PBRT Flies to First BC Regional Podium Finish at PFR

Local Prescribed Burn Rally Team driver Mark Jennings-Bates and co-driver Jennifer Daly achieved their best ever national finish and second overall in the regional at this year’s Pacific Forest Rally on October 3 in Merritt, BC.

After an exciting and competitive event, the team took a well deserved regional podium for the first time in their new 2004 STi rally car. The rally started well for the duo on the Friday night stages, as the team adapted to the new KSport gravel suspension, which was tested heavily at the event, and provided consistent and confident handling.

Even in the dark, Friday night proved to be very fast; this trend continued for the whole event and ended with Subaru Canada’s Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell destroying the stage record on Helmer in the dark on Saturday.  With mud, snow and fog during the early recce portion, choosing tires was a significant challenge, but the conditions improved dramatically by the time the cars were on stage, and PFR 2009 turned into one of the fastest Merritt rallies in history.

The PBRT service crew were professional and effective, and kept the team in the hunt for a strong finish; however, the last 150km of the event were run without any power steering, a big challenge for driver Mark Jennings-Bates:  “Now I will stop whining at my strength and conditioning coach, Leanne Manlove at Pinnacle Elite Athlete, about all the strength work she is making me do.  I really needed to work hard to keep the car on the road for the last two stages, but thankfully we did not drop much time and gained a place in the process.  I guess the training is paying off!”  Codriver Jennifer Daly was also very busy at the weekend, as the stages were fast and adapting delivery timing to a greatly increased pace can be very challenging. “We certainly came out of the first stage with a good pace” said Daly, adding “on Saturday we hit a jump and seemed to be in the air for several seconds, which was intense, and a total thrill.  Our service crew was reliable and we owe a big part of the success this weekend to them”.

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team’s newest driver Craig Ross and codriver John Hall took the start line for the first time ever at PFR.  Craig’s objective for his first rally was to finish, which he did, setting some very competitive stage times along the way. A puncture and necessary tire change cost the new team in overall time, but Craig clearly demonstrated that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

PFR was the first successful rally for the Prescribed Burn Rally Team in over a year.  Mark and Jennifer finished 5th overall nationally and 2nd overall regionally.  Craig and John finished 12th overall regionally, despite their puncture!  

The PBRT service crew for PFR consisted of Dave Hood, Anthony Evans, Reagan Ritchie and Devon Crosby. The next event on the calendar for the Prescribed Burn Rally Team will be the all new Big White Winter Rally, taking place on December 5, 2009 at the Big White Ski Resort. 

Link to 2009 Pacific Forest Rally results HERE.

Link to the Big White Rally Weekend homepage HERE.

(car photo credit Kurt Schantz)

Oregon 1000 Frantic and Fun for Sirius Team

Ben and Jennifer started the second day of the Oregon 1000 under duress, when they realized, on their way to the first regularity, that the rally computer was not working.   After couple of stops at curbside repair ramps, Ben was able to fix the problem, but the team was very late and forced to take a time deck.   They ended up disorganized and frazzled through the first reg, taking on maximum points at one checkpoint and hefty early points at another, effectively putting them out of contention for the event.

After the chaos subsided, the fun began.  Ice cream, thunderstorms, water balloons and good rally friends became the highlights of the day.  As the rally progressed through the twisty, rolling roads of the Oregon backcountry, the weather cleared and Ben and Jennifer got back on track, improving their scores and working as a successful unlimited team.  

The end of rally party took place on a lovely shaded patio in Hood River, OR as teams shared stories of spinning out, close calls, flat tires and even some scoring concerns, including an unresolved balking penalty.  After the awards, Alex joined Ben and Jennifer back in Portland, where a final water balloon fight temporarily remedied the intense heat that had gripped the Pacific Northwest for the previous weeks, and the first Oregon 1000 was over for the Sirius Rally Team.

No online results have been posted.

Link to Sirius photos HERE.

SnoGit TSD 2009 Podium Finish for Sirius in Debut Unlimited Class Drive

This year’s SnoGit TSD featured miles of twisty and scenic tarmac roads through the lush forests and farmlands of Washington’s Skagit County, designed by Jack Heppes and the Olympic Rally Competition Association. The speeds were lively; teams were kept busy searching for do it yourself checkpoint markers along the regularities and negotiating tricky sections with multiple tight corners. Main roads busy with summer recreational traffic were challenging for some competitors, and with a large number of novice teams participating, many of the regularity starts were busy and interesting, with multiple cars leaving on the same minute.

After a sunny day of TSD competition, SnoGit concluded with a spirited uphill transit, followed by hearty barbeque and storytelling at Lake Tyee. The results were tallied, and the rally ended up as an extremely close battle between seasoned veterans and teams quite new to the unlimited class. Three teams finished with a total of 14 points, with two more teams close behind at 15 and 16 points. The three-way tie was broken by totaling zeroes, and the practiced elders came out on top. Don Gibson and Mike Workman took first overall with 9 zeroes, Michael Daily and Tom Palidar finished second overall with 8 zeroes, followed by Jennifer Daly and Ben Bradley in third overall with 7 zeroes, as their first outing with Jennifer driving in unlimited. Also fairly new to the unlimited class, SOP experts Steve Perret and Kathryn Hansen finished in fourth, only one point behind the overall leaders. Joel McLaughlin and Chris Ringhofer won the equipped class, Terry and Arlene Nickels took first in SOP and Tom and Tate Matthews were the top novices.

This was the largest SnoGit ever, with 26 entries. Many teams traveled from British Columbia, drawn by the inclusion of SnoGit in a new novice TSD series created by Jim Bowie from the West Coast Rally Association. The entrants spanned over five decades in age range and featured an interesting variety of vehicles, including rentals, demos, the usual contingent of Subarus and a pickup truck. At the finish, many teams were already talking about their preparations for the upcoming Oregon 1000 TSD rally, a longer gravel event with an impressive entry list featuring the most competitive TSD teams in the Pacific Northwest.

