What’s your name?  Where are you located? What do you do for a living?
Eric Wages. Currently living in Goose Creek, SC (in the Charleston, SC metropolitan area). I’m the Operations Manager of a Google datacenter in Moncks Corner, SC where I’m responsible for overseeing the team of folks that deploy and fix all of the hardware that makes stuff like Google and YouTube work.

What got you interested in rally?
Growing up, I wasn’t really interested in cars. I did some of the usual stuff with my dad in the garage like changing the oil and air filter in his burnt-orange Ford Fiesta, but that was about the extent of it. In 1989, my father’s job was transferred to the UK, so the family packed up and went with him.

Now, as a relatively spoiled American child, I was used to cable TV that had about 50 channels at the time. Upon arriving in England, I discovered only 4 channels; BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel4. So, while mindlessly flipping through the 4 (!!!) channels, I stumbled upon this crazy program called rally. I had no idea what exactly was going on, but I knew it was extremely intense and incredibly cool. Moving back to the US in 1991, however, moved rally off my radar and I forgot about it. 10 years later Subaru announced that the Impreza WRX was being released in the US, and I remembered how incredibly cool the motorsport was. I couldn’t help it – I bought one of the first ones!

In 2002, I was laid off from my job in Virginia and ended up moving back to work at my Alma mater, The University of Maine. While in Maine I met John Cassidy who, at the time, was just getting his rally program off of the ground. At that time he had only attended maybe 3 or 4 rallies and he needed an extra set of hands in the garage. It was convenient for him as I only lived 5 miles away and was a willing victim! Over the next few years I did a whole variety of jobs with him, from wrenching to ECU wiring and tuning, and crew chief to team manager. I think I did pretty much every job at one point or another, short of sitting in the seat at an actual event. I’ve had my hands in nearly every car that John’s had for the last 10 years: Fireball, the Group2 Honda; Steel Tulip (now being driven by Jason Smith/Jared Lantzy), Tulip 2 (untimely death at Maine Forest some years back) and now Tulip 4. (Tulip 3 was skipped. Ask John!) Over the years with Last Ditch Racing, I think I attended something on the order of 20-30 rallies, mostly in Canada.

As the job market shifted, I moved on to take a new job down in the South. I was still bitten by the rally bug, I had to stay involved. I had met Anders Green one year at Maine Forest Rally and we hit it off. As a fellow Mainer and UMaine alum from the same department I attended, we had a lot in common. He knew I was highly involved with LDR up in Maine and was willing to let me help out at the events. Things started slow. One year a HAM radio operator at Rally Tennessee, the next a volunteer and HAM organizer. For the last few years, though, I have pretty much cemented myself as the Chief of Controls, driving the 0 car, because my experience gave me a good perspective on rally operations, safety, HAM radio setup, scoring, etc.

Last year I was wanted to step into competition, so I finished prepping my car and finally went hot for the first time at Rally Tennessee this year with Chris Von Denes in the right seat.

Tell us about your rally car/truck.  How long have you had it?
I’ve had my Subaru WRX since April of 2002. We struck a deal with the local Subaru dealership when I bought the WRX and my wife (then girlfriend) bought a 2001 Forester. That Forester has been to nearly as many rallies as I have!

Did you buy your rally car or build it?
The plan was to always build the car, or in my words to my wife – “I’m going to drive this car into the ground.” After helping Cassidy build all of his cars, where each one was a better revision than before, I’ve (generally) learned the best practices of rally car building. I’ve seen a lot of cars, helped people at the events, and had to work on other professionally-built cars. None of them really worked for me, so I knew that I wanted to make my car my own.

What challenges did this cause?  What benefits did you realize as a result?
I had always planned on a very long build cycle. My logic was that, as I was replacing bits and pieces, I would simply get a strengthened or upgraded bit that was more compatible with the harshness of rally. When I converted the car from an automatic (yes, it started life as an auto!) I picked up a Version 7 STi Prodrive transmission. When the radiator went, I bought a multi-bar aluminum unit. And so on.

I now know the car inside and out. It’s nearly all my own work (and mistakes). I’ve only had to outsource two pieces of the build: the rollcage and the new engine. The current engine is essentially the 3rd one in the car. 1st one wore out. 2nd one I built and destroyed in 200 miles due to a blocked oil passage. I now have learned to leave engine assembly to the pros.

Tell us about a time when you stuffed the rally car (or maybe had a nasty off).
At Tennessee this year, I stuffed the car off the road on a R5->R4 at the flying finish of SS3. A lot of things went wrong: a bit too much speed, a slight bump in the middle of initial corner, and the corner actually looking like a R4->R3. We went about 50′ off through a bunch of dense brush with 1″ thick trees right in front of the StoleTheShot.com photographers. Amazingly enough, we were able to drive the car out after wasting a lot of time watching the other cars go by. We were able to make it to the start of the next stage without ANY problems to the car other than some cracked paint on the bumper!

Lesson learned: just because it LOOKS bad doesn’t mean anything! Try! Try! Try!

Tell us about a time when you narrowly avoided a DNF. How did you press on regardless?
Luckily, I haven’t had this problem yet. But a good one from my time as a crew member for John Cassidy at Maine Forest: He swung wide on one of the stages and smacked the rear of the car into a stone bank. It completely snapped the wheel and brake rotor clean off the car. He pulled into service with no functioning brakes other than the e-brake on one corner since all braking pressure was going to the one corner that was missing a rotor!

Since we didn’t have a spare rotor, we pulled out the one brake pad that was still stuck in the caliper on the broken corner, turned it 90-degrees between the piston and retention fingers on the other side of the caliper and tied it in with bailing wire. This allowed brake pressure to resume since the piston had something to push against – even if it was just the backing plate of the pad!

There’s a a great ongoing thread on SpecialStage.com titled “The Stupid Information Thread” that has a lot of valuable tips like that.

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally?  The most challenging?
Certainly the most rewarding part of rally is meeting the people. We have a really interesting mix of people, all of different background and from different parts of the country, getting together and doing something that’s arguably a little nuts. It’s comforting to know that there are people just as much off their rocker as me!

How many events did you enter last year?  Is that trending up or down?  Why?
Last year, I attended just 2 events in an official capacity – Rally Tennessee and Sandblast Rally. This year, it looks like it’s going to be the same two events plus Tim O’Neil’s school in Dalton, NH since Rally West Virginia is a no-go this year. Realistically, I would like to compete or officiate 3-4 rallies next year since I will have a bit more vacation time.

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
A tow fund or other similar starting award structure would help me since I’m in the southeast with only one event within 5 hours tow. I’m not going to hold my breath though; I have a fairly solid understanding of the financial structure of a few rallies in the country and there isn’t a lot of wiggle room unless there is a significant event sponsor behind the scenes.

How important are car classes?  What class/region do you race in?  How many competitors in your class at each event?
Doesn’t every competitor want to compete against those who bring the same gear to the rally, give-or-take? In NASA, we’ve tried to limit the number of classes to make it easier for the competitors and the spectators, but it’s difficult. In our rule books, we have 9 current active classes and 2 new ones we’re currently working on. Generally speaking, the vast majority of entries at most (80+%) in the eastern region of NASA are lumped into one of four classes: Open AWD Heavy/Light or Open 2WD Heavy/Light.

My car is built to the Open AWD Heavy (OAH) class where the normal competition will be Evos and STis even though I’m driving an arguably wimpier 2.0L car versus the 2.5L of newer WRXes/STis. There are usually 5-10 fellow OAH competitors at any given rally. Add in my desire to keep costs down with running pump versus race gas and it makes driving skill even more important.

What do you think about recce vs pacenotes vs blind rally?
I’m a big fan of recce + stage notes. I’ve had some experience driving blind when doing 0 or 00 duties since it really forced me to keep an eye out for everything – the road, the volunteers, the spectators. As time has progressed, I’ve gotten fairly good at reading the road and the notes are simply augmenting what my eyes are seeing.

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare?  Why?
Rally in the US does not have a sustainable lifecycle without spectators. We haven’t done a really good job of keeping spectators informed at US-based events, so they don’t really feel connected to what’s unfolding in front of their eyes (or elsewhere in the woods). Only recently have we begun to deploy proven systems that allow spectators (and other interested parties) receive push-based updates from rallies via cell phone text messaging. We need to continue enhancing the experience – maybe color commentary at spectator areas, giveaway prizes, or something else – to keep keep them engaged at the event and afterward. This is the key transition from casual spectator to rabid fan. And we all love doing pendulum turns in front of the fans!

Once we have rabid fans, we need to have a solid and well-marketed conduit that allows people to transition to competitor and keep them competing. Our current marketing plan of getting people into RallyX isn’t generating a huge number of competitors for stage rally and we need to try something else.

