November 22, 2005

Contact us!

Posted by Kris sometime around 12:38 pm

We appreciate fan feedback and meeting new rally friends!
What’s on your mind?
Got a question?
Do you have pictures or video of us?

Feel free to leave a comment here - or email us:

Driver: Kris -

Co-Driver: Christine -

18 Comments »

  1. Hi, I just stumbled on your page and have really been enjoying your rally videos. I’m using them to lure my fiancee into considering the sport. I’m just recently in a position to pursue racing–do you mind if I ask how you guys got started? And how did you choose a Neon?
    Thanks, Matt Janssen

    Comment by matt janssen — November 22, 2005 @ 4:51 pm

  2. Hey Matt,
    I discovered this wild sport called rally in 1999 when I bought a Subaru Impreza. I became interested in the car after playing Gran Turismo for PS1. I went to the Maine Forest Rally in 2000 and I’ve been hooked ever since. After showing promise in a few local rallycrosses I decided to embark on my dream of building and racing a rally car in 2003.

    After doing some of my own research and talking to some people like Brian Goss - http://www.glhracing.com/ - I made the decision that the Neon was a tough little car that would be cheap to run and have tons of spare parts. They used to SCCA spec race it, so there is a big knowledge base on-line. Tim O’Neil agreed that this would be a great car to start with. Not too fast - but strong and cheap. I picked one up from my friend Aaron in the Subaru Club and sent it to Vermont to have a cage welded in. Lots of time, a good amount of money, 2 years, and a cross country trip later - We rallied the Neon!

    Christine had only heard of rally when I met her in August of 2003. My only expectation was to get a cheerleader - someone waititng for me back at service. It’s awesome that she made the decision to ride in the right seat.

    Thanks for saying hi!
    - Kris

    Comment by Kris — November 22, 2005 @ 6:00 pm

  3. Hello,

    I’m really enjoying your site, pictures and videos. I’m planning to run a car of my own, probably for the first time in the 2007 season. I’m planning my build, and getting a budget and team together. I was hoping you might answer a few questions about your Neon (my car is also a Neon - ‘99 R/T).

    1) How do you feel about your skidplates? Have you found that 3/16’s is thick enough? Are most skid plates Aluminum? I would have thought they were steel.

    2) How necessary would you say replacing the stock suspension parts is? The R/T has “Sport Suspension” but I really don’t know how this varies from the standard. If I had to guess, I’d think it would be the opposite of a rally friendly suspension.

    3) Was your light bar expensive? It looks like it is permanently fixed. Did you have it made or was it simple enough to do yourself?

    4) I notice that you run stock wheels. Have you had any problems with that? Any plans to buy racing wheels? Any need for them?

    5) Where are you based? I’m in Phoenix and plan to attend at least the rallies in AZ in 2006 to get some more knowledge (I worked Prescott in 2004).

    Thanks and keep up the good work. I’m living vicariously through your website! :)

    Shawn Threlkeld

    Comment by Shawn Threlkeld — November 30, 2005 @ 10:31 pm

  4. 1) How do you feel about your skidplates?
    If you asked me that after Gorman Ridge, I would have said something like “Oh dear god…” After some modifications for Prescott, I now say: “It’s getting there…”
    1st off. Learn from my mistake. 3/16″ T6 (6061) Aircraft grade aluminum. Yes - it’s a $130 sheet of aluminum that you are working to destroy, but it fares so much better then the cheap stuff. I completely buckled and ruined the front plate at Gorman. When I pulled into the final service the engine was rattling on the plate. The oil drain plug was digging a channel. The mid-plates (from the firewall back to the gas tank) have been fantastic. Plastics do make it possible. See this post for more details. The gas tank plate wrapped around the exhaust in some spots and just caused the gas tank to retain all the heat. I’m on fuel pump #3 because of that - I will be building a plastic plate for it.

    2) How necessary would you say replacing the stock suspension parts is?
    Not that necessary at first. Get some rallies under your belt before shelling out $3K for struts. The stock stuff can take a good beating. Get some taller springs to get the car off the ground. I use springs from an SRT-4. I’m going to be exploring new suspension options next season.

    3) Was your light bar expensive?
    Cheap - had the cage builder make it out of angle iron. It can be removed - but I’ve never had to. If I was seriously in the hunt for a championship position I would take them off. As it’s an added thing to get done in service, it’s nice that I can run them all the time. You could build it.

    4) I notice that you run stock wheels. Have you had any problems with that? Any plans to buy racing wheels? Any need for them?
    Again - the stock stuff takes a good beating. I’ve had no flats on stage. I bent one of the rims ‘out of round’. If I was going to invest in a ‘racing rim’ it would be Compomotive. They are crazy expensive, but worth it. In the mean time, I’ll stick with scratched used rims.

    5) Where are you based? I’m in Phoenix and plan to attend at least the rallies in AZ in 2006 to get some more knowledge (I worked Prescott in 2004).
    Irvine, CA - We’ll see you at Prescott then!

