Important Links:
International Rally New York 2008 Website
This will be your one stop for information, scores, updates, etc.
Rallynotes.com APRS Rally Car Tracking
Watch live as we run the stages! Keep up with the action.
APRS Tracking at International Rally New York
Watch sweep, volunteers, and radio communications vehicles around Callicoon, NY. (as well as rally cars)

Schedule:
NJ to NY on Wednesday from 12PM to 5PM EST
Reconnaissance on Thursday from 8AM to 4PM EST
Rally Friday from 8AM to 10PM EST (East of Callicoon in Wawarsing, NY)
Rally Saturday from 7AM to 6PM EST (North of Callicoon in Walton, NY)

We will have behind the scenes footage. We will have lots of pictures and video. We are pumped to show the East Coast how we race out in the South West. We are excited to see all of our old rally friends and show them how we party in the California Rally Series. Wish us luck - and the 3 other teams from the West Coast - Brian Scott and John Dillon in Open 4WD, Jimmy and Melissa Keeney in Prod 4WD, Mitch Williams and Alix Hakala in Open 4WD. International Rally New York - Here we go!

UPDATE: Check out the comments - we have internet access and have been posting.

A surveyor, cartographer, or map maker - I am not. I am, however, pretty handy with Photoshop, aprs.fi, and Google Maps. When I got the 3 course maps for Rally New York, I had some trouble correlating their locations. I also needed to make a downloadable (local) APRS map for the team. So I got to work (a 22″ screen helps) on some maps. The first one shows where the locations of the 3 course maps provided by Rally New York are. A handy overview for crews or spectators. The APRS maps get a little interesting. There are 2 included in the zip file. The first one is about 800K and is just the Google Map area overview. Great for a quick tactical view and slow laptops. The second map with the _extra extension is at a higher resolution 1.53MB and includes the 3 course maps layered on top, giving you stage info, radio locations, etc. The lineup is not perfect due to inconsistencies in the way these maps were made, but it’s close enough. The maps have been tested with AGWTracker and should work with other APRS mapping programs that take the associative .inf files. Enjoy!

2008 Rally New York Overview Map .jpg
Download this and it’s ready to print 8X10. The 3 maps that it refers to are located here: RNY2008 Course Maps

2008 Rally New York APRS + extra .zip
Includes a low and high res version and the coordinates in .inf files.

Christine’s Dad just called and reported that there was a rally car in his driveway. - w00t!
In an almost unbelievable coincidence, I got this report from Michael Taylor (President of the USRC) via email earlier today:

Don’t think about the odds of that.
I can’t confirm it 100%, but if the truck left Southern California on Thursday and arrived in NJ today - it was probably in Texas on Saturday.
Good stuff. It’s all coming together now!

I believe in spectators. I think they are essential for the growth of the sport and as a long time spectator the key to success is information. It was not so long ago I was leading 20+ Subarus around the woods of Rumford, Maine with a copy of a hand drawn map of the stages that looked as though it was written on the back of a Dunkin Donuts napkin, scanned, and posted online. “Squiggle, route 17, Fish Pond Road” - we’re done here. Thankfully, Rally New York embraces spectators openly and has lots of information and great maps online.

Tips for spectating: 1. Don’t be a chode. 2. Be aware. 3. Stay safe. 4. Have fun!
Driving like you’re IN the rally will get people hurt and could screw up the event for everyone. Trying to follow lost people ruins the weekend. Know when and where the cars are going to arrive. Print out maps! Pack some extra clothes for the weather along with water, food, and some folding chairs. If you’re going “out of bounds” prepare to hike (good boots) and keep a reasonable distance off the road on an INSIDE corner. Stay off the road when the stage is hot. If a marshal tells you to move - MOVE. Bring cameras and video and take a ton of pictures!

Check out the main site at: www.rallynewyork.com
2008 Rally New York Spectator Guide
2008 Rally New York Course Maps
There. Now you have the tools you need to successfully spectate a rally. I expect you to be a good ambassador for the sport while in NY.