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
In Charleston, it’s difficult. Being in the Lowcountry, there aren’t many exciting places to drive so the typical RallyX folks aren’t there. Usually, I solicit assistance on the Subaru forums to join in my “reindeer games”, and I’ve had some moderate success. A very large portion of the local gearheads are active duty in the military, either at Charleston Air Force Base or at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station, so securing their time for events can be challenging.

Luckily, I have two fellow NASA competitors in Charleston – Tibor and Chris Von Denes. They are an invaluable resource!

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
The issue of car classes is an interesting problem for today’s competitor – each sanctioning body has classes that are similar but the bigger issue, in my opinion, is the licensing differences between the two primary sanctioning groups. I race in NASA where we have a structure that allows for any competitor to race any type of vehicle they choose starting with their first rally. We instill proper rally procedures by requiring new competitors to attend multiple Novice Competitor Orientations (NCOs) before you are released from the requirement to continue attending. In Rally America, the primary mechanism for ensuring a safe(r) environment for the new competitor is to limit what vehicles they can drive.

How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
This is tough. Sanctioning bodies need the funds associated with the licenses to help offset operating costs, so completely waiving license fees if you have another competition license isn’t scalable. Maybe all sanctioning bodies in North America should raise their rates by $25/yr and offer a per-event license for those licensed under other sanctioning bodies?

This doesn’t resolve the philosophical difference about people running open class cars under a NASA license in RA events which does impact me personally, but this is a smaller issue compared to the overall reciprocity between NASA/RA/CARS.

In your opinion, what is the role of the sanctioning body?
The sanctioning body exists to ensure a fun, safe environment for people to come out and have a good time whether they are a competitor, volunteer, or spectator.  In my opinion, rally in the US is not so much of a sport, but an adventure weekend; the actual racing is just a small part of the whole event. I think that for most people involved in rally here on this side of the pond, it’s a hobby since most of us can’t make a living participating in the sport. Rules should be framed to keep that experience in mind.

How do you help out at rallies when you aren’t racing?
I will probably continue to perform Chief of Controls duties or Clerk of Controls if Anders needs a stand-in. I’m also working on cooking up another event in the Southeast which would be a very unique event. (Keep an eye out for more on this around the 1st of the year if it’s going to happen!)

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be?  Why?
Monte Carlo. The Col De Tourini stage is pure rally nirvana.

Your favorite Group B car?
Lancia Delta S4. 1.8L of turbocharged and supercharged insanity!

We’ve all got a rally hero.  Who’s yours?
I’d really have to lean towards John Cassidy. I really enjoyed living vicariously through his experiences and was proud to be a large component of Last Ditch Racing‘s successes. He certainly proved that if you have enough brains and gusto, you can do things that the rest of the world see as crazy and incredible.

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!  (If not, why not?)
No local club, unfortunately. I must be a horrible salesman for rally since all of the car folks that I’ve met aren’t really interested in getting together to sit down and watch WRC. I’ll keep trying!

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
Tibor, Chris and I probably see each other every 3 months or so, usually around Sandblast or Tennessee time. We need to increase that frequency, especially as I compete more events with Chris as my codriver.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
My lovely wife, Margaret, has been a wonderful supporter of my racing dreams and never asking why I was doing such a silly thing. She’s been been by my side at nearly every race that I’ve been involved with, either with LDR or our own rallies down south.

Mark and Laura Bench, Ryan Davis of TurboTime in Cary, NC. Ryan was the primary tech who rebuilt my motor from my horrible job and Mark and Laura provided on-the-ground service support for my first drive at Rally Tennessee. TurboTime has been a wonderful supporter of my racing and I hope to continue the relationship.

Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
I want to thank all of the volunteers who come stand in the pouring rain, baking heat, and freezing cold in order to close roads and handle timecards. There’s simply no way that these events can be put on without their support! In particular, I want to single out the Ball family in Linden, TN – they bring their WHOLE family out to the event to help marshal corners and run stage teams! Thanks!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
Most competitors don’t know, or don’t care care to know, the difficulties associated with running an event. The product (from the ceremonial start to last MTC) is too opaque; the nitty-gritty is a big black box that most competitors think “just happens”. It would benefit the community if more people walked a mile in an organizer’s shoes to really understand what it takes to put an event together.

Thanks for taking the time, Eric. Rally is not a big, black box full of magic and it takes everyone working together to make it happen. We appreciate your participating in the Gearbox project and wish you luck on the stage roads!

How did your perceptions change after that first rally event?

Yes, we’re looking for those revelations had by new rallyistas, but rally is so much more than just driving fast and sliding around on dirt. (No, really. It is. We promise.) This question is open to event volunteers, service crew, spectators… anyone who was affected by their first rally experience.

Share a story or two in the comments below. We’d love to hear them!

What got you interested in rally?
I had always loved motorsport, but the thing that got me motivated to get involved was seeing the guys fix a car and get it back out into the rally.

How many events do you attend each year?  What do you do at these events?
Well, here in Barbados, there are about 12-13 events on our calendar, but I do other rallies in the UK and Europe as well.

My duties range from number one mechanic, to just a mechanic, up to crew chief, and, sometimes, engineer on the older cars.

How did you get started as crew?
I first got started when I was working here in Barbados for a guy who builds engines for some of the race and rally cars, but I used to hang out with some other friends who worked for one of the top guys here in Barbados, I used to go to events with them and help out and eventually I was offered a job with them!

What’s the most challenging thing about being service crew for a rally team? The most rewarding?
The most challenging thing I would have to say is the late nights and the early mornings – getting little rest and still not making a mistake working on the cars.

The most rewarding is knowing that your driver is happy with the car and it reflects in his times!

Are you paid for your service? Is this the norm?
I get paid for my work. Yes this is the norm.

Walk our readers through what is involved in working as service crew for a rally team.
First of all, you have to find the service spot that is level and nice, set the tents up, ground sheets, run lights if you need to, take what you need out of the service truck, i.e., tools, jacks, jack stands, compressor, etc.. Then you find out what tires your driver wants to pick for the next run. Basically, you make yourself ready for anything that could happen; each individual should have his tools at each corner of the car so when it comes in you get straight to work.

For what are you responsible over the course of the event?
Basically, I am responsible for everything as the crew chief. I make sure the car is ready, I relay all info to the engineer, I speak to the driver with the engineer to see how the car is going, I make sure the driver is well watered and fed during the event, make sure the crew is happy and working as a team.

What’s the most critical part of service setup?
There is no one critical element to service setup; everything needs to work as a whole to get the job done.

You’re all setup and ready for the car. How long before it shows up? How do you fill that time?
It depends on the rally we are doing. In Barbados we are allowed to “chase” the car. This means we go to the end of the first stage and the beginning of the 2nd as we only run 3 stages then back 2 service. In the WRC you are not allowed to do chase so we have to stay in service unless there is a remote service. The time is passed by setting up your service area, cleaning and prepping parts. If we get a call that something needs to be changed, we get that part and make it ready to go onto the car when it comes in.

What is the atmosphere like between setup and first service?
For me it is filled with nervousness as I am very nervous whenever the car leaves service – things go through your mind and you question yourself even though you know things are done – but for the most part it is more relaxed.

How much interaction do you have with the other service crews? What’s that relationship like?
We do interact with the other crews. Sometimes we snoop on them to see what tire they are on (lol), but it is fun, whether it be here in Barbados or in Europe.

How many services are there at a rally?
It depends on the layout of the rally. Most have or run 6 -12 stages on the first leg. If they run 6 that is 3 services, if they run 12 it is like 5 services a leg.

How long do these services last?
In Barbados the services at the end of a 3 stage loop is for 20 minutes, then lunch is an hour. In the WRC it is three 20 minutes services then a 40 minute service at the end of the day.

What happens if you can’t get the car back together in time?
In rallying we never say “never,” but in a case that the car could not be fixed in time for it to get back its place in the rally, each car is allotted 15 minutes of lateness for the entire rally, so we use that. If we go over, you are basically out. In the WRC you can rejoin the next day under Super Rally rules.

Tell us about some “major” repairs you’ve managed in such a short amount of time.
WOW, some major repairs include a gearbox change in a Group N GC8 (he won his group), had to rearrange the front of a Group A car with zip ties, run over the sump guard with a truck to straighten it, nick someone’s radiator out of the stock Subaru as well to put in that (he finished 2nd), fix a power steering leak in one of the WRC cars, bleed the system, and pressurize it again (that was hard as we had to use a fitting we found off of a tractor to get it going again).

Can you tell us about a time when you did whatever it took to get the car back into the race and were surprised to see it actually finish?
Years ago, when I first started, I used to look after a little 12 valve Toyota Starlet turbo. Everything was good until the first stage, when it had no 3rd gear. We checked and it was a clip missing for the linkage. With nothing to work with, we zip tied the hell out of it and the car actually finished the rally! The driver said it never shifted so good! (LOL)

Another time was in Jamaica. When a friend of mine’s Subaru poked a hole through the gearbox in the penultimate stage, we broke a branch off in the hole of the gearbox and it finished! Did not even leak!

