Hmm...slow cars..they are not...


Drift Central Regional Rally
January 29, 2011
Final Results




Starters: 19
Finishers: 15


Pos Car Class Driver/Co-Driver Hometown Vehicle Time
1 323 Open Erik Zenz West Allis, WI 1988 Mazda 323 GTX 1:17:14.2
Dave Parps Saukville, WI

2 44 Open Henry Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI 2000 Subaru Impreza 1:17:36.2
Cynthia Krolikowski Wyandotte, MI

3 548 Grp 2 Matt Bushore Ann Arbor, MI 1985 Volkswagen Jetta 1:23:14.3
Andrew Bushore Ankeny, IA

4 171 Open Carl Siegler Golden Valley, MN 2004 Subaru STi 1:23:20.0
David Goodman Eden Prairie, MN

5 319 Grp 2 Chris Greenhouse Cincinnati, OH 1995 Plymouth Neon 1:23:43.9
Phil Marsh Kingston, OH

6 37 Grp 2 Billy Mann Birmingham, MI 1996 Honda Civic 1:26:09.7
Jimmy Brandt Lake Odessa, MI

7 540 Open Tim Smigowski Chassell, MI 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse 1:29:08.4
Christina Smigowski Chassell, MI

8 244 Grp 2 Ian Topping Flint, MI 1980 Volvo 242 1:31:28.0
Jeff Secor Hudsonville, MI

9 91 Grp 2 Erika Detota Passaic, NJ 1995 Subaru Impreza 1:32:22.7
Ozgur Simsek Brooklyn, NY

10 263 Grp 2 Scott Rhoades S. Euclid, OH 1993 Honda Prelude 1:36:47.8
Scott Nickerson Jericho, VT

11 696 Grp 2 Bryan Holder Durand, IL 1996 Plymouth Neon 1:37:37.5
Tracy Payeur Coon Rapids, MN

12 121 Grp 2 Nathan Usher Lansing, MI 1987 Volkswagen GTI 1:40:51.8
Aaron Usher Lansing, MI

13 762 Grp 2 Justin Robinson Grayling, MI 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier 1:42:42.1
Nicholis Fitzpatrick Grayling, MI

14 69 Grp 2 David Smith Sylvania, OH 1995 Ford Aspire 1:43:57.0
Scott P. Leonard Pearland, TX

15 286 Grp 2 Sean Murphy Ann Arbor, MI 1988 VW GTI 1:48:04.7
Kenneth Tsang Ypsilanti, MI

DNF 98 Grp 2 Paul Hartl Toronto, ON 1999 Volkswagen Golf
Chuck Storry Kemptville, ON

DNF 24 OLite Tracey Gardiner N. Providence, RI 2001 Subaru Impreza RS
Maureen Hascher Akron, OH

DNF 73 Open Peter Hascher Akron, OH 1995 Subaru Impreza STi
Scott McGill Clinton, OH

DNF 478 Grp 5 Evan Moen Clarkston, MI 2000 Acura Integra Type R
Daniel Victor Clarkston, MI




Yes you can run NRS, but as they have nothing closer than Cali you're pretty much poked there. Canada is an option and an accredited driving school gives you 4 co-efficients I think ( too lazy to look)

Seems like the 1.8 mazda/Kia engine should fit in there, or the 2wd package can be transplanted. Either one is a fair amount of work. A turbo engine without the turbo in place isn't that bad. They only have slightly less compression than a stock NA motor, otherwise should work to get you thru a couple events.

Funny how eveyone that does this says they won't go fast or the car won't go fast yet they always worry about how much or little power the car will have without the turbo. It all comes back to power and speed in the end.

Alex ran just fine with a 1.8 Sube, Steve Greer ran a 1.8 Sube in the begining and they both had heavier cars. Worry about finishing, learn the procedures, learn to go fast by going slow (seriously) and then worry about competing next year.

I have a GTX and its the most fun car I ever owned.

I would run it FWD long before trying to run it RWD with all the fab work.

Just run it and enjoy it. Canadian rallys are fun btw.

Quote
madspeed
I have a GTX and its the most fun car I ever owned.

Is it stage rally prepped or are you beginning the process?

(PM and email sent)

---

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.

thanks for the email John. Its basically bone stock. I just started stripping the interior, but its mostly a daily driver with the occasional rally-X and TDS rally. Id like it to remain a daily as well as my winter car. Considering how rare and lack of parts availability, it might make sense for me to just go the evo/wrx/sti route to build a track/rally duty car. Still trying to figure things out. Im still many years away from considering getting into Stage rally.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2011 02:09PM by madspeed.

Quote
madspeed
thanks for the email John. Its basically bone stock. I just started stripping the interior, but its mostly a daily driver with the occasional rally-X and TDS rally. Id like it to remain a daily as well as my winter car. Considering how rare and lack of parts availability, it might make sense for me to just go the evo/wrx/sti route to build a track/rally duty car. Still trying to figure things out. Im still many years away from considering getting into Stage rally.

hey I built a really nice Cosworth 4x4 just before the Invasion of the Blue Subarus, didn't cost much to do with some creative trades (an 89 Dodge Pimp-o-van I got with supposedly a bad rear axle for $1200---pulled the rear cover and it was a side diff adjuster thing that had backed out---set set the thing and new gasket and that got me everything from rad to diff. Course the motor was whupped, rad was dead but everything else was fine)

But when I moved back here in 2000 I was pretty fawked up physically and basically disabled on the whole left side of the body, and what with "The Best Medical System in the Whole Worldâ„¢" I was simply fawked.

