The Wishbone Alley Gazette
January, 2003
Club Meeting
Many thanks to the Hines' for hosting the
December meeting. Well done!
Cafe Veloce is expecting us, it's now the
official regular meeting place until a place with a private room can be found.
Of course, you may pay your dues!
Rally News
* The calendar for 2003 is fleshing out,
with only 1 conflict (July 20, Canada vs. Portland) to worry about. RASC got the
September Friday Nighter. (You can now make plans for your yard sales and
home-remodeling projects.)
*
Workers party on the 25th at Ft Lewis. Remember volunteering to drive a hundred
miles, stand in the rain and mud (or dust- one or the other), and wonder why?
For your reward! This is it! Sponsors and teams are donating door prizes.
*
Ray Damitio is trying to get a location for a February Rally sprint.
*
As of November (this may be old news by Feb, 2003 -MN): Thurston County Commissioners closed
the popular Off Road Vehicle Park on Monday, leaving recreation groups stunned
by the speed of the action and in a scramble to find new venues for 2003
events.
The move opened the possibility of privatizing the park,
though not in time for the 2003 season.
There is a question of potential consequences related to
defaulting on Thurston County's agreements with the state's Interagency
Committee for Outdoor Recreation, which has funded park operations and
improvements through various grants for more than 20 years.
In the 2-1 vote to close the park, Commissioners Cathy Wolfe
and Kevin O'Sullivan cited safety and liability concerns as well as
environmental, operational and financial issues. O'Sullivan said two people
have died recently at the park. One of the families is suing the county.
* Mitsubishi will have David Higgins and
Lauchlan O'Sullivan carrying the "factory" banner for the 2003 SCCA
ProRally season.
*Mitsubishi withdrew the factory team for
the '03 WRC series. They say they'll be back in '04.
*Hyundai withdrew from the SCCA series.
(It's possible that John Buffum and company will continue to run the cars,
depending on sponsorship)
*Pat Richard, Canadian National Champion,
will run the WRC rallys. The listed entrant for Monte Carlo is the Canadian
Subaru Rally Team.
In an interview published on the Web
(http://specialstage.com/), he tells Ben Bradley how he needed practice with
pace notes- and a major DNF was caused when he denied his notes (clip a corner,
find the big rock, roll the car)
*Paul Eklunds '02 WRX is for sale ($47K).
Club News
Elections were conducted at Jerry &
Colleen Hine's (a rather clever way to get Jerry to show up early), with the
old-timer traditionalists thwarting the newcomer's attempts to bypass the club
rules/bylaws. Leading the old-timer traditionlists was the WAG editor. ('Nuf
said)
* We're exploring setting up some sort of
class to get more licensed HAMs. Dave Smith has been volunteered to be the team
leader, implementer, and, possibly, instructor. Following that process, please
send names of interested parties to him at his e-mail address: dmsmith@cnw.com There's still
some mystery to the license, but it doesn't involve tapping Morse Code from the
inside of a sunken submarine hull.
Trivia
* December 23, by Ben Bradley: "It
is with a heavy heart that I report the passing away this morning of Adelaide
Zink, a long-time supporter of time/speed/distance and special stage rallying
in the Pacific Northwest.
"Adelaide, along with life partner
Chris Portal, was a fixture at all rallies in Oregon and Washington over the
past number of years. As a Ham radio operator, a marshal, a go-fer and
countless other roles, Adelaide was always there to lend a helping hand at the
ProRally events.
"Likewise, an avid TSD rally driver
and checkpoint volunteer, Adelaide's passing will be a huge loss for the entire
rally community."
* Peter Linde (a.k.a. Sergeant Sideways)
has ample opportunity to get hurt on the job. He broke his leg on his own
stairs. Get well soon, Peter.
With a motorcycle for thrills, the
Quattro is languishing, undriven. He's selling it, see ad.
* Driving lights? Alternators can run
to $500. The "shock" of turning on/off 200 watts of lighting can
damage the alternator (plus there are rumors of small, delicate bits of engine
management electronics that rebel at such treatment). The "state of the
art" is HID's, which only draw about 35 watts. Such lamps require a
ballast within 12" or less of the bulb. So even a great "deal"
on the lamps requires a rethink of just slapping the lights on the bumper for 4-5
rallys a year. Glenn Wallace solved the situation by mounting his ballasts to a
removable lightbar, while John Fouse (both own WRX's) keeps the lamps on the
car all the time, since the ballasts are tucked inside the bodywork.
* The February issue of Sport Compact Car
magazine includes a tour of Prodrive (who does the Subaru WRC effort). This
explains a bit about why the rally cars are different from the ones in the
showroom- engines cost $100K, gearbox $95K, and the body shell/cage runs $45K.
* Toyota is building a Tundra for NASCAR
Truck racing. I would assume that once this is mastered, a Winston Cup car will
follow (Camray?). Imagine all the good time wasted reverse engineering a car to
the 70's.