Can you share a time saving tip for other service crew members out there?
The only tip I would add is to be organized; know what tools are needed to spanner check your corner of the car and only take them to that corner. Always work calmly and try not to rush, but still have a sense of urgency about what you are doing. If you are finished doing what you are doing go help your mates with their task if they are not finished.

What’s the one thing you would never – ever – forget to bring to a rally?
I would never forget my tool box, without that you are useless!

How do service crews mitigate environmental concerns at rallies? What are those concerns?
Most of the newer WRC cars have catalytic converters on them so they burn fairly clean and all of our fuels are unleaded. The cars themselves burn fairly clean as well. We always take trash bags and have a designated trash can for our team so as not to litter on the premises we use for service.

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
My main concern is for the smaller people in rallying who would like to rally on the top level, but the cars and the maintenance costs are so high. Something needs to be done, like a group where the cars are cost effective yet competitive. This, in turn, will attract manufacturers.

I would address this buy making it cheaper to build a car for a certain class, which would make it more affordable for both teams and manufacturers to afford.

Which WRC event is your favorite? Why?
My favorite WRC rally would have to be Finland. You have to have balls to be quick there, but yet still you have to respect the roads.

Your favorite Group B car?
Well I have 2 favorite GRP B cars, and those are the Audi Quattro S1 and the 205 T16 EVO 2.

We’ve all got a rally hero.  Who’s yours?
My favorite drivers are Henri Toivinen and Juha Kankkunen, followed closely by Carlos Sainz.

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!  (If not, why not?)
We have two rally clubs here in Barbados; those are The Barbados Rally Club and the Barbados Motoring Club. The rally club is the oldest motorsport club in Barbados, founded over 50 years ago!

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
I sometimes do, but I hate to be the one in the crowd that is talking all of the time (lol).

How do you get other gearheads more involved in rally?
I have brought some guys into the team I used to work for and they have moved on to bigger things. The easiest way to get involved is just to show interest, be proactive, and get involved!

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
This is going to be a long list!

Roger Skeete
Brian Eeles
Brett Judd
Phil Morgan
Rob Atkinson
Colwyn Warner
Adrian Linton
Erick Clark
Garry Clarke
Dean Serraro
Tommy Fields
Terry Stamper
There are many more…

Thank someone who inspired you here.
I would have to say Erick Clark… If not for him, I would have never picked up a spanner. He got me into this mess!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
My lesson learnt is, never have brand loyalty or put all of your eggs in one basket. Do good work and it will reward you.

Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on rally with us, Damian! Press on regardless!

Last week, we ran the story of Drew McPhee from Australia, who was exposed to rally at an early age by his father. Ian McPhee would take the family to the Southern Cross Rally annually, and Drew practically grew up around rally cars. We thought this was pretty amazing and it got us wondering, who else out there grew up around rally?

Even if you didn’t grow up around rally (or other motorsport), we’d like to ask you something…

What was your first rally experience?

Image: http://ralliradio.yle.fi/

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you, where do you live, what do you do for a living?
I am 31, still recently married and working as the IT guy for a sunglasses company in San Clemente, CA. I commute to work from Aliso Viejo, CA where DirtyImpreza Enterprises is headquartered. This is my second full time job – keeping the website up, current, and always striving to find ways to get our name out into the rallying world.

How did you get into rally and where do you get your rally tech/community?
Do you have a rally club? Are you online?
I’ve been interested in rally for a long time. I think for a while growing up there were even some televised events in the US that I saw. Always thought it was the most intense form of motorsport out there; just so much going on for one driver to tackle at any given time.

Once I moved away to college I realized that anyone could modify their own car, as there were a bunch of guys who would tinker with any make or model car. It was then that I decided once I had enough money I would get something that had a lot of aftermarket support. Eventually, I ended up in a Subaru and once I tried my had at some rallycross (hosted by the legendary Gravel Crew) I was hooked.

Obviously, the primary source if information/technical information for me is DirtyImpreza.com (DI), but there are a number of other websites that I frequent, including rally-america.com, nasarallysport.com, and specialstage.com. DI strives to reach out across as many relevant social networking sites as possible including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and many others, so yes, I’d say I’m very much online all the time.

What kind of car is it? (year, make, model)
The rally car is a 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. Seeing as how I plan to compete in a production class for a while, the motor is relatively stock, but just about everything else that is needed to compete in a stage rally has been upgraded (roll cage, gravel suspension, seats, harnesses, rally electronics). Lots of money has been spent on safety equipment.

Why did you choose this particular car? Features? Benefits? Brand loyalty?
My choice was pretty much set from the very beginning. My first Subaru was a 2004 STi and it quickly became apparent that when things break on that car it is very expensive to repair. So, what I decided to do was choose an older Impreza platform that had a lot of cheap interchangeable parts with other model years. The 2001 2.5RS was a perfect match for this, as it was the last of the GC chassis Imprezas, and had a robust naturally aspirated motor, plenty of aftermarket support, and many parts that could be found in various junk yards and for sale forums. Another big plus that played into the equation is the ability to swap the entire USDM STi motor and drivetrain into the GC, so once the time comes to go into Open Class we will have a really great car to do it with. I think I first had the inspiration to do something like this by watching Matt Iorio‘s GC’s a few years back.

Did you buy or build your rally car? Why did you choose to go this route?
My car has been built from the ground up, but that’s not saying that I did everything myself. I don’t possess the skills or resources necessary to convert a stock car into a stage rally capable vehicle. I had a lot of help along the way, especially from Kyle Jackson at Jackson Rally. He is the one that has been able to work his metal magic to get everything to come together. Still, there were plenty of things that I could tinker with on my own so I have learned a lot about this car in the process.

Honestly, I went this route because I saw an opportunity to document an entire build thread on Dirty Impreza. It is a very big gap to convert from weekend rallycross warrior to stage rally competitor, and this was something that I wanted to show everyone that visits DI. Now, the debate about building vs. buying a rally car has been beat to death on every single rally website that there is out there, but I do have this to say: yes, you will save money in the long run by buying well sorted rally car outright, however the intimate knowledge that I have about my car, along with the feeling of knowing that we converted a grocery getting 2.5RS into a gravel attacking beast is a very satisfying feeling.

How long did it take you to get the car ready for competition?
I had an overall vision for the entire build, and it was to show that a regular guy with a normal income can build a rally car and compete. A lot of people out there blame their personal situations for preventing them getting on stage and running rally events, but this for the most part is just a scapegoat for not wanting to commit. Sure, If you have lots of disposable income it is easier to go out and compete in the next rally event, but with some planning (and a hefty amount of sacrifice) you can build a rally car and get out there just like everyone else.

My build has taken roughly 2 years which by most people’s standards is an extremely long time. I’ve made plenty of mistakes moving along, which have no undoubtedly slowed progress, but still I’ve persevered on to see the whole project through even when faced with the financial fiasco of planning a wedding among other things.

What is done and what needs to be done?
The car is pretty much good to go at this point. However, something I downplayed when getting into all this was how much it would cost to purchase all the personal safety items one must acquire before you can finally race the car. I located a full face Peltor helmet on eBay  so I saved a few bucks there. Also, I had to install some HANS posts on this helmet because it was made before when US rallies required head and neck restraints. The car has zapped much of my funds so for my first event I will most likely be borrowing a friends HANS device.

I’ve learned that I have a really disproportionate body, which makes finding a race suit hard to do. I’m roughly 5’5″ and 160lbs but have fairly broad shoulders and short legs. No race suits out there will have short enough legs but enough width in the torso to fit me right, so a custom suit seemed like a great idea. I got a hold of Elite Motorsport Apparel to build me a suit that fits perfectly and with some DirtyImpreza.com embroidery to top it all off.

Still to do though is a lot of finishing touches on the car. We need to get the gravel coilovers serviced, get some odds and ends fab work done, and try to locate any potential problems with the car before we go racing.

What are some challenges you’ve had to overcome in getting this far?
How did you do it? Who has helped you out?
The challenges are numerous, and I could seriously go on and on filling this entire web page with all the trials and tribulations we’ve been through getting the car together. We’ve faced scrapping an entire RS shell due to frame damage and rust, to figuring out how to wire all the relays for the HID rally lights, to getting the damn seats to mount up correctly.

So many people have helped me along the way, most of which I have become good friends with or talk to now on a regular basis. Kyle and Keith Jackson, Barrett Dash, Odi Bakchis, Greg Landes, Al Hatfield, Costas Tsolkas, Emm Sim, Paul Eddlston, Chris Chapman, Charles Buren, Dave Forman, OP, Jeremy, Justin, Sean, Dave, Louie, Loren… the list goes on and on. I’m sorry if I forgot anyone!

