, Waste Management, hosts our Friday competitive stages on their company property, and realizes the goodwill in the community that being associated with this kind of an event brings to their company reputation. Combined with Citizens & Northern Bank, an original sponsor of STPR® when the event began in 1977, and Subaru of America, we have a good selection of regional and national support,” said Ms. Croucher.

She also noted, that unlike other types of racing, STPR® offers activities for all kinds of fans and everyone in the family.
“STPR® has become a very popular family event, especially with the Tioga County Fairground stages in Whitneyville, where kids can get up close to the rally cars, meet the drivers, enjoy some refreshments, and then watch the cars battle on a closed course for competitive times and a chance to win,” she said. “Others like to go into the woods and watch the cars, view the cars on display on The Green in Wellsboro, or watch the teams work on their cars at service areas during the event on Saturday,” she said.

The Fairgrounds stages cost $5 per person, Children under 12 free for admission each day (with a $5 donation per car to a local church youth organization for parking), with event tickets on sale in advance at the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce (info at 570-724-1926).

With the infusion of millions of dollars to local area businesses rivaling a national convention, a good blend of internationally-known drivers and local competitors, and the American Rally Association championship points chase all highlight the arrival of STPR® to the state forests near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

Waste Management, Citizens & Northern Bank; Subaru of America; Wellsboro Chamber return
With title sponsor Waste Management back for its eighth year, along with the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, which has participated in the event in Wellsboro since its inception in 1977, and the sponsorship from Subaru and Citizens & Northern Bank, the STPR® Committee is able to offer both accessibility and community support to both competitors and fans. Besides the 400 volunteers who work the rally – many of whom come in from out of town and use local services - another estimated 10,000 people come to the Wellsboro area either as spectators or workers for the various teams and their sponsors.

Waste Management also hosts the opening stages of the rally on its expansive grounds just outside Wellsboro in Antrim in Duncan Township on Friday afternoon, June 1. Admission for the spectator area at Waste Management is $7, and tickets are available only at the gate. Details are on the event website at www.stpr.org, or at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce 570-724-1926.

American Rally Association – different kind of sanctioning body
A sanctioning body, the group that organizes the championship points, creates and enforces the rules, regulates the safety of the event, and insures the rally for liability risks, is a very important part of the weekend. For the second year in a row, STPR® decided to team with the recently-formed American Rally Association (ARA). A member-driven organization dedicated to the sport of Stage Rally, the American Rally Association provides a transparent, inclusive, and growing sanctioning body to competitors throughout America. A 501 (c)(3) non-profit and wholly owned subsidiary of the United States Auto Club (USAC), ARA is led by seasoned Stage Rally professionals who work hand-in-hand with an experienced board of directors to deliver a framework for safety, competition, promotion, and education for all aspects of the sport. The common goal of our members, volunteers, and organization is a thriving Stage Rally program in America.

What is STPR and Performance Rally?
The Finger Lakes Region of the Sports Car Club of America first conducted the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in 1977 with the assistance of other sports car clubs in the Rochester, N.Y area. Members of these clubs (Triumph Touring Club, Corvair Owners Club, MG Car Club and others) had experience with previous performance events such as the Snowblower and Lunar Lunge which ran out of Rochester as early as 1965 and were part of the M.O.N.Y. series (Michigan, Ohio and New York), the forerunner of the SCCA ProRally series.

In the United States, performance rally teams have a driver and co-driver (navigator) for each car, and the competitors race in stages on closed public roads, trying to get from the beginning to the end of each stage as fast as they can. Unlike other forms of motorsports, no practice is allowed and teams only have one chance to review the course at the public speed limit before the event. In competition, the navigator barks out the route instructions while the driver proceeds through forest, desert, and logging roads at events around the country sometimes at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Varying performance modifications are made to compact and subcompact sports cars depending on which rally class they entered. The cars all have to be street legal to drive on public roads between racing stages. The sight of these cars, running at speed through the woods to beat the clock, makes exciting spectating for the fans that come out to watch performance rally.

STPR® was the last of the great endurance events on the national schedule maintaining the one day format and designed with a high stage/transit mileage ratio and, thanks to the outstanding cooperation of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), some of the best and most demanding roads in the country. With the addition of the Waste Management stages and the Tioga County Fairgrounds, this rally went to two days in 2008.

Description
The Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is a National Championship Rally of approximately 259 miles in length with approximately 125 miles of competitive stage miles.

Within the overall event, there are two regional rallies.
The Sherwood Forest Rally includes Stages 1 to 6 and is approximately 46 stage miles. The Finger Lakes Rally includes stages 7 to 15 and is approximately 77 stage miles. Stages 3 and 4 on Friday, June 1 and Stages 14 and 15 on Saturday, June 2, are closed course Super Special Stages at the Tioga County Fairgrounds at 2258 Charleston Road, Wellsboro, PA 16901. Combined, the two nights at the Fairgrounds attract between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Rally Headquarters are once again located at the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville, which is just off Route 6 on Charleston Road midway between Wellsboro and Mansfield. 

