Ford Contingency Money

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BillyElliot

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starion887

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BillyElliot
In a way, I wish that they would have announced this a year sooner. Or maybe I should have waited a year to build my new car...

Oh hindsight!

I wouldn't beat myself up over it, Billy. You have to win it to make it. Make your best plans and move forward.

And, I am sure nobody on this site would do it ......... but racers are notorious for spending $10,000 that they would not have spent otherwise to win $1,000.

Regards,
Mark B.

Well with some sort of marketing with a local dealership, I'm sure one could get a heavily discounted Fiesta as long as you park the car at their dealership for people to oogle over and slap the dealership's name all over it. Probably work something like a buy back of all unused OEM parts to the dealer as well. You could most likely get a car for $10k. Add in a base $10k package of cage/suspension and you have the new generation MK2 GTI that you can actually market towards sponsorships, aftermarket companies as a testbed for development parts, etc.

Sure, I'd be 40hp under the R2 without a fancy dogbox. But you you're getting diminishing returns performance of the Reigers compared to something like a HotBitchtchs kit. You solve the under HP issue by keeping the foot down.

But looking at total events... There's 7 "events" in the Fiesta Cup over 4 weekends. In these events you only need to place compared to other Fiestas. Wyatt is one of them in the R2, Van Way's will have a turbo so won't be R2 eligible (and I find it silly that he would go turbo to not be R2 eligible) There's the one guy in Canada building one, Broken wants to build one, I don't know any other currently competing rally folks who are looking to buy one (at least publicly). You have up to $14,000 in prize money available with $1750 if you get 5th every time. I know, don't count on the money, but the money is there... Also when you consider MaxAttack! money over 2 weekends...

I'm sure we'll see a lot of Stage 1 Fiestas in the R2 cup with a few full blown R2s mixed in there.

Hotbitch...tee heee.

Billy, talk about diminishing returns...

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john vanlandingham
Hotbitch...tee heee.
Billy, talk about diminishing returns...

While I'm not a big fan of hotbits myself I do know many people who use them, are happy with them, are fast* on them and who would buy them again for rally use.
I've come to realize that suspension is really important and not a foolish place to spend money. A good friend who was fast* in a golf chose Proflex suspension for a number of reasons, downstream economics being one of them.
I know other people who bought "budget"* suspension and have it collecting dust in the corner of their garage and not even thought of for 'spares' or back-up use.

*fast and budget are, of course, relative terms.

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Morison
While I'm not a big fan of hotbits myself I do know many people who use them, are happy with them, are fast* on them and who would buy them again for rally use.
I've come to realize that suspension is really important and not a foolish place to spend money. A good friend who was fast* in a golf chose Proflex suspension for a number of reasons, downstream economics being one of them.

I could stick my head up a cow's ass to check out my steak, but I'd much rather take the butcher's word for it.

I think Hotbits have evolved since their inception but I'd still never put them on a car.
I like supporting Americans that are producing something. Retail stores are cool and all, but they're just retailers.

Billy - Just go drive and quit overanalyzing things. Your Civic is a better privateer car anyhow.

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Morison
My guess is that you'd have as much luck registering a merkur as you would a mazda for this contingency.

Except a Merkur is a Ford. And Mazda already has a contingency program and it is for all events.

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NoCoast

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Morison
My guess is that you'd have as much luck registering a merkur as you would a mazda for this contingency.

Except a Merkur is a Ford. And Mazda already has a contingency program and it is for all events.

Yep, the car has a Ford badge on the door sills.
looks like a Ford. Especially as any far sighted Xratty own will have pried off those cheesy faux-pretentions
"made by Ford Werke A.G. Köln, West Germany'' (When it was really made by Karmann in Osnabrück, Bundesrepublik Deutschland) and replace them with Ford Blue ovals+++and enter the car as Ford Sierra..


We're all gonna be rich I tellz ya! Rich beyond our wildest dreams!!!!!!

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john vanlandingham
We're all gonna be rich I tellz ya! Rich beyond our wildest dreams!!!!!!

I'm already rich!
Though I wish I was into porn. Then I could fund my rallying career by creating smut.
I wonder if I could apply for political asylum in Sweden.

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NoCoast
Billy - Just go drive and quit overanalyzing things. Your Civic is a better privateer car anyhow.

Oh, I know. It's pretty much an R2 for 1/3 the cost. The Honda is around for the long term. Probably won't replace it with anything else, unless the R2's that all the road racing guys buy to "try" rallying and realize they hate it are going for 1/2 to 1/3 price.

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john vanlandingham

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hoche
Question is, does a Merkur counts as a Ford?

Who do you think made it?

Well, *I* know who, and *you* know who, but do the beancounters?


Rebadge it!

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hoche

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john vanlandingham

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hoche
Question is, does a Merkur counts as a Ford?

Who do you think made it?

Well, *I* know who, and *you* know who, but do the beancounters?


Rebadge it!

Well if they don't Knowes sumpin, then they won't knowz Ford Sierra ain't a Ford (Norte americano Ford that is).