What challenges do you see in the immediate future and how do you think you’ll address them?
What we have going on right now is just a bunch of small issues. I bent one of the strut tops out practicing recently which was only discovered recently after disassembling the coilovers for some basic servicing. I also have to figure out what the best way is to attach some under body protection on the car and where the coverage is needed most. The rally computer needs to be mounted and I’m not entirely sure if I wired it up correctly just yet, it powers on and increments but we need to calibrate it.

There are still a lot of questions about how much gear we really need to carry in the trunk when we’re out racing on stage. I’ll get most of these issues sorted out once the car gets back into the shop at Jackson Rally. Kyle is always full of great ideas! Other than that it would be great to have a dedicated tow vehicle instead of having to rely on people to help out with towing, but for now I will just have to bribe people with gas money, beer, and food.

Tell us about your first rally – which one it is, where it is, why you chose this rally, and such.
My first rally is going to be Prescott Rally this October in Prescott, Arizona. I choose this rally because not only is it relatively close to where I live, but it is also the final event for the United States Rally Championship (USRC), so there will be a lot of teams there. The roads are supposed to be fast and smooth which is very appealing. Running some night stages will also be super exciting. It’s a rally that has been running for 20+ years so I’m sure the organizers know how to run a good event.

What is your game plan for this event?
My personal game plan for the event is literally just to finish, I don’t care if I come in dead last. The goal is to just cross that finish line each day with the car in one piece. I’m really excited to roll up to the start line on stage one and have my co-driver count down 3-2-1 GO!

What are you most looking forward to at this event?
Getting in lots of seat time, working with my co-driver, and having a good time with the other teams that are coming out. One of the best things about rallying is the partying with friends after the race. There’s always some good shenanigans that go down after the cars are finally parked for the night.

What are you most concerned about prior to this event?
Making sure that the car is in good working order before we get to the event. I’ve taken it out for several shakedown sessions (driving over 100+ miles each time on dirt roads) but I still don’t know exactly how well the car is going to hold up to the constant abuse of a competition weekend.

Money is something that worries me too, the expenses rack up so fast when you figure how much hotel rooms are for 4 nights, fuel to tow out there, food, beer, etc. Then there is the human factor, I really want to avoid doing something stupid (arriving to a time control early, get lost on a transit, put the car into a ditch). We won’t know unless we give it a shot…

I really can’t wait for the entire experience as I’ve been planning for this for so long now. Hope that everyone can make it out to support DI members that are entered in Prescott Rally this year!

Special thanks to Aaron for taking the time from his tight, pre-rally schedule to chat with us. There’s still a lot left to do and the clock is already ticking.

You might have noticed this article was titled “Before & After.” The Prescott Rally runs October 1st and 2nd north of Prescott, Arizona. We’re gonna give Aaron a little breathing room to revel in the thrill of finally realizing his rally dream, but then we’ll be chatting with him about what he learned at his first event. What was important? What wasn’t? And more.

Thank you for spending some time with us on Gearbox Magazine today. Press on regardless!

What’s your name? Where are you located? What do you do for a living?
Drew McPhee from Sydney, Australia. I’m a software developer. It’s not very exciting.

What got you interested in rally?
Pretty much born into it, my father Ian McPhee used to rally a Renault R8 Gordini in the 60’s and 70’s. When I was young we used to go to Port Macquarie every year to follow the famous Southern Cross Rally So from a very young age I watched and admired the super human skills of internationally renowned drivers like Rauno Aaltonen, Timo Makinen, Andrew Cowan and many more, as well as Australia’s rally stars of yester year like Greg Carr, Colin Bond, Ross Dunkerton and George Fury. My mother also raced formula V (formula fords with Volkswagen engines) in the 70’s so racing is really in my blood and it’s impossible to get out.

Then in 1988 my father decided to get back into rally driving and all his years of training me to read maps and generally develop my sense of direction were put to good use as I navigated (or co-drove) for him for the next 10 years till 1998. We started off in a LA Lancer coupe, and then moved to a JA Starion which we converted from a Group 2E Production race car, which was driven by Kevin Bartlet. That car had some very nice ex works bits, including a very rare X-Trac straight cut close ratio gearbox. Then Dad brought Bruce Robinsons ST185 Toyota GT4 and we started doing some east coast rounds in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 Australian Rally Championship’s including Coffs Harbor, Wagga Wagga and the Essanda Rally of Canberra, which was a round in the APRC as well.

My dad got a bit fed up of the running costs of the 4wd, and having kept the gearbox from the Starion, decided to put it to good use and build another RWD rally car. The brand, Mitsubishi of course!  Series 5 Galants were known as Sigma’s in Australia (unfortunately); they are big and heavy but are strong and available, and have the 4g54 as stock. I found an engine from a midget sprint car that pushed out nearly 300hp normally aspirated and we mated it to the X-Trac gearbox. The result was a tire shredding rally weapon that Dad loved driving until his health deteriorated and he had to give up rallying. That’s when I decided it was time to start driving in 1999, something I always wanted to do but was never in the financial position to do so. The decision on what rally car was not hard. My dad has instilled a lot of brand loyalty into me.

Tell us about your rally car’s. How long have you had your current car?
I have rallied Mitsubishi Galants exclusively since I started driving. I started in a GA Galant, which just so happened to have a Starion 4g63b Turbo engine fitted with a Starion 5 speed. I did my first rally in very torrential rain with this engine which was very interesting at times and my Dad, who was navigating and I are lucky to still be here having almost put the car down the side of a mountain, but finished an encouraging 17th outright. The turbo engine was not legal in our regulations at the time, and I had stored the colt speed engine from my Dad’s LA Lancer, so I put that in and did a few years of learning with a 1700 4g32. Much safer way to get used to driving on dirt and you can learn a lot driving a small capacity engine quickly.

Pretty soon I felt like we were at walking speed, so I had a 4g52 built up to 2.2 liter and dropped that into the GA Galant. It made good power and made the Galant a real treat to drive. However eventually the rear suspension ripped out of the car from fatigue, so I built my 2nd Galant rally car, a GE (aka sigma). Most of Dad’s car had been sold off, so it took some time for me to get all the bits together to make it a competitive car. I did manage to get a few bits off his car which really helped. We rallied that for nearly 8 years without any major issues, but the engine was starting getting tired. It was either dump even more money into it, or go in a new direction…

Did you buy your rally car or build it?
Whilst I was researching fitting a VR4 engine to the Blue Galant/Sigma, an e38a VR4 RS rally car came up for sale and I decided to defect to the dark side of rallying, 4wd turbos. I had done my time in RWD and it was time to move up. It was pretty cheap, and it had some history; it had been a rally car since it was purchased new in 1989, 21 years ago! No doubt it had won a rally or two in its day, but now the rules for old 4wd turbos have been freed up a bit, some more modern parts can be fitted.

It has a lot of Evo 3 bits which makes it stronger and faster, but transmission wise its pretty stock. The car is an RS so it has the goodies like close ratio gearbox, viscous centre and rear diff, and of course a much lighter body shell. An Autronic SM4 makes the ex ralliart evo3 td05-16g really work nicely all the way up to 2 bar of boost! I have detuned it for reliability, 2 bar is awesome but with the gvr4 trannies that sort of boost will not last long.

What challenges did this cause? What benefits did you realize as a result?
The biggest thing with buying a car is, you just don’t know. It’s taken quite a bit of work to put straight all that was wrong with the car, some things I can’t put right due to the age of the car; the underside is getting very second hand. Most things were bent, suspension arms, cross members, all that sort of thing needed renewing, replacing and general maintenance. Electrics are also usually very dodgy in a cheap 2nd hand rally car which requires specialist time and money to get right. My car had burnt out wiring here and there which almost cost me the engine as the thermo fans would stop working!

I think in the long run, it’s much better and more rewarding to build your own car, but if you are not mechanically minded, or have a bad back, there is nothing wrong with buying an already prepared rally car. Just expect some things to be wrong with it.

Tell us about a time when you stuffed the rally car (or maybe had a nasty off).
I have never written off a car, touch wood. I have always driven to rallies, which might sound nuts, but it is a form of insurance. You need to drive to survive, keep it on the island and get the beast home. Having a trailer is pure luxury. Don’t get me wrong, I still like to push hard… I smacked 3 trees in 1 stage once, and only had to replace 1 front guard to fix the panel damage. We have had plenty of offs over the years, but I’ve always managed to get the car back on the road and home in various shapes and mechanical conditions. Actually I have trailered the blue car home once when the brake master cylinder packed it in.

Tell us about a time when you narrowly avoided a DNF. How did you press on regardless?
The worst one was Rally of Port Macquarie 2005. We were pushing hard and on stage 5 of the rally, we went through a left hand corner fairly rapidly (80kph plus) and there was a unseen dip right in the middle of the corner. We were already sideways when we hit the dip and it kicked the car even more sideways. The nose of the car was heading straight for a 1 meter high stump which was on the side of the road past the apex of the corner. I managed to get some steer back and got the nose pointed away from the stump, but because I had full right hand lock on, the wheel was sticking out from the side of the car. The wheel hit the stump, which instantly pushed it back into the wheel arch, which in turn pushed the drag link back under the gearbox, giving the car about 40 degrees of toe out on each wheel!

