Last Ditch Racing Blog

For Immediate Release

July 16, 2008

Bangor, Maine USA

Last Ditch Racing, defending 2007 Rally America Eastern Open Class Champions, took the overall and Open Class wins in both the Mexico Regional Rally and the Berlin Regional Rally at last weekend New England Forest Rally. Their performance was enough to earn them a fifth place overall in the national portion of the event, after starting 16th. The team set several top 10 stage times and set personal team records on seven stages. The New England Forest Rally, held in Western Maine and parts of New Hampshire, is Round 6 of the 2008 Rally America National Championship and regarded as one of the roughest and difficult events in the Championship.

The team began 2008 by taking the overall win at the Team O'Neil Rally in New Hampshire in icy conditions. The team continued on their winning streak by taking an award for the longest jump at the recent Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in Quebec and finishing 10th overall in the national event. The recent wins at the New England Forest Rally give the team a commanding lead in the Rally America Eastern Regional Rally Championship.

Driver John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell drove a tidy and quick event and brought their 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX STi home relatively unscathed. Said Cassidy, "This result is the equivalent of a win for us. To be 5th overall after a past production car world rally champion and two series contenders is amazing. Maine is known as a rough event and this year was no exception. We kept out of the scenery and had only one puncture, with the tire going flat after we were done with the stage. Dave and I were at the top of our game and reached a new level of performance in the car. We were definitely pushing and this is an event we'll remember for a long time!"

Some not familiar with the team were surprised with their impressive finish, but Cassidy expects more of the same in their remaining events this season. "We really struggled with development of our current car early on, leading to some poor finishes and a season where we went from fourth in the Championship to not scoring any points at all. Since last fall, we've hit our stride with the car and recent additions to our service crew have bolstered our confidence."

The team had close battles with Dave Mirra and Jeff Moyle, both piloting Subaru STi's prepared by Vermont Sportscar. "The cars we were racing are quite advanced relative to ours. Our ace in the hole was our experience and perhaps our advancing age! Both Dave and Jeff were right there throughout the event and our ability to avoid drama put us in a position to take 5th. On the final stage, we caught two cars near the end and literally had to stop in the thick dust because we just couldn't see the road. Mirra told me when he came through he didn't have any dust to contend with and that made me worry that he had perhaps caught us. He took 30 seconds out of us, but it wasn't enough and we held station."

The Maine Forest Rally 1999 was Cassidy's first event in a Honda CRX. "The team has made obvious significant strides over the last 9 years. We've still got plenty of room for improvement, but our hard work over the years as a privateer team is starting to pay dividends when we achieve a result like this. To have our career best finish at home after such a long time in the sport is a dream come true. It definitely fuels us to strive for bigger things in the future. We've been asked recently if we'd consider a full US national schedule next year, and while we'd love to do that, we'd need far more external support to do it properly. TIme will tell!" The team's next event will be the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe in Quebec, Canada.

John and Dave would like to thank their crew for their hard work and support, both on and off event: Bronson Crothers, Duncan Matlack, Ken Anctil, Drew Simpson, John Cassidy V and Rob Sockalexis.

Last Ditch Racing would like to thank their 2008 Partners for their support:

Triple Caution, LLC, http://www.triplecaution.us
Hydra EMS, http://www.hydraems.com
Team O'Neil Rally School, http://www.teamoneil.com

For more information on Last Ditch Racing, please visit: http://www.lastditchracing.com
To Purchase Last Ditch Racing Gear, please visit: http://www.cafepress.com/lastditchracing
For more information on the New England Forest Rally, please visit: http://newenglandforestrally.com/
For more information on the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe, please visit: http://www.rallyedefi.com/

For Immediate Release

July 4, 2008

Bangor, Maine USA

Last Ditch Racing flew high and far at the recent Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs, in New Richmond Quebec. Round three of the Canadian Rally Championship, the event, is known for it's driver's stages, combining technical sections with fast flowing sections. Conditions this year were especially difficult due to recent rain.

