Rally

A Day in the Life Of A Tall Pines Rally Volunteer

September 3, 2016 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

One of the most common questions I am asked by new motorsport enthusiasts is “How do I start racing or rallying?” There are so many different types of motorsport that my first answer is to get out and spectate. Visit as many events as you can to figure out which form of the sport is the best one for you. Next step is to get out and volunteer. It may not sound glamourous, but every form of motorsport is so dependent on volunteers that the show would not go on without them.

You don’t even need any special skills, just a willingness to work and follow some basic directions. Volunteering allows you to see behind the scenes and meet the people who are in the know. Once you are ready to explore a bit of competition yourself, these people you meet along the way will be your biggest supporters and will usually help you out too.

So what does a volunteer do? It can be anything from organizing events to shuttling lunch around and pretty much anything in between. Canadian rally volunteer Justin Cohen put together a great video at the 2015 running of the Rally of the Tall Pines, to show how his day went.

California’s Tough Gorman Ridge Rally

August 25, 2016 by ponycargirl 1 Comment

As the oldest consecutively running rally in California, the Gorman Ridge Rally is also the toughest rally in the United States. All sixteen stages are run on a single day in Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area around the small town of Lebec, in grasslands north of Los Angeles city limits. Stages are run on narrow roads of shifting sand and packed… sand, with high berms, twisting turns, loose rocks, and unexpected washes. The last four stages with the famous jump are run on the “Cliffs of Gorman” as the sun sets. The final two stages are in complete darkness save for the stars above, and nerve-wracking even for the most seasoned driver and co-driver.

For the first time this year, SxS UTVs were allowed to enter in two additional classes – SxS Production (1000cc limit, modified), and SxS Turbo (1000cc limit, modified/turbocharged). The teams consist of a driver and co-driver, just like the rally cars and trucks. Originally three teams entered, but ultimately only one made it to the rally. Still, exciting for the first year. Because the UTVs aren’t road-legal, the team had to take alternate trail routes to transit from stage to stage and stage to service within the park, while the cars used the main park roads.

With 28 total entries, there was a a deep enough field for some hearty competition between the experienced teams, as well as a healthy batch of newer teams and first-timers. The race of attrition started early with four teams out of competition after the fifth of the Condor Stages, including Toyota’s RAV4 team of Ryan Millen Christina Fate. The Cliffs of Gorman stages dashed the hopes of four more teams, including Stephen Benson and Nicolas Renold. They had a great position starting third, but suffered three strikes before they were out: on the fourth and fifth stages had a fuse issue and then an off, respectively. They got back on track timing-wise, but then ultimately suffered complete electrical failure on Stage 14 and were towed off by the sweep.

The UTV Team Cain Smead and Michael Henderson, competing in a Yamaha YXZ 1000R, finished the rally with a time of 1:20.72 – fourth overall. When all stages were completed, the class winners pulled in front of the Holiday Inn in Lebec. After the champagne spray and all of the awards, everyone who was still awake headed out to the dirt lot across the street for for the afterparty. Overall winners:

1. Kris Psara/Andres Bautista 1:15.78

2. Jason Copt/Cameron Meng 1:16.31

3. John Coyne/Douglas Nagy 1:18.36

Complete overall results (from Rallydata.com) and gallery:

Place O.A	Car #	Driver / Co-Driver	Car	Total Score	Diff Prev		Class
1	41	Kris Psara /	subaru sti	1:15.78		1	AWD
		Andres Bautista			0.53
2	142	Jason Copt /	Subaru Impreza WRX	1:16.31		2	AWD
		Cameron Meng			2.05
3	76	John Coyne /	Subaru Impreza	1:18.36		3	AWD
		Douglas Nagy			2.36
4	166	Cain Smead /	Yamaha YXZ1000R	1:20.72		1	Pro Prod
		Michael Henderson			1.05
5	474	Cem Akdeniz /	Subaru Impreza	1:21.77		4	AWD
		Sean McElwain			0.94
6	102	Kurt Smith /	Subaru Impreza	1:22.71		5	AWD
		Steven Snyder			0.80
7	31	Michel Hoche-Mong /	Volkswagen Golf GT	1:23.51		1	2WD
		Marie Boyd			0.51
8	769	Andrew Cowan /	Volkswagon Jetta	1:24.02		2	2WD
		Ryan Dunham			0.92
9	247	Michael Seidman /	Subaru Impreza 2.5	1:24.94		6	AWD
		Thomas Luhrs			0.03
10	768	Eric Poth /	Subaru WRX	1:24.97		7	AWD
		Brent Blakely			0.29
11	15	Chuck Wilson /	Subaru WRX STI	1:25.26		8	AWD
		Rick Wilson			0.86
12	256	Javier Olivares /	Ford Escort	1:26.12		3	2WD
		Brock Heinz			1.11
13	606	Matt Shinnors /	Toyota Corrolla	1:27.23		4	2WD
		Catherine Levis			1.13
14	88	Jesse Babbitz /	Subaru WRX	1:28.36		9	AWD
		John Dillon			1.92
15	808	Richard Burden /	Volkswagen Golf	1:30.28		5	2WD
		Christopher Fine			3.38
16	519	Christian Arboleda /	Mitsubishi EVO X	1:33.66		10	AWD
		Jonathan Correa			3.14
17	405	Susanne Waite /	Subaru WRX STI	1:36.80		11	AWD
		Trent Bateman			8.17
18	272	Ethan Williams /	Ford Focus	1:44.97		6	2WD
		Gleb Serbin			6.28
19	313	Kurt Northrop /	Subaru Impreza	1:51.25		12	AWD
		Will Smith			14.18
20	258	Brian Tullio /	BMW 318i	2:05.43		7	2WD
		Nicholas Roder			34.04
21	302	Daniel Gonzalez /	Volkswagen Golf GT	2:39.47		8	2WD
		Stella Espinoza


11	Bret Robinson /	Volkswagen Golf	DNF	2WD
	Christine Marciniak
312	Stephen Benson /	Subaru Impreza RB2	DNF	AWD
	Nicolas Renold
773	Markus Saarinen /	Ford Focus	DNF	2WD
	Alicia Saarinen
99	Ryan Millen /	Toyota RAV4 SE	DNF	2WD
	Christina Fate
301	Tony Chavez /	Volkswagen Golf GT	DNF	2WD
	Raquel Salas
695	Larry Gross /	Toyota Corolla	DNF	2WD
	Lance Gross
792	Alejandro Perusina /	Subaru Impreza RS	DNF	AWD
	Synnove Wise

STPR 2016

June 10, 2016 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

After a bit of rain on Thursday, recce for the 2016 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally began on somewhat muddy Waste Management roads. While generally uneventful, many teams made the mistake of speeding on the public roads, throwing in a plot twist before the rally even began. It cost Ryan Millen and Christina Fate 45 seconds and 2015 Rally America Champions David Higgins/Craig Drew were also penalized a crucial 2:15 seconds.

STPR 16 was all about plot twists. Sometimes when the worst that can happen happens, you’re sent on an adventure. Having planned on covering the 2016 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally since, well, the 2015 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, everything was set: motel room reserved, credentials tenuously wrangled, gear prepped… until, in the week leading up to the rally dates, I misplaced my driver’s license. The driver’s license I needed to rent a car to drive out to northwest Pennsylvania. The car I needed to drive from stage to stage, chasing rally cars with my cameras.

Rally is nothing if not a big community though, and in the wee hours of Thursday, June 2, I boarded a 30 year-old Susquehanna Trailways bus headed to Mansfield, PA. The press officer, also my roommate for the rally, picked me up from the side of Main Street. Still dressed corporate casual cubicle duds, I was headed out to the muddy practice start to grab a few preliminary shots.

Following parc expose in the Wellsboro town square Friday, I hitched a ride with another photographer over to Waste Management property. The spectator area was packed with people waiting to watch the 60 starting competitors fly over the famous jump – and did not disappoint. Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom started things off catching some spectacular air, followed by Subaru Rally Teammates Higgins and Drew. Car after car headed over the jump until we got word that a red cross had been signaled. News filtered in that popular competitor Gary DeMasi and co-driver Stephen Kurey rolled off course – but everyone was okay. The remaining cars had to drive slowly off to the end of the course.

