john vanlandingham Wrote:
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> Most people are not de facto locked into a
> particular car or drive configuration due to being
> employed by a manufacturer who only makes a
> whatever so that's what they have to drive.
> People have choice---I attempt to show they what
> is the plusses and minuses of their choices and
> point out the down stream results of choosing some
> dead end thing "cause i have one for free".

I agree that building a rally car "cause i have one for free" is not best approach. If it is the wrong car, then you will make up for "free" in what you spend on creating unavailable rally parts. Know what you are getting into before you decide.

However, I also think new drivers should be buy their first car.

> And when it's obvious that they don't care if the
> car is suitable, and that they will never fight
> for any placing, that they can afford to build a
> car, like you and your choice of a TR7, I don't
> comment.
> You have a TR7, you intend to build it, and you
> know you don't care about results, so no
> critique.

Other than comment on how many 360s I will do?

BTW, this is my fourth TR7, so I am very familiar with them, and TR7s have a history in rally, so there are examples to follow. On the rally risk scale, it is fairly low. I just have to work on developing John Buffum-like ability to drive a short wheelbase car on gravel. No problem!

On the other hand, my Formula Ford still hasn't sold, so I still have no where to work on the TR7, so it sits.

tipo158 Wrote:
--
> Other than comment on how many 360s I will do?

Shirley you aren't broken up by that are you?

Last one i saw on gravel was doing just that and it was John Shirley.
wooop woop woop bang!!!
>
> BTW, this is my fourth TR7,

I'm sorry to hear that. You know what they say about doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome dontcha?


so I am very familiar
> with them, and TR7s have a history in rally,

a history of being in the V8 form a viscous vile handling terror machine.
so
> there are examples to follow. On the rally risk
> scale, it is fairly low. I just have to work on
> developing John Buffum-like ability to drive a
> short wheelbase car on gravel. No problem!

You got it!
>
> On the other hand, my Formula Ford still hasn't
> sold, so I still have no where to work on the TR7,
> so it sits.

Sell That THING, it looks like some water bug.
>
>

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

john vanlandingham Wrote:
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> > BTW, this is my fourth TR7,
>
> I'm sorry to hear that. You know what they say
> about doing the same thing and expecting a
> different outcome dontcha?

The only reason that I sold my first one was because I was moving to California (from New Mexico) and I knew that it would not pass California emissions.

My second one disappeared because the guy who was storing it for me lost his storage and never told me.

The third one was supposed to become a rally car, but I sold it after I bought the ex-Chizma Rabbit (now owned by Bill Beers' driver - I keep forgetting his name). After I fixed some stuff on the Rabbit, I had no desire to drive it.


> > On the other hand, my Formula Ford still hasn't
> > sold, so I still have no where to work on the TR7,
> > so it sits.
>
> Sell That THING, it looks like some water bug.

Water bug? Cool. I like that!

alan

tipo158 Wrote:
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After I fixed some stuff on
> the Rabbit, I had no desire to drive it.
>


well don't fix your cars if that what it does to you, just flog 'em.
> >
> > Sell That THING, it looks like some water
> bug.
>
> Water bug? Cool. I like that!
>
> alan
>
>

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

starion887 Wrote:
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> DirkaDirkaJack Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can’t run G5 with zero coefficient points.
> (Or
> > open for that matter). At least without a lot
> of
> > letter writing, begging and hoping.
> >
> Sure you can; run NASA Rallysport events for your
> first few events (Idaho. Mt Hood, etc.) NRS does
> not restrict you from running any class. Don't
> limit car choice based on that issue alone; you
> have both 'brands' of events to pick from in the
> PNW.
> The other solution might be to get a junkyard NA motor and swap it in until you earns some points. That's what Ian intends to do.

> I've never been a fan of thsoe small cars after
> coming across a Fiat X19 flipped on its side on a
> POR stage years back.
> Best of luck; get a rally car and go!
> Mark B.
>
> I'll presume that was Allan Arnold's self-immolating Fiat and the year was 1980. I had skipped this ride after about 2 years right seat. He had put a pair of 40 DCOEs on the car. He failed to plug off the emmisions fittings on the fuel tank so when it flipped up, fuel drained put and you can guess the rest. All the previous times I'd ridden in the car,it caught fire at least once but they were small, compared to the last ( and final).
The history of mid-engined cars in North American Rally is pretty dismal.
>The Fieros got high -centered a lot. You've got x 1/9 story. The MR2's - the jury is still out as at least one is still out there.
>
> Edited 1 times. Last edit at Nov 2, 2008 by
> starion887.

