Dirt Cheap Rally - A NEW Way To Thrash On $500 Race Cars

Hey Grassroots fans! I'll post up in events soon, but wanted to introduce this new thing to everyone first. If this isn't the right place please let me know or just move it.

I've just started Dirt Cheap Rally, a new racing series for $500 race cars.  It's affordable, off-road, wheel-to-wheel endurance racing.  The same cars you'd use for LeMons or Chump, only on gravel and dirt!  The rules are a little different of course, but most of the cars that race with those guys should be able to come play in the dirt with us!  We're hoping to offer an option somewhere between RallyX and full stage rally that most people can afford.

We've got two west-coast tracks set up for 2011, and I'm working on a few more.  Come take a look at the web site (dirtcheaprally.com), the rules, the events and join us for a race!  You can leave comments here and I'll try to get back and reply, or join our forum there and I'm sure to see them right away.  You can also email me any questions you have at erik@dirtcheaprally.com.

Rally? $500? Redmond, OR??!?

This is relevant to my interests!

(Pssssst!!! BRYCE!!! Do you need a driver? )

These events are becoming more common and I even found one less than 12 miles from my house in East Texas.

Bruce

Please expand to the East Coast!

What he said! ^^^^

motion carries.

Sweet. It's time for all of us to unleash our inner Caswell.

Been waiting for this to come East...

An East Cost push! Awesome. I will be working on it for 2012, it's just not in the cards this year. Hopefully a few non-disaster events out west will give me some ammunition to work with tracks nationwide finding suitable venues.

In the mean time, if any of you east-coasters know of suitable locations, PLEASE email me (erik@dirtcheaprally.com) or come post em up on our forum so I can start the talks.

Thanks!

Yeah east coast - please please. Will ask around about venues.

East please

East Coast or banned!! Preferably mid-Atlantic area.

+1 for east coast.

Have you guys read the rules, and entry costs?

Just read through them, sounds real similar in concept and cost to LeMons. For instance, my 5 man (well, 4 guys and a girl) team cost $1100.00 in entry fees.

I'm in!!!...if an East Coast event is created. I've been talking about something like this for years.

Greg?? Do you hear this? You can't part out that free Impreza!!!! We are going rally racing!!

Zomby woof wrote: Have you guys read the rules, and entry costs?

Rules are just like LeMons, entry fees are on par w/or cheaper than LeMons for roughly the same amount of seat time. It's LeMons in the dirt. What's not to love? Not to sound all elitist, but I've come to the realization that for the money, I'd rather do 1 or 2 LeMons races a year than an entire season of auto-x.

PS: Also in for East Coast events. All the cool kids are on the East Coast, and we'll actually build a car and show up.

and we'll actually build a car and show up.

I'd like to know what you had to go through to set this up. I'd like to make this happen in Michigan. I have no idea where to start so any advice or information would be awesome.

doesnt summit point motorsports park have a pretty large rallycross area? not sure if its actually wide enough for door to door racing but they did host a LeMons event there last year, so are at least open to the idea of E36 M3boxes racing at their facilities.

18 year old car minimum? Are there exceptions on any level for cars that can't possibly win? Say a 1995 Ford Taurus that I bought for 100$ because the front subframe is nearly rusted through?

I'd love it if you can find a venue within an hour of the San Francisco bay area. The autocross scene is pretty weak, and this sounds like a blast!

There was a west coast off-road racing sanction that expanded to the east coast some years back w/ primarily stock/ amateur racing. My interest at the time was the amateur/ stock Cherokee class, also modified (to a not so crazy extent). There were several east coast venues mentioned but the specifics elude me now and a brief google showed no results. (maybe... eastern Pa. and NJ)

The tracks couldn't be that aggressive for a stock Cherokee class. Maybe some of the XJ guys here remember that and the tracks.

The 18 year rule is kinda odd...seems arbitrary, any input? I also don't understand why you've ruled out AWD cars.

It might not be possible because of safety and spectator concerns but the O'neil Rally School has a great track through the woods up in NH.

failboat wrote: doesnt summit point motorsports park have a pretty large rallycross area? not sure if its actually wide enough for door to door racing

Actually two different areas (tracks). And if you go with the 3-4 cars to a heat format either would be fine.