Link to full results HERE.

Link to Sirius photos HERE.

Another DNF For Prescribed Burn Rally Team

MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

PBRT Become Spectators After Mechanical Troubles Force Early End to Rocky

June 1st, 2009 – The Prescribed Burn Rally Team was only one and a half stages into the Rocky Mountain National Rally when the engine of their 2004 Subaru STi overheated, taking them out of competition after less than 20 stage kilometers.  Although the sweep truck was able to return the car to the service for assessment by the crew, they were not able to isolate the problem, and the team opted to retire rather than risk terminal engine failure that was likely inevitable if they attempted to continue.

With the PB rally car stowed on the trailer, the team was free to spectate the rest of the event, which featured rally teams from Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.  The main spectator area was crowded with rally fans from across Canada, cheering and enjoying the sunshine as the rally cars roared though a challenging section of stage featuring an acute corner and texas gate.  The event was lead from early on by Canadian Champions Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell, who took first overall. The battle for first in the two wheel drive class was eventually won by Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila, who managed to nurse their 1996 VW Golf through the majority of the last stage and to the final control with only three wheels on the car.  They had been in close competition with Manitobans Jan and Jody Zedril, who lead the their class until they rolled their Mitsubishi on the eighth special stage.

Mark and Jennifer were joined by Craig Ross and Alex Schubel as service crew for this year’s Rocky; they are also indebted to Regan Ritchie and Dave Steeper for their mechanical knowledge and preparation efforts leading up to the rally.  The 2009 Rocky Mountain National Rally will be broadcast on TSN June 20th.  The Prescribed Burn Rally Team will be busy rebuilding the engine in preparation for their next event, the Mountain Trials Regional Stage Rally, taking place in Merritt, BC on June 12^th and 13th.

Photo Links

Formula Photographic

WorldRallySport

RallyPic.com

B.G. Images

Sirius Rally Team Takes 1st in Class & 2nd O/A in 2009 TSD Debut!

The 2009 Trail of the Gnu Rally around Rocky Mountain House, AB in late March turned out to be a true winter driving adventure for Sirius driver Jennifer and her new teammate codriver Leanne.  The first outing for the all girl team was a super fun, spirited and lucky drive, with challenging slippy and deep snow roads, and the rex’s wheels leaving the ground on more than one occasion.  

The team had the privilege of starting directly behind rallymaster Taisto and his accomplished right seat Jim, who provided a lot of advice and encouragement, as well as great racing lines, throughout the event.  Organizers Eric and Kris have built Gnu into the premiere TSD in AB; indeed, the Gnu roads rivaled any of the Alcan regularities, except for Blackwater, and were some of the best times Jennifer has ever had at a TSD.  After a bit of a rough start as the new team sorted out how to work together, the points stayed low, with the exception of overestimating the difficulty of a series of hairpins and coming in early, and stuffing the car into the deep snow on a narrow section.  Luckily, on the reg where the team got stuck disruptive locals caused havoc for the cars behind, and it ended up being an unscored section.  Even luckier, the team put the car in the bank on such a narrow road that the next cars could not pass and were eager to pull them out quickly.  Many thanks to Richard and Helen for getting the rex back on the road with their 1974 BMW!  

After the off, the codriving was impeccable and the rest of the rally flew by, highlighted by a zero through a challenging hairpin series, and an impressive ‘jump’ over one of the final cattle guards.  Veterans Peter and Geoff Hill took the overall win, besting Jennifer and Leanne by only two points!  Unfortunately, the newly formed team will be unable to contest for the 2009 RallyWest TSD title because of the untimely crash and writeoff of the Rex in late April.  

Link to results HERE.

Link to istaphoto.com event photos HERE

Link to Sirius event photos HERE.

PBRT Takes Open Class Win at Cochrane Rally

The new Prescribed Burn 2004 Subaru STI left its tarmac circuit racing history in the dust this weekend at its first rally, the Cochrane Regional Rally of the Ranchlands in Alberta.  This year’s Cochrane Rally, the first round of the Western Canadian Championship, began as a pure snow and ice winter event, with some teams ending up in the snowbanks multiple times, and ended as a warm sunny spring rally with a great finish for the Prescribed Burn Rally Team.

On the first few morning stages, driver Mark Jennings-Bates had his hands full keeping the new car, with its still stock suspension and non rally tires, on the slippy winter roads.  Other teams struggled for grip as well, including the first car out, which ended up in the snowbank on the first stage.  By the long mid day service the Chinook arch was high in the sky, and the temperature was rising rapidly.  The Prescribed Burn service crew worked hard and solved a list of problems that cropped up throughout the morning, giving Mark and Jennifer a chance to test out the new car in earnest during the second half of the rally.  With the temperature above freezing, the worn winter tires found more grip and the team returned to rally pace, enjoying settling in to the new car. 

 The Prescribed Burn Rally Team’s 2009 Cochrane Rally was an eventful one, with new car teething troubles, stopping on stage to pull another competitor out of the snowbank, and penalties incurred when they spun 360 degrees backwards through a chicane, obliterating most of the elements.  The detailed results are not yet available, but without the estimated five minutes they lost to these challenges the Prescribed Burn team would have been in an overall podium position.  By the last leg of the rally the team was consistently setting competitive stage times, enough to and take first place in open class and fifth overall.  The next event on the PBRT calendar is the Rocky Mountain National Rally in Alberta in May.

