2006 Maine Forest Summer Rally is underway

Emmie Fisher · **Posted:** Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:22 pm

Follow it here...

http://www.rally-america.com/Update/day/day_index.html

SimonWright · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:16 am

If I'm reading it right, our local hero, Matthew Johnson, has crept into first place from fourth in PGT at the end of the first day. They're just 0.7 seconds ahead of Tanner Foust after more than 21 minutes of stage competition.

Go Matthew!

Simon

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Awesome.

Go Matthew!

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:42 pm

With 2 stages left (should be on those roads right about now, actually) MJ has pulled away slightly and now holds a slim 6.4 second lead. Go Matthew!

If the results are to be believed, on SS7 MJ averaged 93mph over the 12.7 mile stage! :shock:

Holy crap! There's a big difference in everyone's stage times (like 3+ minutes) between SS5 and SS7, which is supposed to be the same road run in opposite directions, so I'm thinking SS7 was probably shortened somewhat.

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:00 pm

Crap! Disaster on Stage 8 for Matthew- he lost 18 minutes to Tanner!

Looking at what should be the final scores, that bad time dropped him from 1st to 3rd in PGT and from 7th to 20th overall. No word yet on what happened- I'm guessing they went off and got high-centered, because he he beat Tanner on the final stage...

Bummer!

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:51 pm

Talked to Matthew. He said they got a flat about 5mi into the 14 mile Stage 8. They pressed on, driving on the flat until finally the tire flew off and they were driving on the rim. Still they were going 90+, but with all the rocks the rim was getting destroyed and the car really didn't want to turn left, and they finally went off and got stuck about a mile from the finish. They got a tug out from Jonathan Bottoms, but then they lost time changing the tire because they had to dig to get the jack low enough to lift the broken wheel. So in all the incident cost them 18+ minutes, but MJ said it really didn't matter, once they got the flat they were going to lose their 8 second advantage even if everything had held together.

He said he was still happy with his driving (and it seems to me like he should be), as he was outrunning Tanner for most of the event and posting some great times in an exceptionally strong field.

He was most happy with his time on SS4, Concord Pond which, for those who don't know it, is a narrow but firm dirt road and occasional sections of broken tarmac and several jumps of different sizes. He and Kim were 6th fastest overall on that stage, with a 70mph average speed. The 1-pass recce they had this year let him check the hazards more closely, and he saw it was safe to really commit and launch off the jumps, so he did!

Hoping MJ will post some stories himself about his adventures as well.

He said the 321GO video folks should be having some summary videos coming out in a month or so- I'm looking forward to it!

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:58 pm

For those of you who hadn't heard, there was a jump put in at the rinky-dink Friday spectator stage- Matt Iorio (not Johnson) hit it pretty hard:

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/8c33 ... 55f4d4.htm

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Matt's car is awesome.

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