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.

We were walking around the service area in Laughlin and a bunch of people informed us that our car was in GRM. I finally got a look at the December issue and it’s pretty cool. In a sampling of 20 cars that are both fun to drive AND economical, the article “Gas Pains” talks about weekend racers that don’t feel too much pain at the pump. The Dodge/Plymouth Neon was listed along with a picture of our Dodge Rally Neon going over the jump at the ORV park at this year’s Olympus International Rally.

If you haven’t already – check it out. If you saw the car and the website – Welcome to rallynotes.com!

I have a lot to talk about. Instead of breaking this up into 3 posts, I’ll cover it all here in this exciting update. We were looking over the California Rally Series points and we’d like to secure a podium finish for the year in the CRS championship. This lead us to a long discussion about running Reno. The Reno Rally is a Rally America regional event and it would unfortunately force us to buy another set of licenses for another sanctioning body. The good news is those licenses would be good for a year and there are two other rallies close to us that we may consider running (‘Seed 9′ and ‘Desert Storm’) in 2007. Christine and I went back and forth over running this event. We called the organizer David Hackett and he patiently answered all of our questions. We called Rally America about the annual license and received a quick answer. We called David back and he convinced us to come to Reno. At first I felt we would have to justify this decision to ourselves and others. Turns out we both just want to rally.

On Saturday night we went to the monthly SoCal Neon America meet. One of the charter members Jerry Cheney and his family sponsored the team for the event! We sincerely appreciate their unexpected donation and will look to do well in our class and the last race of the year. Reno Rally, here we come!

I have two final Laughlin videos to add to the list. The first one ‘Highlights‘ has video from our Super Stage battle and includes action from the stages. The second video is SS3 – ‘17 Mile Road West.‘ If you want a roller coaster stage – this is it. From start to finish we cover one of the most loved stages at the Laughlin Rally. Enjoy!

So…
The 2006 USRC Stock Class National Champions are running the Reno Rally on December 2nd.
Jerry Cheney and family are awesome supporters of the Rallynotes.com Team!
The final Laughlin videos are up and be sure to check out the 1, 2, 3 Laughlin Rally 2006 Picture Galleries!

Vanessa DuLaney took this shot and has many more up in the gallery right now. Keep an eye out for more as they come in. Bill from Motorsport Memories is sending me proofs and Yuji caught us off to the side of the road on Black Canyon.
Here is the link to the rallynotes.com Laughlin 2006 Gallery.

UPDATE 11/16: I just posted over 100 more pictures from Cyndi Stivers! Check out The Laughlin 2006 Gallery #2!

UPDATE 11/17: Another gallery with pictures from our camera (the turnaround, etc.) and Danielle Patterson! Check out The Laughlin 2006 Gallery #3!

This is how our Saturday ended. We’re both all right. My back is sore but I have no mobility issues. Christine was unaffected by the hit that knocked the wind out of me. Special thanks to all the people watching out for us. Watch for the full story here soon.

Laughlin International Rally 2006 – SS7 Black Canyon ‘Highlights’ – 11.3MB WMV
Low-res Preview

We had a wild weekend! We did awesome on Friday and held off Michael & Steven Taylor all day (our great competition in class – driving a stock Ford pickup). Saturday we got some wicked video of our blind jump into boulders on SS7. We destroyed 3 rims and popped the seal on the gas tank, thus handing the win back to the Taylors. We restarted Sunday under the Super Rally and took back our dignity by beating them at the Super Special (by .01 of a min)

Friday 2nd in CRS P-Stock
Sunday 3rd in CRS P-Stock
We are the 2006 United States Rally Championship Stock Class Champions! W00t!

Tomorrow – watch for pictures, video, and more!

Tried some outside shots with the bullet cam – enjoy the ground rush! We scored a 3rd in class as we were over powered in the long straights. In any case Ze’Neon is ready for the Laughlin Rally. New windshield, plus I fixed the two items marked in the logbook. The fire extinguishers have been serviced and re-tagged, and the reverse switch in the transmission has been replaced. I got the cool suit pump working and the skidplates are tucked up where they should be. See the Johnson Valley Rallycross results here.

We’re ready for Laughlin! We’ll be heading out with some friends on Thursday morning!
The rally starts Friday November 10th and finishes on Sunday November 12th. Here are more details about the Laughlin International Rally.
Check out the live results on the web – Laughlin Results.

Johnson Valley Rallycross #3 2006 – 28.7MB WMV

I’m using the shop as much as possible this week. It’s actually a short list of items for Laughlin, but I want Ze’Neon to be in top shape for this event. It’s a full three day rally and from what I’ve heard and read – it’s one of the tougher ones. Lots of miles, lots of transits, lots of weather – you get the idea. Take a look at what I’m up to in the Laughlin Prep Gallery.

Besides rims, the damage from Prescott is light. I had to rebuild one of the rear struts after it got loose on Limestone Canyon and I need a new sensor for the Brantz. Speaking of Limestone: The windshield will be replaced this week too. I did a lot of the usual maintenance as well – oil change, tranny fluid, etc. Did I mention I love having a shop?