1 – #4 Hardy Schmidke Adam Vokes 1:07:21 1
2 – #2 Eric Grochowski Leanne Junnila 1:09:42 2
3- #11 Onur Tezcan Aaron Neumann 1:10:43 3
4- #9 Jared Powell-Williams Mark Uhlmann 1:12:45 4
5 – #3 Mark Jennings-Bates Jennifer Daly 1:14:49 5
6 – #7 Graham Bruce Ryan Warrington 1:15:51 6
7 – #8 Neil Wright Lorna Wright 1:16:37 7
8 – #12 Jim Gemmell John Gemmell 1:17:53 8
9 – #10 Mehran Arefi Dan McLean 1:21:01 9
10 – #1 Colin Armstrong Jason Thain 1:30:02 10
– #5 Brian Maplethorpe John Hall DNF – Max Late
– #6 Ken Maydaniuk Chris Maydaniuk DNF – Off road

Link to detailed results HERE.

Photo links:

Istaphoto

Andrew Snucins

Sirius Rally Team

Travis C, chicane supervisor

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….

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.

PBR Team Rallies to Career Top National Finish at Rocky

An unusually heavy week of rain descended upon Calgary, Alberta just in time for the 2008 Rocky Mountain Stage Rally, creating challenging conditions for the organizers, teams and volunteers. The second round of the Canadian National series had thirty four entries and showcased new contingency programs and factory support from Subaru and Mitsubishi.

As teams traveled out to the first stages, a rare short break in the rain occurred and Mark and Jennifer flew through the familiar roads without incident. By the first reseed they had moved ahead of their usual regional competition, and just in behind the funded factory teams. The third stage of the rally was the longest and a favourite of Mark’s; although turbo problems had prevented the team from truly taking the stage in the past, this time they pushed hard and drove Powderface all out. On the transit back to Calgary two top teams were stopped on the roadside, and another was left on stage with a blown motor. This attrition put the Prescribed Burn Team in the running for a top five National finish.

The impact of the weather was apparent early in the rally when flooding forced the cancellation of the short spectator stages. In lieu of the planned gravel course, the organizers devised a head to head, WRC style tarmac super special for the spectators expected at the Race City Speedway on Friday night. Despite the downpour, a sizeable crowd equipped with cameras and umbrellas turned up to see the teams and cars at service and on the track. The Prescribed Burn Team ended day one in fifth place overall, its highest National standing ever. Mark and Jennifer aimed to carry the speed and composure they attained on the Powderface stages into the Porcupine Hills, despite the torrential rain and rumours of car-sucking mud on Saturday’s tricky and technical stages.

The Prescribed Burn Team started day two by setting fourth fastest times on the first two stages, moving them ahead of Mitsubishi teams from Quebec. Mark and Jennifer were surprised at how well they fared since they battled thick fog and confusion about chicane placement on the first stage. At the first service the focus was on tires, and many teams were changing to new gravel tires or narrow mud tires. Deep mud and rocks on the next two tight, narrow stages cost the team time and a lot of tire wear, but they managed to lose only one position.

Mark drove at the very edge for the grip and the conditions over the last two stages, but their closest competitors with mud tires gained ground. The Prescribed Burn Team finished the Rocky Mountain Rally in sixth overall, also collecting important points as the second place novice entry. Patrick Richard and Alan Ockwell won the event for the Rocket Rally Team in their new Subaru Canada WRX STI.

According to co-driver Jennifer Daly, the rally was a success: “I’m very happy with our performance and I think we are steadily progressing as a team. We were consistent and we are gaining confidence; sixth overall is an outstanding result. We relied heavily on our volunteer service crew to maintain the car and especially the tires at this event. They were dedicated and steadfast despite the terrible cold, wet, muddy conditions they endured all weekend.” Dave Hood, Eric Bauld, Alex Schubel and Dave Steeper were in attendance as service crew for Rocky.

Over the course of the event, the rain flowed in rivers across the transit roads and into culverts on stage, creating huge puddles that splashed into the roof vents and engines of the rally cars, forcing at least one retirement. The Canadian National series is being filmed to air on TSN in the fall, and according to the veteran rally videographers, the 2008 Rocky conditions were the worst ever.

After reviewing the stage times, driver Mark Jennings-Bates summarized his performance: “We set a competitive pace on Friday and maintained it for the Saturday morning stages. The mud got thicker and deeper as the day progressed, and against other teams with specialized mud tires, we lost precious seconds and dropped in the overall final standings. There are well equipped new or returning teams on the Western Canadian circuit and we’re looking forward to some close battles this season.” With new rivalries brewing, the team will begin preparation for its next outing, the Mountain Trials Regional Stage Rally, taking place in Merritt BC on June 13 & 14. Mountain Trials is a home event for the team and they will be driving hard for a podium finish.

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team is supported by BCResortHomes.com, Agar Paint & Autobody, BigO Tire in Westbank, OkanaganVisitor.ca, Provisiondata.com, Stacy Screen Print, Kelowna Moving Centre, Wyatt Autoparts, Wishbone Industries, The Great Canadian Oil Change and Bell Racing.

PBR Team Takes on US Competition at Olympus Rally 2008

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team had an action packed weekend at the historic Olympus Rally in Pomeroy WA. The first US event for the team was a challenging mix of smooth ridgeline roads and tight corners in and out of grassland valleys, with some teams reaching speeds near 200 km/h. The rally was centred at the Garfield County Fairgrounds, where driver Mark Jennings-Bates, codriver Jennifer Daly and service crew Dave Hood, Alex Schubel, Dave Steeper and Eric Bauld enjoyed the old fashioned small town generosity of the host community. The Olympus Rally has a historic past as one of the oldest rallies in America, and as a previous World Rally Championship event.

On Saturday the first regional rally came to a sudden end for the Prescribed Burn Team less than two miles into the second stage. The car slid slightly wide on an acute loose gravel corner; the soft bank edge fell out from under it and the car landed at the bottom of the steep outside ditch. Unharmed, Mark and Jennifer scrambled out of the gulley to await the course closing crew, who capably extracted the rally car and notified the rest of the team. Determined to continue, Mark drove the car back out of the stage in reverse, with two flat tires, bent rims and a crooked front wheel. At the stage entry they were rescued by their service crew, who towed the car back to the fairgrounds to assess the damage. A few hours of hard work and some spare parts got the car repaired in time to reenter the second regional rally, a commendable achievement for the volunteer service crew.

