CrackHeadMel

iTrader: (2)

sweet, thanks for the link. Turns out all but 1 are within a distance i would'nt mind driving

racermike

For local SCCA info go to:

http://www.scca.org/getstarted/divisions.html

and find the info for the regionS in your area. In some areas there are several local regions within a resonable drive. Check in with them ALL and exploit all the info available. Some regions are better than others about keeping the web site updated and accurate. You will find several contacts for each and under various activities. Contact everyone you can and you will miss nothing!

The individual calenders at the SCCA National site are usually behind some in info. You can (and should) go there as well, but getting with the Regional folks will give you the best and most timely info and they will be able to answer any of your questions about where and how they run their events.

A new start-up site that at the moment has only St. Louis info is:

http://www.rallycross.us/

and will add more areas as they go along. Also another resource is:

http://www.rallycabal.com/ and also:

http://www.specialstage.com/

which is more for CLUB and PRO (performance) Rally, but also has RallyCross info, as we are all of the same blood. Anyone within a few hundred miles of the St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, Indianapolis areas may want to check out a new Championship Series at:

http://www.rallycabal.com/cgi-bin/cu...m=2&thread=398 and:

Midwest RallyCross Championship

The first event is April 19 (Saturday)

3isacharm

wow, great info, racermike.

peejay

Big huge lights *are* useful... if you're like me and like to bomb down country roads at night.

Supposedly the best cheap rally tires are Cooper snow tires. Cooper brand, because Cooper makes seriously cheap tires, and they know this, so they are made with extra thick sidewalls for strength. This makes them more resistant to sidewall punctures...

3isacharm

well if you're not running down mountain roads in the middle of night (i would rather race on a track where i'm not afraid of going all out), then the lights are useless. to me, it seems like a bunch of weight in a bad position (before the front axle) that would make your car understeer. anyways, i think i found a place to buy an old used bmw 3series that would be a good car to start with. i'm also thinking about a 1st gen mr2, 240sx, n/a fc, old vw, or crx. anyone got experience-based opinions of these cars at a rally event? can you tell i'm desperately trying to keep this thread going?

mlovell

the VW option (Rabbit,Golf,Jetta variety) would be a good choice if you plan on moving up to actual stage events. There is lots of information and parts available for Rallying VW's. I have heard that the old 240's are heavy, understeering pigs when it comes to rally. THere are a few MR-2's out there, BMW tend to get expensive on parts and from my experience have frafile front suspension (at least they tend to get knocked out of alignment easily).

I currently compete in an '86 n/a fc (I navigate). you can see details on www.4seventeen.com

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask (you can find my e-mail on the 4seventeen website) or go to www.specialstage.com and post questions on the forums.

Matt Lovell
www.4seventeen.com

3isacharm

wow, i'd say the gearing on your car is pretty damn crazy! what do you think, from an objective standpoint, of the fc as a rally car?

mlovell

The only complaints I have so far are that there is not much headroom after a cage is installed, and that we are having a little trouble getting enough camber on the front end after raising the car slightly. Other than that, the car is very predictable and a lot of fun to drive. We are also a little low on HP, but we are working on that ~

Last years National Group5 (open 2wd, large displacement) ProRally champion was in a TII, so obviously the car is a capable platform. Of course I also seen a fairly stock '68 VW bug place top 3 overall in a ClubRally, so it's really more about the driving than the car. Rally is an endurance event, on average 33% of the starters don't finish; more at some rallies, up to 50%... I think thats another reason that the RX-7's do well, they are pretty strong and have a reliable powerplant.

the gearing is one of the keys to a competitive 2wd, relitively low HP car in rally. Rarely do the most powerful all wheel drive cars see over 130MPH, and our gearing, combined with the rotaries high revs, still allow us a top speed around 115. That's pretty quick on a gravel road in a 2wd car...

3isacharm

that is true about the gearing. i figured power would be an issue but you really wouldn't need much if you're just starting off anyways. thanks for the help