We were well and truly off the road by the time I pulled it up, so I went to work on getting it fixed with the tools I had on board. By the time our service crew arrived, I had the drag link out of the car; it was the only damaged part but was bent like a banana. I went up with my service crew to the local winery which was just up the road, where they had an anvil and solid hammers. We managed to straighten the drag link enough to get it relatively straight, went back and put it in the car, and re-joined the rally having only dropped one stage!

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally? The most challenging?
Any form of motorsport is expensive. There lies the challenge. There comes a time when you really have to make tough decisions, but having people around you who support you and your crazy addiction really makes it easier. As it’s a tight community, you always have friends to call on when needed, rally friendly sponsors to supply goods, services and funds, and competitors to drive you to limits and beyond. Having someone come up and ask for your autograph is also pretty cool!

How many events did you enter last year? Is that trending up or down? Why?
I can only afford to run about six rallies a year, but I also enter a few other events like auto tests – motorkhana’s and khan crosses as we know them in Australia. These can help shake the car down and keep your eye in. Rallies are the big expense; the rallies I go in are usually two day events with up to 350km competitive driving, these sorts of rallies take a lot out of you and the car. I hope to be entering more events soon as a few possible sponsors come onboard.

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
Any cash prize would be awesome! In rallying, cash prizes are very rare. We usually risk it all for a little bit of plastic known as a trophy, so goodness knows how hard we would all push if cash was involved!

How important are car classes? What class/region do you race in? How many competitors in your class at each event?
Very important. I believe young drivers should never jump straight into fast rally cars. Lower classes allow you to gauge your performance, and then be recognized for them. I belong to two clubs and am involved in two different championships. One club I am in Open 4WD class, the other it’s known as P6 for older 4WD cars. My class is fairly open and I’m up against some much older and newer machinery. There are usually at least 10 to 15 cars to battle with at each event.

What do you think about recce vs pacenotes vs blind rally?
Well they both still have their place in rallying. Blind rallies are certainly the hardest. They are slower obviously as usually they are unpracticed, but stages can be re-run over the years , however you will never remember all of a forestry road, they just change so much from year to year. I usually do blind rallies. It’s very difficult at times to judge how fast to go, and pushing too hard can have grave consequences.

I have done some pacenoted events, and that is the other extreme. You know what is coming, which allows you to go faster. Going faster means if you have a moment, it will be larger than normal. Glancing off a bank in a blind rally can mean burying the strut into the firewall in a pace noted rally. Most say that pace noting is much safer, but sometimes I fail to see the logic in that argument. Either way, you need to drive to the conditions in rally.

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare? Why?
Always good. You can gain up to a second a corner if someone is watching!

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
That is the million dollar question, and one which has kept rally in the dark for so long. It’s so difficult to get people who don’t have a deep love in rallying to get involved. Sure they can and will watch it on TV, but getting someone out to an event to watch, or even better official, is a different story. In my rally club, we actually supply free meals and accommodation to people who come help us out by officialling, and we have easy to follow spectator instructions published well in advance, and this really helps to get them out in the forests. Proper media coverage is also imperative.

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
Insurance. With popularity comes responsibility. Competitors need to know that if something may happen that there will be help for them. I for one have organized my own insurance and public liability so I am covered, but it is not widely known just what your rights are as a competitor. This needs improvement.

How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
That’s difficult to address. It’s a very grey area here in Australia. I would like to see more information published about just what we, the competitors, are covered for insurance wise, so people can rest assure if the inevitable happens, that financial assistance is there for them. This is not always the case when entering a rally. I actually have my own personal insurance that covers me in the event of an accident.

How do you help out at rallies when you aren’t racing?
I spent about 5 years on the club steering committee which helps the clubs executive with all sorts of matters. I have done many “setups” in the past, which often requires taking a few days off work before a rally and driving the course preparing it for competition. I also built two versions of the clubs website, the first being in 1999.

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be? Why?
Rally Australia, or Rally New Zealand. Australia, as it’s my home, and NZ, because they have the best gravel roads in the world.

Your favorite Group B car?
Starion of course, closely followed by the Lancia 037 rally….The Group B Starion really never made an appearance in the WRC, but a lot of its technology worked its way into the GVR4, and so it remains the legend that never was.

We’ve all got a rally hero. Who’s yours?
Local is George Fury, International is Walter Rohrl. George was a very quiet farmer from Albury, NSW, who drove the local school bus and went on to be a works driver for Nissan. When I was 5, I wanted to be a bus driver because that’s how George started rally driving!  Walter needs no introductions. He is the only driver to win four Monte Carlo rallies in four different cars.

Do you have a local rally club? Tell us about it! (If not, why not?)
My club is a little unusual. The Australian Motor Sport Action Group (AMSAG) is a non profit association of some 300+ members which run rallies in country New South Wales. Its members come from various walks of life, split equally between the country and the city. AMSAG strives to have its rallies match the excitement and competition of those “hey days” of rallying epitomised by the Southern Cross Rally which was run between the 1960′s and 1980′s in some of the same forests AMSAG use for competition. Lately they have allowed a modern section within their competition, which gets 4WD turbos in the mix with old school classic rally cars.

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
Not often enough. Our club has a great social side but we only seem to get together when events are on. Social networking websites has generally improved this; there are quite a few of the rally community now on networking sites like Facebook all the way up to WRC level so you can really keep in touch with what is going on.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
I currently don’t have any sponsors, so it’s really my family and friends that I have to thank. Especially my wife Karen, who has funded a few rallies over the years, and my Father Ian who has provided me with so much help over the years. I would also like to thank all of the people that run our club and come out to help official when the rallies are on. Without them there would be no rally.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
Always make the effort to help someone, no matter what. You never know when you will need that help yourself.

Thank you, Drew, for sharing your story with us. We wonder, have any of our readers grown up in a family that rallied? What about manufacturer loyalty? Did the vehicles your parents drove impact your choice of rally car at any point in your rally career?

How did you get involved in rallying?
I was spotted reading a copy of Autosport magazine by a colleague who asked if I was into motor sport and cars, the answer was obviously to the positive and he persuaded me to attend a rally. I was hooked from the start and immediately got involved with servicing and marshalling on events including the RAC Rally where I saw Colin McRae be crowned World Champion and fellow club member, and future World Champion, Richard Burns finish third.

What do you do in rallying?
Mainly I co-drive on events but I’m also a licensed Clerk of the Course and a have done most roles on a rally and enjoy putting something back into the sport.

I’m also Chairman of my motor club, Craven Motor Club, in Reading, Berkshire.

How many events do you compete in a year?
The number  determined by my driver(s) and if we are chasing a championship, last year I think I only did three or four as I was without a driver and wasn’t looking to do much. This year I have already done four with three different drivers of three different nationalities (a Englishman, a Frenchman and a Kiwi who lives in the UK)

I also act as a Clerk of the Course on one event and marshal on a few events each year.

Do you ever spectate?
I’m not a great spectator as I can’t just watch a rally I need to be competing or helping out. At the time of writing I think I’ve only ever watched four rallys.

Do you like Maps, Safety Notes or Pace Notes?
Given the choice it would be proper pace notes written by the crew but there are not many events in the UK you can do this on so most events I compete on are with organisers safety notes, or descriptive route notes, that come from a single supplier and you don’t drive the route before hand but you may have watched a DVD of the stages made at the same time as the notes were prepared.

Map events in the UK are not as popular as they once were and I can’t remember the last event I did on maps (might have been 2005?), but there is a satisfaction in reading a stage well from a map but not sure I could go back full time to maps as life is so much easier on notes.

Who’s your favourite driver?
It used to be Juha Kankkunen who as a driver I always thought was the king of cool. Now I’m a big fan of Jari-Matti Latvala who I spent a few evenings driving the local lanes around where I live when he was over for driver training with Pentti Airikkala and Pentti needed a local co-driver to do pace note practice with.

Pentti said one day he’ll be world champion and I believe one day J-M L will have the consistency to do just that, he has the speed.

Favourite car?
I’ve been lucky to sit in many cars over the years and enjoyed them all but the car I most want to sit in is a Metro 6R4, it’s a British rallying icon and make the best sound on the stages. I don’t want to call the notes though, well not at first, I want to experience the acceleration and noise.

Anything else?
I’ve now started a driver/co-driver matching service called RallyMatcher and the intention is to pair up drivers and co-drivers for one off events or championships, plus I want to carry on and co-drive for as long as I want to or drivers want me in the car.

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally?  The most challenging?
It’s the community spirit in the sport than brings multi-millionaires together with garage mechanics and labourers together with the common purpose of rallying in what you can afford to the best of your ability and that of your machinery.

The sheer cost of rallying is shocking and some people sacrifice/risk to much for the sheer thrill of rallying.