Badges? We dun kneed no stinkin badges!

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john vanlandingham

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hoche

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john vanlandingham

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hoche
Question is, does a Merkur counts as a Ford?

Who do you think made it?

Well, *I* know who, and *you* know who, but do the beancounters?


Rebadge it!

Well if they don't Knowes sumpin, then they won't knowz Ford Sierra ain't a Ford (Norte americano Ford that is).


Badges? We dun kneed no stinkin badges!

What?

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Sofa King

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john vanlandingham

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hoche

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john vanlandingham

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hoche
Question is, does a Merkur counts as a Ford?

Who do you think made it?

Well, *I* know who, and *you* know who, but do the beancounters?


Rebadge it!

Well if they don't Knowes sumpin, then they won't knowz Ford Sierra ain't a Ford (Norte americano Ford that is).


Badges? We dun kneed no stinkin badges!

What?

Hey since Volvo was owned by Ford for a few years, pry that Volvo badge off the 240 and make a million dolla!

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BillyElliot
Sure, I'd be 40hp under the R2 without a fancy dogbox. But you you're getting diminishing returns performance of the Reigers compared to something like a HotBits kit. You solve the under HP issue by keeping the foot down.

What if the guy with 40 extra Hp also keeps his foot down? what if his skills are equal to yours ?



just being silly, but wondering if you know what would happen too ...

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john vanlandingham
Hey since Volvo was owned by Ford for a few years, pry that Volvo badge off the 240 and make a million dolla!

You're on drugs.

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Morison

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john vanlandingham
Hotbitch...tee heee.
Billy, talk about diminishing returns...

While I'm not a big fan of hotbits myself I do know many people who use them, are happy with them, are fast* on them and who would buy them again for rally use.
I've come to realize that suspension is really important and not a foolish place to spend money. A good friend who was fast* in a golf chose Proflex suspension for a number of reasons, downstream economics being one of them.
I know other people who bought "budget"* suspension and have it collecting dust in the corner of their garage and not even thought of for 'spares' or back-up use.

*fast and budget are, of course, relative terms.

I am speaking in the gentlest, mellowest tone now so try to listen and learn.
I'm sure your friends reported what they honestly felt about the Hotbits, but one could ask if they had any idea of what good suspension was like.
Sorta along the lines of "What aren't the cannibals in Central New Guinea
upset that they don't have 78" plasma TVs?"
Cause they are happy with their 9v portable radios and...

If the HotBitches were priced as something which is in essence just a tarted up KYB Gas-a-just, ie around $80, and IF they had appropriate TRAVEL ie at least what OEM junk has or since they are marketed as "grave" suspesnion maybe as much as 170mm, then i'd say beginners would be crazy not to buy them.

But they are marketed as "starting from......." but end up costing within 10% typically of what suspension good enough to win Ontario Regional Championship costs..
I have seen "from just $800" and then the poor fawkers get talked into ratcheting up and by the time they have it in hand, they have paid over $1700.

Further, since they are in fact constructed like any cheap KYB, non inverted for the most part and far far too short, they end up failing FREQUENTLY..

And the pooor bastid in in the soup. He has 3 hanging on---for now, so he buys another.. Then another one pukes, so he buys another, now he's spent well over what "pretty damn good" stuff would have cost.

We won't even begin to discuss they concept of "utterly unknown damping rates" leaving a person with only subjective descriptions to convey if they are trying to change the valving to something Gravel ready.

Morison, I think you can concede that there is a small but not insignificant chance that, given that I have worked on loose surface suspension continuously since about 1973 and began revalving Bilsteins in 1975,
I MIGHT and building pretty damn good stuff for the last 8 years for a hundred or so cars, I just might have, if not the all knowledge of the most extreme stuff, at least enough knowledge to know what crap is.

Hotbitch is CRAP.

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john vanlandingham
I am speaking in the gentlest, mellowest tone now so try to listen and learn.
I'm sure your friends reported what they honestly felt about the Hotbits, but one could ask if they had any idea of what good suspension was like.

Absolutely agree.
I can say that having ridden on RS/SP, DMS, HotBits, Koni Home-brew and Bilstein Home-brew that the difference in the RS/SP is astoundingly obvious.

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john vanlandingham
Morison, I think you can concede that there is a small but not insignificant chance that, given that I have worked on loose surface suspension continuously since about 1973 and began revalving Bilsteins in 1975,
I MIGHT and blah, blah blah I just might have, if not the all knowledge of the most extreme stuff, at least enough knowledge to know what crap is.

I've always said that you have a wealth of suspension/damper knowledge and understanding and I have no doubt you know what is and isn't crap.

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Hotbitch is CRAP.

But crap is a relative term isn't it?
Someone who is used to ohlins/proflex/reiger would probably consider your Super Bitchn Suspenders crap while others who are used to over sprung stock struts would liken them to magic.

All I was saying is that suspension is a good place to be spending money. By that I was suggesting that HotBits was probably below the buy-in point for good suspension.