Finishing 10th overall, the team set 8 top 10 times out of 17 stages. A record 46 competitors took the start of the event, 27 finished and 19 DNF'd, attesting to the difficulty of the stages.

The team took the DC Shoes sponsored, "Longest Jump Award," after flying their 2003 Subaru WRX STi 116 feet off the famous jump at the end of the Camp Brule stage. Said driver John Cassidy, "The first time through Brule, we had a flat on the rear so couldn't take the jump with any speed. We only had one more pass and wanted to give the fans something to remember, so took the jump in fifth gear!" The team landed hard, nearly knocking co-driver Dave Getchell unconscious. Said Getchell, "That's the biggest hit I've taken without crashing!" DC Shoes principal Ken Block, suggested the award and won the rally outright in his 2008 Subaru Impreza STi, driving for the Subaru USA Rally Team. Block's jump was 115 feet. "Ken has really progressed in his driving over the past few seasons and devoted himself to the sport. His progress has been impressive and I think we'll see a lot more of him in the years to come," said Cassidy.

The event was universally praised by the crews. "We've been coming to the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs and have encouraged other US teams to do so. It's almost like one of those secrets you don't want to share with anyone, but we love the event and encourage all our fellow US teams to come up. It's clearly the top event in the North American calendar at the moment. We'll be back in 2009 and I'm sure more US teams will as well!"

The team's next event is their home event-The New England Forest Rally. Held in Rumford, Maine and based out of the Sunday River ski resort, the event is known for it's fast and flowing roads that are also filled with car breaking rocks. Said Cassidy, "This was our first event in 1999, and we've been there every year since. Because it's our home event, we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Coming so soon after Baie adds another degree of difficulty as there's car re-prep to do as well. The Fourth of July weekend will be a work weekend here at Triple Caution Farm!"

The team is hoping for a repeat of their 2006 10th place finish. "Erik and I finished 10th that year after a really clean run over the two days. We're hoping for a repeat and will do our best to give the home fans something to cheer about this year!"

Last Ditch Racing would like to thank their 2008 partners:
Triple Caution, LLC, http://www.triplecaution.us
Hydra EMS, http://www.hydraems.com
Team O'Neil Rally School, http://www.teamoneil.com

A special thanks to Planet Motorsport for their on site support at Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs. Thanks to Subaru Canada for their support of the Canadian Rally Championship in 2008.

Dave and John would like to thank their crew for the event: Duncan Matlack, Ken Anctil, John Cassidy and Drew Simpson

For more information on Last Ditch Racing, please visit: http://www.lastditchracing.com
To Purchase Last Ditch Racing Gear, please visit: http://www.cafepress.com/lastditchracing
For more information on the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs, please visit: http://www.rallyebdc.com/
For more information on the New England Forest Rally, please visit: http://www.newenglandforestrally.com/

A big congrats to Mark Fleming for his recent win at the Adobe Photoshop World 2008. conference. He won the Best in Show Prize/Guru Award for his photo of T-4 airborne at the 2006 New England Forest Rally. He also won in the photography category for a separate photo.

Photoshop World Winners

To see more of Mark's fantastic work, check out his blog site at:
Mark Fleming

Congrats Mark, and thanks for making us look soooo sexy! :-)

Cheers! John

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing is readying for their home event, the Maine Forest Rally, July 30-31 in Rumford Maine. Known as both a rough rally with both fast and flowing and technical sections, the event has been among the most popular rounds of the SCCA ProRally Championship series and is often heavily subscribed.

The team is no stranger to the event, the 1999 edition being driver/owner John Cassidy's first ever competitive event. "I can't say enough good things about the event. The roads are awesome and it's one of the few events close enough for our fans and family to attend." Historically one of the most popular rounds of the US Championship series, relatively few Maine residents know of it's existence. "I hope we see more Mainers out on the stages this year to experience this awesome event!"

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing brought home second place overall and first place in Open Class in the Ontario Provincial Rally Championship portion of the 40th edition of the Rallye Perce-Neige in Maniwaki Quebec. The team placed seventh overall, and fourth in the Open Class in the national event.

