Join the crew! Colten, Kevin, Harry and Kris at the Gorman Ridge Rally.

What to expect:
A rally is usually a long weekend event, sometimes requiring us to take off Friday. Hotel arrangements will be made for the weekend and are subsidized by the team. Food and beverages will be provided. Team shirts and other goodies will be on hand. Complete details will be emailed a few weeks before the event. Only after you get all the details will you be asked if you can ‘make it’ or not. So don’t feel obligated to do every rally just because you filled out this form.

Typically ‘as a member of the team’ your weekend looks like this:

Friday morning or late afternoon you meet up with the team in a central location. We travel to the event and coordinate lodging. The team sets up its service area and unloads the car. We go over service locations, stages, and maps of the area. A service strategy is formulated. The car is cleaned and prepared for tech inspection. We all have dinner and a good night’s rest. Sometimes the rally starts with a Friday night stage.
Saturday morning the car is inspected and leaves to start the rally. Depending on the rally, the service crew heads to a remote re-fuel or service location and sets up there. You may get a chance to spectate some of the stages while we complete them. This means watching rally up close on stage. Service is calm for about 3 hours, and then the car pulls in and 20 minutes of intense excitement and activity begins. The car is inspected, bolts checked, fluids checked, items repaired, wheels changed, brakes changed, etc. The car is cleaned. Meanwhile video and pictures are taken while the clock runs down. The car leaves service to continue the rally. There are usually 2 or 3 service stops in a day. Once the final service is complete you head back to rally headquarters to see how the team finished up for the event or the day.
Sunday is either a continuation of the rally and/or the awards banquet. The car is loaded on the trailer and we head home.

Stuff to bring:
Getting prepared for the weather is the most important thing. We could be in a field on the hottest day of the year, or on a 3,000 foot ridge watching it rain sideways. Get sunscreen and an umbrella. Bring a few changes of clothing and some clothes to get dirty in. We’ll have coolers with us with snacks and drinks, but consider bringing some of your own. An FRS radio is a good investment. Your amateur radio license is a better one. This is great for when we caravan to the event or around service. Print out 2 copies of the maps and directions that we send you. Throw one in the car and one in your pack. Don’t forget your cellphone with charger, cameras, and other relevant electronics.