Re: Mark Lovell

Posted by Simon Rapala on Saturday, February 28, 2004

Hi Jeremy-

The accident occurred on Stage One of last years 2003 Oregon Trail Rally. The exact reason of the accident has never been established, but Mark and Roger were Car #1 on the stage. My dad and I were about half way into the stage waiting for the arrival of the first car, the latest spec works Open Class Impreza. We were waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. Suddenly news came through that car number one had an off and the stage was being cancelled. We walked down the embankment with my dad fully intent on making it to the next stage. Something didn't seem right about the accident. I asked a lady who was regularly conversing with one of the marshall's protecting the junction. Her words will stay with me forever. "It's Mark and Roger, they went off and both are unconscious." I didn't know more than that, but enroute to Stage 2, we stopped at the service area in Vernonia Oregon. Ofcourse the news wasn't made public until later that evening, but the gloomy faces told the tale. In watching stage two, Subaru officially pulled the sister car of Ramana Lagemann.

Apparently, they accelerated away from the start of the stage and .9 miles in went off at high speed (estimated between 80-120 mph) ending up against a tree. The roads in the Coastal Mountains of Oregon have an incredible crown with loose stones making for very tricky driving.

Simon

PS- I spoke with Mark the previous year at Oregon Trail when his Impreza broke down near the spectator area. Nice guy. He even let me sit in his rally car!