The Carolina RallySport duo of Matthew Johnson and Wendy Robinson Nakamoto completed the 83rd running of the Pikes Peak Hill climb and the associated rally on Saturday June 24th. A second place finish in Production GT makes a total of four consecutive rallies the team have performed well and placed in the top three in class.

Special thanks goes out to Maita Subaru in Sacramento, California for replacing the short block in the rally WRX after it developed issues following the RIM of the world rally near LA. The engine fully repaired and made healthy again by the professionals at Maita! www.MaitaSubaru.com

Pikes Peak is a very specialized event where preparation and experience are key to a top finish. Being rookies to the Peak the team had a lot of learning to do. The most notable difference is the altitude, starting rally stages at 9000ft and racing all the way up to 14,110 feet at the summit the thin air effected the CarolinaRS WRX and it's crew.

The gravel surface up the mountain is very hard packed most times but changing weather conditions mean teams must have lots of tire choices at their disposal. Many teams recently have found tarmac tires to be well suited and were using those. Considering the weather conditions our team opted for a set of well scuffed Pirelli gravel tires feeling that they'd be the most reliable and while not as competitive if the conditions were dry they'd be safe if the common summer thunderstorms soaked the hill before competition.

As the event got underway Johnson was coming to grips with the decreased horsepower available due to the elevation and compensated as needed while they charged up the hill. The event began on Wednesday with two stages in the dark on tarmac on the entrance road of the mountain then continued with another stage to run from the start line up to Glen Cove to wind up Wednesday's rallying. Three more stages were held Friday morning beginning at 5:30am before a practice session to do more preparations for Saturday's main event. Johnson- "It's kind of hard to really attack the stages at this event, the thin air and low horsepower make it useless to be too aggressive. These are the type of conditions where you just have to relax and drive smart and smoothly to maintain momentum."

The big day came on Saturday when the teams had to be on the mountain at the starting line service area by 5am in the morning. The thousands of rally spectators had to be there at 3:30am to make their way up the mountain and safely out of race way.

Reports of rain part way up and snow at the top had several teams scratching their heads about swapping tires. Luckily the CarolinaRS crew had one set of suitable tires for the mountain so there was little debate for what to run. As they charged up the 156 turns of the mountain there were a couple of risky moments as Johnson pressed the grip of the tires right up to the edge and beyond at moments.

As the car struggled with the thin air and the team struggled to keep their speed up they crossed the finish line at the top of the peak and completed the Pikes Peak Rally/Hillclimb successfully on their first attempt. As the results came in they confirmed that achieved a second place in their class of Production GT next to Colorado native Tanner Foust in first and Eric Langbein completing the 3 in third position.

The CarolinaRS WRX was indeed carrying some precious cargo up the mountain with them. After reaching the top the team had a small ceremony to honor some of those who have passed on before us.

After returning home to North Carolina Johnson was interviewed by NBC 17 about his participation in the event and about the sport of rallying, it was included in the Sunday night 11 o'clock news.

The team would like to tremendously thank the following: Maita Subaru www.maitasubaru.com -Offering incredible service and great people to take care of your Subaru

Masque Ristorante http://www.masqueristorante.com/ -Voted one of America's 'Best New Restaurants 2004' by Esquire Magazine

PIAA Competition Racing Products Line www.piaa.com

Mia Mull and Associates Sacramento Realtors www.miamull.com -For a level of service unmatched in the real estate industry please contact Mia!

Ray Olsson http://www.team-olsson.com/ -Mortgage Lending which caters to the needs of the self-employed and the first time home buyer. Contact Ray Olsson!

CheerGyms www.cheergyms.com -With facilities all over Sacramento visit CheerGyms to learn more

Masterpiece Photography - www.masterpiece-photography.com

Pikes Peak in-car video may be viewed here: http://southwestonline.sitestream.com/CarolinaRS.vsml

The next event planned is the Maine Forest Rally to take place July 29-30 based in Rumford, Maine. More information is available at www.Rally-America.com Be sure to check the "live updates" during the event for the latest news.