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Press Stage Notes WELLSBORO, Penn. (May 31, 2002) - The STPR 2002 weekend kicked off today with the arrival of the competitors, inspections, and the practice stage. The three-mile stage was a relatively straight route with just a couple corners. The stage should prove to be a big help to those teams that participated as a variety of conditions greeted the drivers. The stage started at 1:00 p.m. under overcast skies and presented a fast, but dusty course. The unpredictable weather that has become as much of a trademark for this event as the Stony Fork Creek Crossing then made an appearance. The skies opened up, first dropping rain, then hail that was over a centimeter in diameter. The competitors never took a break from the stage, racing in all conditions and getting a feel for the notoriously slick and fast roads that make STPR so exciting. Seven-time STPR champion Paul Choiniere says the biggest issue on the stage wasn’t the slick roads but the fog. "Well when it’s foggy you can’t see, but neither can the guy in front of you so I guess it’s ok, the worse the conditions get, the better it is for me, I am used to driving in this stuff (sic)." Driver Jon Kemp of the number 80 Open class Audi was glad to see the chaotic weather, "we got a sample of all the conditions we see this weekend, that’s very good." Many other competitors weren’t as happy to see the roads get slick, drivers like Shane Mitchell, who is in a Subaru WRX for the first time after previously competing in an Eagle Talon remarked, "I am just trying to get used to the car, I’m not used to having brakes." Many drivers said they felt the stage was an invaluable opportunity to test the car and the roads, though all agreed they were running at about 80% in order to save the car for the start of the race tomorrow.   —Ryan G. Hall