photos courtesy MCO
Seko Motorsports' 2002 season peaked in September at the inaugural Targa Newfoundland tarmac rally. The rally was broadcast on RDS (Canadian French) in December 2002, and on Global (Canadian English) in January 2003. (US airdates will be announced shortly.)
That was in September. Our campaign to Newfoundland began nine months prior, however. Although we had extensive Solo2 and track experience, I had never rallied. Thus, the season began way back on the first weekend of January. Our first rally would be "Défi des Glaces," the winter counterpart to the Rallye Défi-Ste-Agathe held each September in the Québec Laurentians.
The Rallye Défi des Glaces was the first event in the Yokohama-Subaru Winter Rally Series. 2002 would prove to be the last year for this famous overnight road rally series, which placed a premium on driver skill. Our humourous first-rally experiences were published in the Motorsports Club of Ottawa (MCO) Link.
Next was the annual winter vacation to California - complete with running an SCCA Solo2 in San Diego. Due to our late arrival, we competed in the last class running that day, Novice, placing 6th out of 70 novice competitors.
Once back in Canada, the MCO "Slush'n'Slide" series (Winter Solo2/RallyCross) was starting. Weather, conflicts, and co-organizing one of the events limited us to running only two events, scoring 5th and 3rd.
Spring saw Seko Motorsports enter a slightly different competition - the Speedorama 2002 car show. The car was displayed in tarmac rally form, to publicize the inaugural Targa Newfoundland. As part of the Motorsports Club of Ottawa display, we finished 1st in the race car class.
photos courtesy MCO
Spring also saw the start of the Summer Solo2 season. Unlike previous years, Solo2 was not the focus of the season. However, as scrutineer for the MCO series, a number of events were run in various cars, resulting in two 1st place-finishes and four top-3 placings.
Taking first place in B/SP at the first event of the 2002 season
Trying out the new MINI.
Besides scrutineering, Seko Motorsports volunteered at the inaugural Ted Powell Memorial Races, and served as "Car 0" (the course-opening car) for three MCO rallies, and worked checkpoints at others.
With rallying the focus of the season, the capping event was the inaugural Targa Newfoundland. This was a five-day tarmac rally with 500 kilometres of special stages. We finished 2nd in the Targa Newfoundland Modern, for post-1976 cars. Overall placing was via a handicapping system based on year of manufacturer (from 1900 to today!) Overall, we placed seventh. The top finishers were 1960's era cars with new millenium components. The overall winner had a 6-spd sequential gearbox, full Motec engine management/dash, carbon fibre, almost 500hp and 500ft-lbs of torque - in a 1967 Mustang!
Thanks muchly to the 2002 Baldhead Racing Team - co-driver Jim Morrow, and crew Jean MacGillivray, Sharen Findlay, and Craig Hamm. We appreciate the support given to us by Rosetta Consulting, Howard Korzenstein of Talon Tire, Alain Goulet of Algo seriegraphie, Mike Rouleau for the Baldhead logo, John Dunkel at rennlist.com, all the Rennlist members on the Porsche racing, 924/944, and 944S2 mailing lists, Rick Bye with Porsche Cars North America, the parts guys at Mark Motors of Ottawa, the Motorsports Club of Ottawa, the Rennsport Region of the Porsche Club of America, Corey Groves, Rob Microys, Stu Trudel, Tom Lang, and our parents.
Finally, our extreme thanks to the folks behind the scenes - the literally thousands of volunteer marshals, scrutineers, registrars, officials, emergency response staff, HAMs, and organizers who made the events we participated in possible. See you-all next year!
The 2003 season started with a rally school and rallysprint in Chénéville, Québéc on the first weekend of January. Then the MCO Slush'n'Slide series started mid-January. Unfortunately, the Yokohama-Subaru Winter Rally Series has been cancelled, however, we will run various local rallies throughout the year. In the first MCO rally of the year, the Mississippi Valley Rally, navigator Steve Carrick and I finished 3rd in expert class.
Spring will start with the Sanair Rallysprint, which happens after the only other tarmac rally in Canada besides the Targa Newfoundland. We will return to the Targa Newfoundland in September, and hope to improve our position. During the summer, we hope to compete in the CASC-OR Solo1 series.
Seko Motorsports will campaign a 1990 Porsche 944S2 in 2003. Support vehicle will be a 1986 Glendale E350-chassis motorhome. Craig Seko will drive, but Steve Carrick will replace Jim Morrow as navigator for Baldhead Racing, as Jim and Jeannie will be expanding the Baldhead team, and running their Subaru Impreza RS 2.4 in the 2003 Targa Newfoundland!
Other Targa Newfoundland 2003 entrants are invited to join the Baldhead team - please e-mail craig@seko.ca. The benefits are, ah, many!
Thanks to all the folks who helped us out!
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