Rally Fun
The Green Monster in the garage
There's a creature in my basement that hungers for my free time and attention. Read the SaabBlaag to find out what's
happened recently to tame the beast.
Rally events and photos
2007
2006 events
Here's what's happened:
Some 2005 updates
2005 was a busy year:
No Alibi 2004
The
premier gravel rally in Washington state started in
Ellensburg, overnighted in Clarkston and returned to Ellensburg
the next day. This year Marvin and I worked the event rather than
competing. As we expected, the workers have at least as much fun
as the competitors. TSD sections near Dayton and Clarkston had
some of the most amazing scenery and the best roads we've seen.
We worked as the sweep vehicle in the Blazer. Other TeamD members
worked the event as well. We managed to get pictures of almost
all the cars on the second day, as well as some shots of some of
the roads. Never broke out the tow strap, which was good for the
rallyists. Thanks to Recovery Gear for the tow strap
and hardware just in case! Check out the Sweep car pictures
here.
2004 Alcan Winter Rally
Ooh boy! This was the trip of a lifetime. Driving north of the
Arctic Circle in February was a blast! Jim and I did this in the
WRX with our friends from TeamD. You can read all about our
adventure on the Team Alcan web
site. Also, I have my photos available from
days 1-7 and days
8-end.
2003 Thunderbird Rally
Our first time in
what is described as one of the most challenging TSD rallies in
North America. The Thunderbird
Rally was not only great fun and an experience builder for
us, but an opportunity to see how some of the best TSD teams deal
with the ice, mud and snow of central British Columbia. This
rally began in Merritt, BC on February 15, travelled to Kamloops
for the overnight and returned to Merritt the following day. Eric
and Steve had an impressive showing in the BMW iX (7th overall)
while Jim and Dan dumped the computer in the WRX before the start
to compete in Paper class, finishing 45th due to Dan's encounter
with a ditch on day 2. No damage, but the delay caused them to
skip a section, resulting in a high score. 56 cars began this
event, the largest field we've yet seen. Not many photos, but plenty of great
memories.
2002 Totem Rally
November 16-17, 2002.
A brisk two-day TSD touring rally in central British Columbia,
the Totem
Rally was our first event north of the border. Three of "our"
cars competed: Jim and Marvin in the WRX (3rd in Calculator
class), Eric and Steve in the BMW (3rd in Unlimited), and Dan and
first time new navigator Steve Wiper in the "Big is Beautiful"
Blazer (2nd in Calculator). If you don't mind lots of mud, big
smiles, and a little snow, check out the photos.
2002 The Road Not Taken
August 10, 2002. This event in the Coast Range of Oregon
was an exciting SCCA National Touring Rally. We didn't get
many pictures, but had fun
competing in Limited (Equipped) class and Marvin did a great job
in the right-hand seat, helping us nab 3rd in class.
2002 No Alibi
No Alibi was held June 1-2, 2002.
The Ungainly Red Beast, a 1994 full-size Blazer, was selected as
the vehicle for this event. Starting at Snoqualmie Pass the No
Alibi course wound through the scrub and coulees of central
Washington to Spokane where we stopped for the night. The next
day had us travelling through the Palouse region, back into some
of the coulees of Day 1, up a slightly nervous hill climb and
down into Wenatchee for the end. Speeds were brisk and the
scenery was (usually) great. A very well organized event and
definitely something we'll do next year. My
pictures of No Alibi are here, and the official
web site with results, stories, and more photos is also
available.
2002 Raindrop
Raindrop is a gentle touring rally held by Rainier
Auto Sports Club. Held on April 28, it began in Tacoma, eased
through Gig Harbor and on to the Kitsap Peninsula. Spectacular
scenery and unusually nice weather made for a great day. Just
pre- and post-event photos are
available.
2002 Rally of Monte Carlo (WRC)
Wow, what a trip. These are the big boys, driving
incredible cars on some of the most outrageous roads you'll ever
see. A trip report is in process, meanwhile, take a look at some of the images.
(Warning -- a very large page of thumbnails)
October, 2001 TSDs
The
Night on Bald Mountain
rally is a mix of Monte Carlo and regularity stages at brisk
speeds on gravel. The full size Blazer is not the car of
choice for this kind of event but we managed to keep it on the
roads and make it to the end. One team, however, was not that fortunate.
In a slightly more conventional car (the Passat wagon), we did
quite well at the October Friday night rally in our last stint in
Novice class. Thanks to Bob, who on his second time navigating,
helped nab the award for top
novice score.
Wild West, September, 2001
Jim and I worked as road marshals at instruction #69, a tight
hairpin turn that afforded some decent photos and video. Here are
some of the better shots I got before the camera succumbed to the
dust:
Jim put a great gob
of photos from that day up on his site as well.
Results of
the Wild West ProRally are at the Northwest SCCA web
site.
Rally Links
Tell us where you're from:
January 2007
Dan Comden
Seattle, WA U.S.A.
Email -- dan*@*comdens.com (remove the asterisks around the "@"
symbol)
No Alibi was held June 1-2, 2002.
The Ungainly Red Beast, a 1994 full-size Blazer, was selected as
the vehicle for this event. Starting at Snoqualmie Pass the No
Alibi course wound through the scrub and coulees of central
Washington to Spokane where we stopped for the night. The next
day had us travelling through the Palouse region, back into some
of the coulees of Day 1, up a slightly nervous hill climb and
down into Wenatchee for the end. Speeds were brisk and the
scenery was (usually) great. A very well organized event and
definitely something we'll do next year. My
pictures of No Alibi are here, and the official
web site with results, stories, and more photos is also
available.
The
Night on Bald Mountain
rally is a mix of Monte Carlo and regularity stages at brisk
speeds on gravel. The full size Blazer is not the car of
choice for this kind of event but we managed to keep it on the
roads and make it to the end. One team, however, was not that fortunate.