---

Bruce Beauvais
Too many SAABs to count

Dazed_Driver Wrote:
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>the only non "custom" (like Loynings) Formula
> Atlantic parts WORTH getting is the dry sump
> pan/pump/mount... and even then, thats only useful
> if your REALLY making enough power that crank case
> fluid is a resistence problem or your revs are so
> high the stock pump cant keep up. or both.
>
> Feisty Peacock?

It's not worth it for the extra ground clearance? Or at least skid pan to sump clearance.

---

Bruce Beauvais
Too many SAABs to count

john vanlandingham Wrote:
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> tipo158 Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> > After I fixed some stuff on the Rabbit, I had no desire to drive it.
>
> well don't fix your cars if that what it does to you, just flog 'em.

It wasn't fixing the car that caused the problem. Fixing it up was a total and complete blast. It just didn't excite me to drive it.

Some thing happened with the Formula car. As I got closer to finishing it, I figured out that lapping days in my Elise would accomplish what I wanted out on the track. The Formula car is exceedingly cool, but it is not what I really want to drive.

For some people, the car is just a tool. For me, I am more interested in driving a car that I feel some attachment to.

alan

> > tipo158 Wrote:
> >
>
>
> For some people, the car is just a tool. For me,
> I am more interested in driving a car that I feel
> some attachment to.
>
> alan
>


Velcro...

heymagic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > > > tipo158 Wrote:
> > >
> >
> >
> > For some people, the car is just a tool. For
> me,
> > I am more interested in driving a car that I
> feel
> > some attachment to.
> >
> > alan
> >
>
>
> Velcro...

No, zip-ties. And not the cheap ones either ...

I personally think an MR2 is nuts. Nuts. NUTS!

It just doesn't have anything going for it in this application. Wheelbase sucks, weight distribution is less than ideal, no room to put helmets, no headroom, can't fit a spare anywhere. And for what?

If you want RWD go with the Volvo.

krisdahl Wrote:
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> I personally think an MR2 is nuts. Nuts. NUTS!
>
> It just doesn't have anything going for it in this
> application. Wheelbase sucks, weight distribution
> is less than ideal, no room to put helmets, no
> headroom, can't fit a spare anywhere. And for
> what?

You are right. Lancia couldn't do anything with the Stratos!

tipo158 Wrote:
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>>>
> You are right. Lancia couldn't do anything with
> the Stratos!
>

Another example of good results in spite of the car. The Stratos was fast, an exotic, powerful rally car in an era of 4 cylinder saloons but it was very short and small inside and any comments I've read or heard from drivers that rallied them say they were pretty vile handling. Apparently not so bad they couldn't win, though!

I'd suspect comparing results of factory Lancias or Renault or even Checker cabs against real world drivers and real world cars is similar to comparing me in a stock Monte Carlo against Jimmy Johnson in a NASCAR version....just plain silly.

These cars were largely one-off versions driven(herded) by the best in the business. No real relationship to a basic G2 MR-2 driven a club level for most people.

At some point nearly every driver is going to want to beat some other driver and bask in the glory. It's a basic human trait called competition. We buy team clothing for football, race pedal bikes down hill, they have slug races in the town 3 miles from me, see who can pee furthest off the bridge rail, let the biggest fart and so on. At the point the red mist comes down the MR2, that cost as much to build as a Sube or Volvo, will rear it's ugly head. Results will be defeat or worse. Putting lipstick on a pig won't get your friends to say " Woohoo, that Joe's a lucky guy..."

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Well put Gene. Can we end this thread now?

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

"[referring to the Stratos] the total weapon for rally racing was born, enabling us to win everywhere and to hold uncontested sway over the world championship in that speciality for three years."

"... I can affirm without hesitation that the Stratos proved to be the ideal, most versatile car for that purpose I had ever driven."

- Sandro Munari, 2002