For the first event I think the only thing that matters is having a car that passes tech. I ran one event on dirt with two drivers in my car and didn't see any noticeable wear on my Winterforce tires. I also went to a local rallycross where the FTD was set by a brand new WRX with the factory installed summer performance tires. In the rain. On a muddy track.
Read the rulebook, fix anything that would stop you from passing tech, tape some numbers on the car and have fun.
TopNoodles said:For the first event I think the only thing that matters is having a car that passes tech. I ran one event on dirt with two drivers in my car and didn't see any noticeable wear on my Winterforce tires. I also went to a local rallycross where the FTD was set by a brand new WRX with the factory installed summer performance tires. In the rain. On a muddy track.
Read the rulebook, fix anything that would stop you from passing tech, tape some numbers on the car and have fun.
This in a nutshell.
In reply to Knurled. :
Thank you :-)
You make a valid point, and I hadn’t considered running in a stock class could very well end up as you described.
TopNoodles said:For the first event I think the only thing that matters is having a car that passes tech. I ran one event on dirt with two drivers in my car and didn't see any noticeable wear on my Winterforce tires. I also went to a local rallycross where the FTD was set by a brand new WRX with the factory installed summer performance tires. In the rain. On a muddy track.
Read the rulebook, fix anything that would stop you from passing tech, tape some numbers on the car and have fun.
Exactly. Read the rulebook and figure out which class you belong in (by the pic of the car im gonna guess mod). But your class will determine what you can buy for the car. But for your first race i would suggest just treating the car like you are about to take it on a 1000 mile road trip. Fluids, air pressure, check your suspension for anything wore out, that kind of thing. You arent going to be fast for the first few races so just go have fun and let the car figure out what it needs. 99% of rallycrossers are super awesome dudes, so feel free to ask questions at the event if youre not sure where you are supposed to be or what you should be doing when lining up and working the corners.
Just don't buy snow tires if you are going to run a full season with SCCA rallycross. It is cheaper per run to buy rally tires if you are planning on driving down to St. Lucie.
They are doing autocross at the FIRM on the same day so I'll be there, lmk if you need any help and if there is time maybe swap some passenger rides.
Thanks for all the tips folks. I am not sure how many events we'll get to this year, but it probably won't be many. From all of the comments and the links, it sounds like snow tires are an easy way to go.
And echoechoecho, thanks for letting me know that. I didn't realize there were multiple events on the same day. Is it an SCCA autocross event? Maybe I'll enter both! And definitely up for some passenger swapping.
yea its SCCA Buccaneer Region running the autocross, I dont think you can sign up for both they run them at the same time.
Just out of curiosity, is that a logbooked car with a "real" rally cage, or is that a bolt-in setup? Hard to tell in the pics.
I only ask because, if the cage isn't legal for ARA/NASA rally stage events, and you want to be competitive in rallycross, and it's a bolt-in cage - take it out. It's just dead weight and there's no need for a full cage for rallycross, other than for style points :)
irish44j said: there's no need for a full cage for rallycross, other than for style points :)
Unless you're the 2 guys at a rallycross up here that flipped a 2.5RS on its lid and had it back together enough to run another event a month later. If you drive hard enough to take that kind of risk, the cage might be worth it.
rslifkin said:irish44j said: there's no need for a full cage for rallycross, other than for style points :)Unless you're the 2 guys at a rallycross up here that flipped a 2.5RS on its lid and had it back together enough to run another event a month later. If you drive hard enough to take that kind of risk, the cage might be worth it.
Flipping a car in rallycross isn't "driving hard," it's driving stupid, lol.
BTW - i'm the one in the white shirt in the background. I called on the radio (since I knew the car owner was working timing) that there appeared to be an oil leak that he should have a look at.
(Driver is a 2x National Champion and tends to beat M4 cars with an SA legal car)
Also note that ZB didn't lift. Never lift. Tire spin can save you but tire bite WILL hurt you.
rslifkin said:irish44j said: there's no need for a full cage for rallycross, other than for style points :)Unless you're the 2 guys at a rallycross up here that flipped a 2.5RS on its lid and had it back together enough to run another event a month later. If you drive hard enough to take that kind of risk, the cage might be worth it.