    Thanks for the kudos!
    - Kris

    Comment by Kris — December 1, 2005 @ 12:14 pm

  5. Hey Christine and Kris,
    love your site, it sure puts rallying and neons way up there in the search results of my Google.
    I’m bulding a Group 5 SRT-4 with a drive train swap to a regular neon. I’m looking for some info on the auto to manual tranni swap before I redo the whole fire-wall :o ) any ideas were I can get some answers.
    See you in the dust :o )
    Notaneon rally team

    Comment by Thierry Menegoz — June 24, 2006 @ 5:37 pm

  6. Hey Thierry,

    Thanks - I’ve worked hard to get the site where it is today.
    I’ve seen your cage pictures on Special Stage. The rollcage looks really well prepared.
    As far as an auto to manual swap - I’m not sure what you mean by ‘regular Neon’?
    There have been a lot of people that have done the swap - check out:
    http://www.neons.org/forums
    http://www.srtforums.com/forums
    I didn’t have to convert my car to manual - but I know it’s pretty straight forward.

    Thanks for stopping by!
    - Kris

    Comment by Kris — June 26, 2006 @ 11:56 am

  7. Kris,

    I just picked up a cheap (but very clean) 99 SOHC ATX as a daily driver. I am looking to pick up a second car and use one of the two for the 2007 rallycross season. Do you have any reccomendations?

    I know I need to swap to an MTX (eventually), but I am not too concerned with it at this point and time. I have been following GRM’s build-up of a Subaru to get an idea of what to do and in what order, but I am wondering if there are anythings I need to do beforehand to get the car up to spec.

    I installed some taller Dunlop SP20s, and will be picking up Neon Sport 5-Spoke Wheels. I am thinking that the stock steelies won’t handle the rigors of rallycross.

    As far as modifications in the Stock class, what is allowed? (i.e. using a DOHC muffler in leiu of the SOHC version, using a rear sway bar off of an ACR or R/T).

    I want to make this a rallycross car I can have fun with, but will also be a decent daily driver.

    I read about aluminium for the skidplates, have you tried using Lexan at all?

    One last question, what is the horn purge button for?

    Thanks,

    Ryan

    Comment by Ryan — June 27, 2006 @ 9:54 pm

  8. Ryan,

    Cool to hear you’ll be rallycrossing this season. I encourage everyone to get out there and do as many events as you can! This will support our sport and is a great launchpad for getting into rally.

    I would try to find the cheapest, newest, and cleanest car you can. In that order. :p Look for an MTX car - that swap is not bad, but it’s an added PITA - IMO. I’d rather spend 20 less hours looking for the parts in a junk yard. ACR’s and RT’s are harder to find these days - but keep your eye open for a good deal. I’m a die hard SOHC guy - it’s a much better torque curve. The SOHC has less moving parts and is better for rally.

    I’ve been following the GRM build-up. It looks like those 1995 Scoobies are getting pretty cheap, but you’re still forced into an AWD PGT class where you’ll be outgunned by 230HP WRX’s when you get to finally rally. Then do you spend $$$ upgrading to a GC8-STi V4 setup? With Production class (stock Neon) I’ve been competitive at rallycross, able to keep up with the VW’s in regional classes, and outgunned by only 60-80HP with the Integra’s and Acura’s on the long stages. - and I still occasionally have cash in my wallet… :|

    It’s better to be on aluminum rims then the steelies. I’ve bent steel rims driving over train tracks in LA. I would never rally with steelies - esp. in California. Might as well start your rim collection now. :D

    Right now in rallycross the rules are focused more on the tires - which I think is a good thing. Tires make such a huge difference at rallycross then any other modification. Stock is stock. I would have to check the rules on ‘model year parts swapping’ - Some of it is legal in Production (NASA/SCCA) so go to the rule book. I can’t see the muffler making any real difference. As soon as you throw aftermarket stuff on there - you’re in Modified. Get a fresh set of stock struts on there and get some seat time - that above all else will make you faster.

    I don’t think Lexan is flexible enough for the job. It does have bullet resistant properties - but it’s rather expensive and would crack and split if the whole piece was flexed. I’ve seen it take a good baseball bat beating, but take a 4′ x 2′ sheet and pinch bend it… SNAP! HDPE has long been the best for the job.

    :lol: :lol: It’s just the horn button… Every 10 year old asks me if it’s N0S.
    A little joke is all :p
    See you out there!!! - Kris

    Comment by Kris — June 27, 2006 @ 11:58 pm

  9. I normally don’t leave random comments but this site is fantastic and truely an awsome GrassRoots Motorsport effort. I am an American and have been living in Japan for 13 years now. I too started amature rally about the same time Kris did and will be making my way back to the states soon. Thats how I found this site. I’m soooooo glad to see rally is finally catching on in the US and you guys give me hope that I will be able to continue growing my skills when I get home. For a while I was worried all we had back home were rally crosses around bails of hay.

    Anyway, great luck and God’s Speed. The links off your site have allowed me to do a lot of research on GRM Rally efforts stateside.

