Richard Fuhrman has been involved with many forms of motorsports over the years. His interest in auto rallies dates back to early days of performance rallies in the U.S. Currently, Dick campaigns a Ford Mustang oval racer from his home base in Moscow, Idaho.
Dick purchased the Toyota Camry Alltrak for the soul purpose of using it to compete in the Alcan Winter Rally. The Alltrak is a rare version of the Camry that has all-wheel drive. The more common Celica Alltrak has been used as the basis for numerous successful stage rally cars. The car was equipped a high capacity Optima battery, supplied by the Ultimate Energy Company. The car always started easily, even without using any kind of engine heater. Les Schwab supplied the snow tires.
The one thing that Dick lacked was a co-driver. The Chairman of this event, Jerry Hines, and I are both members of the Rainier Auto Sports Club (RASC). At a RASC meeting just prior to the Alcan, Jerry mentioned that the event had an entrant that needed a co-driver. Having been interested in the adventure that is the Alcan Rally for a long time, I decided to give Dick a call. Only two questions needed to be answered; could I get the time off from work, and would I be able to judge from a phone call whether or not Dick and I would be compatible enough to endure 8 days in a small car under trying circumstances.