The one day event saw driver John Cassidy and co-driver Dave Getchell cover 233 km of special stages and 435 km of total distance over the 13 hour event. The event challenged the competitors with one of the longest stages in North American rallying at 50.40 km. "To drive a stage that long is exciting," said Cassidy. "It speaks to the way rallies used to be and really tests our ability to maintain focus over a long period of time. It's a challenge Dave and I enjoyed."

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing has completed the 2004 season with a point scoring run at the Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario.

The team completed the 2004 Canadian Championship in second place in both Open Class driver and co-driver categories, behind Canadian Champions Patrick and Nathalie Richard. The team stands 7th overall in the Canadian Championship among all drivers.

"To say that we're pleased is an understatement," said driver/owner John Cassidy. "The crew and the team set a goal of being a top 10 team in the Canadian Championship this year. We were able to do that by being consistent and finishing in the points. To be second in the Open Class is a monumental achievement for our grassroots team. We couldn't be happier."

Last Ditch Racing, a Maine based performance rally team is set to participate in the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final round of the Canadian Association of Rallysport Championship season. Held in Bancroft Ontario, the event features cold temperatures and often slick road conditions.

The 2003 edition of the event saw the team find the first ditch, putting their Impreza WRX into the woods shortly after starting the first stage. Said driver John Cassidy, "We learned a hard lesson about running the wrong tires for the conditions and were lucky we didn't damage the car or ourselves more."

The team has had an outstanding 2004 season, and is currently sitting third in the the Open Class and 8th overall in the championship. The team also sits 4th overall in the North American Rally Championship.

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing overcame substantial adversity to bring home multiple awards at the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe/Duhamel in Quebec Canada this past weekend. The rally was round four of the Canadian Rally Championship.

Just starting the event was an achievement for the team. Their Open Class Subaru Impreza WRX was not running the day prior to the event. On the way to St. Agathe, the team delivered the car to LaChute Subaru Performance for diagnosis and repair. While LaChute worked on the car, the team participated in recce for the event, not knowing if they'd have a car to start the next day.

The hard work of the LaChute crew paid off as the car was done one our before the deadline for technical inspection. Driver/owner John Cassidy said, "The efforts of LaChute and the Last Ditch Racing crew were Herculean. We toiled over and worried about the car for quite some time. Dave and I ran recce as we normally would, checking in with LaChute mechanics when we had cell phone service. I really don't want to see my cellphone bill!"

Maine based peformance rally team Last Ditch Racing is set to contest round 4 of the Canadian Rally Championship at the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe/Duhamel, September 10-11.

The 2003 edition of the rally saw the team take their first top 10 in a Championship event, taking ninth. The team had previously placed as the top American team in 2002.

The team is coming off a solid finish at the SCCA Maine Forest Rally ProRally. "We had a spin into a ditch at Maine, but were able to drive out of the stage. By that time, we had lost a lot of time," said Cassidy. The team then had to stop and change a flat, leading to more time. "It wasn't the way we would have liked the rally to go, but it's typical for Maine Forest!"

The team has been making some improvements to the team infrastructure as well as the car. John Cassidy, driver/owner, is pleased with the team's progress. "We always push ourselves to improve some aspect of the team between events." The team has made some improvements to the car as well as a new car trailer they recently acquired.

The Bangor Maine based Last Ditch Racing ProRally team had an eventful debut of their new 1998 Subaru WRX rally car.

The team started Friday's stages in 52 position, and ended the day in 27th position. The team completed the ProRally in 29th position and 15th in class. They completed the ClubRally in 17th position, 12th in class.

Saturday saw driver/co-driver John Cassidy and Dave Getchell run wide on a corner 4/10s of a mile from the finish of Special Stage 5-Magalloway.

Said Cassidy, "I got a little too wide on a turn near the end of the stage and the right rear of the car entered the ditch hard, breaking our Revolution rally wheel off the hub on some rocks. I thought the whole rear suspension was gone, but we drove it out-that's what we do on our team, drive it until it won't go."

