Great shot by Doug Shakes at this years Ridgecrest rallycross.

Christine and I once again helped out as much as we could for this years CRS Rally School. I covered the very basics of car prep and Christine helped out the new co-drivers. We also flew the RumbleSoft Racing regalia for the first time on Ze’Neon.

I had a chance to do some instruction and some of the guys are thinking about putting together a rallycross school. A place to really practice and get the harder techniques down. Left foot braking, throttle steering, choosing lines, etc. Maybe with a small outdoor class session. Watch for more on that.

The competition is always sharp at the Ridgecrest rallycross and this year was no exception. A more open and fast course left us a little under powered by the G5 rally cars out there We took home 5th in class right behind Jack Szanto in his SRT-4. We’re excited to see his huge driving improvement.

We had a great time and it’s always worth driving up there to give a hand to this great event. If you didn’t get up there this year – make sure you check it out in 2008!

This thread over at NASIOC has a great tutorial on how to do it.
This shot inspired me to try it on ze’Neon.
If you haven’t yet – Go get Disney Pixar ‘Cars’ on DVD!

If you haven’t already – book a hotel, sign up, and spend the best money on rally you ever will. The California Rally Series puts on a great event up in Ridgecrest, CA. March 3rd & 4th 2007. It covers just about everything. Stage notes, car prep, car control, MTC’s, safety items, etc. (You do know what an MTC is right? ) If you are thinking of helping out at a rally, working a stage, building a car, co-driving, or even just want to know all about this awesome sport – get out there!

Christine and I will be at the school giving helpful tips from this years winning season.
Click here for more information on the CRS Rally School and signup today!.

We hope everyone has a great new year! We’re working on a number of projects in many areas. Rally wise, we are going to ‘chill it back’ a bit this year. We’re still planning on defending our USRC Stock Class title, but I don’t expect us to be going any further out then Prescott. Because of our wedding and honeymoon plans we won’t have as much cash to spend on rally this season, but we’re going to be just as involved (if not more so). Christine is the 2007 CRS Membership Liason and I am the 2007 CRS Competitor Liason. We’ve volunteered to help out at Seed 9 and will be playing a part in the CRS Rally School. I’m hoping that Rim of the World will again be our first rally of the season. Meanwhile I have started a side business called RumbleSoft Racing. Lots of irons in the fire – Stay tuned!

Here’s a special thanks to our newest supporters: Jerry Cheney and Family! We look forward to getting a picture of this sticker in the air real soon. Click here for the full look.

Ze’Neon is tucked in the garage for the season and will be back out on the stages real soon. We’d like to wish everyone out there a safe and happy holiday season!

Merry Christmas!
– Kris & Christine

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. This year we ran 4 national events and a regional to grab the USRC title, the WSRC title, and a podium finish in the CRS championship.

It was a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun. We had such a great time hanging out with our crew before, during, and after events. We met so many new friends and look forward to seeing you all again soon. Christine and I would like to thank everyone who helped make this possible. From the people taking pictures to the ones working on the car – Thank You!

We’re already getting excited about the 2007 season.
See you out there!

2006 Season Finale Video – 49.1MB WMV
Low-res Preview

The rally was delayed for hours because of missing permits. Then the second stage was canceled due to road conditions that had been foreseen. A scramble to use the remaining stage was attempted and failed due to an unblocked road on the stage. Civilian traffic was encountered on the road by rally competitors and the stage was stopped. Only one stage of 15 miles was run.

We are completely disappointed and were really looking forward to one more good run for 2006.
I’m starting the 2006 Season Video and plans for the 2007 season are well underway.

I was at the shop last night until late. I managed to get everything on my list done and that was a pretty big accomplishment. There was some damage done to the car at Laughlin but you wouldn’t think any of it was on the co-driver’s side. Turns out that’s where most of the damage was. When in the ditch, we took a boulder between the back of tire and skid plate on the right hand side. This means it hit the bumper, the tow hook, the right front radiator support, the plastic belt cover, the evap canister support, the plastic wheel well, the control arm, and the sway bar. Cracked, moved, crushed, snapped, shattered, gone, dented, and gouged – in that order. The control arm dent was a bit of a surprise. These are cast pieces, heavy and thick. Still metal, still able to deform, but surprising to see something that resembles a railroad tie bend.

Another issue I was working late on was our reverse lights. I had problems in Prescott with the lights coming on. I traced the problem to a faulty transmission switch and replaced it for Laughlin. When I got to Laughlin, I backed off the trailer, rolled into tech – no reverse lights. I was jamming the car in gear and got nothing. The safety stewards made a note in my log book. For the rest of the weekend, everytime I took the car off the trailer – the lights would work. So, back in the shop I take another look while I trace the wire for the circuit. They work every time! I could not get the switch to fail… So, Murphey’s reverse lights will be ready for another tech issue in Reno. I know which wires run them and I’ll ‘hot-wire’ it if need be.

The final prep was the Rally America sticker kit. Along with that, KC from RallyDecals.com sent me the rest of the vinyl needed for the car. I didn’t have time before Laughin to get a black windsheild visor, or to re-do the regalia usually on the hood. Now she’s stickercharged and ready to rally!

We want to thank some special rallynotes.com team supporters: Jerry Cheney and his family! Thanks for your support guys – we couldn’t do it without you! We’re going to do awesome in Reno!

This little machine is a rally car. It is more rally car then anyone who has ever pasted stars and a swoosh on their Subaru. It’s more rally car then even a Tommi Makinen special edition EVO. This car was built to win a car show contest. To compete on a runway of super models with chrome rims, air bag suspension, ten thousand dollar paint jobs and fake boobs. Sure, they could have glittered up the paint and spent hours molding a quad subwoofer system into the back, but instead they chose to build it exactly how it should be built for rally. To the best of their ability they kept it to spec, and included the roll cage, the seats, and the safety equipment. All there, all ready to rally.

Unfortunately – when taking a radical direction, there will be people that don’t quite understand. “The floor is bare? Where did the interior go?” – “So it’s 4WD now?” – “Why is the motor not all done up?” This is what the SoCal Scion Evolution club received when they unveiled their creation at the show. For rally people this car should have immediate acceptance. “Yes – I threw the interior of my car AWAY.” – “Yeah, it’s BONE STOCK under the hood, but good luck catching me on a dirt road.”

With that said, they didn’t win the contest. People picked the ‘obvious to them‘ winner with chrome what-nots and LED flashy bits. “That’s what a SHOW car looks like,” they demanded. Meanwhile the little Scion Evolution xA Rally Car sat there and got people talking. “What does the inside of a proper rally car look like?” “They have 2WD cars in the WRC.” “The JWRC uses a 1600cc motor just a hair larger then the Scion xA’s stock power plant.”

Keep your eye on this little runway model. She’s cute and I guarantee that soon, some of her competition will be wearing the same outfits: pretending to be a little bit of rally car, or having a ‘rally inspired’ theme. For the sport it means that rally is getting another round of popularity in the US. Another chance to fill corners of dirt roads with hundreds of rally fans. Christine and I saw the car and met with the designers at the SoCal Scion Evolution meet last night. Right now it’s strictly show for this Rally xA, but they intend to play out in the dirt at some point. This Thursday I’m bringing Ze’Neon down to a car meet in Tustin – where we can compare notes: Rally car to rally car.