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
Money? That would be great, give us a free entry and we’ll do more. There is no money in UK rallying it only goes one way and that’s out. If you were rallying for the rewards you’d not be rallying. You are rallying for the thrill, the challenge, the competition.

How important are car classes?  What class/region do you race in?
How many competitors in your class at each event?
This year I’m competing in the up to 2ltr open class and I guess there are between 20 to 30 competitors in that class depending on the event in may different types and evolutions of cars. I’m currently in a Mk2 Escort with six speed sequential gearbox and 250bhp but I’ve been in the same class with much less powerful and developed cars.
The championship is the UK’s BTRDA (British Trials Rally Drivers Association) Championship that runs on rallys up and down England and Wales.

I’ve run in every class from those up to 1400cc to WRC cars and money and talent always wins when combined.

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare?  Why?
Rallys should be run for competitors as they are the ones paying the money but rally’s need spectators to sometimes help. I don’t buy into the fact that rallys need spectators to buy the products being advertised on the cars.

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
I don’t know, how do you?

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
The UK is over populated and people move into areas that has traditionally had rallying and somehow they shut events down. If you move near an airport/race track/rally stage you shouldn’t have the right to complain. Your stupidity should be recognised by the authorities and you should be ignored.

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be?  Why?
Rally Australia or Finland as I prefer gravel and both these events are classics plus over the years I’ve done all the Rally GB stages so it would be just another rally.

Your favorite Group B car?
Ferrari GTO (you didn’t say it had to be a rally car!) If it’s a rally car then 205T16 or 6R4 as British classic (I even took photo’s of the two in the Las Vegas motor museum even though I see one on most British events)

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!
I’m chairman of Craven Motor Club, the home club of the late World Champion Richard Burns. It’s based in Reading a large town (awaiting city status, we need more bars and drive by shootings to be a city!) 30 miles from London and not in traditional rally country but we have managed to have a world champion and have members competing up and down the UK and abroad.

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
I attend my motor club every week to talk rallying (and oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico and building projects) and probably talk, email or text about rallying every day. It’s taken over my life in the last 15 plus years but I only talk about it to other rallyists and I don’t like boring those that don’t know rallying.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
Biggest influence on my rallying life is my clubs president Peter Henness who took me under his wing when I first joined my club he’s made me who I am in the sport (someone has to be blame!)

My first driver was a guy I worked with called Darren Cooksey and he put me in a rallycar, the car was owned by a chap called Colin Minton who lent the car to Darren and also let me compete with him many times when I learnt my craft in his various cars.

Then there was a lady called Kim Bolsover who ran a website called rallycodriver who put drivers and co-drivers together and thanks to her I had lots of exciting rally drives up and down the country and abroad.

Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
I’m just going to thank organisors and marshals as without them there would be no events.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
Enjoy what you are doing and be a nice person as it’s a small sport and friendly sport.

Thank you, Bryan, for letting Gearbox Magazine share your story with the world and for taking steps to connect drivers and co-drivers through Rally Matcher. Anyone wishing to learn more about Rally Matcher should contact Bryan directly via the website.

What’s your name?  Where are you located? What do you do for a living?
Brian Klausen, live in Denmark in Scandinavia. Not too far from the Danish capitol Copenhagen. Apart from being a dad and a husband, I’m team leader for a bunch of IT-consultants, in a smallish IT consultancy company based just north of Copenhagen. So basically a computer guy.

What got you interested in rally?
Well, I have always been into basically anything with an engine. I’ve been motocrossing for the better part of 10 years, started when I was 12. Also homemade go-carts, mopeds, lawnmowers, whatever with an engine had my interest when growing up. So naturally when I was old enough to get my drivers license, I got a car. Went to a lot of car races, shows, etc. – and dreamt a lot. Then 9-10 years ago I was at a local car show, and the local rally club was handing out flyers for their introductory course for what was then known as “Maneuvering stages” (sorta directly translated).

That is the entry level type of event for rallying in Denmark. It’s something like your autocrossing, only with a twist of stage rally, in the way that we have 10-12 different (short) stages at different locations – so we have transit and stuff like that too. You can enter in a street car + some minor safety equipment, but we also have classes for full out rally cars.

Anyway, I grabbed my daily at the time – a Seat Ibiza Cupra II 2.0 16V – and a friend, and we turned up. Turned out we did pretty well… even beat a 250 horse Impreza by a second.

Tell us about your rally car/truck.  How long have you had it?
1985 VW Golf GTI 16V. Port and polish, slightly warmed over cam, MegaSquirt ECU. Toyota ITB’s on homemade manifold, etc. Bilsteins in front, GAZ in the rear, 11” brakes, 4.64:1 R&P + a ton of other small things.
Bought it bog standard back in late 2003.

Did you buy your rally car or build it?
What challenges did this cause?  What benefits did you realize as a result?
Part of the fun for me is building it. Originally I planned on showing others that you didn’t have to make a big dent in your pocket to go racing. So the “LB” in LB Rally Team was originally short for “Low Budget”. I’m still extremely conscious of cost, but the budget isn’t as (extremely) low as it was in the beginning.

So naturally I built my car – and with the type of events I started out with, a rolling build is quite possible. As for challenges – well – I’ve used a LOT of time. Both in terms of man hours, but also it has quite literally taken years for me to get it to where it is. Going to an event always had priority over upgrades. Seat time is important.

The benefit has been that I’ve been able to upgrade over time, not needing to come up with a lot of money at once. Then of course I know the car inside out. But mostly I’m very satisfied when we do good at the events, and I can say that I made it ALL by myself on a limited budget. That is a very nice feeling.

Tell us about a time when you stuffed the rally car (or maybe had a nasty off).
I’m  a way conservative driver, so I don’t really have that many situations to talk about. But the worst was right after getting the damn paint job I’d been wanting for several years… you can hear where this is going right? Anyway – it was wet, concrete surface, think I may have messed something up with the tire pressure or whatever. Regardless I stuffed the car right into an iron pole. Smack in the middle… quite a bit of damage to the bodywork for what the accident was.

The car could actually drive afterwards. Radiator wasn’t leaking, engine was running, all was actually good, except the lights where quite a bit out. I could’ve pressed on regardless, but somehow didn’t feel like it. Since then I’ve become more… shall we say: “interested” in winning… so if that had been at the last event, I would have continued.

Tell us about a time when you narrowly avoided a DNF. How did you press on regardless?
That would have been the national finals a few years ago. We had driven a long way to participate, and on the first stage a coolant hose blew AND the ignition started to cut out. I was gutted to say the least… we made it to the finish of the stage and then got out. Turned out the ignition was just a lead that had popped off – easy fix obviously. The coolant hose was for the heater – not such an easy fix, but the heater was expendable, so we decided to try to re-route the hoses, just bypassing the heater with the hoses (complete or in pieces) that we had. After tinkering for 20 minutes we’d come up with a solution, and we were back in business. At the next stage the car felt incredibly slow, but didn’t sound wrong in anyway – just really sluggish. At the finish of that stage I had the window down and noticed the distinct smell of warm brakes. Couldn’t believe it – it hadn’t been that bad… ½ a mile down the road I realized we had been driving the entire stage with the handbrake partially engaged… from then on everything went smoothly, but we’d lost too much time on the first stages to really finish well.

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally?  The most challenging?
Like I mentioned with regards to building the car – I particularly enjoy when we do good, and can literally say that it’s all thanks to me. I’m the one driving, building, inventing, fabricating, researching… everything except co-driving obviously… When all that comes together in a good result, I’m very pleased. There is basically no one else that takes part in the effort, so no one can say anything to take the result away from me. There’s no “yeah, but you got that trick engine by this or that über engine guru” or whatever. It’s all me: my sweat, ideas, abilities, talent, etc.
That also tends to be the challenging thing about it though… I don’t really know how to let go. Also, balancing the home life with the wife and my 1 year old daughter is a bit of a challenge. But the missus is super patient – thanks a lot honey!

How many events did you enter last year?  Is that trending up or down?  Why?
7 or 8 I think – 2009 was a bit of a slow year for us. 2008 was worse though. 2010 has seen us at 5 events so far, and we have plans for at least another 5 to 7. Keep in mind though, that the events in Denmark are way shorter than in America, and thus much cheaper, closer to home, etc.

Also, a lot of the events are our autocrossing-rallying-hybrid that I mentioned earlier. Much, much cheaper. Out of the events this year, there are at least 4 rallysprints, and 1 proper stage rally – though almost everything here in Denmark is one day events.

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
To enter more, it would be something that wouldn’t give you a price for ranking the highest. Like one of our rallysprint series where a tire brand is sponsoring the series. Everyone at the event running their tires, are entered in a draw for gift cards. That’s a nice feature.

Anything about pushing harder would need to not directly be about finishing closer to the top. My budget is way too limited for me to get close to anything there. So I don’t care much about those prices.