Cassidy and Getchell put a new wheel on the car and limped back to the 11 minute service stop without brakes. "We radioed the team that we had significant damage. We knew we couldn't repair it completely in the allotted 11 minutes," said Cassidy. The service crew pulled the wheel and found that the brake disc had shattered, and the brake pads were gone. The trailing arm was cracked halfway through and a lateral link was quite badly bent.

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing completed the hot and dusty Maine Forest Rally, Round Six of the 2004 SCCA ProRally Championship Presented by Hot Wheels®.

Friday's stages saw the team climb from a 24th position start to 14th at the end of the night. Said driver John Cassidy, "We were pushing, as we knew the stages were rough and we thought we could put a little distance between ourselves and some of the other teams."

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing completed the fast and flowing Rocky Mountain Rally, May 28-29. The rally was round two of the Canadian Rally Championship and saw the team finish in 15th position overall and 5th in the Open Class.

The team's speed suffered due to a progressive boost leak in their turbo system. Driver John Cassidy said, "We knew that we'd be down on power with the combination of the altitude and the required turbo restrictor, but what we experienced was beyond our expectations. As the day progressed, the car seemed to progressively loose power." Despite the mechanical issues, the team persevered and was pleased to take home another finish and 5th in class.

Last Ditch Racing drove their normally aspirated Subaru Impreza to eighth place in the Sherwood Forest ClubRally this past weekend at the Susquehannock Trail ProRally in Wellsboro Pennsylvania. Just four seconds out of seventh place, the team were the highest placing normally aspirated car in the ClubRally behind a gaggle of Subaru WRX's and Mistubishi Evolution's. The team were third of the Seed 4 drivers.

Driver John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell pushed their Impreza to the limit over the fast and slick stages. Cassidy and Getchell usually drive a turbocharged Impreza in the Open class, but having raced it last weekend in the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary Canada, the team chose to run the normally aspirated car in order to compete in Pennsylvania. Steel Tulip, as the car is affectionately known, was up to the challenge.

Maine based performance rally team Last Ditch Racing is making final preparations to their Open Class Subaru WRX in anticipation of attending round two of the Canadian Rally Championship - the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 29, 2004.

The team is coming off a 10th place overall and sixth in Open Class in the snowy Rallye Perce-Neige-Maniwaki. The team also took their first rally podium in the concurrent Ontario Regional event and a third in Open class. The team is currently 10th in the CARS Championship standings.

Last Ditch Racing, comprised of driver John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell, piloted their Subaru Impreza WRX to a 10th overall finish at the Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki, the first event of the Canadian Association of Rally Sport Championship series. The team finished 5th in the high-power Open Class.

The team also brought home their first career podium finish, placing 3rd in the Ontario Regional Rally Championship event and third in the Open Class.

Conditions were perfect with several inches of fresh snow falling the day prior to the event. The event also saw some of the longest stages in North American rallying with two stages exceeding 45 kilometers in length.

Last Ditch Racing, a Maine based ProRally team comprised of driver John Cassidy and co-driver Dave Getchell, is poised to begin the 2004 Canadian Association of RallySport Championship in Maniwaki, Ontario at the Rallye Perce-Neige-Maniwaki February 6-8. The first event in the Canadian Rally Championship, Perce-Neige is a snow/ice event and will see the team covering 212 kilometers of special stages and 409 kilometers overall in their turbocharged Subaru Impreza WRX.

The team is anxious to get back on the stages, after a poor tire choice led to an, "off," in November at The Rally of the Tall Pines. Said LDR drive John Cassidy, "We went out on hard compound gravel tires in the cold weather and it's a lesson we won't soon forget!" The team was not injured in the incident and the car has been repaired for the 2004 season.

Last Ditch Racing, Maine's premiere ProRally team, displayed their two Subaru Impreza rally cars at the 16th annual Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta Maine, January 2-4. The team was pleased to receive a, "Best in Class," trophy. The show drew thousands of racing fans over its three days.

