Knight Motorsports Inc. driver Scott Trinder and co-driver Paul Westwick had a wild ride at the Wild West Pro Rally and finished 8th Overall. The team’s potential however was proven to be far greater than the final result…

The event was based out of Olympia, Washington on September 7-8, 2002. Over 60 teams started the event including former British and American rally champions and 3 manufacturer teams.

Starting 21st on the road in an Open class car presented the team with some challenges one of which was extreme dust. “Although we had a 2 minute window we were frequently 30 seconds to a minute faster than the car in front so dust became a major issue” says Scott.

On special stage 2 the team caught some serious airtime over a very high-speed jump. “We were flying through the air at an odd angle trusting the (Sway-Away) suspension would take the landing. It soaked it up and we continued with a completely flattened exhaust” says Paul.

During special stage 3 electrical problems cut engine power, shut down the odometer and the intercom. “I drove six miles without notes. Trust me you don’t know how important they are until you lose them!” says Scott.

Despite all these challenges the team finished day 1, completely caked in dust, having advanced to 6th place overall!

The team’s speed continued into day 2, posting a 4th fastest stage time, which moved them up to 5th place overall. Starting the next stage behind factory driver Mark Lovell who was suffering engine trouble, the team was once again caught in impenetrable dust forcing them to slow down. “We stopped four times to let the dust clear, I could not see anything!” says Scott.

At mid-day the rain began, eliminating the dust yet leading to new visibility problems. The cars defogger did not work causing all the windows to fog up.

Entering the final stage the team had advanced to 4th place overall. However it was not to last as the engine started losing power half way through the 10-mile stage. “By the end of the stage we were barely moving and Paul had to get out and push the car across the finish line!” says Scott.

The Knight Motorsports Inc. team completed the event in 8th place but proved that a podium finish is not far out of reach for the car and crew.