How important are car classes?  What class/region do you race in?
How many competitors in your class at each event?
Very important. To get high number of participants you need to accommodate all levels of ambition and economic possibilities. Car classes help with that.

The Golf is currently in Group H, but that has been discontinued, though already built cars are allowed to continue using the rules of Group H. However, we are thrown in with the Group DK-cars, which basically mean that you can do anything. Thus we get our butts handed to us – this is also due to not even using the Group H rules to the fullest in the beginning. Remember – we are on a budget.

I have most of the parts in place for moving the car to Group E, which is sort of the “warmed over” class. “Proper” gearboxes are still allowed, as is some engine work. But some of the really expensive stuff is prohibited. Just need some time for the change.

What do you think about recce vs pacenotes vs blind rally?
Can’t really say as I’ve only done recce. I’ve tried a short recce where we got pacenotes beforehand – sort of like a starting point. But I don’t have that much experience with it, so I can’t really say.

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare?  Why?
Dream come true – absolutely. Over here they tend to be very well behaved, clever enough to think about where they stand, etc. Also it just gives a very particular sensation when you drive along a crowd and you know they are looking at you.

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
I have a fairly active web site (www.lbrt.dk) – lots of info there, with emphasis on the cheaper solutions that work. I want to tell people that through dedication you can do a lot, without denting your pocket too much.

Also I try to be as outgoing and open as possible to the newcomers. Help them out if they mention that they have this or that problem, etc..

Finally I’m very active on a couple of internet car forums where I do my best to tell about the excitement of rallying and how to get started. You know – to heighten awareness.

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
In Denmark I feel that the “red tape” and paperwork you need to get done to go racing even in your street car, is prohibitive of getting new comers into the sport. There is a ton of introductory courses, marketing, etc. going on from the clubs – but the stuff that has to be done at the sanctioning body is a bit much in my opinion.

How do you help out at rallies when you aren’t racing?
Not enough I’m afraid… but just volunteering for crowd control, etc. If I’m out spectating I always bring my camera and make sure to upload and share with the community. As a driver I appreciate it very much when others do the same to me.

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be?  Why?
Heh – good question. I haven’t EVER thought about that. But I would think something with smooth sweeping gravel roads. I’m thinking Portugal or Finland or something like that. We have too little gravel in Denmark, and the experience is great.

Your favorite Group B car?
Oh – there’s a few. I can’t name just one. But generally I have a weakness for the more quirky, or outrageous weird ones. Some of the favorites are: Opel Ascona 400 – just because my first car was an Ascona with most of the 400 bodykit on it (not the arches though – could afford wheels to fill them). I’m somewhat of a Peugeot/Citroen fan, so the Peugeot 205 T16 is on the short list too. MG Metro 6R4 too for just being ridiculous. But I think that the top of list belongs to the Ford RS200. Ever since I was a boy I have been in love with that car.

Though it’s not technically a Group B car (as I understand it), I feel I have to mention the Lancia Stratos too. That is my all-time favorite rally car. It is every bit as bonkers as the Group B cars. Twitchy, hard to drive, fast and outrageous styling – what’s not to love? Like the RS200 I have loved that car since I was a boy.

We’ve all got a rally hero.  Who’s yours?
Hm – tough question. I’m not much into idolizing. But former European Champion in the privateer-cup Henrik Lundgaard is a person I admire quite a bit. Of course he being Danish and winning the European Championship in his Toyota Corolla WRC is quite a feat and calls for my admiration. He also seems to be a genuinely down to earth, nice guy.

Internationally I’m at awe by Sebastien Loeb – he’s just a rallying machine. Petter Solberg on the other hand seems much more “human”, and I can really relate to him. He’s passionate about the racing – but only human so makes mistakes both on stage and at press meetings, etc., but stands by those mistakes. I like that about him.

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!  (If not, why not?)
Yes – everyone does. That is due to the way the Danish sanctioning body (DASU) has organized itself. To get a license to rally, you have to be a member of a motor club, and only motor club’s can be organizers of any type of event, whether it’s rallying, circuit racing, or whatever. So here it’s a given.

I’m a member of one of the biggest rally-oriented clubs in Denmark – it’s called Viking Autosport, and is based quite close to me. This club is extremely focused on creating both for-club-members-only-events, as well as larger more open events. I think that is what has drawn so many people to be members of it.

Generally I get the feeling that nothing is impossible in that club. We’ll just do it, and I admire that from the guys that do all the organizing.

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
No very often – it’s mostly online.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
Jens Villumsen was the guy who held the introductory course originally. He helped out when I needed a co-driver. He gave me firm, but good advice when building the car, etc. – just a very big help in the beginning. He’s the number one reason I got into it, and most importantly stuck at it. He made sure that I didn’t make decisions that led to dead ends, or at least made me aware of when I did so I knew. To those who know John Vanlandingham, Jens is much the same. No bullshit – a bit of tough love – but basically aimed at keeping you in the sport, to have as much fun as possible.

Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
It has to be Per Sørensen and Palle Bjørnsten from Viking Autosport. They do tremendous work in our club with organizing, helping out, etc. – and still find time to participate themselves.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
It takes time and dedication – you can’t give up. Be patient and it’ll come to you.

Is there anything else rally-related you’d like to talk about, but hasn’t been asked?
Most probably – but I think we’ll leave it at this.

Gearbox Magazine would like to thank Brian for taking the time to share some of his stories with us. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Leave a comment below! We’d love to hear about it.

What got you interested in rally?
I grew up in the back seat of a SAAB and learned early on about their competition heritage. In college I started working events and assisting some other teams that ran SAABs.

Tell us about your rally car/truck.  How long have you had it?
Our rally car is a 1975 SAAB 99, we started the build in 2003 and debuted the car at some events in 2004. At 35 years young, its almost always the oldest car at the event. The car is not exactly a historically correct specimen. For parts availability and performance we chose to replace the cars original 8V non turbo engine with a 16V turbo from a 1980′s SAAB 900. This engine is nearly bulletproof and provides a great usable torque curve for rally, especially with addition of a modern ball bearing turbocharger and programmable fuel injection.

Did you buy your rally car or build it?
What challenges did this cause?  What benefits did you realize as a result?
We built the car, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I love the building aspect of rally and the fabrication. I love starting with a clean slate and not having to fix others’ mistakes. When I started building the car I thought I would do mostly rally-x for a  few years and then build up to “pro rally” as it was called at the time, but then the news that SCCA was dumping the stage rally program came out. I wasn’t even sure for a while if the car I built would meet rules in the near future, or what the future of rally was. Rally New York had some events close by (under fledgling NASA Rally Sport program) and I figured what the heck, I built the car for this, lets pull out the stops and do it NOW. I was totally hooked after the first event even though we didn’t finish because of bad fuel pump wiring and a way under built skidplate. The other competitors were so supportive and everyone loved the car.

Tell us about a time when you stuffed the rally car (or maybe had a nasty off).
We had a pretty heavy roll at STPR 08. We had just completed a pretty major rebuild of the car over that winter, new paint, new suspension, new shell (ok so technically it was pretty much a new car but for titling purposes it was the same one).

We transplanted the engine days before the event and we pushed the car onto the trailer and towed it up to STPR, the engine ran, but barely. We spent the whole day before the event in the service area troubleshooting the running issues and finding some electrical gremlins. We were pretty stressed but got the car though tech about 10 minutes before it closed.

I was also the first event for a new co-driver. Once we were on stage I relaxed a little, the new chassis setup was performing great, and we were setting some very fast times.

Midway though the 4th or 5th stage we came down into a dark valley out of a clearing, it had rained overnight but dried out in the sun mostly… the dense canopy of the forest had kept this section of road wet, and the STPR clay is like ice when its wet.  We came into an off camber 3 just a little too hot, tagged the bank but recovered, however in the midst of the moment and the minor off we got a little off the notes and missed an instruction for a !! R2 that came up WAY too quick – clipped the bank and executed a textbook roll.

The hit was not hard, we came all the way around and landed back on the wheels, in fact I don’t believe the car ever stopped!  But the windshield was shattered, every panel but the trunk was dented and we were pretty shaken up.  We pulled off to make sure everything was ok, used the lug wrench to gain some fender clearance, and transited 18 miles back to service where we handed in the time card. It was a sad day. I didn’t rally for the rest of season and took almost a year off.

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally?  The most challenging?
Finishing an event is always such a great feeling, regardless of how you did. There’s just so much work for a grassroots team to even get to the event, most people have no idea.

How many events did you enter last year?  Is that trending up or down?  Why?
Last year we ran 4 events. I had planned to run 4 again this year but West Virginia got canceled. We have run more than that’s but that’s about what is sustainable for me. Anything more than 4 and it seems to pretty much become a 2nd full time job just to keep up with maintenance and planning.

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
The Max-Attack program is great. We’ve won some big money in both Max Attack events we’ve run.