The team was kept busy during the show introducing the cars and the sport of rally to the predominately circle track/drag racing/pulling crowd. Said owner/driver John Cassidy, "We were both surprised and pleased with the reception the team and the cars received at the Expo." Cassidy attributes part of the warm reception to a higher general public awareness of rally as well as the fairly recent introduction of four cylinder cars in the world of circle track racing.

Performance Rally team Last Ditch Racing will be displaying the team's two Subaru Rally cars at the upcoming Northeast Motorsports Expo, January 2-4 2004 at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine. The show, now in its sixteenth year, attracts thousands of fans of motorsport from all over New England. Last Ditch Racing's appearance will mark the first time a rally team has displayed at the Expo since the late Carl Merrill displayed his Chevy S-10 rally truck there many years ago. Said team driver/owner John Cassidy, "We're very proud to be a Pro level team from Maine and are eager to share our sport with fans at the show."

The 2003 season saw the team participate in six event across the country and Canada. The team enjoyed their first ever top 10 finish at the Rallye Defi. Ste-Agathe/Duhamel, a Canadian National Championship event. 2003 also saw the team's first entry in the North American Rally Cup. Cassidy was fifth in the Overall Driver standings and Getchell took seventh in the Overall Co-Driver standings.

Last Ditch Racing found the first ditch at the 2003 edition of the Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario, claiming the dubious honor of being the first DNF at the rally this year. This is the team's first DNF of the 2003 season.

Driver/owner John Cassidy and Co-driver Dave Getchell had several successful shakedown runs on Friday prior to taking the start on Saturday. Said Cassidy, "The car was awesome-the recent improvements were made were significant and the feeling in the car was very good."

Maine based Pro Rally team Last Ditch Racing heads North to Canada to compete in the Rally Of The Tall Pines, November 21-22.

As noted on the event website, "Dirt, snow and ice routinely mix together on the roads to provide a supreme test of driving skill. As the final event of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Rally of the Tall Pines also features tight year-end battles which make for hard driving and great spectating." Attended by more than 8,000 fans in 2002, the event is the last in the 2003 Canadian Rally Championship.

Maine based Last Ditch Racing scored its first top 10 career finish at the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe-Duhamel in Quebec this past weekend, contesting a close battle with many top Canadian drivers. Defi is the seventh round of the Canadian National Rally Series. The team clinched the tenth spot after starting as the lowest positioned Open Class car in 29th position.

Driver/Owner John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell drove their Open Class Subaru Impreza through the challenging stages with the consistency and increasing speed that has become their trademark over the 2003 season. Said Cassidy, "We always get faster as the race progresses, and we were pushing quite hard to bring home our first top ten finish. This is our second race with a fairly stock Open Class car and the potential looks substantial for future events as we continue development of the car."

 Last Ditch Racing is making a return to Canadia and the Canadian National rally series for the Rallye Defi-St. Agathe on September 5-6, 2003. At Defi in 2002, the team won top US team honors as well as an entry into the inaugural Targa Newfoundland. Targa saw the team bring home a class win.

The team recently upgraded to a 1998 turbo-charged Subaru Impreza that saw its first outing at the recent Maine Forest Rally. Despite a fairly hard hit after an excursion into a rock filled ditch there, the car will be in fighting shape for Defi. "We broke and bent a couple of things at Maine Forest, but that's not unusual in the life of a rally car-we don't pamper them," said Cassidy.

Last Ditch Racing, a Maine USA based ProRally team known for their consistency and sense of humor is pleased to announce that the team is growing!

The team will be taking delivery of a T.A.D Motorsports prepped 1998 Subaru Impreza to race in the Open class. The car features a Version 3 STi engine and drivetrain. Said driver/owner John Cassidy, "Despite all the challenges we've been faced with this season, we're striving to be as competitive as possible on a privateer budget." The car will feature a closer ration gearbox with limited slip differentials and far more horsepower than their current Impreza.

