I can see getting pulled behind a car. But racing amongst other cars towing skiers? Holy shit! Check out the 550 Spyder! That's a $750,000+ car today.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
'Fascination quattro' by Frank Sprongl
Also see previous entries:
Audi vs Subaru
The Dreamer and the Legend
Sprongl's A2 and The Dreamer
Sprongl Rally Montage
And here's Frank talking about the car:
Sunday, January 29, 2012
2012 Sno*Drift Report
"In my 20 years of rally, this was the most difficult", David Higgins (Isle of Man) overall winner.
That might be an understatement. A combination of lack of snow and freeze-thaw cycles in the days before the rally, left the roads covered with ice. There's always some amount of ice, but this was beyond anything anyone had seen. Treacherous and unyielding. To make matters worse for us as the Safety Sweep car (last car to complete each stage), the 65 cars ahead of us polished the ice down even more ... it became so bad as the temperatures dropped that during a night stage, the Rally Wabbit was simply unable to climb one of the longest, steepest roads in the rally. Even one of the 4-wheel drive Heavy Sweep trucks was stopped and spinning right alongside us. You couldn't stand on the hill without holding onto the car. Luckily, one of the 4WD trucks had studded tires. Even he struggled to get to the top and after several attempts, was able to pull us and the heavy sweep truck to the top. Thanks!
For Day 2 we decided to switch to Tim's 4WD truck. The roads were very slightly better thanks to light snow that at least gave a hint of traction. To top it all off, the rally ended in a white-out blizzard that forced the cancellation of the last stage due to zero visibility. But we all still had to transit several miles through the blizzard to the awards banquet. I'm friggin' exhausted. And having recurring nightmares of blind, over crest, off camber, downhill turns lined with large trees ....
Thanks to Tim for a fantastic job behind the wheel. I don't think we went off all weekend. Well, except for a freak electrical fire inside the car while we were on Stage that caused us to quickly exit the vehicle! At first, I thought we were going to watch the car burn to the ground in the middle of the forest. By the time I got the extinguisher, the smoke was gone. After a few minutes of checking things, we were able to jump back in and 'press on regardless' :)
Some on-board footage in Chris Duplessis' Ford R2 Fiesta, 2WD winner. You can see him searching for traction, mainly by running along the very edge of the road where some snow and gravel was visible in spots.
That might be an understatement. A combination of lack of snow and freeze-thaw cycles in the days before the rally, left the roads covered with ice. There's always some amount of ice, but this was beyond anything anyone had seen. Treacherous and unyielding. To make matters worse for us as the Safety Sweep car (last car to complete each stage), the 65 cars ahead of us polished the ice down even more ... it became so bad as the temperatures dropped that during a night stage, the Rally Wabbit was simply unable to climb one of the longest, steepest roads in the rally. Even one of the 4-wheel drive Heavy Sweep trucks was stopped and spinning right alongside us. You couldn't stand on the hill without holding onto the car. Luckily, one of the 4WD trucks had studded tires. Even he struggled to get to the top and after several attempts, was able to pull us and the heavy sweep truck to the top. Thanks!
For Day 2 we decided to switch to Tim's 4WD truck. The roads were very slightly better thanks to light snow that at least gave a hint of traction. To top it all off, the rally ended in a white-out blizzard that forced the cancellation of the last stage due to zero visibility. But we all still had to transit several miles through the blizzard to the awards banquet. I'm friggin' exhausted.
Thanks to Tim for a fantastic job behind the wheel. I don't think we went off all weekend. Well, except for a freak electrical fire inside the car while we were on Stage that caused us to quickly exit the vehicle! At first, I thought we were going to watch the car burn to the ground in the middle of the forest. By the time I got the extinguisher, the smoke was gone. After a few minutes of checking things, we were able to jump back in and 'press on regardless' :)
Some on-board footage in Chris Duplessis' Ford R2 Fiesta, 2WD winner. You can see him searching for traction, mainly by running along the very edge of the road where some snow and gravel was visible in spots.
An aerial shot by Matt Johnston* of Chris Duplessis testing the R2 (click here for full wallpaper size):
*How'd he do that? Go here: Aerial Camera Platform
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Remnants of LSPR
I guess I haven't had the rear wheels off the Rally Wabbit since LSPR. Not sure if this might have been the source of the wheel vibration ..... the Sno*Drift prep continues.
Nowicki/Brandt Fire Arrow
Talented graphic designer Dan Christie came up with some awesome stickers for Sno*Drift. Of course, they're not quite as full of awesomeness as the new livery for the Rally Wabbit ... which should be unveiled tomorrow night.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Car Collection of Juha Kankkunen
Click here: Juha's Incredible Collection!
Hmmmm, these look vaguely familiar:
4-time WRC Champion Juha in action:
Hmmmm, these look vaguely familiar:
4-time WRC Champion Juha in action:
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monte Carlo Rally - Day 1
As if it isn't always difficult to follow the WRC events, this year it is nearly impossible. The loss of promotor North One has left the official WRC website dormant. And Rally Radio Live appears to be Rally Radio Dead. The live timing & scoring app for my Droid is also dead. So it's down to fishing through enthusiast websites for info. Apparently, Latvala was leading before he missed a pace note, rolled and went out of the event. Heavy snow predicted in the mountains for tomorrow and Friday should make it anybody's rally to win.
At least Michelin are still on top of things. Here's Day 1 highlights:
At least Michelin are still on top of things. Here's Day 1 highlights:
286,789
Not too bad. I took my 2004 VW Jetta TDI out of regular business service today. 7 years and 286,000 miles and it looks and drives pretty much like the day I bought it and still gets 42MPG. Followed the VW recommended service schedule to the 'T'. The only thing that ever failed was a turbocharger at around 200,000. Sweet car. And the KBB retail value is still $8,400!
T-Minus 3 Months and Counting ....
Is it possible? Only 3 months until the running of Magnum Opus? Holy crap.
Rally America - Magnum Opus Rally 2012
Rally America - Magnum Opus Rally 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Fire Arrow Lives
Nowicki's Fire Arrow nearly ready for Sno*Drift!
Here's a pic I snapped at POR in either 79, 80, or 81. This is not Steve's car.
And then there's this .........
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
His Father Was a Mudder
"This horse loves the slop. It's in his bloodlines. His father was a mudder, his mother was a mudder."
Harri Rovanpera at WRC Argentina 2005 in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo:
Harri Rovanpera at WRC Argentina 2005 in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo:
Monday, January 9, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Separated at Birth?
My buddy Karl sent me this postcard. Shades of the Graywolf! I might need to add some nose graphics for this year's events .....
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Drill Here. Drill Now.
Nice to be reminded every so often of what our reliance on MidEast oil goes to support (well, besides terrorism, wars, and mundane stuff like that ... ). I present, the all-Porsche, all the time, Qatar police force:
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Lotus Exige R-GT WRC
Lotus will enter the WRC next year with the Exige R-GT. Unfortunately, it's a tarmac-only car. It will run in the GT category with the Porsche GT3. It has some distant roots to the late 70's Talbot Sunbeam Lotus shown in the background.
More info here: THE RETURN OF THE RALLYING SPORTS CAR
More info here: THE RETURN OF THE RALLYING SPORTS CAR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)