The early crash was not the end of the trouble for the Prescribed Burn Rally Team. Turbo problems caused them to limp through the first stage after the restart, effectively putting them out of podium contention. This problem was tackled in the later stages and resolved by the last day of the event, where the team came within seconds of reaching the maximum average speed allowed on the final stage. They also bested some well known drivers of large budget factory teams. Mark and Jennifer gained confidence using pace notes and they were able to test the limits of the rally car; working under time constraints and getting the car back into the rally were valuable experiences for the service crew.

DC Shoes founder Ken Block won the national rally for the Subaru USA team; Mark and Jennifer placed 6th overall in the second regional. The team traveled to the Olympus Rally as part of their preparation for their first national event of 2008, Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Rally in May.

Link to the Olympus Rally website HERE.

Prescribed Burn Rally Team Takes Open Class Win at Cochrane Rally 2008

This year Cochrane was a fast paced, exciting rally, complete with winter driving challenges, amazing offs and fierce competition.  Sunday’s stages were ice and gravel blanketed by a few centimetres of fresh snow.  The conditions were highly variable depending on running order, and changed substantially throughout the day.  The Prescribed Burn Rally Team set out first on the road in the morning, setting respectable times despite the slippery and deceptive untouched snow on the stages.   By the first service they proved to be behind the pace of the leading group, who were taking advantage of the grippy gravel that was appearing as the rally progressed.    The second leg of the rally took place on the tricky and technical Harold Creek stages; these stages claimed two rally cars during the event, and the Prescribed Burn car almost became a third.  Early in stage 3 Mark and Jennifer came flying into a sharp left slightly unprepared, and ended up on top of the large snowbank, on the outer edge of the road, sliding along it and managing to use whatever wheels were still on the ground to avoid going over the edge. This corner saw a lot more action after the Prescribed Burn team came through – some competitors bounced off the bank, and one car went off and rolled over completely.  The rollover was the big story of the event, until another team launched their car off a crest and wedged it between two trees on the second pass of the Harold Creek stages.  The crews from the crashed cars were uninjured but out of the rally.  Mark and Jennifer made up time during the final leg of the rally.  They set top times on stages, and were within 10 seconds of second and third place overall.  Delays from earlier in the rally caused two late stages to be cancelled, and the opportunities for the Prescribed Burn Team to continue making up time were lost.  The team was still in line for the open class win, as the next closest open driver ended up hitting a bridge trying to catch them.  As all the teams filed into the final control it became clear that the results were extremely close, with a large part of the field possibly on the podium.  This situation is unusual in rally, and it took the officials a long time to declare the results.  Mark, Jennifer and the Prescribed Burn Team took the Open class win, and placed fifth overall, 20 seconds out of third.  The Bullit Racing Team of Colin Armstrong and Jason Thain won the event and the Group 2 title.  The next Alberta event is the Rocky Mountain Stage Rally in May.   Link to event photos from Formula Photographic HERE. Link to Shawn’s photos, including sequences of the close calls on Harold Creek, HERE. Link to Louren Sansregret’s photos HERE. 

Rookie Sirius Team Takes Second Overall at Alcan Rally!

We’re finally getting settled back in to life not on the road, and here’s the overdue conclusion to the Sirius Alcan Adventure:

The combined efforts of cars 16-18 resulted in the second place team prize for the 2008 Alcan Winter Rally. Our ‘all newbie’ crew is very proud of finishing closely behind the accomplished Arctic Challengers, who won the team honours despite one of their cars suffering some damage on the ice road. The Tres Hermanos RT took overall honours; the Alcan site still doesn’t have scores past day 4 so we can’t post all the details. The results were announced at the finish banquet, and a score sheet was distributed, but in the post-Alcan revelry we lost track of both. Josh and Evans left early to make it home the next day, so the points totals are listed in Josh’s post below. We made a leisurely trip back, stopping at the Eagle Eye for a mountaintop lunch, but it was cool to see our other teammates rushing happily home to their families.

Here’s the breakdown for each Sirius entry:

Josh & Evans Keatley – CAR 16 (grey Subaru Forester)
FIRST PLACE class IIE
9th overall
the ‘behind the scenes’ lowdown: Josh and Evans were the token father/son effort, and the Forester they rescued from the wrecker turned out to be a great Alcan ride. They were dependable teammates and Josh put on a heck of a show at the ice races, posting fast times in a non turbo car.

Jennifer Daly, Gord Ryall & August Ustare – CAR 17 (wrb 2004 Subaru WRX Wagon)
ICE RACE CHAMPIONS
second place class IE
11th overall
the ‘behind the scenes’ lowdown: If not for our day 4 sleep in, we might have had our class win and the team prize. Once we got behind, we had more of a fun holiday and didn’t pay a lot of attention to the points, but our TSD abilities still improved dramatically. When Gord started winning the ice races, I got to do more TSD driving. Gord has sworn off TSD entirely as of the last day of the Alcan, so August and I will compete as a team for selected events this year, hoping to continue on the improved and competitive pace we attained on the Alcan. The rally was a scouting mission for future adventures, and the draw to explore the Yukon and NWT is even stronger now that I’ve seen a little of what it has to offer.

Bill Beers & Doug Heredos – CAR 18 (Big Blue Dodge Ram)
second place class IIE
12th overall
FIRST PLACE favourite last minute teammates and road buddies
the ‘behind the scenes’ lowdown: We were lucky to have these two stage rally guys from Oregon as the objects of our pranks, impromptu cameramen / media hounds and dependable Kokanee company. The truck was an unlikely ride but they drove it with style and a sense of humour. If there had been close to the expected number of ice races, they might have been able to coax us into switching up for the Rex. They stayed close on the heels of the Keatleys, and the tightness of this race helped us overall in the team standings.