* You heard it here: "The solution
to Puget Sounds' traffic problems is to get everyone else off the roads, and
have them pay for it."
FOR SALE / Wanted:
* 1989 Mazda MPV,
burgundy, 120K miles, 7 passenger. "Jerry wants it out of his life=year
end special= $1280". (below low book…) Jerry Hines, 425-823-6343.
* Lucas' 1994 Ford Explorer XLT is for
sale. It's a 4WD 4-door with brand new automatic trans & brakes, looks
& runs great. Factory alloy wheels, tow package, tinted glass $4600, J.
Hines 425-823-6343.
* VERY actively looking for a clean, low
mileage, 1999 - 2001 Impreza 2.5 RS. The 'ol P/U is going to pasture - SOON! I
favor the Sedona Red. Mike Jones 425-823-8329 or CODRVR@aol.com
* I wish somebody would take the 79 Fire
Arrow "carport queen" off my hands. Includes rebuilt 2.6L engine
with Zero hours. No reasonable offer refused. Ed Storer, 206-282-3145;
edstorer@attbi.com
* TSD rally-ready
1983 Audi Turbo Quattro Coupe. Mars red. 170K miles. Lots of goodies.
$8,500. e-mail Peter Linde at pjnconn@yahoo.com
RASC Calendar---------------------------
• Call the NWRC
Hotline (206) 256-9627 for latest info on Puget Sound TSD events. NWRC Friday Niters start at the Eastgate (Bellevue)
Park and Ride. Reg opens at 6:45, FCO 7:31.
TSD Rallys
Jan 18 - NW
Auto Sports will be hosting a Time-Speed-Distance rally clinic at BCC (Bellevue
Community College) on Saturday, January 18. The event will take place in Room 217,
Building L with check-in at noon. The class will start at 12:30. Snacks will be
provided.
Prepare to learn the ins and outs of TSD rallying from
Mike Workman, Steve Pfau, & Mike Daily. There will be some classroom time
and a 1-2 hour rally.
Cost to attend is a mere $7 per person (NWAS Supporting
Members get in free!). Bring yourself and bring a friend. No
experience and no special equipment necessary. If you do have TSD experience,
this is a great opportunity to refine and brush-up on your skills.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. You can pre-register
using the PayPal payment link below. Or, if you prefer to just bring a check
(or cash) to the class, reply into this thread letting us know you'll be
attending.
- Feb 14 Friday
Niter (NW Auto Sports)
- Feb 15-16
Thunderbird, Merritt, B.C.
- Mar. 8 Rally
School (ORCA), Bellevue
- Mar. 14 Friday
Niter (ORCA)
- Mar. 21 Friday
Niter (Cascade, Portland)
- Mar. 30
Flapdoodle Express (Chuckanut) Bellingham
- Apr. 11 Friday
Nighter (Torque Steerers)
- Apr. 18 Friday
Niter (Cascade, Portland)
- April 27-Raindrop
, RASC
- Apr. 26-27- Heart
of Darkness, Hope, B.C.
- May 9-Friday
Nighter (ORCA)
- May 16- Friday
Nighter (Cascade/Portland)
- May 31-June 1 - No
Alibi, RASC (eastern Washington)
- June 13-Friday
Nighter (ORCA)
- June 20-Friday
Nighter (Cascade/Portland)
- June 28-29 -
Coast to Coast, Vancouver Isl., B.C.
- July 11 - Friday
Nighter (NWRC)
- July 18 - Friday
Nighter (Cascade/Portland)
- July 19-20 Gold
Digger, Pemberton,
B.C.
- July 20 -
Mountains to the Sea, Cascade SCC, Portland
- Aug 8 - Friday
Nighter (ORCA)
- August 9-10 - The
Road Not Taken (SCCA Nat'l) Grand Ronde, OR.
- Aug 15 - Friday
Nighter (Cascade/Portland)
- Sept 12 - Friday
Nighter (RASC)
- Sept. 19 - Friday
Niter (Cascade/Portland)
- Oct. 4 - Night on
Bald Mountain (ORCA)
- Oct 10 - Friday
Nighter (Torque Steerers)
- Oct. 17-18 - SCCA
National TSD championship, Portland, OR
- Oct 25-26 -
Midnite Rally, Victoria, B.C.
- Nov. 1 -
Armageddon, Chuckanut, Bellingham
- Nov. 15-16 -
Totem, Cache Creek, B.C.
NW Stage Rally activity:
- Jan 25 - Rally
Banquet, Ft Lewis Golf Club
The annual NWR rally workers'
party and awards banquet is set for January 25, 2003 at the Fort Lewis
Golf Club, on the Mounts Road just north of Interstate 5 at exit 116.
The party starts at 6 PM and
is scheduled to last until 10 or 12. Dinner at 7.