I have seen six rollovers. (Five at National Championships)
At rallycross speeds, it is a non event. It is literally a rolling over, like you roll over in bed. A cage would probably do more harm than good, in that it would give you more things to hit inside the cabin.
The first one I was there for, I asked the driver what it was like. He said "It felt like I was going to roll over.. and then I rolled over. Then I was stuck on my side."
Painful was the Fiesta 1.0, mainly because I had to watch him drive it back to the paddock with all of the side bags blown and the windshield spiderwebbed, and he was 2000mi from home. Probably a total.
Knurled. said:BTW - i'm the one in the white shirt in the background. I called on the radio (since I knew the car owner was working timing) that there appeared to be an oil leak that he should have a look at.
(Driver is a 2x National Champion and tends to beat M4 cars with an SA legal car)
Also note that ZB didn't lift. Never lift. Tire spin can save you but tire bite WILL hurt you.
meh, I don't see a rollover there. Driver in control can recover it. Driver out of control goes over. I know ZB and how fast he is.
In reply to irish44j :
He was also driving a GC 2.5RS, which is the ultimatest rallycross car ever, if you can afford one. No matter your driving style, they just work. Like modern day Mk2 Escorts.
Bonus was that it was Orion's car, back when he had two 2.5RSs. He drives an STi in M4 now, bought from Draco when he jumped ship and went Evo. (I almost bought it. Orion came up with the money faster) I do understand that he has been acquiring the bits to make it PA legal, which should be interesting.
The disgusting: A clean 2.5RS goes for about what a clean STi goes for, nowadays. For that money, one could make a serious attack on PR with an M3 or S2000.
Knurled. said:At rallycross speeds, it is a non event. It is literally a rolling over, like you roll over in bed. A cage would probably do more harm than good, in that it would give you more things to hit inside the cabin.
I was thinking more from the "keep the car in the right shape and usable for the next event" perspective than the "prevent the driver from getting hurt" perspective. Because yeah, injuries generally won't be major at those speeds.
In reply to rslifkin :
Oh, that much is a non issue as well. The car's shape will stay intact. The biggest issue is you WILL destroy the windshield if the roof buckles even a little bit, and a cage will not prevent that.
A wrecked windshield from a rollover was apparently the reason for the asinine rule proposal (shot down, thankfully) against any cracks or chips in the glass. I only heard rumors about it, so I don't even know the region, but to me it sounds like the real problem was an ineffective safety steward who didn't want to enforce the golden rule: Safety steward has the right to bar any vehicle from competition at any time for any reason, full stop. Just because there isn't a rule that says the car must not be a folded mess doesn't mean the SS can't say "You're done, go home or borrow another car."
Just like someone proposed that Mod should always run first so that they don't have to run at night, because I guess in their region their Mod cars don't have headlights. No need for a rule: Event runs long and into dusk? Your car with no headlights is no longer safe for conditions, your runs are over. That was the risk you took by removing your lights. Jump into another car or go home.
This is my polite, diplomatic opinion. I have much more to say about the general subject in person...
In reply to Knurled. :
I absolutely agree with that line of thinking. Giving more discretion to the safety steward ends in some interesting stuff getting to run at times. Just because a vehicle isn't safe for one region's typical courses or terrain doesn't mean it's not perfectly safe somewhere else with different course design, different terrain, etc.
One local region is rollover-paranoid because they've had too many and if anything looks even slightly tall or tippy, it's out.
Another tends to have courses where it's harder to roll a car without a major screw-up being involved (the 2.5RS is the only one I know of that they've had). So they're significantly more open in what can run. My Jeep? No problem on their courses, just with the usual caveat of "if this starts to look unsafe we'll say you're done". Heck, they let someone run a dually pickup once. I didn't get to see it, but I'm sure the guy took plenty of cones...
In reply to EvanB :
Effective way to avoid the right-hand cone on that gate
You'll need to log in to post.
