Tier One Driver - Paul Eklund

Conquering the twisted, unforgiving tree lined gravel roads of the Oregon Trail Rally at speeds often above the posted Freeway speeds might seem extreme or downright insane, but Rally Racers like Paul Eklunddo it every chance they can. Stage Rally always has some new tricks around the bend... and that's what makes Rally the most challenging form of Motorsports on the Planet. It is a race against the clock more that other competitors. A race against the odds. A mental game of riding the cutting edge of disaster while negotiating unknown roads. NOT for the faint of heart!

 

It Began in an Alfa
Paul began his motorsports career autocrossing an Alfa Romeo Spider in the early ë80s in Arizona. After joining the SCCA, he soon discovered ProRally, and campaigned a trusty Opel Manta in divisional-level rallies in the Southwestern U.S. throughout the 1980s. He rolled his first car in 1984 ñ in an autocross! Then as now he approached motorsport with gusto.

Later Paul became Regional Executive of the Arizona Border Region and sanctioned most of the California Rally Series events such as East of Indio, Rim of the World, and High Desert Trails.

Set a class record
In 1988, Paul moved to Portland, Oregon, and brought his racing enthusiasm with him. He acquired a Honda CRX, and drove it to several divisional Solo II championships and to the class record at the Larison Rock Hillclimb in 1996. That record stood until July 2000.

In 1993, his rally Opel met up with a tree, and Paul intensified his autocross and road race efforts. He formed Primitive Racing, and took the ThunderLizard logo to the winnerís circle in multiple National Tour, Pro Solo, rallycross and divisional events from 1993 to present. He has currently competed in well over 200 autocross and rally events -- that's a lot of race weekends!

Co-driverís Championship
In 1996, Lee Shadbolt of Hairpin Racing approached him with a plan to go ProRally racing again -- this time in an all-new Subaru Impreza ñ how could he pass that up? The team finished in third place in the 1997 Championship after a crash in the deserts of Arizona shortened their season. They came on strong in 1998, and Paul won the Co-Driver National Championship in the Production GT class of the Michelin PRO Rally series!

Meanwhile, Paul continued his own driving, and after finishing in the top 3 three times, he won the E-Stock National Championship in SCCA Solo II in 1998. His current autocross car is a championship-level Toyota Celica GT.Ý Meticulously prepared by Primitive Racing, the Celica boasts BFGoodrich T/A tires, custom wheel spacers, and a Supertrapp exhaust.

Primitive goes ProRallying
In 1998, Paul began building his own open-class Subaru rally car. Finished in late 1998, the Primitive Racing Impreza USX took the 1999 ProRally series by storm, starting with an impressive 6 th overall finish at the 1999 Rim of the World. At the Wild West Rally 6 weeks later, Paul drove to 3 rd place overall finishing just behind the legendary John Buffum. For this and other accomplishments, Paul was honored as ìmost inspirational driverî in the Oregon region in 1999.

But then the car ran into teething problems that persisted into 2000 ñ most notably a transmission failure at the Oregon Trail Rally which dropped the team out of 4 th place overall. Despite the early season trauma, persistence and hard work led to a stronger car and two consecutive 5 th place overall finishes at late-season events. Primitive Racing looks forward to a successful 2001.

Alcan Victory
In February of 2000, Paul joined R.Dale Kraushaar and Larry Richardson to win the prestigious ALCAN WINTER RALLY, a 9-day, 4600-mile endurance rally with speed sections. They beat seven factory-backed teams in a virtually stock Subaru Impreza 2.5RS sedan.

Experience and Poise
In addition to his proven record as a performance driver, Paul has also demonstrated that he can field a professional team, represent his sponsors well, and put together a successful season ñ no matter the budget level. He has contributed articles to magazines such as SportsCar, Grass Roots Motorsports, and Sport Compact Car. His 1995 Celica was showcased in a recent article on professional use of vinyl graphics. A strong supporter of the SCCA, Paul has served as Regional Executive, treasurer, and event organizer. His experience with (and enthusiasm for) Subaru performance led him to found Primitive Enterprises, an Internet-based business providing race-proven performance parts to rallyists and Subaru enthusiasts around the world.

PERSONAL
Date of Birth: 2/27/63 Marital Status: Single
Sports Car Club of America member since 1983
Region of Record: Oregon
Current Division: NORPAC
Hobbies: Autocross, scuba diving, model rocketry