PBRT Opens 2009 Season at Cochrane Regional Rally This Weekend

The new Prescribed Burn 2004 Subaru STI will take its first rally start at round one of the Western Canadian Rally Championship this weekend. The PBRT service crew has been hard at work converting the street prepped STI into a tough and stage ready open class rally car.

Last year’s Cochrane rally was the first event as the lead rally car for the Prescribed Burn team, an added challenge for still novice codriver Jennifer, and a substantial disadvantage in the winter conditions.  As first car out the Prescribed Burn Impreza cleared the way for the later entries, sweeping the untouched snowy stages at a slower pace.  The team will be looking to improve upon the 2008 result of fifth overall, and aiming to adapt to and show off the new STI.

Link to the Cochrane website with entry list and schedule HERE.

Good luck to all the WCRC competitors, as the race for the 2009 title begins!

Sweet New Logo for Prescribed Burn RT this Season

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team enlisted the help of trusted graphic designer Cynthia Frenette, the artist behind the Sirius Rally Logo, to update their logo for the 2009 season.  The Okanagan rally team is beginning to attract local commercial and media attention; it has also added a second rally car to the team for 2009, and everyone wanted a logo that reflected the team’s growth and success.  Thanks to Cynthia for an eye-catching professional  that reflects the flare and fun at the core of the Prescribed Burn Rally Team.

Link to Green Couch Designs HERE.

The current PBRT website will be updated to fit the new logo soon, hopefully before the team’s first event of the season, Cochrane Rally of the Ranchlands, on March 1st.

2009 Thunderbird Rally in Review

The Okanagan and environs became the partly sunny playground for the biggest TSD rally of the season this past weekend, where almost fifty rally cars took on the snow, ice and bare gravel roads in pursuit of the 38th Thunderbird title.

Our Thunderbird Rally adventure began in the ranchlands outside of Merritt, sailing through the sweeping corners of the Minnie Lake regularity.  I’m pretty sure this reg has been cancelled in years past because of flooding, but this year we just sailed over huge glass ice puddles that covered many spots on the long straights, maintaining our speed and line effortlessly.  Apparently the ice broke and the conditions deteriorated as the rally progressed, resulting in front end damage and a very early retirement for the 1967 Volo Eis Munky lead team.  The second Eis Munky paper class entry was reported off on the same reg, eliminating the team from contention.

The hairpin checkpoint we were assigned on Sunday was the most eventful of the rally, as almost half the field ran into some sort of trouble negotiating the steep, acute L turn.  

With provisional scores posted, the 1969 Saab of driver Satch Carlson and codriver Russ Kraushaar was in the top position, repeating their 2007 victory.

Link to Sirius RT event photos HERE.

Link to Eis Munky Brian’s photos HERE.

Link to event results HERE.

Hairpin video to follow….

Thunderbird Rally Goes High Tech with Sirius Team Checkpointers!

The Sirius WRX Wagon will be traveling the back roads of BC this weekend as part of the Thunderbird TSD Rally.  Over forty teams from the Prairies to the Pacific Northwest, including seasoned stage rally veterans and a herd of newbies in shiny Subarus, will be competing for the Thunderbird Title.  

Without a dedicated TSD rally budget for 2009, Jennifer and August are volunteering for the weekend, and looking forward to some serious winter driving and Subaru rescuing.  Jennifer will be trying out the PBRT twitter rally setup, sending mobile updates from the road, and the Sirius team’s location will be available via August’s Spot tracker @ whereisaugust.com.  Check the Twitter link in the side column of the Sirius team site for twitter updates.

The Eis Munky Rally Team will be attempting to defend its team title from last year, with founding members Gil Stuart and Chris Peake leading the team in Gil’s historic class 1967 Volvo 123GT.  The 2009 Eis Munky Team continues its tradition of including a paper class entry  with Washingston’s Steven Kang and Greg Hightower in their 98 Subaru Outback Sport.  The third Eis Munky team will be an unlimited class 2000 Subaru Impreza piloted by veteran rally fans and organizers Max Vaysburg and Tony Latham. 

GO EIS MUNKY RT!!

2009 Thunderbird Rally Home

1st Annual Big White Rally Weekend

As a bit of catchup, here’s the link to the recap of the superfun events at Big White before Christmas, hosted by the Prescribed Burn Rally Team:

Big White Rally Weekend PR

The second stage test day to be organized in the Okanagan opened the event, with four rally cars out testing and playing in the snow. The next test day is tentatively scheduled for Saturday March 21st, and the Prescribed Burn Team plans to host another Big White Rally Weekend in early December 2009.

Prescribed Burn 2009 Competition Schedule

Cochrane Regional Rally of the Ranchlands – Feb 28-Mar 01, Cochrane AB

Ski2Sea Relay Race - April 19, Kelowna BC

Rocky Mountain National Rally - May 29–31, Calgary AB

Mountain Trials Regional Stage Rally - June 13-14, Merritt BC

Bighorn Regional Stage Rally - August 15-16, Edmonton AB

Pacific Forest National Stage Rally - October 2-4, Merritt BC

Kananaskis Regional Stage Rally - November 7-8, Kananaskis AB

 

Prescribed Burn Rally Team Takes 2008 Open Class Title, Prepares for 2009 Season

After a successful 2008 season, culminating in the Western Canadian Open Class Title, the Prescribed Burn Rally Team will focus on the Western Canadian Rally Championship exclusively for its 2009 season.  This rally series begins in March, but the team is currently working on a number of preseason efforts, including prepping and testing a new car, creating a new website, and initiating new team members.

“Last season was a real roller coaster and a big learning year for everyone,” reflects codriver Jennifer Daly.  “We had record results, but also some crashes and frustrating mechanical troubles.  Despite the trials, we won open class and placed third overall, and we are heading into this season as a more tightly knit, experienced, and determined rally team.”

 As his rally team evolves, driver and team founder Mark Jennings-Bates regards the season ahead with excitement and growing confidence: “The profile of rally as an action sport is increasing: both the Canadian National Series and the Dakar Rally are getting mainstream television coverage, and we’re seeing more and more spectators, sponsors and new drivers coming to rally.   As part of this momentum, we intend to take our team to a higher level of performance and exposure in 2009,” says Jennings-Bates.  “We are focused on winning the Western Canadian Rally Championship.”

As part of this pursuit, the team will be upgrading to a faster rally car, a 2004 Subaru STI.  The PBRT service crew of local volunteers will be hard at work preparing the new car for the team’s first event of the season, Alberta’s Cochrane Regional Rally of the Ranchlands on March 1st. 

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team is a performance rally team based in British Columbia’s Okanagan valley.  The Prescribed Burn Rally Team is sponsored by AGAR Paint and Autobody, Big O Tires Westbank, Wyatt Auto Parts, The Vault Sign & Design, Realtors at The Grand, K96.3FM, and Provisiondata.com; the team is supported by the Horie Family, Bell Racing, Driver’s Edge Autosports, Kelowna Moving Centre, Great Canadian Oil Change and Green Couch Designs.

 PBRT Media Release 02/03/2008