Stage rallies in the U.S. - May & June 2017

SquareLeft

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Joined
Mar 28, 2015
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586
Location
Southern Ohio, USA
Car(s)
2019 Mazda6 Sport, 2002 Subaru WRX, 1961 Morgan
I?ll try to keep this as short as possible, but there?s a lot to cover!

Southern Ohio Forest Rally (SOFR) ? May 19/20, 2017 ? Chillicothe, Ohio ? a Rally America event. This could be called ?Sunriser Returns? since the roads are all old Sunriser stages. Almost all stages are run at least twice during the same day, so you can get more than one spectating opportunity at most locations. There will also be a Super Special stage at the end of each day. There?s a lot of enthusiasm surrounding this event, but ? since this is its first year ? volunteers are really needed!

My buddy Kevin and I will be there and, if all goes well, this will be my WRX?s first rally assignment! We?re supposed to run as Car 00, which means that we?ll be on course ahead of the rally cars. We make sure that the course is clear and check all the controls (checkpoints) and marshal locations to make sure they?re properly set up and staffed and that their timing equipment is accurate.

We?d really appreciate it if you can come and volunteer. No experience is necessary for many jobs and you?ll get the obligatory free T-shirt and an invite to the after-party (parties?). Camping will also be available. I know that most of you on this forum are too young to remember the Sunriser stages in central Ohio, but take it from someone who raced on them ? THESE ROADS ARE AWESOME!!! They?re very fast and technical and make for great spectating! If you?re not ready to volunteer, then come out and watch ? the crowds are always friendly.
Find out more at: https://www.southernohioforestrally.com/

*********

Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) ? June 2/3, 2017 ? Wellsboro, Pennsylvania ? an American Rally Association event. STPR is one of the oldest and best-known stage rallies in North America. For me, it?s a ?must-do? every year. I think I?ve missed only one or two STPRs since 1985. The roads here are very challenging with varying surfaces (hard-pack dirt, lots of clay and some gravel) and fantastic elevation changes. This is STPR?s first year under the new ARA banner, so we?ll have to see how well their usually excellent organization transitions to the new ARA governing body.

I?ll be trading ends of the rally here ? running Safety Sweep with my friend John in his WRX wagon. We?ll be following the last rally car and will have multiple responsibilities: look for and report any competitors who are off the road or broken down, provide basic first-aid to anyone injured and pull-out any competitor who requests help out of a soft-off. This job really tests our ham radio skills, as we?re in almost constant contact with Net Control. If I?m counting correctly, this will be my fifth year to run Safety Sweep at STPR; and yes, I love my job!

While STPR usually has a full complement of volunteers, a few more are always welcome; as are spectators. STPR?s website was hacked recently, but they also have a Facebook page which has all the info. You can get to either site through this link:
https://www.facebook.com/STPRRally

As above, camping will be available at the fairgrounds and there?ll be Super Special stages both evenings. Volunteers will get T-shirts and party invites, too. FWIW, EVERYONE shows up at these parties ? drivers, co-drivers, crews, organizers and volunteers ? so you get the chance to meet all kinds of new people!

SL
 
My buddy Kevin and I will be there and, if all goes well, this will be my WRX?s first rally assignment! We?re supposed to run as Car 00, which means that we?ll be on course ahead of the rally cars. We make sure that the course is clear and check all the controls (checkpoints) and marshal locations to make sure they?re properly set up and staffed and that their timing equipment is accurate.

Even without the competitiveness, this sure must be fun. :) I've always wanted to do this.
 
Even without the competitiveness, this sure must be fun. :) I've always wanted to do this.

You're correct - it's a LOT of fun! Back in the day (late '80s, early '90s) Kev and I both competed semi-regularly as co-drivers. Around 1988, my driver at the time was headed into a messy divorce and I bought his part of the team. Kev immediately came on board as my co-driver and we competed as much as we could. We didn't have a lot of money and were never able to secure the type of sponsorship needed for a serious run, but we had a lot of fun.

So now it's a real flash-back to have him in the co-driver's seat. While we don't do recce, we do our job with modified stage notes; so he's calling the instructions just like he did years ago. There are three course opening cars (000, 00 and 0). The first, 000, drives through the course slowly, usually about half-an-hour before the stage starts, looking for potential hazards and checking to see if the crews are where they're supposed to be. As car 00, we have lights and a siren, so we get to drive pretty much at anything we consider a comfortable speed. We're usually about 15 - 20 minutes ahead of the field. Car 0 follows us about 5 - 10 minutes later at rally speed. Car 0 is a full-on rally car whose job it is to see that the stage is safe at rally speed.

We're pretty much psyched up for this one!

SL
 
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