Friday afternoon, June 1, the start of the rally will be from the Pearl Street side of The Green, a park in downtown Wellsboro.  Saturday morning’s start, as always, will be on Main Street in front of The Green.

In 2008, STPR® changed to a two-day format to better utilize new competitive content, and give spectators more daylight viewing options. The Super Special Stages at the Tioga County Fairgrounds will once again run once on Friday evening and again on Saturday evening. In all, STPR® has six spectator locations to show the sport to maximum advantage in all its exciting aspects to the public and media.

Rally Information
An event schedule, maps and directions to the spectator areas, entry list and other rally information will be available from the digital STPR 2018 Spectator Guide, which can be downloaded at www.stpr.org starting Memorial Day Monday, May 28.

Starting Thursday, May 31, a complete rally program, including driver biographies, stage descriptions, and other information will be available for $5 at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce office at 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, on The Green during the parc exposés  on Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 and at Friday’s Waste Management spectator area in Antrim as well as the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/STPRRally
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/stpr_rally  (@stpr_rally) #stpr18
Instagram: http://instagram.com/stpr_rally  (stpr_rally)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/stprwebmaster
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stpr/                                                                 
Web site (entry list, spectator information, volunteer info, press notes, schedule, results): www.stpr.org
Live event track and sanctioning body app: https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/ara-live

2018 WASTE MANAGEMENT SUSQUEHANNOCK TRAIL PERFORMANCE RALLY SCHEDULE
(Subject to change – all times are approximate - see the latest schedule at www.stpr.org)
FRIDAY, JUNE 1:
10:30 a.m. - Spectator area opens for Waste Management stages at 782 Antrim Road in Duncan Township — $7 per person admission to the Waste Management spectator area

11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. — Parc Exposé at The Green in Wellsboro.

  2:01 p.m. — First car leaves the Green in Wellsboro as the Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Phase 1 and Sherwood Forest Rally Begin.

  

  2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. —Stages 1 and 2 action at the Waste Management spectator area — $7 per person admission to the Waste Management spectator area.

  6:00 p.m. Spectator area opens at Tioga Fairgrounds - $5 per person admission to the Super Special Stage and $5 per car donation for parking

  7:00 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. —Super Special Stages 3 and 4 at the Tioga County Fairgrounds  - $5 per person admission to the Super Special Stage and $5 per car donation for parking.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2:

  8:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. - Parc Exposé at The Green in Wellsboro

  8:45 a.m. — Parade of Flags at the Green in Wellsboro

  9:10 a.m. — Singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Green

  9:46 a.m. — First car leaves the Green in Wellsboro as Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Phase 2 begins and Sherwood Forest Regional Rally continues. 

10:25 a.m. — Stage  5 (Asaph) action at the Asaph Picnic Area spectator point (all stages times indicate first car passing)

11:06 a.m. — Stage  6 (Deadman) action at the Colton Point spectator point.

11:32 a.m. — Stage  7 (Thompson) action at the Wilson Point spectator point.

12:00 noon to 1:15 p.m.—Service at Germania

12:30 p.m. — Stage  8 (Lebo 1) action at the Twelve Mile spectator point.

12:50 p.m. — Finger Lakes Regional Rally begins at Germania Service Tech.

  1:58 p.m. — Stage  9 (Randall 1) No spectator area.

  2:39 p.m. — Stage10 (Cedar) action at the Wilson Point spectator point.

  2:55 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. — Service at Germania

  4:28 p.m. — Stage 11 (Lebo 2) action at the Twelve Mile spectator point.

  4:56 p.m. — Stage 12 (Randall 2) No spectator area. 

  5:33 p.m. — Stage 13 (Mine Hole) No spectator area.

  6:50 p.m.—  Parc Exposé at the Tioga County Fairgrounds.

  8:20 p.m. — Super Special Stages 14 and 15 at the Tioga County Fairgrounds begin — $5 per person admission to the Super Special Stage and $5 per car donation for parking. 

  9:45 p.m. — Podium and champagne spray for the winners at the Tioga County Fairgrounds.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR STPR 

It takes 400 volunteers doing a wide range of tasks to put on the Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally each year. Those interested in volunteering at this year's Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally can pre-register online now at www.stpr.org. 

People who volunteer do not need to do "everything" but can select work that fits into their own schedules. They can also sign up to work with family and friends just by indicating that on their volunteer registration form. "It's a great way to watch the rally up close, meet fellow rally enthusiasts and be part of a team that has brought STPR® to Wellsboro since 1977," said David Avery,  volunteer registrar.

STPR® is one of America's best-known rally events, regularly drawing top rally teams from the United States, Canada and abroad who enjoy putting their skills to the test.

