Gabbyness

Ladies and Gents,

I've been watching the WRC on Speed TV and I can't help but be fired up by Rallying. I was wondering, does anyone have any idea how people start to get involved in that sort of sport, especially state-side where it isn't as prevalent?

I suppose it's part of the more general question - how does one become a part of racing automobiles? What's the first step?

Cheers!

cdnjeepin

Hmmm, we have a local road course type track here that a lot of people get started with in racing, most people race in the IT class here. which is Impoved Touring. Cars like honda civics, CRX, Volkswagen Foxes, etc cars along that line.

Rally racing might be harder to get into since its not as big in North America.

I would just go to your local tracks, ask questions and people there will be able to steer you in the right direction.

We have all kinds of oval tracks here but only 2 road course style tracks and both are doing very well.

Gabbyness

Nice, thanks for the input. I suppose I'll just have to make it down to a track. This hurricane, however, will probably put everything on hold for a while.

__________________
One, two, three, four, fiiiiiiiifth.

laconic1

Here is a link to some information on SCCA's rally events.
http://www.scca.org/Rally/Index.asp?...0&x=040|050&~=

kurty[B]

For rally, the SCCA is a good organization to start. Can start doing RallyCross without having a rollcage, just meeting the minimum safety standards of the groups, and having the proper helmets and equipment.

Every year I help my friends out with their cars at the Cog Rally, mainly go to spectate, but usually end up helping bend control arms back to semi-straight, or rolling cars back onto their wheels so they can be loaded onto trailers for the ride home.



That's my friend Moody's old Rally Car, mmmmm, I can just hear the massive turbo spooling up on that monster. It's extremely fun, but an extremely expensive form of racing, be prepared to dump a couple grand into just getting a roll cage, and undercarriage plates installed to spec, and then have another couple grand saved up each time you go to race, because something can and will go wrong.

In Colorado we have the CHCA (Colorado Hill Climb Association), there might be similar associations where you live (generaly cheaper to get involved in sometimes more fun and exciting races than with the bigger clubs).

Gabbyness

That is awesome Kurty. How did your friend first get started? How did he pick up that old Audi?

kurty[B]

Moody, he started off working on VWs (that's how I got to know him; I'm kinda a VW nut), he had his own shop, did any sort of VW/Audi repairs. He now owns a strictly Audi shop, and does a LOT of welding work for the autocross and rally racers across Colorado.

My good friend Bryan Big Red Racing took his old Civic, and had Moody weld in a roll cage for him, and they have worked together to make the little Civic rally ready.

From everyone I have seen that's installed a roll cage into their cars they all wish they had simply bought a car with an SCCA qualified rollcage already welded in, and then just taken it to Moody to have him weld in extra supports for that extra safety bonus. I would suggest checking out Rally Classifieds for such things, used to be Ben's Rally Page.

I would suggest to start off going to RallyCross events, you don't need a rollcage, and you get to really know the people (Rally community is a real tighknit community). You'll get to know who has what tools, who can weld, whose welding jobs you can trust, and so on.

I don't even have a car to race (silly 4x4's), but I still try and get out to any event I can. Sometimes, someone may need a navigator, or a service tech, or even someone to go out to a press spectator spot and shoot video/take pictures. It's always fun, and there's been plenty of times where if I just had $5K laying around I could have bought someone's old rally vehicle and started racing right then.

Definitely call up the SCCA in your state, and see when/where they are having rally crosses and races, and what the regulations are. Keep asking questions, I love talking about Rally!

Gabbyness

Kurty,

Freaking awesome info. I will definitely look into all of those things that you mentioned, and I will probably have questions for you soon. I'm really interested in this sport!

Cynthetiq

It's been fun to watch... the Finland race was really cool because I was there last year... sadly months after the rally...

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

ratbastid

A good buddy of mine is currently considered to be the "young up-and-coming American driver to watch" in the Rally world. I've been watching him eviscerate and rebuild a WRX for the coming rally season.

He's taking it on like it's a full-time job. There's no room for a half-assed approach for an American driver right now; the rides just aren't available for people who aren't 100% game faced about it. Not that you can't have a lot of fun with rallycross and autocross events. But to be competitive on the world level (Collin McRae-level, for instance) is not for the weak. There are LOTS of rich car-lovers who drive rally, though. They're not competitive and they really don't intend to be. They just want to go fast in the woods, which is cool too.

I went as fast as I've ever been with him, incidentally, in a Porsche 911 Turbo. I was in the passenger seat when we hit 170 at about 3am on I-85 in Durham, NC.

Gabbyness

Two works rat bastid:

Bad
Ass

I go fast in the sky for a job, now I want to go fast in the woods for fun.

Captain Canada

go Subaru!

__________________
Conclusion: Flamethrowers and Furries go togerther like Pol Pot and the Cambodian populace.