Adding one more blue Subaru to the mix made for a lot of camera opportunities and better chances to gang up on the Dodge, and by the end Stevan and Kristin were pretty much teammates as well. Stevan braved a pretty bad virus to join us for the token champange splash at the finish. Kristin was a great navigator and had a solid handle on TSD by the end, even though she had no idea what she was getting into when she started. We’ll be watching for them to turn up on the Canadian stage circuit in the future. I’m not totally certain, but their presence in our class, despite not having a rally computer, may have upped the Sirius Team score.

We’ll add thoughts, top ten lists and ramblings as the impact of our rally sets in, and we’ll be busy with the 2008 stage season very soon. It was 4 years in the making but I think we got everything we hoped for and much more from the Alcan Winter Rally. Immense thanks to Jerry and all the volunteers who set the route out before us.

Eis Munkys Take Savoia Aero Team Prize at TBird 2008

This year’s Thunderbird rally was a classic snow event. Over forty cars took to the backroads between Merritt and Kamloops, and although many ended up in snowbanks multiple times during the rally, at the end of the event there were only 2 DNFs. The Eis Munky Rally Team this year had both new and returning members, and took the overall team prize with three class wins. Congrats to Historic winners (and captain) Gil and Chris, Paper winners Alan and Emma, and to new Eis Munkys and Novice winners Karl and Shane.

Sirius team member Josh drove his Alcan Forester and won the Calculator class. Josh will be writing for the website during Alcan, so that the Sirius team will have both cars represented in the daily updates.

While Jennifer and Josh were at Thunderbird, Gord and the Rocket Rally crew started their 2008 rally season with a 3rd place overall at the Rallye Perce-Neige in Manawaki QC. Everyone is back home now, and the last minute preparations are under way. The Sirius Rally Team is looking forward to a cold, snowy and eventful Winter Alcan Rally – only 5 days away.

Link to Thunderbird 2008 results HERE.
Click HERE for TBird photos from Sirius Rally.

Sirius Rally Team Member Takes Second Overall at IceX

The first iceX of the season was sunny, slippery and fun, with Sirius team members besting rivals and posting top lap times. The lake was as slick as glass by the end of the day, and cars were sliding sideways and getting stuffed into all the snowbanks. Driven by Ryan from Vancouver, the big red sweep truck was dispatched frequently. A total of 33 drivers participated; a crowd of spectators and passengers braved the cold as well.

The variety of vehicles racing was entertaining: Paul in Mr2, Gil in his 1967 Volvo, and even a token Porche 911. Warwick the organizer flicking back and forth in the fun Justy was great to watch, and he put on an excellent event. The Legacy battle was the story of the weekend, and it ended up almost too close to call. Gord placed 2nd by only 2 seconds to Onur and his fancy tires in the 4wd rubber class. Both placed ahead of all the entrants in the 4wd studded group. Jennifer placed 8th in 4wd rubber. The fastest lap of the day was Onur’s at 56 seconds; Gord’s best was 58 seconds, and Jennifer was close behind at 1:01.

This event was a great opportunity to test our ice driving and our tolerance for cold. Jennifer volunteered for the event and was comfortable out in the elements setting up the course and starting cars. The clear, cold day was forecasted to be -10 degrees at the coldest, and the winds were not strong. Inuvik temperatures will be as low as -25 degrees this week, making Barnes Lake seem balmy in comparison.

Click HERE for results.

Clicke HERE for event photos.

Sirius Team Completes 2007 Rally Season Together @ Totem

August, Gord and Jennifer placed 3rd in calculator class and 13th overall at the Totem TSD Rally in the Fraser Canyon this weekend. The team finished with 77 points overall, improving on previous totals by hundreds of points.

The Sirius Team covered over 800km in their 2 day Totem journey, and got a sense of how they will run things for the ALCAN5000 in February. Now that we know we can get along and do well for the TSD sections, car preparation will be our major focus in the upcoming month. The rex’s ALCAN makeover will be detailed on the website, so check back to see how Gord turns a tired daily driver into a winter rally machine!

Click HERE for final results.
Click HERE for Formula Photographic images.
Click HERE for Sirius photos.

Kananaskis Rally Rounds Out 2007 Stage Season for PBRT

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team finished their 2007 stage season placing 3rd in open class and 12th overall at the Kananaskis Rally in Alberta over the long weekend. The team was aiming to take the overall win, but they were plagued again with mechanical troubles and some bad luck. Mark set competitive times on the small Jumping Pound morning stages, despite a spin on one lap and stuffing it into the ditch by the spectator point in the last lap. The fastest way to get the car back on the road was to throw it in reverse, so the spectators got quite as show as the car shot down the course backwards for 500m before changing directions at an R6.

Powderface was the main road for this year’s rally, and a favourite of the Prescribed Burn Team. Coming into this long, flowing stage Mark and Jennifer felt sure that they could catch the rally leaders, who were ahead by 20 seconds. An untimely tire puncture cost the team more than 4 minutes on the first Powderface run, putting them out of overall competition. They fixed the tire and posted a great time on the first Powderface reverse, but then suffered a blown turbo hose, the same hose that did them in at Rocky, and dropped out of the running for the open class win. Once the hose was reattached, Mark and Jennifer ran the final lap and finished the last stage of the rally with the 3rd fastest time.

The 2008 season begins with the Cochrane Rally of the Ranchlands on January 19-20th. The Prescribed Burn Rally Team will be fighting hard for its first overall win, and chasing the novice title in the Canadian National series.

Click HERE for event photos from Prescribed Burn Rally.

Click HERE for Shawn Bishop’s pics.

Prescribed Burn Rally Gains Ground at PFR 2007

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team overcame unusual road conditions, weather and tough competition to place 4th in the regional race for the 2007 Pacific Forest Rally. This result exceeded the goals the team set for itself going into the rally.