On Thursday, May 31 volunteers will help set up the Special Stages and hang banners at rally headquarters - the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville, near Wellsboro and put up banners on each stage of the rally. They will also assist with teardown on Sunday, June 3. 

Those who are not sure what job they would like to take on, can go to www.stpr.org, click on "Volunteers" and then under "Preregistration" click on "job descriptions" at the bottom of the box. Click on each job description to see what is involved. Job descriptions include: stage marshal, course marshal, stage start/finish, service area setup, Reece, worker registration/merchandise, competitor registration, media/press assistant, fairgrounds setup, car management on The Green, crossing guards, course setup/bannering, radio communications - net control, radio communications - field, medical, car controls - fairgrounds, sales - tickets, sales - spectator guides, hospitality, cleanup and safety cars/heavy sweep.

To register, visit www.stpr.org, click on the "volunteer" button and fill out the no-cost American Rally Association volunteer license form and the STPR online registration form.  Volunteers are asked to bring a printed copy of their USAC confirmation email to the fairgrounds when they sign in as a volunteer on Wednesday night, May 30 between 7 and 9 p.m.; Thursday, May 31 between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.; Friday, June 1, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.; and Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 a.m. for those signing up for Saturday only.  That's when they will be given their assignments, IDs, T-shirts and goodie bags.

Questions? Email David Avery at volunteers@stpr.org  for more information about volunteering.

STPR® SPECTATOR INFORMATION The 42nd Annual Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally will be on private and state roads in Tioga and Potter counties Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2.

STPR® - the oldest, continuously running motorsport event in Pennsylvania - is Round 3 of the 2018 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship.

The Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville, near Wellsboro, serves as STPR® headquarters.

Free parc exposés will be on The Green, a park in downtown Wellsboro. The first parc exposé will be on Friday, June 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the start of the Waste Management stages from the Pearl Street side of The Green. The second will be on Saturday, June 2 from 8 to 9:45 a.m. with the start of the stages on forestry roads from Main Street in front of The Green. A parc exposé will also be held at the fairgrounds Saturday night beginning at 6:50 p.m.

The rally cars will be flagged off from The Green in one-minute intervals starting at 2:01 p.m. on Friday, June 1 as STPR®  begins with stages 1 and 2 on Waste Management roads in Antrim in Duncan Township. Spectators can watch the cars running the Waste Management stages at the Antrim spectator area from 2:30 to 6 p.m.; tickets will be sold for $7 at the gate only. Food and portable toilets will be available at Antrim. Friday will end with Super Special Stages 3 and 4 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Tioga County Fairgrounds.

On Saturday, June 2, the first car will leave The Green at 9:46 a.m. followed by competing cars in one-minute intervals as the contest continues on state forestry roads. Viewing is free at the six spectator areas. They include: Asaph Picnic Area (Stage 5) at 10:25 a.m.; Colton Point at Deadman (Stage 6) at 11:06 a.m.; Wilson Point  at Thompson (Stage 7) at 11:32 a.m.; Twelve Mile at Lebo 1 (Stage 8) at 12:30 p.m.;  Wilson Point at Cedar (Stage 10) at 2:39 p.m.; and  Twelve Mile at Lebo 2 (Stage 11) at 4:28 p.m. The winner will be determined during Super Special Stages 14 and 15 that will begin around 8:20 p.m. at the Tioga County Fairgrounds. 

The Friday and Saturday Super Special Stages are run on a RallyCross-style course at the fairgrounds where two cars begin at the same time and race not only the clock, but also each other. Event tickets are on sale in advance at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. For information, call 570-724-1926 or stop in at 114 Main Street in Wellsboro. 

Admission to the Friday and Saturday Super Special Stages is $5 per person with a $5 per car donation for parking. Children under 12 are admitted free at both Super Special Stages and at the Antrim spectator area.

"STPR® has become a very popular family event, especially with the Tioga County Fairground stages in Whitneyville, where kids can get up close to the rally cars, meet the drivers, enjoy some refreshments, and then watch the cars battle on a closed course for competitive times and a chance to win,” said Meridith Croucher, chair of the Finger Lakes STPR® Motorsports LLC committee. “Others like to go into the woods and watch the cars, view the cars on display on The Green in Wellsboro, or watch the teams work on their cars at service areas during the event on Saturday,” she said.

An event schedule, maps and directions to the spectator areas, entry list and other rally information will be available from the digital STPR® 2018 Spectator Guide, which can be downloaded at www.stpr.org starting Monday, May 28.

The printed STPR®  2018 Spectator Guide, which includes the same information as the digital version, will be available for $5 at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce office at 114 Main Street in Wellsboro and the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Whitneyville starting Thursday, May 31 as well as on The Green during the June 1 and 2 parc exposés and at the June 1 Waste Management spectator area in Antrim.

For more information, visit www.stpr.org or call the chamber at 570-724-1926.