The second Waste Management stage was no less dramatic, with Pastrana/Edstrom sporting a banged-up door and driving past late in the stage, but finishing.

Friday was capped off back at Tioga Fairgrounds for the Super Special Stage, set up like a rallycross course, with two cars looping twice around a course head-to-head for packed stands. Day 1 results are where Thursday’s time penalties shone the most. Higgins/Drew, after a blistering sweep of the 2015 Rally America season, were .02 of a minute behind just-out-of-retirement Seamus Burke and Martin Brady. Not in insurmountable difference, but it’s rally – anything can happen, and Burke behind the wheel is a formidable competitor.

Stage 5 Asaph started Saturday morning, thirty minutes from Wellsboro town center. Spectators arrived early to claim their spots by the bridge at the spectator area, and the cars soon began speeding through. Four miles into the stage, Pastrana/Edstrom again experienced some difficulties – this time with trees – to an unfortunate DNF. Once again, on the first stage of the day, another team was forced to show the red cross – this time Jack Swayze and Matthew James in an Open Light 1996 Subaru Legacy. After crashing into a tree, the car caught fire. Four-foot flames started to set the trees on fire, and the red cross came out. “What can you do but rebuild?” they said. They rest of the stage was cancelled, and the remaining cars slowly drove out.

My ride to Stage 5 had disappeared but a kindly volunteer named Billy saved the day, and I headed to stages 7 and 10 in his Ford F250. Stage 12 then claimed its final victims: Nick Roberts and Alex Gelsomino’s turbo failed on the last stage for a DNF.

Back at Tioga Fairgrounds, the Super Special stages continued into the night. Bookending his Stage 1 rollover, Gary DiMasi managed to roll his Ford Ranger on his final pass, jumping out of the truck to grab his flag and run to the finish. Ultimately, Higgins/Drew regained first place for their third consecutive overall STPR win in front of Burke and Brady in a 2006 Mitsubishi Evo 9, with Troy and Jeremy Miller in third place.

Hanging out with various volunteers all day and relying on the kindness of strangers to get from stage to stage, I met a lot of great people – with a lot of reminiscing more often than not starting out, “One year at STPR, John Buffum…” There is a very dedicated community around STPR, and I also heard a lot of life stories across Saturday’s stages. I met people that have been helping for decades – missing birthdays. Surviving cancers. Coming back year after year for a reunion with people they only see at STPR, watching the competitors go by, keeping the spectators safe, making sure everything runs smoothly. It was an unexpected and welcome adventure among the great people that wear the bright yellow t-shirts , giving up a Friday and Saturday to make STPR happen.

Now the echoes of speeding cars have faded from the trees, the dust has settled, the winners have one, volunteers and competitors have headed home, and the forest is once again left crawling with peaceful spiders and wildlife – until next year.

Rally on, you crazy diamonds.

Full galleries and results follow.

Thursday and Friday gallery:

Saturday Gallery:

O/A	Car #	Class	I/C	Driver / CoDriver	Time	Diff Leader	Diff Previous
1	75	O	1	David Higgins / Craig Drew 2016 Subaru WRX STI	1:41:44.6	0:00.0	0:00.0
2	25	NLO	1	Seamus Burke / Martin Brady 2006 Mitsubishi Evo 9	1:51:28.8	9:44.2	9:44.2
3	22	SP	1	Troy Miller / Jeremy Miller 2011 Subaru WRX STI	1:52:14.3	10:29.7	0:45.5
4	824	2WD	1	Cameron Steely / Preston Osborn 2015 Ford Fiesta ST	1:59:49.1	18:04.5	7:34.8
12	73	B	1	Tommy Passemante / Tracey Gardiner 2012 Honda Fit	2:18:22.5	36:37.9	5:29.1
5	99	2WD	2	Ryan Millen / Christina Fate 2016 Toyota RAV4 SE	2:00:20.9	18:36.3	0:31.8
6	370	SP	2	Garry Gill / Steven Harrell 2008 Subaru WRX STI	2:03:56.3	22:11.7	3:35.4
7	121	O	2	Nathan Usher / Aaron Usher 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon	2:04:48.9	23:04.3	0:52.6
13	721	B	2	Keanna Erickson-Chang / Ole Holter 2016 Ford Fiesta	2:19:17.7	37:33.1	0:55.2
8	78	2WD	3	Dave Wallingford / Leanne Junnila 2012 Ford Fiesta	2:08:24.6	26:40.0	3:35.7
9	179	SP	3	Dennis Romero / Jose Rodriguez 2008 Subaru Sti	2:10:47.6	29:03.0	2:23.0
10	59	2WD	4	Marc Feinstein / Meghan Mayo 1991 Porsche 911	2:12:21.7	30:37.1	1:34.1
11	134	2WD	5	Steve LaRoza / Alison LaRoza 2014 Ford Fiesta ST	2:12:53.4	31:08.8	0:31.7
14	348	2WD	6	John Concha / Santiago Alban 2014 Ford Fiesta ST	2:27:01.4	45:16.8	7:43.7

Crazy Leo’s Race Lab is teaching drivers how to drive on loose surfaces

May 12, 2016 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

We hit the dirt with Crazy Leo Urlichich to see how drivers can learn how to control their car on loose surfaces like a pro.

To book your own training, visit Race Lab

The Race Cars at the New York Auto Show

March 30, 2016 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

In progress now until Sunday April 3, the New York International Auto Show is chock full of current models, recently launched prototypes, supercars, classic cars, and the latest in alternative fuel and transportation. Plus – race cars: the striped and halo-ed eye candy that is the object of the admiring glances of many attendees. There were several new reveals in racing at NYIAS. The first to be revealed was Honda’s Civic to be driven in Red Bull Global Rallycross by OMSE teammates Joni Wiman and Sebastian Eriksson. While it was on the show floor for the media days, it sadly disappeared before the show opened to the public. Honda does have the 2015 Rahal Dallara Honda IndyCar on view.

Perhaps the most stunning, however, was the Acura NSX GT3 twin-turbo V6. We should hopefully start seeing it in the wild in 2017 racing in Pirelli World Challenge and Blancpain Endurance Series. The NSX is on the show floor for the entire show, as is the Acura TLX GT race car.

Ryan Millen’s RAV4 rally car was also on the floor with the trucks during media days, but Toyota pulled a bait & switch. There is a RAV4 with Millen’s livery, but it’s clearly a factory model, sans roll cage, SPARCO seats, and all of the other gear of the real deal. Still, if you go on the public days, you can squint and pretend. Toyota is the host with the most, though, with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Camrys on the main show floor, and the pace car for Watkin’s Glen.

Mazda, Mitsubishi, Audi, and more have race cars in their displays – here’s a full gallery.

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Honda Civic GRC

: Acura NSX GT3

: Acura NSX GT3

: Acura TLX GT

: Acura TLX GT

: Toyota RAV4 Ryan Millen Rally car

: Toyota RAV4 Ryan Millen Rally car

: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Rally Car

: 2015 Rahal Dallara Honda IndyCar

Sebastien Loeb to Compete in FIA World Rallycross

February 29, 2016 by ponycargirl 1 Comment

News just broke that Sebastien Loeb has joined Team Peugeot Hansen to compete in the 2016 FIA World Rallycross season. He joins Timmy Hansen in driving a 550-horsepower 208 WRX Supercar for the full season.

The 42-year old Frenchman has won the World Rally Championship a record nine times, has twice driven in the the 24 Hours of LeMans, and in 2016 drove in his first Dakar Rally, winning four stages and finishing ninth.