We are looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting long time fans for the first time, making new friends, and having a fantastic rally with all of you. Ze’Neon was loaded onto a car trailer last Thursday and is on its way across the country right now. We will be flying in to rendezvous with it shortly before the event. We’ll see you in New York!

On October 3rd and 4th, the Rallynotes.com team pushed the envelope of speed in their stock powered Production 2WD Dodge Neon at the 2008 Prescott Rally. Keeping up with faster Group 2 class cars, they were able to slide into tenth overall and third in 2WD for the event! Adding to their USRC points with a 1st in Production 2WD, and winning the California Rally Series ‘Performance Stock’ Championship in the process!

The car and crew were in top form all weekend. Finding the speed early on Friday night, the team set 10th fastest times on the first two stages. Service only required a small lighting adjustment for the encountered dust. This helped keep the car fast for SS3 and SS4. An overnight tire change was all that was needed to ready the Dodge Rally Neon for the next day, and Saturday only saw some minor rim damage after hitting a large rock.

The weather played a factor as it started to rain on Saturday afternoon. This kept the dust away, soaked the crews waiting in the service area, and made the last 3 miles of ‘First View’ treacherous. Driver Kristopher Marciniak explains: “We were flat out for the first five miles. It’s uphill, so we can’t afford to slow down and lose momentum. A few miles from the end, we chose to take it easy after a hard left put us sliding sideways towards the mountain. It got real slippery up there.” We would like to congratulate Brian Scott and John Dillon for their Open AWD win, Jimmy and Melissa Keeney for their Production AWD win, and George Doganis and Tom Smith for their fast Open 2WD win. The Rallynotes.com team celebrated their Production 2WD win with these teams during the champagne ceremony immediately following the rally.

At the award ceremony later that night the team was honored with the Carl Merrill Award. Organizer Michael Taylor explained why Kristopher and Christine were the recipients this year. “These two exemplify Carl’s spirit and commitment to rally and sportsmanship.” The team would like to once again thank Michael Taylor for the recognition and thank all of the organizers, workers, volunteers and competitors of the 2008 Prescott Rally. Special thanks to our volunteer crew of Vanessa & Brian Driggs, Dan Green, Jake Caler, Jared Sivinski, and Kyle Johnson. Not only helping the Rallynotes team, they offered assistance to three other teams, and the rally itself by driving the CRS scoring trailer back to the hotel while the final scores were computed.

With help from Brian Scott’s crew, the team’s tools, tires, and spares will be in New York for the final round of the United States Rally Championship. The Dodge Rally Neon is being privately shipped and the team will be flying in shortly before the event. Will the Rallynotes.com team have the speed and stamina necessary to beat the leading Eastern Production 2WD team of Hampton Bridwell and Josh Katinger in their SVT Focus? Who will be the 2008 USRC Production Class Champions? All will be decided in the final round at the 2008 International Rally New York. See you there!

Pictures:
Yuji - http://photos.mediaspigot.com/Events
Pamela - http://picasaweb.google.com/astrofizkid/PrescottRally#
Dave Sewell - http://www.prescottrally.com/images/2008/taylor/index.html
Bob Rosevear - http://www.prescottrally.com/images/2008/rosevear/index.html
James Ellzey - http://www.prescottrally.com/images/2008/ellzeyj/index.html
Bill Rogers - http://www.motorsportmemories.com/Prescott-08/index.htm
Michael Slygh - http://www.mslygh.com/Prescott/
Jason - http://flickr.com/photos/jshultz/sets/72157607741704543/
TurnDriverSide’s - http://flickr.com/photos/samuraiaz/

Video:
Rallynotes.com YouTube Channel
Jason - Video 1 is close up shots
Jason - Video 2 is overhead shots

Told you it was ‘mega’ - more to be added, no doubt.
Thanks to ALL the photographers out there!

Back from Prescott! Had a great time! We came in 10th overall! We won the CRS P-Stock Championship! As we’re flying off to the East Coast for a family event this week, I want to devote my time to getting the in-car edited and on-line. Tons of time to write posts and stories on the plane.

Thank you crew, fans, friends, and family!
There are a TON of media sites out there with pics and video I’ll update as soon as I get a chance.
- Kris