Page 1 of 2

Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:55 am
by Gravelguy
Did anyone else go? This makes the 6th time for me, and I dare say it was the best! The conditions were amazing with all the recent snow. In fact, it snowed all night during the event so that we never saw pavement or dirt all night long!

We didn't stay for the awards ceremony, but I'm anxiously waiting the results as I think we did pretty well (we we're in 4th in S class before we left!)

:partyman:

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 11:19 am
by Dave_G
Yup, I was there for the fourth time, and Diane was navigating for her second time. I agree -- the conditions were phenomenal, and it was so much fun driving those snow-packed roller-coaster roads all night!
:drive1:

This is always one of the high points of my motorsports year. It's a really great event, and we're so fortunate to have it practically in our back yard. This was the best-attended running of the event that I've seen, and it was great to see it filled to capacity.

Did we get to talk during the event? Hard to say unless you introduced yourself as Gravelguy, and I think I would have remembered that. :)

We were driving the black BMW E30. We ended up finishing the event first in Class S, but as far as I'm concerned everyone who ran the event "won", because it was so damn much fun. (Well, except maybe for the team that had the off into a tree, but even they looked to be in good spirits at the end.)

Here are the results for Class S as they were posted on the wall at the finish:

Image

Hats off to John Buffum for creating this event and keeping it going each winter, and to all the workers who toiled all night so the rest of us could have our fun. It was good to see Steve J. there and working some checkpoints.

Can't wait to do it again next year!

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 11:44 am
by Gravelguy
Thanks for posting that up Dave! We did in fact meet and spoke for a while. My name is Kevin and I was driving the vw golf R. My co driver was your co-worker Jamie!

By the looks of it, Jamie and I had the lowest score on section 3. I'm shocked especially considering we took ZERO TA's for that section! :shock:

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 1:36 pm
by Dave_G
Gravelguy wrote:By the looks of it, Jamie and I had the lowest score on section 3. I'm shocked especially considering we took ZERO TA's for that section! :shock:
Wow, that's incredible that you did that with no TA's. Congrats on that. You must have been flying! There was no way that I could keep up the speeds on that last section, so we ended up taking a 1.5 minute TA on six of the eight legs, due mostly just to falling behind on the clock mile after mile.

For those who weren't there, the last section was 3+ hours of driving 38-40 MPH (those are average, not maximum speeds) on twisty, hilly, slippery snow-packed one-lane roller coaster roads. It was totally awesome. :D

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 1:49 pm
by Gravelguy
Well, you guys were obviously keeping better track of your time than we did, congrats on your 1st place! The only reason we didn't take any TA's was because we weren't sure how to apply it......afterall, section 3 was the first section we didn't get lost in. Seems obvious to take them when you KNOW you are lost.

Already praying for snow for next year!

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:42 pm
by Rabbit Farmer
Roads were incredible. Charlie and I worked a checkpoint in a white Subaru. We were pressed hard to make it to our last checkpoint near VTC. Checkpoint opened on 10 minutes after we arrived. Good times.

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:07 am
by Gravelguy
Thanks for working the event!

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:46 pm
by Rabbit Farmer
I work it because I can't navigate my way out of a paper bag and my wife had the Subaru.

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 2:19 pm
by Dave_G
One of the other teams put together a nice video of their rally that gives a good feel for what it's like:


Fun times! 8)

Re: Winter Challenge Rally

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 11:06 am
by Rabbit Farmer
Enjoyed the video.... actually watched the whole thing! Roads were great!