The car will replace the team's stalwart 1994 Subaru Impreza, affectionately named, "Steel Tulip." After shopping the car around for the team, co-driver Dave Getchell decided to buy the car himself to drive in select club events in both the US and Canada. Said Cassidy, "Tulip has been all the way from Newfoundland to California. She's a great car, and I'm ecstatic that she'll remain in the Last Ditch Racing stable-especially now that we have all the bugs worked out!"

Last Ditch Racing drove their normally aspirated Subaru Impreza across the finish line at the Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally in Pennsylvania to earn a second place finish among Seed 5 drivers, a ninth place finish in the hotly contested Open Class and 26th position overall. The team started the event in 54th position.

Last Ditch Racing campaigned the only normally aspirated cars in the top ranked Open Class at the event. Driver/owner Cassidy is pleased with the effort. "The weekend was a very strong showing for the team, demonstrating once again that we're improving with each race." The event saw high attrition due to the wet and slippery conditions. Said Cassidy, "There were sections of some stages where I thought the steering wheel wasn't connected to the wheels anymore!"

Last Ditch Racing, a Bangor Maine based ProRally team, is making final preparations to attend the Susquehannock Trail ProRally(STPR) in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania June 7-8.

STPR is round 3 of the SCCA ProRally Championship.

Last Ditch Racing recently completed the Rim of the World ProRally in Palmdale, California. The team posted their best finish to date, gaining 19 positions positions to finish 24th in the Pro event and 12th in the ClubRally. The team also posted two top 10 stage times in the ClubRally event, another first. The wet and muddy conditions suited their all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza.

Last Ditch Racing posted their best finish to date, finishing 24th after starting 43 in a field of 80 cars in the SCCA sanctioned Rim of the World ProRally, in Palmdale California this past weekend. The team was the furthest continental entry to the event.

In the ClubRally portion of the event, the team finished 12, posting two top 10 stage times, another first for the team. Throughout the event, the team bested some turbo-charged all wheel drive cars in their normally aspirated 2.5L Subaru Impreza. Cassidy attributes their performance in the mud to aggressive driving and their recently installed PhantomGrip rear limited slip differential unit. “Even with all wheel drive, we often found the car going in un-intended directions,” said Cassidy. “Without the PhantomGrip unit, our weekend would have been much less enjoyable!”

Last Ditch Racing, a Performance rally racing team from Bangor, Maine is making preparations for the 3,500 mile journey to the The Rim of the World Rally in Palmdale, CA, May 3-5.

Rim of the World rally is the second round of the 2003 SCCA(Sports Car Club of America) ProRally championship series, and the first gravel event on the calendar. Last Ditch Racing finds itself in an 80 competitor field comprised of factory teams from both Subaru USA, Mitsubishi USA, international and domestic entries.

Driver/owner John Cassidy and co-driver Dave Getchell are coming off a successful finish at the Rallye International de Quebec, where they gained 9 spots over the two day event and looking forward to heading West.

The team is putting the finishing touches on their Subaru Impreza. "Rim of The World is known as a rough and usually dusty event," says Cassidy, "but our home event, the Maine Forest Rally has a similar reputation."

Last Ditch Racing, a Bangor, Maine based performance rally team has initiated the entry process for 20th edition of the renowned Rim of the World Rally in Palmdale, California May 3-5, 2003.

Rim of the World Rally is the second rally on the 2003 SCCA ProRally Championship calendar. From the Rim of the World website, "Rim 2003 will consist of twelve stages in the Angeles National Forest that are from four to twelve miles in length. Competitors will run five stages on Friday night and eight stages on Saturday. Rim's roads are notorious for their tight, twisty, undulating character and the fact that they run along cliffy ridge-top roads. "Waterbars" - dips and rises built into the roads to divert water across into culverts, test a car's suspension severely and demand a precise line ... but then, so do the "exposures" (cliffs)!"

Last Ditch Racing is pleased to announce the addition of two substantial team sponsors for the 2003 season. www.mainehost.com and www.phantomgrip.com

Mainehost.com, a Maine based internet company, has partnered with the team to provide them with reliable, high bandwidth website hosting. This will allow the team to continue to build their growing internet presence and following. Mainehost.com offers hosting, e-commerce solutions as well as web design and promotion services.

