Rally car recommendation for first timer

First a little bit about me.. I'm a 21 y/old from the island Curacao and my first experience with rallying was when I started playing the game Rally sport challenge on my old x-box.
After that, I started riding my dad's old Honda ct 70's and soon after, I got a Jeep XJ for
daily driving. After off-roading for some time, I got in contact with the group Offroad maniacs Curacao.

This has been fun and all but there has always been that part of me that wants to rally.
I've searched on the MSA website for the starter pack but knowing that racing real stages isn't in the near future, I think the best thing to do now is to get the license and start building a car just to train a bit. I know of a few terrains available where I occasionally cross with my Jeep and most of my Jeep friends are mechanics who can help me build the car.

With this I ask,
Which cars should I look for to build ?
Which stages should I build the car for when I get a class B license ?
Are there any books available that show the technical standards for a rally car ?
I read that I'm required to be a member of a car club,
Do vintage car clubs and drag racing car clubs count too ?
The drag racing committee has a small drift track that is used for training.
How high of a budget should I set for a trainee rally car ?

Regards,
Albert.

Ps: I'm trying to be as upfront as possible without offending the members here.
Rallying really is a passion of mine even though I'm only a newbie.
I don't see actually racing in real events in the near future just yet but I do hope that I'll get
my chance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2015 05:25PM by Albert Jr..

First of all, good work filling out your profile before posting, you're rally material! (There's a lot of rules to follow in rally in order to enjoy the freedom of the stages.)

Who sanctions rally in Curacao? Read their rule book and I don't mean skim it, I mean read it.

Is there a club system there? If so make connections with the locals. Even if there isn't a club system make connections with the local rallyists. Rally Anarchy has a ton of expertise, but local expertise is always better. You probably don't know, but one of the reasons for "real name, real location" here is so we can point people to local expertise.

Don't worry about the car too terribly much. You want reliable and safe. You're going to crash it so don't spend 10 years making some precious testament to "top spec", maybe buy an already prepped car. Consult locals to determine what's worth buying at what price. Or maybe build, it's a tough call without more info.

There's a lot of personal safety equipment you're going to need. Keep your eyes open for deals on the stuff that doesn't expire. Here in the states that's everything but helmets that doesn't expire. Buy that stuff on the cheap if deals appear as you move towards the stages.

Finally, don't get too concerned if people on here yell at you. We seem to reflexively yell at the next generation of rallyists but you don't seem to be yelling material. But that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. Rally is hard, you're going to run into setbacks no matter what, so I guess getting yelled at on Rally Anarchy is good practice to draw upon your inner sisu. Look up "sisu", it's Finnish.

Allow me to welcome you to Rally Anarchy and to wish you the best of luck! Much better advice will I'm sure be soon to follow!

Thankyou for the reply sir.
The problem is that no-one sanctions rallying in Curacao. That's why I'm asking if I can use membership of the vintage car club or drag racing club.

I know of a small shop that sells helmets but I'm not sure if they are up to standards.
Most of the equipment here is also ordered from China which is why locals tend to order their gear themselves.

Thanks again for your help and the welcoming reply.

Nissan Sentra B13 SE-R

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Albert Jr.
Thankyou for the reply sir.
The problem is that no-one sanctions rallying in Curacao. That's why I'm asking if I can use membership of the vintage car club or drag racing club.

I know of a small shop that sells helmets but I'm not sure if they are up to standards.
Most of the equipment here is also ordered from China which is why locals tend to order their gear themselves.

Thanks again for your help and the welcoming reply.

As far as "how do I rally when there is no rally where I live" is a bit out of my depth. Is there a rally scene in Venezeula?

I probably wasn't clear, the helmet is the last thing you buy. Those expire after a certain time period so if it's just sitting around it's expiring. And without a rule book it's tough to say what is "up to standards". Maybe job #1 is to figure out where you're going to play and who runs the events.

Maybe a less expensive and easier to acheive goal in the short-term is to start out co-driving. You'd just need personal safety equipment and it would give you a chance to learn the ropes before you move into the driver's seat.

Umm Tony... Curacao is an island in the Caribbean not a city in Venezuela. You're thinking of Caracas.

As far as rally in the Caribbean goes see this link. http://www.caribinfo.com/sports/motorsport.html

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northcoast
Umm Tony... Curacao is an island in the Caribbean not a city in Venezuela. You're thinking of Caracas.

As far as rally in the Caribbean goes see this link. http://www.caribinfo.com/sports/motorsport.html

I figured Venezuela was the closet large country that might have a rally scene:



But like I said, other people would have better info and you proved me correct.

Thanks again guys and I really appreciate the link.
I have a feeling I better start brushing up on my spanish

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Albert Jr.
Thanks again guys and I really appreciate the link.
I have a feeling I better start brushing up on my spanish

What do you speak daily there? I read its a kind of a creole.......Papiamentu?

And seriously---if you want to do rally, have you considered moving?

I wanted to do serious hard moto-cross when I was young and the sport was very yound in USA so I saved a little money and moved to Sweden just before I was 18...
And when money that ran out 3 mo later went back when I was 19 and stayed for 8 mo then went back and stayed for 2 years and then another 2 years and....

If you want to rally you have to be where the rallies are.

---

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.

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john vanlandingham
What do you speak daily there? I read its a kind of a creole.......Papiamentu?

Did you google that?

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ALS FTW

Quote
john vanlandingham
What do you speak daily there? I read its a kind of a creole.......Papiamentu?

Did you google that?

My family comes from not far from there and traded there in the 1920s and '30s...
I heard talk of the various Creoles...And have previously read about Dutch Antilles...
Well the whole Caribbean since they came from Caymans, Jamaica, Panama, shopping in Barranquilla going here and there till one big hurricane....Grandpa and 15-or whatever ships never came home.
What's it to you, bub?

---

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.

Man, it seems like you just didn't grasp the tone of what I was saying.

Just trying to interject a bit of humour...

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ALS FTW
Man, it seems like you just didn't grasp the tone of what I was saying.

Just trying to interject a bit of humour...

Sorry but I think for you its too late..

I had asked early on if you wanted to talk to 2 noobs right in Calgary who i know are smart and senible guys who have heard all the Part Line and built their own cars and did very good jobs---and no response at all.
I had suggested you call on the phone and talk---a different thing entirely from typing at a keyboard---no response..
Now I see this parsing line by line and comments constantly---not questions which any noob or not-even-a-noob-yet should be asking---but corrections and well, too late..
Don't even look at trying to see any anything in reading carefully your posts now..

There is a difference between questions and challenging...maybe its just a local cultural difference---it is odd that the majority of people in the rally world in the Calgary area seem to be so self-sure, cocky and appallingly provincial and so aggressive --at their keyboard.
Especially in light of the modesty of accomplishments in this sport that THIS forum porports to be about edited so the Clever Trevor can understand

---

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.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2015 06:36PM by john vanlandingham.

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john vanlandingham
Especially in light of the modesty of accomplishments in this arena.

I have no interest in arena racing... maybe that's why we're not seeing eye to eye.
My interest is in real, out in the woods, rally - not putzing around in an arena with a monster livery just hoping to fit in!

That said. When I've googled results and parsed them for PNW guys running in the north and Canajans running south of the 49th... seems to me the western Canadians more than hold their own.

I wish there was an ignore feature on this forum.

---

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.