Reconnaisance proved to be a big challenge for the entire field, with ankle deep snow on the Thynne/Brookmere stages. Mark and Jennifer were able to complete one pass of these stages, but were stopped with many other teams for a long time while cars ahead slid on and off the road. They had no problems with the snow in the rex with its new winter tires. On the way back to Merritt, Mark and Jennifer met up with their new service crew bringing the very recently painted yellow car. Ian, Dave and Reagan did a fantastic job prepping and maintaining the car all weekend.

Friday evening started well, but ended in an unlucky DNF. Mark and Jennifer were running with their Western rivals over the first few stages, and were getting comfortable with a faster pace. The car ran out of fuel on the last Princeton stage, preventing the team from running the popular Railyard stage in downtown Merritt. Aside from this blunder the car ran really fast and reliably for the rest of the rally.

Saturday the team drove consistently and improved almost every stage time, surpassing their usual group 2 competition and chasing within reach of a podium finish. Questionable tire choices for the snowy morning stages had put some of the top open teams within 20 seconds of the Prescribed Burn times. Mark and Jennifer flew through Helmer at the end of the day, improving upon their morning time by over two minutes, but the 3rd place open car was also much faster with better tires. The team finished 4th overall, with more than 3 minutes ahead of the next entry. The team has definitely picked up the pace: “In every instance we beat the podium finishers on different stages in a bizarre mix of conditions, all of whom have far more experience on the roads”, says Mark.

Antoine L’Estage won the rally, with Norm LeBlanc defeating ACP for second overall. The open regional podium was LeBlanc, Trinder and Olsen.

The next event is the final rally of 2007 for the team, and we are aiming for a win. The regional Kananaskis Rally takes place on November 10th outside of Calgary, AB.

Click HERE for results.
Click HERE for photos.

Bad Night on Bald Mountain

The Sirius Rally Team successfully completed the Night on Bald Mountain TSD Rally this past weekend. The high mountain roads of Washington’s Snoqualmie pass were packed with exposure hairpins and sneaky corners; the Pacific coast rain also added to the challenge. The road surfaces were smooth packed in some places and covered in marble pebbles in others. This event was extremely organized and run at a brisk pace. Jennifer and Gord started the rally quite high up in the order, leaving hardly any time for math before they started out on the first regularity. Troubles with calculation plagued the team for the rest of the rally. The rex pulled into the first gas stop with a smoking rear tire – the newest and least bald of the worn winters had punctured, and the rim was mangled from driving on the flat. It hadn’t affected the car’s performance on the road, so it was hard to guess when and where the tire actually punctured. A quick change to a spare summer and a bit more math, and the team was back out for leg two.

Jennifer got a huge amount of driving practice over the weekend, most importantly on the untimed Monte Carlo sections, which were gravel roads without prescribed speeds. Gord had the math ‘dialed’ by leg two and the team felt confident that their performance was improving. The team had an off near the end of the rally, where they slid through a tight left and crashed into the bush. The last regularity was a second time through with a CAS increase of three miles, and a dramatic decline in road conditions. The recovery was quick as the team was able to bust back onto the road through the bush in reverse. The rest of the reg was speedy in an effort to make up the 30 second time deficit. In hindsight, it would have been smarter to take a time deck for the off and avoid accumulating points, but catching up was way more fun. The event was well staffed with volunteers and there were 24 checkpoints total – a good test of tsd ability.

The team finished with an unimpressive last in class and 21st overall, accumulating 450 points. Congratulations to Ben Bradley and Russ Kraushaar, who killed the event despite a sluggish ride. Thanks to rallymaster Greg Hightower for a great rally and for letting us crash at his place – camping at Snoqualmie Pass turned out to be a really bad idea, and we were lucky to have another option!

The team is looking forward to better results at Midnight, Armageddon and Totem, coming up in the next month. August Ustare will be back in the right seat for some of these events, after a fairly lengthy break from rally. His navigational abilities should help the team become more competitive as they strive for better results in the rallies leading up to Alcan.

Link to final results HERE.

2007 OK Lake Rally Test Day in Review

The rally teams present at the OK Lake Test Day logged about 100 km of seat time on Saturday, and the event was a great success. Alliance Rally Team, Prescribed Burn Rally and the Rocket Legacy ran the stage until they were exhausted. The Tisza Motorsport Team made a few fast runs but were forced to retire early because of a suspicious oil leak. All the teams were happy with the stage, especially the tight technical sections.

This was the first test day organized in BC and it was a good chance for new organizers and volunteers to get oriented to stage rally planning and execution. There were a number of people present who got their very first rally car rides, and all pulled into the finish control with huge grins.

Thanks again to everyone involved. The Sirius Rally Team is plotting for another stage event in the Okanagan for the coming year: another test day, possibly, or maybe even a full regional in the snow!

Link to Sirius’ event photos HERE.

Check out professional shots from Formula Photographic HERE.

Check out event photos on the Okanagan Racing site HERE. (not a very user friendly interface but lots of car shots.)

Sirius Zeros at Gold Digger

The Gold Digger TSD Rally results have been posted. Gord and Jennifer collected 3 zeros, the most ever during their somewhat unsuccessful but seriously enjoyable TSD careers. Although they placed at the back of the pack, and ahead of only one team – pals and foolhardy TSD’ers Onur and Jeff, Gord and Jennifer are almost getting good enough for Alcan!

Click HERE for results.

Novice Pals find Gold at 2007 Gold Digger TSD

Sirius team members and friends successfully completed the all night Gold Digger TSD rally on Saturday/Sunday. The roads were fierce and almost hostile, with large rocks, dry mud ruts and lots of washboard kilometres. A lot of position switching occurred, with the passed cars getting roostered with gravel. Long, pitch dark transit breaks were a great chance to meet and chat with other entrants, including accomplished rallyist and two time Alcan champion Gary Webb.