How important are car classes?  What class/region do you race in?
How many competitors in your class at each event?
The classes aren’t that important. We are G5, because of the turbo, but with a newer car could easily make more power and be G2. I mostly just watch the other 2WD guys and try to have a good time.

What do you think about recce vs pacenotes vs blind rally?
If you mean recce vs Jemba, I like the Jemba notes. I’ve done recce before and it’s good for me because I have a very visual memory, and I can pretty much remember a stage after driving it once, but the time commitment becomes too great to do recce with the 2 day events most organizers are favoring now.

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare?  Why?
I love seeing spectators out there. I was one too.

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
I ask them to crew for me. :) Really that’s one of the best ways to get into the scene and learn things, meet people, etc..

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
I used to think it was road access, but the recent economic conditions have actually helped that it seems. More towns are willing to deal with the rally organizers in order to bring some dollars into their local economies.

How do you help out at rallies when you aren’t racing?
This is something I could probably do more with. I help a lot of people with prep questions and I even build some parts as a service to the community.

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be?  Why?
Hmm, Sweden would be great, a car similar to ours won that event overall in 1977 and 1979.

Your favorite Group B car?
Not such a fan of the group B car’s. I’d much prefer a Group 4 car from the 70′s.

We’ve all got a rally hero.  Who’s yours?
Its pretty cliche to say, but Stig Blomqvist is pretty much the man. I’ve met him a number of times, he’s so humble and gave us the thumbs up a couple times we he passed us on a transit at STPR.

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!  (If not, why not?)
Not really a formal club. I share a rented shop with 2 other like-minded gearheads. We all have day jobs and just use the shop at nights.

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
Everyday on the forums I started on my website, saabrally.com. The whole idea was to build a support network of people that had similar interests. We’ve organized some group buys and had new parts made that haven’t been available for 30 years.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
My roommates and friends from college, Jordan Pagano, Max Palmer and Matt Weir have helped tremendously. Jordan is a web-design guy so he built the site, Max does graphic design so he’s helped with graphics and team media stuff. Matt is great at keeping up on time schedules and planning. Our combined skill set is really amazing, and we’ve all learned a lot from each other.

Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
The guy that works the finish control on a steep downhill every year at STPR. Every  year he tell us to not have our foot on the brake while exchanging the time card, because it will crack the rotors. Ok, but how are we supposed to keep the car from rolling down the hill while talking to him… we laugh every year.  No seriously, I am really thankful for all the help that workers provide.

Gearbox Magazine would like to thank Luke for taking the time to be interviewed. If you’ve got a Saab and you’d like to get the most out of it, head over to SaabRally.com and say hello. Luke will also be at NEFR this weekend (along with Mike White), so get your buddies together and head to New England to cheer for the Saabs!

What got you interested in rally?
Speed… and the ability to control where none should be possible.  I always dug car and mechanical stuff, but I really liked being able to be in control. Classic, huh?  And I don’t know when it was, but I read some Road &Track article about rally and they talked about rally drivers being the most talented because every corner, every surface, every stage was different and new.  I dug on that.

Tell us about your rally car/truck.  How long have you had it?
Current ride is a 1984 Saab 900.  It’s the second rally car I’ve built, and it’s brand new.  NEFR 2010 is my first event in it.  1st car was an ’80 Saab 99.

Did you buy your rally car or build it?
What challenges did this cause?  What benefits did you realize as a result?
I wanted to build this car instead of buy because I knew what I wanted. I knew what worked last time , and what didn’t.  I also derive some sick-assed pleasure from scraping tar from the bottom sides of vehicles.  Challenges?  Well, this time I have a family and house and real job.  The 1st car took 8 months to build, this one took 4 years.

Tell us about a time when you stuffed the rally car (or maybe had a nasty off).
I tend to stuff the car friggin’ around like a week before an event… however, we were in a Canadian winter event, at Perce-Neige, feeling the red mist on a long straight.  What I thought was damp gravel coming into a 90 left was actually polished ice.  We didn’t have a chance.  4th gear in a Saab is still pretty fast.  We went straight at T, so deep in, I thought it was going to be spring before we got out.  The crazy, awesome  Canadians drug some HUGE 15ft sections of trees out of the woods and pried us, foot, by foot up out of the hole we’d dug and back on the road.  Simply awesome!

Tell us about a time when you narrowly avoided a DNF and how you managed to press on.
Maine Forest in like 2000.  Wicked rough rally, very dry, super dusty, like 95 degrees.  We lost our tailpipe on the first long stage.  Then we broke it a little further forward, then we lost a wheel in transit, then we broke a shock, then our entire exhaust.  In the course of a 30min service my crew was somehow able to find a piece of pipe, and a welder, make a header collector and a pipe sticking out the side of the car.  Our best finish ever…in the loudest car in the entire field!

What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in rally?  The most challenging?
Everyone says it, but it’s the people.  Most of my closest friends are from the rally community.  And they all get it. We all wax and wane, cars come and go, people phase out or phase in, but the friendships remain… that and all the hot chicks and sponsorship loot.

How many events did you enter last year?  Is that trending up or down?  Why?
No events last year, so I’m trending up!!!

What kind of cash prize structure would entice you to enter more rallies or push the car harder?
MaxAttack is as good as I’ve seen it…although with the kind of field they’ll have at NEFR, money deeper down in the finishing order would be nice.  True contingency and series sponsors would really help. Gotta say… getting 15% off of brake pads or some headphones isn’t going to help me make it to the next event.

How important are car classes?  What class/region do you race in?
How many competitors in your class at each event?
Well, you know what, I am racing the guys sitting before and after me on the road and the buddies I have in the field.  Classes are nice, but overall… bragging rights and free beer to the “winner” is what rally was built on… I’d like to keep it that way.

What do you think about recce vs pacenotes vs blind rally?
This will be my first event with notes… I’ll tell ya in a few weeks!

Spectators: Dream come true or worst nightmare?  Why?
This may not be a popular answer with everyone, but we suck (as an organization) at making rally cool for spectators.  We make them ride buses, stand on crappy corners, herd them, yell at them to get behind the super strong yellow tape.  Issue?  Our messed up legal system has removed the ability for spectators to self govern and be taught the right way to do it.  “Back in the day” you got a map, maybe an old route book, a tank full of gas, some sandwiches, beer and if you were lucky, a scanner and you made your own event following the rally.  You found the crossroads, you looked for the vantage points, you hiked through the woods..and you know what?  With very – and I mean VERY few exceptions… shocker here – nobody got hurt.  And people were responsible (to a point) for their own actions.

Not so now.

How do you get local gearheads involved in rally?
Take ‘em for a beat run… they’re hooked.

What do you see is the most critical issue needing addressed by the rally community today?
How would you address that issue if you were in charge?
Organizers need help and support from the series in the way of an overall big $$ sponsor. I see the trials our local organizers go through – for what? So I can go play in the woods?  Smaller interest groups in our county lobby and advocate for more than we rallyists do.  Wut up wit dat?

How do you help out at rallies when you aren’t racing?
I do like to work events… even though I’m usually grumpy that I’m not driving… but I do like giving back.

If you could enter any WRC event, which rally would that be?  Why?
Sweden or Finland. Love snow and damn those Finnish roads look sweet.

Your favorite Group B car?
Lancia Delta S4… just super bad-ass.

We’ve all got a rally hero.  Who’s yours?
Got a few.
John Buffum, Colin McRae, Stig Blomqvist.

Do you have a local rally club?  Tell us about it!  (If not, why not?)
The New England rally community is one, big dysfunctional family… ’nuff said!

How often do you get together with other rallyistas to talk shop?
The interweb has made that a weekly, international occurrence.

Tell us about some people who have made your rally dream a reality.
My wife Suzanne, my family and my friends who put stupid drive time in so they can come work on my car.
Brett, John Groo, The Breck’s, Luke, Andrew, Ted, Carl, Hanh Nguyen…Thank you!

El Blano would also like to thank his generous sponsors for their help.
YachtingSolutions.com – An industry-leading yachting services provider.
MaineIndoorKarting.com – Maine’s safest, fastest, and most thrilling karting facility.
Sebago Brewing Company – Maine’s premier restaurant and brewery.

Thank a volunteer (or group of them) here.
Workers and organizers..  Ted Goddard, John Buffum, Greg Healy, Ted & Lise Mendham, Kathy Moody, Tim O’Neil, Anders Green, these are the people making it happen.  Hats off!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your time in the rally community?
Beer…beer is good and is meant to be shared.

It’s a shame Aslousen Oberstierskin aka: El Blanco, aka: Michael White, aka: that guy with the bad ass Saab lives all the way up in Maine. We at Gearbox Magazine (based in Phoenix, Arizona) would really love to rally with this cat. If you’d like to get to know El Blanco – look him up on Facebook!

What about you? Agree with what Michael has to say about Max Attack prizes, spectators, or beer? Leave us a comment. Let us know! Thanks for reading!