“I’m very excited by this opportunity to participate in the full Rallycross Championship for the first time. Over the years I have been fortunate to participate in some truly amazing racing, but rallycross – with the sheer power and the competitiveness of the PEUGEOT 208 WRX, plus the intense nature of the competition – will be something very special. The car and the strategy for this type of racing is completely new to me, so I have a lot to learn, but I hope I can be competitive pretty soon,” said Loeb.

With Loeb signing on to the series, it should prove to be a very competitive year with seasoned rallycross drivers Ken Block, Petter Solberg, and a deep field of experienced European competitors. FIA World RX will come to Trois Rivieres August 5-7 2016.

Sebastien Loeb poeses for a portrait during Rallycross on Ice 2016 Sweden in Are, Sweden on 16 February 2016

WMWR 2016 Kicks Off SCCA RallySprint Series

February 26, 2016 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Alternating between blizzards and spring-like temperatures, it’s certainly been an interesting winter in the U.S.’s Northeast. For 2016, the winter rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania was run by the Sports Car Club of America in its inaugural RallySprint event. SCCA brought the RallySprint name back in 2015, renaming the annual event to the Waste Management Winter RallySprint. The “rally light” format runs events on private property with no public transits, reducing costs and liabilities to organizers and competitors while providing an important step between autocross and full stage rallies. It’s a great test run for driving teams and their crews as well volunteers, providing a taste of what it really takes to compete in championship stage rallies. Waste Management also hosts the first two stages of the summertime STPR full stage rally.

Overnight temperatures were below freezing. The 18 starting teams made their way from Parc Expose in the Wellsboro center to a still-frozen but thawing Waste Management property. As the first stage began, dispatches over the radio indicated that cars were quickly falling victim to the icy and muddy course. Alan Edwards and Daniel Baker slid off course into a ditch, then were extracted in a damaged but still driveable 2003 Dodge Neon.

“The first stage was very slippery as most of the road was still frozen from the overnight temperature, and four cars slid off the course. We wanted to make sure out day didn’t end after only a few miles, so we were cautious. But then, as the road began to thaw, not only did it become muddy and wet, but the rocks started to come to the surface as the gravel started to get chewed up from the cars. We ended up with four flat tires and a broken wheel before the end of the event, but we just kept going and our Subaru ran great,” said Jon Kramer after his overall win with co-driver Jason Smith, #777 1993 Subaru Impreza.

As each of five stages were run, the temperatures went up into April weather and the course went from icy mud to thick mud and puddles. No gorgeous shots of snow-spewing cars at this winter rally. Three stages were run in one direction over the same 13-mile gravel road. In mid-afternoon after the third stage the muddy cars headed to service, then back out for the last two stages in the other direction.

Because of the beautiful weather the spectator area was full, the crowd watching the competitors head up a straight-away over a fan-pleasing jump.The final stage saw the sun set and the remaining ten cars finishing as the moon rose. The Dodge Neon was the last car out driving the course – and at a normal speed – but finishing the final stage is no small feat. Hardcore.

Full results with gallery following:

Racer Jackie Returns to GRC Lites, Formula D Back in Irwindale

February 9, 2016 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Just another Manic Monday for fans of Red Bull Global Rallycross. After hints of a return on social media, AF Racing and Jackie Heinricher announced today that she will be joining the team to race in GRC Lites this season. Heinricher started driving in Lites last year with Rhys Millen Racing, competing in the first four events – Ft. Lauderdale, the Daytona double-header, and MCAS New River, then sat out the rest of the season. Having her return for the 2016 season means that the roster of women competing in Lites will potentially be the largest yet, as Collete Davis is also returning, Brian Deegan’s daughter Hailie has said she will compete, and we can hope that Sandra Hultgren – who raced in GRC Lites for the first time at the 2015 Las Vegas Championship – will return.

Why is it this a great thing? To have a growing field of women competing in GRC’s Lites development/feeder series means that very soon, these talented women will be experienced enough earn a spot and advance to Supercars – and Supercars will be less of a sausage party, more representative of the human population. Rolling your eyes? Well, think about it from a financial perspective: more women competing = more women interested and excited about the sport = coming and spending their $$ too. In a larger sport where some series are losing butts on seats and losing them fast, a growing, expanding audience is one of any series’ big goals.