Gord and Jennifer struggled with math errors and an odo that seemed in need of exorcism. They had a fantastic time, but finished last in class. Onur, Sirius member in training, got extremely lucky and landed a semi-willing codriver at the last minute, allowing him to enter the race. Jeff’s enthusiastic spontaneity was awesome, and it was good fun to watch him go for the ride of his life. They finished with an unusually low score for such carefree novices, and claimed the first novice title, previously held by Gord and Jennifer. Dave and Angie enjoyed working as sweep and checkpoint volunteers; there were also reports of some diesel truck drifting moments as well.

The late night high elevation course roads and early morning mountain views were breathtaking. The last regularity was the Green River road, which flows like an engaging stage course and had plenty of exciting turns and challenges. The morning ended with everyone looking pretty awful but feeling accomplished and happy. A likely groundless protest delayed the official announcement of the results, but it was eventually announced that Onur and Jeff finished first in novice class. We wished Jeff luck as he set out immediately after breakfast to his all day wildlife recreation course. The rest of us chilled out for the day, recovering and working on our new rally stories.

Click HERE for results.
Click HERE for event photos.

Alcan Preview at SnoGit TSD 2007

Jennifer, Ben, Dave and Alex had an entertaining and successful run at the SnoGit Monte Carlo TSD in Marysville this past weekend. The tarmac regularities were fast and flowing; the lack of huge rocks and potholes made it much easier to focus on keeping at speed and on navigation.

Taking tight corners signed at 15 mph at the prescribed 47 mph was very exciting and fun. Despite the thrills Alex managed to sleep through the better part of the rally, but Ben was attentive to the routebook and worked very hard. Being used to a full unlimited TSD system, he was somewhat disappointed in the team’s 73 point finish, but Jennifer was thrilled because 73 points is 100’s better than her best TSD result! Dave and Alex struggled with a stock km odo but managed to finish in 1st place novice and 13th overall. Jennifer and Ben placed 3rd in the unlimited class and 9th overall. Jennifer and Ben collected mostly excellent scores of 0, 1 and 2, but had three poor checkpoints and accumulated another 58 points, putting them out of overall contention. Jennifer got good practice at being a steady TSD driver and picked up many great ALCAN and general tips from Ben, who has placed 3rd in a previous ALCAN and has a wealth of rally experience. He made the trip from Portland to codrive Jennifer at SnoGit and hopefully they will join forces in future events.

The rally was organized, challenging and fun. Hidden checkpoints are novel to these local events and mostly the teams had no idea when they were being scored. There were no ‘tricks’ or ‘diy’ checkpoints, but there were enough unfamiliar elements to keep the Canadian entries busy. The event organizers were enthusiastic and friendly, and the team is looking forward to attending the next Pacific Northwest event, Night on Bald Mountain, on October 6th.

Link to SnoGit photos HERE.

Rocks and Roll at Mountain Trials 2007

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team had an eventful but fruitless rally in Merritt this past weekend; working effectively to attain second place by the end of the morning Nicola and Sheep Mab stages, only to meet disaster on both Helmer runs. The rally ended in the first rollover crash for novice rallyist and Sirius Rally Team member Jennifer. It was a slow roll and both Mark and Jennifer were unhurt. Their car will need some serious bodywork before it appears in the Canada Day parade in Kelowna, but at least the crash happened before the car got its brand new paint job.

The event began on Friday evening with a two pass recce session, where pacenotes were generated for Saturday’s competition. Recce was smooth and successful and the team felt confident in their notes. Saturday morning began with three runs of the Nicola and Mab stages, during which Mark and Jennifer traded times the rally frontrunners, and ultimately ended this first leg in second place, with two competitive teams less than 30 seconds behind.

Two runs of the infamous Helmer stage would complete the rally, and the team went into the stage determined to hold on to the podium positions (second place overall and first place open class). The car overheated on the first stage, but luckily it happened near a creek. This setback eliminated Mark and Jennifer from podium contention, but the team decided to continue for experience and fun. Unfortunately the second Helmer stage ended in a rollover caused by a wide ride around a greasy corner, and large rocks which destabilized the car and caused it to roll. The team ultimately landed wheels down in a ditch, unhurt and with repairable car damage.

Despite a challenging rally which ended with a crash, we had a great time and learned a lot. This was Mark’s first rollover as a driver; a roll is something every rallyist eventually experiences, and ours was low damage and exciting. The 2007 stage rally schedule is empty for the summer months, and resumes with the National Pacific Forest Rally in October. This is a Merritt event as well, and Mark and Jennifer will be seeking their Helmer revenge.

Jennifer and the other Sirius Rally Team members are gearing up for a busy tsd schedule in preparation for ALCAN, beginning with the SnoGit tsd in July.

Click HERE for event photos.

Click HERE for a video of the extraction.

Prescribed Burn Comeback at Rocky Mountain Rally

Sirius Rally team member Jennifer completed her first serious stage rally this weekend, as a codriver for Mark Jennings-Bates. The weather was beautiful and the stages were dry and fast. Friday’s national leg was complicated by a blown turbo hose early in the rally, and a temporary transmission failure on the final motocross park stage. Jennifer made a novice decision to check in to service early in order to maximize time to repair the turbo and incured a substantial penalty. Mark improvised an effective turbo pipe seal, and the team continued Friday lacking boost power to the turbo engine. All these setbacks left the Prescribed Burn Team in 30th place for Saturday’s regional leg.

