Doo Wop Rally
Memories 2008
Doo Wop 2008 Coverage from the Dusty Times
Volvo Team Tops Twentieth
Anniversary Doo Wop Rallies
Story and photos by
Jim
Culp
OAKVILLE, WA. - John Lane and Ray Damitio claimed
first overall in the twentieth anniversary of the Doo Wop Rally Series based
in the historic Washington seaport of Aberdeen.
It was a come from behind victory for Lane and Damitio driving a two-wheel
drive 1976 Volvo 262. The popular duo shook of the rust from a six year
layoff and claimed a five second victory over Pete Van Bogart and Mike
Barber in a new Cascade Motorsports 2007 Subaru WRX. The open class
Subaru Legacy of Mark Mager and Miller Dumaoal finished third, another ten
seconds back.
VanBogart and Barber topped the field on day one but the Production GT class
Subaru suffered from restricted power on day two’s fast stages. Pre-event
favorites Dave Hintz and John Ford suffered a cracked header on day one but
came back to win the second Doo Wop round with a 2002 Subaru WRX.
The flying Burress brothers, Tom and Don, challenged the leaders with their
1977 Volkswagen Rabbit until a malfunctioning fuel pump knocked them out of
the running for the Group 2 title. Sophomore driver Carl Decker teamed with
Adam Craig to claim the Group 2 win in a 1993 two wheel driver Subaru
Impreza.
The Doo Wop Rally Series is sanctioned by NASA Rally Sport, providing fun,
affordable events for competitors and volunteer rally organizers.
Doo Wop 1
Pete Van Bogart and Mike Barber
Doo Wop 1 was shortened by the loss of the Crane Creek
stages. The Crane Creek road climbs dramatically on the western edge of the
Olympic Mountains. The stage road was battered by winter storms that buried
the start under several inches of snow while toppled trees littered the
finish area. Without Crane Creek, Doo Wop 1 was limited to three rounds of
the ten-mile Taholah loop road through the Quinault Indian Reservation on
the Pacific shoreline.
Van Bogart and Barber brought the brand new Subaru WRX to the first round of
the Doo Wop series and came through the break-in period with an overall win.
The Cascade Motorsports team sealed the deal with a blazing run on stage two
of the short three stage event, when they gained more than 20 seconds on the
field. A slide into a dirt berm on the last corner of the last stage
provided a little excitement for the winners who also claimed the Production
GT class honors.
Jay Woodard and Jason Grahn jumped into the early lead in the world’s only
4WD Mazda Protégé. The Protégé was a Doo Wop winner in 1995 and Woodard has
restored the car to better than new condition. Woodard and Grahn posted the
fastest time on stage one but then Van Bogart and Barber turned it on in
stage two. The Protégé team finished second overall, first in the open
class, 42 seconds behind the winners.
Tom and Don Burress flew into third place in their Group 2 Rabbit. The rapid
bunny finished just eight seconds behind the second place Mazda. A ten
second penalty assessed against the Burress brothers for clipping one of the
chicanes was the difference. The chicanes are used to slow speeds on the
fastest sections of the Taholah stage.
Just five seconds behind the Rabbit were Mager and Dumaoal, fourth overall
in a 1999 Subaru Legacy RSTi. The Group 5 class winners, Lane and Damitio
were another five seconds back and fifth overall
Mark Tabor and Ben Bradley were sixth overall, second in PGT, leading a pack
of Subaru Impreza variations. Following the Tabor/Bradley WRX was Brian
Svedin and Tracy Manspeaker in a PGT class 2.5RS in seventh. Mark Fox and
Jake Blattner were eighth in an open class Impreza. Decker and Craig,
ninth in their 2WD Impreza.
Bob Trinder and Andy White were tenth in a right hand drive WRX, but it was
a long weekend for the Vancouver, British Columbia team after their service
truck broke at the border.
The pre-event favorites, Hintz and Ford fractured a header on stage one and
missed the second pass while a fix was welded together. They came back to
post the fastest time on stage three.
The only production class entry suffered a worse fate when Ian McPherson and
Mark Nelson in a Toyota Mr2 broke the suspension and rolled out of the event
on stage three. The other six DNF’s in the event were able to make repairs
and continue on to the “fun stuff,” the roads of Doo Wop 2.
Jay Woodard and Jason Grahn
Tom Burress and Don, Burress
Bob Trinder and Andy White
Doo Wop 2
Dave Hintz and John Ford
An overnighter by the service crew replaced a broken
rear strut bracket and put Hintz and Ford in position to take the win in Doo
Wop 2. The Hintz Subaru fell behind on the Blue Slough pavement stages
but put thirty seconds on the field on stage three to jump into the lead.
They never trailed after that. Hintz and Ford posted fastest time on four of
the six gravel stages including the fastest time (6:57) on the famous run
from the Brooklyn Tavern to take the win with 1:34 to spare.
Lane and Damitio parlayed the fastest times on the Smith Creek stages into a
second overall and first in Group 5. To the delight of the fans, the
rear-wheel drive Volvo left trails of burnt rubber on the sun baked portions
of the Brooklyn stage. Lane says the turbocharged V6 could be even faster
with a little more engine management work.
Mager and Dumaoal finished third overall, 20-seconds out of second with the
Legacy. Van Bogart and Barber were another 45 seconds back, fourth overall
and first in PGT. Tabor and Bradley were second in PGT only 12 seconds
behind the class leader. Van Bogart came from behind on the next to the last
stage to grab the PGT win.
Trinder and White posted solid times moving up to sixth overall. The Group 2
winners, Decker and Craig were seventh, just two seconds ahead of Svedin and
Manspeaker.
The PGT Subaru of Svedin and Manspeaker edged rally rookie Malcom Davies and
Bruce Parker by one second on the last stage to take the ninth spot by that
one second. Davies and Parker showed impressive speed in an Eagle
Talon TSI.
Adam Crane and Britta Nielsen survived a wild spin off course just a mile
from the finish on the last stage. Then they slid their rear-wheel drive
Toyota Corolla into tenth overall and second in Group 2.
The Burress brothers rocketed into the lead on the first pass down the Blue
Slough Road, and then backed it up with the fastest time on the second run
too. So after two stages, a 1977 Volkswagen Rabbit was in first overall.
Unfortunately a malfunctioning fuel pump stalled their effort after stage
three. Fortunately for the fans, the Rabbit was repaired and returned to set
a new Group 2 record (7:02) on the run from Brooklyn to Oakville.
For 20 years the Doo Wop Series has been the traditional season opener for
the northwest rally community. Organizers Ray and Janice Damito throw a two
day party that is more that a great rally. The Doo Wop Series also serves as
a fund raiser for food banks in the economically stressed timber towns of
southwest Washington. Everyone has a great time and helps the rural
communities in rally country at the same time.
Carl Decker teamed with Adam Craig
Mark Mager and Miller Dumaoal