Team owner/driver John Cassidy says of the support, "We're very excited to be partnering with a Maine company for our web hosting. Internet presence is paramount for rally teams today, and our site has always been heavily trafficked by fans from all over the world." Cassidy sees the partnership with Mainehost.com as natural. "As native Mainers, we feel very strongly about seeking local support for our efforts in achieving podium results."

Last Ditch Racing gained nine positions to finish 20 overall in the FIA sanctioned Rallye International de Quebec this past weekend. The team finished third of the seed 5 drivers.

The rally was the most intensive effort for the four year old team yet, with one day of recce and pace note creation, and two full days of racing combined with extremely long transits. The team was one of only 23 finishing teams out of a starting field of 38 National entries.
Last Ditch Racing was entered in the Open class, which included Subaru and Mitsubishi factory teams and an ex-factory Hyundai entry. "Our car isn't really an Open car mechanically," said Cassidy. We have a stock engine and gearbox with open differentials. With sponsorship help, we hope to continually develop the car into something more competitive."

Driver John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell enjoyed the event and only broke out the shovels twice. Said Cassidy, "I was hoping to not put us in a position to have to get out the shovels, but as the day wore on and temperatures dropped, the conditions became more slippery. We simply understeered off the road." The team was pulled out by other teams, namely the two Subaru Justy teams. "That's the spirit of the event," said Cassidy. "You pull someone out and someone else pulls you out. Half the field wouldn't have finished without their tow straps!"

The Last Ditch Racing equipe de service performed well in the cold conditions, keeping the car, "Steel Tulip," fresh and ready for Cassidy and Getchell to attack the stages. The team and the crew look forward to their next event, the STPR rally in Pennsylvania in June.

Last Ditch Racing(LDR), a Bangor Maine based ProRally team, is ready to make snow fly at the 10th annual, FIA sanctioned Rallye International Quebec (www.rallyedequebec.com) February 26-March 2. This will be the team's second appearance at the event and their inaugural event of the 2003 season.

Last Ditch Racing is putting the finishing touches on their 1994 Subaru Impreza, now updated with a 1999 Impreza RS 2.5L engine with LINK PLUS engine management provided by www.i-speedusa.com. The engine management system will allow the team to "tune," the engine for reliability and performance and allow them to monitor critical engine functions.

Team owner and driver, John Cassidy, anticipates a good showing. "We've gone through the car and it's in fighting form! With new kevlar underbody protection and our LINK PLUS engine management system, we're on track for a solid finish at RIQ."
Joining Cassidy as co-driver will be fellow Mainer Dave Getchell. This will be Getchell's second event in the right seat, having completed the Maine Forest Winter ClubRally with Cassidy in December 2002. They are hoping to leave the shovels in the trunk at this event! This will be the pair's first exposure to, "recce," and they will create their own pace notes for the event.

Coming off a very successful 2002 season, the team is looking forward to running in the Open class, which is filled with turbo-charged all wheel drive. "We're currently looking for one or two key sponsors that can help us reach our goal of running a competitive car in the Open class, both in the US and in Canada," says Cassidy.

Last Ditch Racing welcomes www.i-speedusa.com as a new team sponsor. The company will be supplying the team with the well known LINK PLUS ECU stand alone engine management system. The LINK will allow the team to tune their engine for maximum reliability and performance. Prior to their last event, the team spent several weeks wiring up their stock engine control unit to run a transplanted 2.5 litre Impreza RS engine into the car. John Cassidy, team owner and driver says: "It was terrible-we kept Eric busy for at least two weeks straight trying to get it to run. Although the engine runs at present, it's not optimized. The LINK PLUS will allow us to have performance and reliability, which are two things all rally teams strive for!"

I-speedusa.com is a California business specializing in engine managment and tuning, as well as the installation of the the USDM WRX drivetrain into older Imprezas. Turbo installations into the venerable Impreza RS is another offered service.