Racer Jackie coming on board with Alejandro Fernandez was only the first part of AF Racing’s announcement. The team has added two more Lites cars with rookie drivers Travis Pecoy and Christian Brooks for 2016.

OTHER RACING NEWS:

17-year old Austin Cindric, who had eight GRC Lites podiums in 2015 – four of them wins – was in Australia racing his second Bathurst 12 Hour. He was the youngest to race in the endurance event in 2015. Driving the #63 Erebus Mercedes, he suffered a punctured tire in the last quarter, stuffing the Merc into the wall.
Despite imminent development, Formula D will, in fact, have one last hurrah at Irwindale in 2016. The Final Fight is set for for October 7 – 8, 2016.
2015 Formula D Champion Frederic Aasbo has stated he will be back in full force in 2016 as Scion is rolled back into Toyota. No other specifics yet.
Due to unseasonal warm weather, FIA World Rally Championship has been forced to postpone Rally Sweden recce to Wednesday and Thursday. The route has also been shortened from 331.31km to 241.48 in hopes of freezing weather returning for the winter rally. The Shakedown and Thursday night Special Stage have been cancelled, and the rally is down to 13 stages from 21. Organizers hope that the temperature goes back below freezing for a snowy rally, not a muddy rally.

Bucky Lasek To Make Rally Debut in 2016

January 14, 2016 by ponycargirl 1 Comment

Speculation confirmed! The 2016 announcements just keep on coming. After spotting Bucky Lasek chasing the Subaru Rally Team across Maine and New Hampshire at the New England Forest Rally in June 2015, it was announced today that Lasek will make his rally debut at Sno*Drift Rally. His co-driver will be Craig Drew, who teamed with David Higgins in 2015 for their sensational Rally America winning sweep.

“Rally has always been one of the gnarliest forms of racing to me and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t express how grateful I am for this opportunity and experience,” explained Lasek. “Sno*Drift will be a bit of a challenge for me as I have very little experience driving in the snow and with pace notes. Luckily I’ll have champion co-driver Craig Drew along my side to guide me and help me get me to the finish.” Higgins will be at the winter rally to coach Lasek in his first rally.

Lasek has driven for Subaru in Red Bull Global Rallycross since 2012, earning three podiums and a “Sportsman of the Year” award for the 2014 season. He will enter Sno*Drift in Super Production class with a Subaru WRX STI.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Sno*Drift will take place January 29-30 in northern Michigan’s Montmorency County, covering 130 miles in 17 snowy, icy rally stages – without studded tires. The first event on the Rally America calendar, the rally attracts a deep field of top national and international teams. Previous years overall winners have included Travis Pastrana / Christian Edstrom (2010), Antoine L’Estage / Nathalie Richard (2013), and repeat wins by Higgins/Drew in 2012, 2014, and 2015. More event information can be found on the Sno*Drift Rally site and Rally America.

WMWR Changes to RallySprint for 2016

January 13, 2016 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Waste Management Winter RallySprint, held on some of the same stages as STPR on Waste Management property in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, has announced a change in format and sanctioning bodies for 2016. Now run under the auspices of the Sports Car Club of America, it is taking on the SCCA RallySprint format, lowering costs for competitors and organizers alike. It was previously associated with Rally America.

SCCA brought back the RallySprint name in April 2015 to fill a gap between rallycross and stage rally. A maximum of 30 teams can enter the 2016 WMWR with all five stages run on the Waste Management property after a ceremonial start at the Green in Wellsboro. A part of the Wellsboro 2016 Winter Celebration, there are 44 stage miles, with a total of 56 after factoring in transit. Like rally, all cars must be street legal to transit from Tioga County Fairgrounds to the Waste Management property in Duncan Township.

For spectators willing to brave the cold – it was in the single digits in 2015 – there is a $5 entry fee. Spectators will see each competing car fly over the jump in the snow. The Waste Management Winter RallySprint will take place on Saturday, February 20, 2016. For more information on entering, volunteering, or spectating, please visit the WMWR website.

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