The cage has been stamped and we have a log book. The roll cage was noted as ‘alternate design’, so keep that in mind if you build a cage similar to ours. If we had to do it again I would tie the halo hoop directly into the main hoop. Keep in mind they were in the process of changing all those plate gusset rules a couple years ago when this cage was being built. The door bars are ‘unique’ but fit the requirements of the rules and safety. As a partial daily driver, I wouldn’t change the door bars a bit.

I picked up some Porterfield Pads on the way back from Huntington Beach. W00T!

On Thursday night, Christine convinced me that we should head out to San Bernardino and rallycross ze’Neon. With really not that much left to do with the car, I agreed. My cold and subsequently Christine’s cold moved in on Friday night to make it a close call. My head only started to clear with the sun at 9:30 on Saturday morning.

We took a ton of pictures this time. I took a lot of video – but I want to save it for a little music video to be posted later. Here’s the GCRallyX – Rally Air IV Pictures.

We took home 1st in class. Results aren’t up yet, but I think we did very well overall again. George and Mark are keeping me on my toes with some tough competition in ‘rally 2wd.’

As I may have mentioned – the DV port in My Sony Handycam finally destroyed itself. The camera has a rock chip taken out of the lens from Maine Forest Rally and the zoom controls make a crunchy sand sound when operated. This camera will live out the rest of it’s days strapped to a rollcage. The only way to get the video off the tape is to buy another camcorder…

Lucky for me I spotted a deal right away on ebay. Sony DCR-TRV460, no cables, no battery, no memory stick, no strap, no bag, no nothing. ‘As is’ no warranty – $70. Even if it was totally non-functional there were enough spare parts to repair my old camera and I could part off the rest.

I found it waiting for me when I got home. Whip open the cardboard, slap a battery in it. She fires right up! Video, sound, record, playback, LCD, viewfinder, all fine! Besides the couple of scuff marks it’s fantastic. It helped to brighten up a crappy week.

As + ($380 camera for $70) =

Here we go! I’m not totally sold on the camera angle in these, but I needed to try something different. You can certainly see how much further inside the corners I traveled and just how close I get to them. I didn’t pump the intercom audio in – but you can hear a quieter Christine and tell how much easier it is to read notes with the Peltor intercom. The third video is from all the way in the back seat. It’s fun to watch my hybrid ‘shuffle’ / ‘hand over hand’ Massachusetts driving and the handbrake slide at the finish is gratuitous.

RallyAirIII_run1.wmv 12.3MB
RallyAirIII_run2.wmv 12.2MB
RallyAirIII_run3.wmv 15.0MB

Results of the GCRallyX – Rally Air III @ Glen Helen are up!

On our way to the rallycross, we were on the I-15 when I smelled gas. A lot of gas… “Is that us?” I asked aloud. We passed a slow moving tow truck with a wreck on it and the smell dissipated. “Oh, okay. Not us…” We pulled off for the Glen Helen exit and the smell came back. “Okay – that’s us. What’s the deal?” I pulled over and hopped out. When I came around the back of the car I heard a hissing noise from the gas cap. Slowly twisting the gas cap I released what might have been 40psi of pressure. A really, really hot day. Full tank of gas. These things happen right? Later I think of the new aluminum plates reflecting all of the exhaust heat back into the floor. The same floor the brake and gas lines are attached to.

Last night I took the rallycar out to PepBoys and a date with the high pressure car wash. I picked up some essentials. Some new hose for the PCV, new wipers, spare belts, etc. I dropped 5 bucks in the ‘scrubadub’ and hosed the cement from the rallycross off. I headed home.

Less then a mile from the house, I’m coming up to a stop sign – heel toe downshift to 2nd. ‘RRRevvvvvv… stall. coast.’ I turn her off to the right and try starting again. No go. “hrmmm.” Open the hood. Check all the obvious stuff. Hop back in – cranking – not starting. I stop and turn the key off. I listen close for the ‘whirr’ of the fuel pump. I click the key forward. Nothing… No sound from the fuel pump. Bingo!
Continue reading →

After a quick stop at the shop to exchange the Blazer for Ze-Neon, we arrived at the new GCRallyX venue out in San Bernardino. The Glen Helen Raceway has a great area for the crews to setup and get our rally on. I think they did a great job setting this event up in a short amount of time.

The very first thing was to get the tent set up and get some shade. This was a mini-service test and we had to get the tools out. Tires swapped, fart-pipe on, etc. I was downing gallons of water from my camelbak and Christine did the same. It was hot. 100 in the shade hot. 6 bottles of water and 2 Gatoraid’s for lunch hot. John, Jay, and company setup their tents next to us to maximize the shade.

We walked the long course and I notated the corners to Christine. I must have said “bumps” about 10 times. The terrain looked mean, but not as hard packed as I expected. The water truck made its way around the course and by the time it got around to the start again, the dirt was dry.