And I bought a house w/ 30' x 40' garage with apartment above--so I rented the house and kept trying to find the source of the blinding, drive ya mad pain and didn't worry about rally stuff which was just for fun anyway. Then I got married. And then somehow I don't understand we had two girls..

In the meantime I helped a number of guys find and build some cars and did what I could to make some dough while being barely able to stand---and hardly think.....

BUT in the course of helping these guys we talked a lot about having fun on a reasonable budget and we got to discussing what specific elements it is in the modern turbo 4wd cars that really makes them work so good....

And we sorta came to the conclusion that it wasn't the 4wd. It was:
powerful but flexible turbocharged motors that made lots of torque, a good set of gearbox ratios with no bad gaps like many earlier boxes (think the Eclipse, same motor as the Evoboitchi but horrible box ratios), a reasonably shorter final drive ratio for mid range and top end acceleration up to "sane' speed, a good LSD or 2, and really good brakes.

And we saw we could do all those things for 1/5 the cost of a n Evoburu, or Subu-bitchi. And be more reliable--ie stronger bigger parts.

I think some wise guy put it well "Sure a Evo-buru might be more fun to blaze thru some corner---but is it 5 or 7 or 10 times more fun? I mean sideways thru some corner in a well balanced rwd car is a smile ear to ear, how is it possible to smile more than that? It'd break your face!"

So since weeze all are doing this for fun and fun is often measured by "dollars spent for smile return ratio".

Why EVO/STI whatever thing knowing how expensive they are and the insane cost of the stuff to make them durable?.......cause the stock stuff will die if you really pound them.

---

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.

Quote
john vanlandingham
I think some wise guy put it well "Sure a Evo-buru might be more fun to blaze thru some corner---but is it 5 or 7 or 10 times more fun? I mean sideways thru some corner in a well balanced rwd car is a smile ear to ear, how is it possible to smile more than that? It'd break your face!"

I spent the weekend on my motorcycle riding rally roads in the mountains. Got it plenty leaned over and there was abundant oversteer to be had. I don't know that my smile could get wider.

Anders

ps: by "abundant" I mean enough for a newb rider like me, I was not flat-tracking every corner at 90mph. (Interesting data point: my GPS said my top speed at RWV was 81.9mph.)

---

Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

And that was with only 1 rear drive wheel. Imagine how much more fun having 2 rear drive wheels is. Easily x2...

Quote
Anders Green

Quote
john vanlandingham
I think some wise guy put it well "Sure a Evo-buru might be more fun to blaze thru some corner---but is it 5 or 7 or 10 times more fun? I mean sideways thru some corner in a well balanced rwd car is a smile ear to ear, how is it possible to smile more than that? It'd break your face!"

I spent the weekend on my motorcycle riding rally roads in the mountains. Got it plenty leaned over and there was abundant oversteer to be had. I don't know that my smile could get wider.

Anders

ps: by "abundant" I mean enough for a newb rider like me, I was not flat-tracking every corner at 90mph. (Interesting data point: my GPS said my top speed at RWV was 81.9mph.)

Dayum! Gawddam bikes, man! But you know that bikes are the target I have in mind re stupid-giggle inducing fun at a reasonable cost.

THIS: is the target:


9 months, same sparkie plug.
What car can wheelie is most of the gears, run 3 years with only tires brake pad/shoes, chains?

---

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.

Quote
john vanlandingham
What car can wheelie is most of the gears, run 3 years with only tires brake pad/shoes, chains?

Reliant Robin with a blower?

...you didn't say anything about replacing body panels.

Dave

I'd really like to have one of the GTXs someday, but the transmissions scare me. Being that I prefer tarmac, I'd probably frag one in no time.

i am 88% sure i could kill any synchronous transmission with a bit of effort and negligence. it amazes me how many times i read on the web of these "glass transmissions". Is anyone on a club level and budget able to afford that .001 seconds gained by yanking the shit out of that shifter and side stepping the clutch? beat on the throttle when it is IN gear....

Quote
BJosephD
i am 88% sure i could kill any synchronous transmission with a bit of effort and negligence. it amazes me how many times i read on the web of these "glass transmissions". Is anyone on a club level and budget able to afford that .001 seconds gained by yanking the shit out of that shifter and side stepping the clutch? beat on the throttle when it is IN gear....

The three trans I've fragged have all been while it was IN gear, not on a shift.

Two WRX (one 2nd, one 3rd), one VW 020.

Granted, two of those were still shock loads (WRX second went when the car lurched lifting off the throttle, VW went when after a jump. I hit the throttle on landing, but the car bounced), but there's a reason people say those transmissions aren't robust.

GTX box will hold up to a surprising amount of abuse on gravel. I have yet to break one at a rally, granted I've only done about a dozen, but I've gone through what, 5 of em, in the last decade or so otherwise... they'll hold up on dirt IF you are nice to it and feed it well and don't speedshift and use some mechanical sympathy. But they are easily the weakest link in an otherwise robust drivetrain. It was an eye opening experience to see the guts of one of these, then see the guts of a GT4 alltrac box the next day. It's like Mazda put thiers together with tinfoil and legos and said "this'll get it out the showroom" and Toyota made thiers with banksafe doors and battleship hulls and said "maybe it won't break"...

I have mechanical sympathy, I try real hard to put things out of their misery.

I only broke two GTX gearboxes both on gravel.