Bangor, Maine (12/10/02) - Last Ditch Racing, a Bangor, Maine team, consisting of Driver/owner John Cassidy and Co-Driver Dave Getchell, completed the 5 stage snow event despite two off-road excursions.

The event was the first outing for their updated Subaru Impreza, now considerably lighter and more powerful. "We spent the week before the event trying to make the engine run correctly-it wasn't the way we like to prep for an event," said driver/owner John Cassidy. "The car refused to start the night before the event, so we just winched it into the trailer and headed to Rumford anyway."

To the relief of the team, the car started on race day. The team found the stages comprised of packed snow with some loose snow on top and the occasional ice. "We were basically road testing the new version of the car," said Cassidy. Grip was a scarce commodity, but the snow experience will stand the team in good steed for upcoming Canadian and US snow events.

The Maine Forest Winter rally, once a staple on the ProRally calender, has not been held for a number of years. "I started rallying the year following the last Maine Winter event, so running this event is a dream come true for myself and the team," said Cassidy. Cassidy and Getchell posted the 11th fasted time on SS 5, ending the day on a high note.

Last Ditch Racing completed 9 events in 2002. With two podium finishes at Canadian national events and a first in class at the inagural Targa Newfoundland, the team is poised to build next year. The team only experienced one DNF this season at Charlevoix after running out of spare tires.

“I’m very pleased with the car, the team, and the way my driving is progressing,” said Cassidy. The team plans on running select National Canadian events and SCCA ProRally events in the Open class.

Last Ditch Racing, a performance rally team based in Maine is pleased to announce Primm Motorsport as a new sponsor for 2003.

Primm has supplied product to the team in the past, but not in as a sponsor. Last Ditch Racing is one of four teams picked by Primm for the 2003 season sponsorship. "We're very pleased to welcome Primm on board for 2003," said team owner and driver, John Cassidy. "In order for us to be competitive, we need quality equipment at competitive pricing, and that's why I've been a Primm customer in the past-the product, pricing and service are outstanding."

Last Ditch Racing is bringing their Subaru Impreza to Open Class compeition for the Maine Forest Winter rally Dec. 7 and 2003. Cassidy welcomes the increase in power and the ability to strengthen the car. "We've run the car in PGT in the states and P-3 in Canada for the last few events. "We've done quite well, but we're driving the car to the limits of the stock drivetrain." For 2003, the car will be lightened, strengthened, and get a boost in power by way of an Impreza 2.5 RS engine. "The RS engine will give us nearly 60bhp more than we have currently-combined with some weight reduction, we should have some fun!," says Cassidy.

Last Ditch Racing is welcoming Dave Getchell into the Co-Driver's seat for the Maine Forest Winter rally on December 7. "Dave has been an integral part of the team in a service capacity, and I'm excited to show him what a stage looks like from inside the car!," said Cassidy. Getchell co-drove in Ski Sawmill 2002, but his race ended prematurely after a spectacular roll.

Last Ditch Racing completed leg one of the 16th edition of the Rallye International Charlevoix, ending it's day on a lonely stretch of road with only three wheels on the car.

Stage six claimed two tires on the passenger side of the car. Equipped with one spare, the team changed the tire, and soldiered on for nearly 25km with three tires. The tire began to delaminate and the team decided to call it a day rather than damage the car.

Day one saw 12 of the 30 entries retire for a multitude of reasons. The stages were extremely slippery, often comprised of both snow and gravel surfaces, making tire choice difficult for all the teams.

Despite the flat tires, the team found their P-3 Impreza to be working well in the snow. "It took me awhile to get used to the rough and slippery conditions, but we go into a groove after having a minor off on SS 1 and loosing some time," said Cassidy. "It was difficult accepting a retirement because of tires, but we drove on the rim until it became impossible. We were starting to post some better times and move up in the standings by the end of the day as we adjusted to the conditions."

Charlevoix marked the team's seventh event for 2002, and is the team's first DNF this season. Last Ditch Racing's next and final event for 2002 will be the Maine Forest Winter Rally, held in December.