We had an outstanding first run to set the stage for the rest of the day. Although I always hear people talk about ‘taking it easy’ your first run, I often attack the course the hardest the first time out. We set a blistering 124.6 second run. Christine was not sure if we were ahead of all of our rivals but said: “It’s the fastest time up there right now.”

We watched the 4WD cars do their thing, with the ‘finale’ being a run from Leon Styles in his open class Mitsubishi EVO. Dust and the sound of an angry Mitsu were all that could be seen from the sidelines. He was certainly having a fun time out there. Someone came over to me while we were setting up for our second run. “Dude – you beat Leon!” I chuckled at the concept of it and went over to talk shit to Mr. Styles “You’re not going to let a little Neon beat you, right?” I smiled. “I was having fun out there!” He replied. We talked about the possibility of the FWD cars winning an event like this as it was pretty technical and not nearly enough room for the EVO to ‘stretch it’s legs.’ Leon is a great guy, and I’ve seen him run rallies for the last few years, so it’s cool to get to know someone you’ve looked up to. (Maine Forest last year)

Our second run, I got crossed up in some of the fresh mud that was left by the water truck. I straight-lined two of the last corners to gain back some time. Christine could have sworn I hit some cones. I made it close. In with a 125.

Now with only a 2 second lead on first place in the class I was jittery on my last run. There was not many more places I could gain 2 seconds, but tons of places I could lose 2 seconds. Christine kept me focused and I pushed hard to set a 124.8. I knew I had Rally 2WD in the bag. It wasn’t until later – and to my surprise – that I found I had set the best overall time for the day and “Winning it all.” Or as Scott from the Gravel Crew put it, “I 0wn3d Leon.”

I’m stoked, and we’re excited and ready to run Gorman Ridge Rally in 3 weeks!
Video: My camera’s DV port is ‘br0×0red’ – so that will be coming soon.
Pictures: I only snapped a few – but they are here. Please let us know if you have any of us!

Rallynotes.com would like to congratulate Sean Sosik-Hamor and Andrew Hobgood of Trunkmonkey Racing on successfully completing their first rally! Maine Forest is split up into two regional rallies for Friday and Saturday. Sean and Andrew finished 19th in the River Valley Rally and 14th in the Bethel Rally. Completing your first rally is a big accomplishment and we’re happy to see them out there! Good luck on your next event guys!

Catalytic Converter
Full Underbody Skidplates

8 hours later – She’s back on the ground ready for the rallycross this Saturday!

I just got a great email from Joshua in Indiana with some questions about prepping a Dodge Neon for rally. Some of the stuff that I talk about all the time, but never posted here at rallynotes.com . Would I do it all over again with a Neon? Yes!

The Car: A Dodge Neon. Why this car? Why not a used Subaru, or a VW?
The first Neon’s are 10 years old now and widely available on the cheap. They made 350,000 of them the first year and continued making over 250,000 +/- every year afterwards. That’s A LOT of cars. For comparison – In 1998 Subaru imported about 2,800 Impreza RS’s into the country and in model year 2000 that number only rose to about 4,000. I can remember Subaru projecting sales of 10,000 WRX’s in 2002. Think about this when you’re trolling the junkyard.

The VW’s are reaching 20 years old now. They were the car to have in the late 80’s and 90’s, but it’s getting harder to find un-rusted shells. Parts for the Neon are cheap and easy to obtain. I got a complete motor and tranny for $500. Just the heads off an Impreza are going to run you that much. The Neon was a SCCA spec racer when they first came out. There is a lot of Mopar influence on the chassis and parts. Flat bottom, big exhaust.

The engine: SOHC 2.0L
You’re options for the Neon are ‘dual over head cam’ and ‘single over head cam’. I’d pick the SOHC every time. It makes more torque sooner then the DOHC, but has a bit less horse power at the top end. “Horse power sells cars, torque wins races.” Less moving parts. More engines to pick parts from. Sure, it’s only 130HP front wheel drive, but as Tim O’Neil said to me regarding the Neon: “Only after you drive an entire stage without lifting – get a faster car.”

The caveats: Looking for a used Neon.
If you get a car that’s a 1998 or older, there is a good chance the head gasket will need to be changed. I bought a car knowing this, and had no problem changing the gasket on a Saturday. Look for the tell tale brown/black sludge in the coolant reservoir. Then check for the Multi Layer Steel head gasket. Try to find a car with rear disc brakes. The suspension is good, but it’s slim with 6″ of travel. I’m starting out with some SRT4 springs and KYB struts. I’m sure I’ll want to upgrade when I start being competitive, but I’ll hold off on the $3000 custom suspension for a while, as struts are running me $60 each. Try getting that price on a set of used STi’s.

All in all – The Neon makes a great racer. I’ve been to countless rallycrosses with the car, dozens of autocrosses. I drive to the event, race, and drive home – no problems. The car is easy to work on, easy to maintain, and fun to drive. So if you’re thinking of building your first rally car and have a tight budget – think about going with a Neon!