Directions
to the Golf Club are easy! Take Interstate 5 from anywhere to exit
116, turn north (toward Puget Sound) on the Mounts Road and look for the Golf Club
on your right, maybe 100 meters north of the freeway.
- Feb ? ORV
Splash Dash, McCleary, WA
- March 1- Doo Wop
I, Hoquiam, WA
- March 2- Doo Wop
II, Montesano, WA
- April 12 Reno I,
Reno, NV
- April 13- Reno
II, Reno, NV
- June 7- Dryad
Quest, Shelton, WA
- June 8-
Shitepoke, Shelton, WA
- June 13-14 -
Pacific Forest Rally (stage), Merritt, B.C.
- July 12- Oregon
Trail, Hillsboro, OR
- July 13- Trail's
End. Hillsboro, OR
- Aug 2 ORV
Rallysprint I, McCleary, WA
- Aug 3- ORV
Rallysprint II, McCleary, WA
- Sept 6-
Sou'Wester, Olympia, WA
- Sept 7- Simpson
Stages, Shelton, WA
- Sept. 26-27 Mountain
Trials (stage), Merritt, B.C.
- Oct 11- Mt. Hood,
Hood River, OR
SCCA National PRORally
- Jan 24-25 - Sno*Drift, Atlanta, Mich.
- May 2-3 - Rim of the World, Palmdale, Calif.
- Jun 7 - Susquehannock Trail Wellsboro, Penn.
- Jun 26-27 - Pikes Peak Int'l Hillclimb
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Jul 12-13 - Oregon Trail, Hillsboro, Ore.
- Aug 1-2 - Maine Forest Rally, Rumford, Maine
- Aug. 22-23 - Ojibwe Forests, Bemidji, Minn.
- Sep 6-7 - Wild West, Olympia, WA
- Oct. 17-18 - Lake Superior, Houghton, Mich.
And then, there's (Sanctioned by USAC):
- March
12-15, International Cherokee Trails Rally, based in Chattanooga, Tenn.
- Dec.
12-13? - Ramada Express, Nevada
SOVREN
races (attn: Vince, Ed, & Mark)
- April
18-19 Defrost Kickoff , Pacific Raceways
- May
10-11 Spring Sprints, Pacific Raceways
- July
4-5-6 Pacific Northwest Historics, Pacific Raceways
- July
11-13 Portland Historic Races, Portland International
Raceway
- Aug
9-10 SCCA Regional-SOVREN Bremerton
- Aug
30-Sept 1 Portland Race with All British Field Meet Portland
International Raceway
- Sept 20- 21 Fall Finale, Pacific Raceways
- Sept
27-28 Maryhill Loops Hill Climb, Goldendale, Washington
Reprinted without comment:
GROUP FROM SEATTLE TO OBSERVE MONTE CARLO RALLY
John Nagel, one of the only
North Americans ever to host a World Rally event, is leading a group of
approximately 15 Americans to the first event of the 2003 World Rally
championship. John states "We are bringing a number of the top North West's
organizers to Monte Carlo to find our how the modern WRC is run. It's important
to all forms of rallying in the US, Mexico, and Canada to know the rules and
how they are implemented. NARA is also working with the Rally Mexico to
exchange ideas and possibly equipment for the two events.
The group of former
organizers and marshals with the Olympus Rally, part of the World Rally
championship in 1984 to 1987, will be observing the prestigious Monte Carlo
Rally, one of the original and most famous of the 14 event series.
Nagel brings his experience and incredible will to the competition
for the next World Rally in North America (2004). His Olympus Rally, which
started as a regional event out of Olympia, Washington in 1969, ran as a
National in the late-1980s. He applied and was accepted for World Rally status
in 1984
"We're going over to
look at what's required for a World Championship these days," said Nagel.
"I think the people who are going are prepared for the huge time
involvement required. We have the population base and the enthusiasm for a
major event. We've got some work to do but I know that it can be done."
"We are going to this
event because of the status of the Monte Carlo and our chance to talk directly
with Dave Richards about the Olympus getting back on the modern WRC. We will be
observing all parts of the MC Rallye during our brief stay in Monte Carlo. We
have been offered the red carpet treatment by the organizers of the event and
we will reciprocate by bringing over a couple of the organizers from the Monte
Carlo Rallye to the Olympus Rally Event in September of 2003 (our first
prototype event).
The group is leaving from
Seattle's SeaTac airport on January 17, 2003 and expects to return the week
following.
NARA's 2003 Schedule involves
two FIA events first the Peace Portal Rally which runs in both the USA and
Canada. This event is scheduled for April, 2003; the second rally is the
Olympus Rally which will run in September, 2003. John Nagel stated that NARA
was also interested in assisting the Reno Rally group in their quest to return
this event back to FIA specifications.
For further information, call
206-364-0771, John Nagel.
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