Audis Have Strong Showing at Rally NY
Source: Bill Miller III

Ellenville, NY – Rain, sleet, mud and everything in between was the forecast for the All-Tarmac Rally New York which took place over the weekend of April 3-5 in the southern Catskill Mountains of New York, 90 miles northwest of New York City.  Rally New York is the first event in the 2009 United States Rally Championship and was also be the first rally race for two Audi teams.  Rookie rally driver Bill Miller III and veteran rally co-driver Constantine Mantopoulous had an impressive second place finish in the All-Wheel Drive Production class driving the Carlisle Events – A4 1.8t Quattro, built by Jose Vicente of Quattrohaus Motorsports.  Miller mentioned different aspects of how the Carlisle Events team was able to find success in its first outing, “I could not have been teamed up with a better co-driver!   Constantine and the incredible reliability of the Audi was really the key to our success in our first outing.”  Like any good competitor, Miller was not entirely satisfied with the finish and is already planning how to finish stronger, “I still have that voice inside my head telling me second is just the first loser and we hope to be on top by adding much needed torque and horsepower.  We plan on doing so by teaming up with APR, a leader in Audi Performance.”

Miller and Mantopoulous finished just above the other Audi in the field, an Audi 90 Quattro powered by a 5-cylinder turbo.  The yellow Audi 90, driven by Andrew Wickline and co-driven by Steve Kurey, finished 15th overall and 11th in the all-wheel drive class.  Like most Rallies these days, the field was dominated by Subarus and Mitsubishis.  Well-known American rally driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino won the event in their #43 Subaru Impreza, finishing with a total time of just over one hour and fourteen seconds and no penalties.  The next closest team was almost three seconds back at just over one hour and seventeen seconds. 
Following the All-tarmac Rally New York, the Carlisle Events Audi A4 1.8t Quattro rally car will be showcased as part of the Racecar Paddock display at the Carlisle Import/Kit-Replicar Nationals, May 15-17 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds before possibly moving on to the second stage in the U.S. Rally Championship: Rally Tennessee – May 22-23.