As we patiently waited for the NASA events this year, our season started quite late. We miss Rim of the World. There were lots of questions from fellow competitors as to what rallies we’d be doing this year, and how come we weren’t competing in ________ Rally? The answer this year is a little more complex and I’m going to touch upon some of the team planning that is imperative to success.

Rally America this year has added the requirement of HANS (Head and Neck) devices at its events. NASA looks to add this requirement in 2009. With new helmets and seats to accommodate the devices, we looked at a team cost of around $3500 for the year (equivelent cost of two rally entry fees) just to enable doing a Rally America event in 2008. I’m not drilling holes in a 5 year old Bell helmet. I want comfortable seats that have space and padding for HANS. End of discussion.

We are planning to take 2009 off. Christine needs 100% to finish her doctorate, and I think it’s a good chapter point for our rally career. Don’t worry - we’ll be out volunteering and in our CRS capacities and back in 2010. This gives us time to save for all sorts of new things. Not to get too ahead of myself, but a new faster car is on the drawing board. Propagate rumors accordingly! ;)

As soon as the USRC calendar was announced we started on the plan. So in April (two months before the rallies) we had booked flights and secured lodging for the North Nevada / Idaho loop. We had non-refundable tickets before most teams decided to even RUN the rally. As the price of fuel and flights skyrocketed over the summer this decision saved us hundreds of dollars. The trip was a tow to Reno, rally at NNR, then a tow to Boise, fly home, fly back, rally at Idaho, tow home. Not that all this planning didn’t prevent the unexpected. We had to replace the fuel pump in the Blazer in Idaho and the rear differential bearings when we got back. So much for all the ’saved’ money. Make sure when you start rallying that you realize $1000 is nothing. Vaporized in seconds by rally teams everywhere.
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About an hour north of Los Angeles, Hungry Valley is home to a very special rally called Gorman Ridge. It’s a rougher event that makes for a well rounded championship. Just to finish this rally takes planning, effort, struggle, and patience. If you cross the finish line here you are ready for anything that a southwest rally will throw at you – exposures, boulders, rough washes, embedded rocks, water bars, etc. Unusual that it’s often the beginner rally of choice for those starting out in the California Rally Series. Last weekend saw a number of retirements as the crews raced through the rocky terrain.

The team planned some careful strategy for this event. A loss here would force them to be perfect at Prescott against teams that may not have entered Gorman. Finishing would guarantee a prize tow fund to the USRC final – International Rally New York. With that on the line, the Rallynotes.com team took it easy on the rough stuff and brought it in to a champagne finish. Driver Kristopher Marciniak talks about the strategy, “As a rally driver you need to know when to go slow and when to go fast based on conditions. If you destroy the car, it’s over. At Gorman you can destroy a car in seconds. It was tough for me to sit back and have teams catch us, but I settled into a good pace, and stayed there for a consistent drive to the finish.” When asked about the pace, Co-Driver Christine Marciniak said, “I wanted to go faster! But locking in the USRC tow fund was more important. I’m really excited for Rally New York!”

This is the 15th rally the team has entered with the Dodge Rally Neon. The new Tuff Rims have now passed the endurance test with flying colors. The volunteer crew stayed sharp throughout the entire event, checking and double checking tires, skidplates, suspension, and fluids on the rally car. We would like to thank: Harry Bushling, Dan Green, Judd Barber, Darrin Simmons, and Dave Clark for their efforts at the event.

The team is set for the penultimate round of the United States Rally Championship, the Prescott Rally in beautiful Arizona. Fast and fun, Kristopher and Christine Marciniak will be pushing for top times at their favorite event of the season!

This is sort of a YouTube experiment. It has some behind the scenes style footage and coverage of this great rally in Frazier Park, CA. I talk about surface and tech inspection. We look at a mean Volvo and capture some bumpy in-car. Check it out! Comment if you like / dislike the format. - Kris

We’re as ready as we’re going to be. We left the Blazer basically packed from NNR and Idaho. I had to replace a rear wheel stud on the Neon. The Blazer however was more complicated. Our $6,000 truck just sucked about $2500 out of us in the last 3 months. New shocks, engine mounts and helper springs in the rear. When we got to Idaho the car no longer started - so - New Chevy fuel pump. (Sideline - don’t EVER buy an aftermarket one for a Blazer. If it’s lower then 50psi it WILL NOT start.) Special thanks to Dick and Marie for taking care of that for us. Then - let’s see… Oh, a nice new whining noise from the rear end that started when we hit Vegas on our way home. That turned out to be a diff bearing, or should I say the LAST differential bearing in the case. Larry at Full Tilt Off Road in San Clemente helped us out and also found a stuck brake caliper that was obliterating the right rear inner pad. Rear brakes are now fresh. Even with all that - We’ve certainly pulled our monies worth out of the truck. It gets 15+MPG towing with the dolly. I installed a tranny cooler before any towing and the motor and trans are running strong. We’ve got about 134,000 on the clock and I can see having it for the next 65,000. Now if I could only get the drivers side window motor for less then $300. That stopped rolling down about 4 months ago…

Gorman is going to be a party - I’m sure. Our goal for the event is the same as it was in 2005. Just finish. I got word that the roads are as rough as ever, so there is no need to be a hero out there. This rally will be won by the survivors. I’m sure the standings will change radically on SS1 and as soon as the sun sets. Check your ego at the door - wish us luck. The after-party looks to be epic.

For your viewing pleasure:
Gorman Ridge Rally Results on RallyData.com
We will be running APRS and the coverage ’should’ be good. Check out APRS Rally Car Tracking.
I fixed the video camera! As some of you may have noticed (or been following), I had glitchy video on day 2 of Idaho. This turned out to be a crimped and broken wire in the connector for the bullet cam. I localized it, and soldered up a new camera cable that is longer and removable. The old one was always attached to the box ‘umbilical style’. I’m going to be experimenting with all kinds of different shots for this rally. I’ll also have my other handycam with me for an inside look at the rallynotes.com team. I don’t know how it will be shot or edited yet - or even what I’ll shoot - but it should be good for some YouTubery.

UPDATE: The rallycar is up and tracking on APRS. You should be able to enjoy our tow through LA in the morning on Friday. Look for the good stuff to start at 10AM PST on Saturday, August 16th. - Kris