Undeterred by the disadvantage of placing last and 1.5 minutes behind the next car, Mark and Jennifer progressed on the Saturday stages, overtaking competitors on nearly every stage. The shadymobile put on a fantastic spectator show, overtaking a car on a tight corner on an early stage, and taking a fast wrong turn and spinout later on the same corner. A questionable reseed left them behind a number of cars they passed on previous stages, but Mark was concise and assertive in regaining postition over the later stages. The team posted the fourth fastest times on SS12 and SS14 despite an ailing turbo. Jennifer progressively got a handle on the sometimes superfluous Jemba notes and allowed Mark to get a good rythym and gain substantial time on stage by the end of the day.

The Prescribed Burn / Sirius Rally Team finished in 8th Regional and 15th overall. This was an outstanding result given the mechanical troubles, penalties and codriver inexperience!!

Jennifer and Mark are looking forward to Mountain Trials Regional Stage Rally in June, where the Prescribed Burn Team will increase the level of competition and challenge the regional leaders for a top five finish.

Without Gord on Saturday the Rocket Rally crew was very busy at service. The Rocket Rally open car placed 1st in open and 3rd overall, with Gord Olsen at the wheel.

Link to Rocky Mountain photos HERE.

Oregon Trail Rally 2007

Sirius Team members Gord and Jennifer traveled to Oregon this weekend as Rocket Rally Sevice Crew. The spectating on Friday evening was fantastic; a good view of some tarmac turns and of the final dirt stage, where some of the cars were lost and driving in circles. Many of the people I met while spectating at the track had never checked out a rally before. By Saturday afternoon we were out with a crash and a brake failure. This was only my third trip to America, but there have been some interesting changes since rally became an object of commercial appeal. America seems to have a different idea of what rallying is actually about, changing event location and format to suit PR needs. It wasn’t much of a story for RA this weekend though, with the big US name out on the first stage, and an Australian taking the win.

Congratulations to the Western Canadian teams!

Click HERE for event photos.
Click HERE for the Portland local news version of Rally Racing in America.

Cochrane Rally Cold Snap 2007

Group 2 entries reigned at the 2007 Cochrane Rally of the Ranchlands! The roads were icy and raceday weather was freezing, but overall it was a fun and sucessful event. I think every competitor should brave the cold at a control at least once to gain a real appreciation for rally volunteers. The condtions changed dramatically from the recce on saturday to the race day on sunday, which has been known to happen at this event. Driving the stages in the rex on saturday was a blast; the roads were muddy and both greasy and grippy at once. The curvy uphills and downhills and a few sneaky bridges were the stage hilights; the Rocky mountain views were fantastic. The unreliability of the transcanada near Golden BC made getting to and from the rally a frustrating challenge, but during the detour we got to see more great roads less traveled.

View the flying finish for car 2, the first place team and repeat overall winners of the Cochrane Rally:

Sirius Rally photo and video albums have been updated with some short video clips and photos from both the in town stages and echo control start/finish. Click on the ‘SiriusPhotos‘ and ‘SiriusVideos‘ sidebar links to check out the latest images. Final results HERE.

DooWops Footage

Taholah Stage (Saturday)
We’re not on this one… but that’s a good thing! The blue legacy (502) driver maintains that he wouldn’t have gone off if the triangle was properly placed, but that looks very unlikely. He goes up on two wheel and nearly rolls….

Pico Stage (Sunday)
This was a pretty tight section on a narrow, technical stage. Again, car 76 isn’t on the video but you can get an idea of what our ride was like. Apparently this has been a popular corner to go off on in the past.

ROCKET LEGACY # 76
Here’s a few moments of our DooWops ride. The first clip is our turn around the Taholah corner from the video above, where we are being waved to slow down because of the cars off. Thanks to Mike S. for standing in the rain and getting some great photos and video of all the competitors.

Recently… DooWops Rally 02.24.2007

This was the first stage rally for Gord and Jennifer as a team, in the open class Rocket Legacy. It was a last minute scramble to get to this event, but we managed to show up and have a great time. The CARS licensing was expedited by Terry and Linda before their Florida vacation, and with those licenses we were able to enter as Rally America Novices.

We are very happy with results of 22nd on day one and 13th on day two. I learned that I really prefer stage codriving over TSD math, but I think it will be the last time I bother converting miles to kilometers. Gord was pretty fast; he loved the pavement stages and there were no problems with the car! Thanks to Ray, John, Miller, Alan and everyone who helped us learn the finer points of rallying in America.

Details here

Thunderbird Rally 02.17.2007

The Eis Munky Rally Team was born! Sirius Racing members joined rallyists from BC and WA to compete in the 50th annual Thunderbird Rally. Gord and Jennifer, in the Rocket Legacy, were one of the calculator class entries for this team, which proudly sported an entry from all the competition classes, and the best tshirts. They made a run at the Savoia Aero Team Prize on Feb 16-18, 2007, but due to 2 DNFs the Eis Munkys were the last place team.

Gord & Jennifer brought up the rear of the Eis Munky entries that finished the rally in 35th overall and 12th in calculator class. I have always despised math and this was a very intense and math heavy TSD event. We got lost (briefly) for a few times, but for my first real TSD codriving effort I think we did well.

Details here

TEAM MEMBERS & PRECIS:
Peter & Timothy Ryce – 1988 Mazda 323 GTX (unlimited) second overall!!! Thanks for the advice and the sealegs….

Gil Stuart & Brian Carriere – 1967 Volvo 123GT (historic) the oldest car in the rally… Brian C is a huge lover of rally schwag and helped get the team, logo and tshirts up and running.

Stephen Ban & Chris Peake – 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon (calculator) big off on Twig Creek but managed to get back on time and finish in 25th overall; 7th in calculator class.

Rob & Lucille Anderson – 2006 Subaru STI (novice) Marsh Lake Rocks – 2 tires = DNF + 4 new $$$ tires, but they still finished Sunday just for fun.

Alan & Emma Perry – 1997 Audi A4 (paper) DNF b/c of ailing suspension; Alan was great with advice for getting to DooWops.

We had a great time with everyone on the team, and hope the Eis Munkys will continue next year while we are @ Alcan.