Tough Times Out West
25 April 2007
It was a rough time for the GNM crew this past weekend at the Oregon Trail Rally in Hillsboro, Oregon. The third round of the Rally America Championship, April 13-15, was rather harsh in many aspects for the team. The long journey west resulted in a mid-rally dropout and a failure to score any points.
Running With the Big Dogs
28 February 2007
Great Northern Motorsports stepped up the program last weekend at round two of the Rally America Championship, the 100 Acre Woods Rally, in Salem Missouri, February 23/24. They moved into the open class category, the top tier of the Championship, competing directly with the Subaru factory team and the best teams in the series. In this first outing with the newly modified car, Bottoms managed a seventh place finish.
“I’m happy with our finish here, just making the top ten this season will be an accomplishment,” says Bottoms. “The lure of the X-games has brought all the top names from the past five years.”
Making It Through The Sno
30 January 2007
The GNM Rally team kicked off their 2007 season last weekend at the Sno*Drift Performance Rally, in Atlanta, MI., January 26 & 27. It’s the first round of the 2007 Rally America Championship, and the GNM crew came home 10th overall and first in Group N.
“It was typical Sno*Drift conditions, very slippery and tricky,” states Bottoms, “I would run cautiously for a bit then try to push a little harder, but it would bite me and I would wind up bouncing into the snow banks.”
Rally returns to the tube for ‘07!
29 December 2006
The Rally America Championship for 2007 will be broadcast on ESPN2 with additional X-Games coverage on ABC. They have also standardized the X-games qualifying to include the top 8 teams in the Championship prior to the event. This exciting news has infused new life into the rally community and is bringing out all the best teams to compete. The season opener, the Sno*Drift Rally, has it’s largest and most competitive field ever. It’s going to a tough season.
In preparations for this new season, the GNM team has been busy scrambling to finalize deals for 2007. Subaru has shifted their focus from the Group N class and is concentrating on Production GT this year. They have changed the contingency program to reflect that as well. With this announcement, continuing in the Group N class is pointless, so following the Sno*Drift Rally in January, the GNM rally car will be upgraded to run in the Open class, the top tier of the Rally America Championship.
Strong Finish
08 November 2006
Great Northern Motorsports finished up the season at the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) on October 21/22 in Houghton, Michigan. It was the eighth round of the Rally America Championship and the final round for the GNM team. With another Group N class victory and sixth overall, Bottoms and Bosley have secured second place in the Group N Subaru National Championship Cup, all while only competing in 4 of the 9 events.
“We got off to a slow start, but I’m glad we were able to finish strong,” states Bottoms
The GNM rally car was in top shape thanks to the efforts of Autosport Engineering. The engine problems that have troubled the team for the past few events were finally resolved and Bottoms and Bosley showed good speed.
Press on Regardless
30 August 2006
The GNM rally team lived up to the old rally adage, “Press on Regardless,” this past weekend at the Ojibwe Forest Pro Rally. The rally, based in Bemidji, Minnesota, tested the team and crew from the start. Troubles ranging from engine problems to transmission failure didn’t stop the GNM rally team from a top ten finish.
The difficulties started even before the rally began. During the practice stage on Thursday, the engine problems from Maine continued. After resolving electrical sensor issues, correcting the engine fuel mapping and maximizing the turbo boost since the last event, the car is still down on power. To further the headache, the transmission exploded while giving a local TV cameraman a media ride. The engine problem is believed to be internal, so the team focused on the transmission.
Light at the End of the Tunnel
28 July 2006
GNM wins Group N and finishes ninth overall at the Maine Forest rally last weekend, July 21- 22, 2006. Bottoms & Bosley struggled with engine issues, but pressed on and stayed free from trouble. As the rally progressed, the rough and rocky conditions, for which the Maine rally in renown, claimed many teams but Bottoms maintained a safe pace and brought the car to the finish to claim the Group N class victory and a top ten finish overall.
Back in Business
18 July 2006
With outstanding service from team sponsor, Elma Collision, the GNM rally team is ready for action. The Subaru WRX STi is back to form after the West Virginia mayhem thanks to the expedient and precision work of Mark Mingle, owner of Elma Collision.
A Proper Break-In
26 June 2006
The GNM rally team competed at Rally West Virginia with mixed results. The event started very well, as Bottoms & Bosley fought for the lead through the first half of the event. After the sixth special stage, the GNM team took control of the overall lead of the rally with only three stages to go. However, that was soon to end as Bottoms cut the apex to a downhill hairpin too close and rolled the new car over, on special stage seven.
GNM off to West Virginia
16 June 2006
After a less than optimal debut, the Great Northern Motorsports team is heading to West Virginia. Rally West Virginia is round three of the National Auto Sport Association’s Eastern States Rally Championship. It’s a regional series event and a first time venue based in Elkin, West Virginia, Saturday, June 24th.
Teething Trouble at STPR
07 June 2006
The GNM rally team suffered from technical difficulties last weekend as they debuted their new Subaru STI rally car at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally. It was round four of the Rally America Championship, but the first event of the season for driver Jonathan Bottoms and codriver Carolyn Bosley.
