We had an awesome time this weekend. The California Rally Series (CRS) Ridgecrest Rally School was great! We drove the Dodge Neon to it’s limits to take 2nd in class in “2WD Rally Prep” at the rallycross on Sunday! (That’s 17th overall – out of 103 entries ) They have the results up already!

We got back around 8:30 after fighting the I-15 for the second time. We took the 60 down to the 57 (Thanks Donna Hocker!) and zipped down the HOV lanes. Avoiding the 91, the 10 and the remainder of the I-15. 6 hours up… 3 hours back.

The school answered a lot of questions about how rally works. Team management, route books, advanced co-driving, etc, etc. It’s packed into a day long class. I feel that it was a little more geared to co-drivers then drivers – which was good as there are lots of driving schools out there, but very few “co-driving” schools. Christine has a much clearer picture of exactly what the co-drivers responsibilities are. She knows what equipment she needs (rally computer, gear, map lights) and not just suggestions that I’ve made. Sometimes as a driver you tend to worry more about the suspension on your car then the footplate keeping your co-driver comfortable. I have much more confidence in my driving abilities and knowing “what to do / where to go” while at a rally.

On Sunday at the rallycross Christine and I made notes and she called them for our three runs. She has a lot more confidence inside the car, which makes me go all that faster. Look for video of our three runs soon…

Answers:
The cage just needs a plate gusset welded to the top of the main hoop. This will keep the halo firmly attached to the main hoop in an “off”. They also suggested tying the front “A pillars” into the roll cage with a long plate. Something I will certainly do.
The front skidplate worked great! It wasn’t too low to cause any clearance issues. After the warm up on Saturday, I had no worries going over yumps and big ruts.
The list is down to actually only a few key items. Spill kit, tow hooks, suits, gloves, shoes, rally computer, headsets. Some spare tires, rims, and a crew – and we’re going to a rally!
The tires are great! I spoke with Craig Hollingsworth, who has been running the Kumho R700’s for 3 seasons on his Group 2 VW Jetta. He suggested 38 to 40 psi for rallycross and 28 to 30psi for stage rally. I had tons of grip in the sloppy stuff.

So, the school was great! The rallycross was fun! We’re setting our sights on our first rally this summer. You will see us out at CRS Rallycross events all this year!