    BY THE WAY - Christine is that a picture of you with P. Mills from the Subaru WRC team? If so I’m quite jealous.

    AWSOME SITE.

    Comment by J Howard Weber — June 29, 2006 @ 2:21 am

  10. Hey J - Thanks for the kind words. With the X-Games this summer, rally is set for a big comeback in the US!

    Oh, and YES - that’s Phill Mills. We got a chance to meet and talk with him and Petter at WRC Mexico a couple years ago. http://planetkris.com/gallery/album05

    Glad you enjoy the site! - Kris

    Comment by Kris — July 3, 2006 @ 4:53 pm

  11. Its 1:30am. I’ve been here since 9:00am, yesterday. Had a good time and I’ll be back to see your custom strut mounts.

    Thanks:
    R. Guerin

    Comment by R. Guerin — July 29, 2006 @ 10:30 pm

  12. Congratulations for a great run and a good time at Prescott! Talk with ya soon :-)

    Comment by Jason C — October 9, 2006 @ 11:03 am

  13. Hi, I Saw your car at the Prescott Rally this year. I want to prep my 97 VW Golf to participate. I live in the phoenix area. If you know of any shops that do this type of prep please let me know.

    Thanks,

    Dave at Sonic

    Comment by Dave Evans — December 12, 2006 @ 7:34 pm

  14. Hi i need advice if u dont mine giving me some. I like rally and i want to get into it. i got a car and a team that just street race. but we want to get into rally racing and we dont know how to start or were to begin. what do u recommend. do we need a special license?, or lessons?

    Comment by oscar — March 18, 2007 @ 10:07 pm

  15. Hey,

    I just wanted to say you have inspired my friend and I to rally the hell out of a neon. I drive an srt-4 for my daily driver and now plan on buying a 1st gen neon to go sideways with in the dirt. I’ve been on the lookout for a sohc 2 door mtx but haven’t found anything yet. Any reason you went with a 4 door? What did everything set you back? We are on a tight budget so It’d be nice to get everything for a few grand. This looks like rediculous fun. Thanks for the awesome site and videos!!!

    –Sam

    Comment by Sam — September 15, 2007 @ 6:18 pm

  16. Hey Sam,

    Simple reason for the 4-door. Rally cars tend to go sideways into things. I would rather have the cars B-pillar be 2 feet closer to the side of my body, then WAY behind me. This, along with the main hoop for the rollcage - spreads out the force of a side impact.

    With the 2 door - you could make a safe cage for it, but I’m not sure if it would be as safe as the 4 door in a side impact. The 2 door is actually slightly heavier - as more structure was built into the door for safety.

    How much? A good rule of thumb is - take the cost of the car and add $8000 to it. Yes - even on a tight budget - it will cost somewhere close to this with you doing all of the work installing and prepping the car. I highly suggest you get a cage builder that has built rally cages - or cages to spec before. That alone will cost $2000 - $2500.

    Make a plan, make a budget, and stick to it. It took me 3 years before I rallied the Neon after I started prepping it. As money and time was tight. So - stick with it!

    It IS ridiculous fun!
    Thanks for the comments!
    - Kris

    Comment by Kris — September 17, 2007 @ 11:31 am

  17. Hey Kris,

    Just stumbled across your site today in my usual “Google something about Neons” ritual. Fantastic work you’ve done here. Also seems you get it done out on the stages - Congratulations on both.

    Here’s my deal - I race a 95 ACR sedan prepped to the NASA Spec Neon rules. Unfortunately the cost of even a “budget” road-racing class like Spec Neon can be overwhelming, so I’d like to explore some other types of competition. How much swapping around do you think I’d have to do to the Neon in order to go out and bash around in an occasional rallycross or full rally event?
    Ideally it would be temporary changes that I could swap out before a dirt event, and back for a track event. I’ve got spares of every suspension component (literally) and could have a setup sitting on the shelves if need be. In the spec class we run the stock ACR suspension with the Mopar high rate springs, 22mm sway bars front & rear, stock wheels w/shaved race tires, stock-ish motors, semi-gutted interior and a full 6 point roll cage. In other words, it’s a race car.

    Reading your description of the classes, it sounds like I’ll be running with some potentially exotic equipment due to my interior, ECU, and intake mods, but I’m just out for the experience, not the win.

    Whaddaya think? Is it do-able, or should I just commit to one discipline and stay there?

    Thanks and best of luck,
    Chris

    Comment by Chris — November 5, 2007 @ 8:25 pm

  18. just wonderingabout how you managed to get 7 ” of ground clearance? i just started rallycrossing a 1995 in devon alberta I live in Grande Prairie alberta . i have found my Neon is a little low and very rough to drive the other proble I am having is loosing powersteering fluid out the top of the reservoir. If you could help me out that would be great . maybe you have some retired springs ?? for sale ?thanks keep the rubber side down.kent

    Comment by kent mckay — November 12, 2007 @ 6:17 pm

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