Speakers for “Racing Through the Trees: An Inside Look at Pro Rallying” on May 18th:

Ralph Beckman – Between 1962 and 1973 Ralph compiled an unparalleled record and firmly established himself as America’s premier rally navigator. He competed in over 200 events and claimed victory in over 100 of them during that eleven year span. After retiring for 15 years, Ralph came back and teamed up with rally legend Gene Henderson and competed in the grueling 5,000-mile long Alcan Rally for Subaru of America, finishing second twice and winning the event in 1990. He has competed for many manufacturers, including Subaru of America, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, and Nissan. Ralph is currently involved in historic rallying, having recently competed in the Historic Monte Carlo Rally.

Al Costich – Al was a crew member on the Ed Diamond/Brian Fallon team that competed in the 1991 La Carrera Panamericana rally. He will talk about his experiences in transporting the rally car to and from Mexico, as well as running the event itself.

Phil Henderson – Phil began rallying in 1959 and was a member of the Lincoln Mercury factory backed rally team in 1964 and 1965, and the Standard Triumph factory team in 1966. He finished third in the SCCA National Road Rally Championship on two occasions. Phil has also competed in numerous Press On Regardless and Canadian winter rallies as well as in the last Shell 4000 Trans-Canada rally in 1968.

Ed Homsey – Ed began his career competing in Rochester, New York area rallies with his wife. He was selected to co-drive a factory prepared Triumph, TR4 in the 1964 Trans Canada Shell 4000 rally. Ed co-drove in this rally with Gordon Jennings, the later writer for Car & Driver magazine.

Gail McGuire – Gail has over 50 years of rallying experience, primarily as a co-driver/navigator. She has competed in numerous events, including the Canadian Winter Rally and the Shell 4000. Gail will discuss the role of the navigator in a Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) rally versus a Stage Rally.

Tim O’Neil – Beginning in the humble surroundings of his own garage, Tim went on to become a five-time U.S. and North America rally champion. The Team O’Neil Rally Shool, located in Dalton, New Hampshire, was founded in 1997 and has trained some of the most successful drivers in North America. The school is the acknowledged leader in loose surface driver training. Other divisions of the school include Security and Tactical Programs, the Drift School, Team O’Neil Motorsports, and the New England Forest rally.

Susquehannock Trails Pro Rally Speakers:

Meredith Croucher – Meredith has been active in motorsports since joining the Finger Lakes Region of the SCCA in 1979. She served as the Chair of the Susquehannock Trails Pro Rally while the event went through a series of sanctioning and organizational changes, from 2004 to 2018. Meredith is currently a manager for the LLC that owns the rally.

Andy Schupack – Andy has 45 years of motorsports public relations and promotions experience. He was the public releations representative for the SCCA Subaru Pro Rally Championship from 1991 through 1998. Andy has handled PR and media relations for STPR for over 10 years.

Alan Smith – Alan joined the SCCA in 1993 and has been a competitor in numberous Time, Speed and Distance rallies over the years. He has held numberous positions with the rally since 1993, including Stage Captain, Rallymaster, and Clerk of the Course for the past 15 years.