DESERT STORM RALLY March 23-24, 2007
Blythe , California
NATIONAL COMPETITORS LEAD THE ENTRY LIST – VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!
The organizers have received a top-quality entry for the fourth running of the Desert Storm Rally this weekend in Blythe , Cal .
The event is a round of the California Rally Series, Western States Rally Championship and the Southwest RallyCup Championship. It is sanctioned by Rally America .
Leading the entry list are Brian Scott and John Dillon in their Subaru Impreza WRX. Last year Scott, from Phoenix AZ , and co-driver Dillon came third overall in the US Rally Championship. His event results included a second place in the national championship event held at Prescott , AZ and a fourth place in Tennessee.
The San Francisco-based team of Lauchlin O'Sullivan and Scott Putnam have entered in a Mitsubishi Eclipse. O'Sullivan is best known from his competition in the X Games Rally where he came fourth overall.
Leon Styles, with Matthew Gauger, will be out in an historic Ford Escort – showing how to attack gravel roads sideways in a rear-wheel drive car. Also in the historic section will be two Datsun 510s driven by Bradley Fast and Jon Rea – both California residents.
Lisa Klassen and Guido Hamacher will be on full speed in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Klassen rolled her car at Prescott but had it rebuilt completely in time for the next event. Her times continue to improve and she could be challenging for a good position at Blythe.
Chrissie Beavis, who will be co-driven by Terry Stonecipher, is more usually seen co-driving for Seamus Burke and was the USRC Overall Champion last year. At Blythe she will be taking the left-hand seat to pilot a Volkswagen Jetta.
There is a wide variety of other car makes entered including: Acura Integra, Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Nissan Sentra, Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen GTi. There is even a Ford F150 pickup.
SPECTATORS & VOLUNTEERS
Spectators are welcome. Most of the course will be closed to the public but there will be a Spectator Area specially set up. It will be near the I-10 freeway at exit 53 so access and parking should be easy. Further details will be available through the event website.
The organizers are still seeking volunteers. Anyone can help and free training will be given for more specialized roles such as competitor timing. Ham radio operators and people with medical training would be especially welcome. To register, go to the event website ( www.desertstornrally.com ) and click on the ‘Workers' link; or call Denise or Pat McMahon (phone number below).
OVERALL SCHEDULE
Thu. March 22 11:00am VIP Stage
4:00pm Technical Inspection
7:00pm Volunteer Registration & Training
Fri. March 23 8:00am Day One starts
5:30pm Day One finishes
5:00pm StreetwiseParts.com Pizza Party
Sat. March 24 7:30am Day Two starts
7:30pm Day Two finishes
7:00pm Subaru SW Region Western BBQ
RALLYING
Rallying is an intense form of motor sport in which competing teams (a driver and co-driver) ‘race' each other on special “stages” (regular roads of five to twenty miles in length that have been closed to the public). The teams start each stage at one-minute intervals and are timed over the stage to an accuracy of 1/100 of a second. The winner is the team with the fastest accumulated time from all stages.
The teams compete in production-based cars such as Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, Volkswagen GTi and Subaru Impreza. The cars can be highly tuned and must be improved for safety by fitting roll cages, and beefed-up suspension and brakes. They are fitted with computerized odometers that the co-driver uses to judge exact distances down to 1/100th of a mile. The co-driver uses a ‘routebook' to navigate the driver and warn him of upcoming dangers.
The cars can be serviced between stages and it is not uncommon for a gearbox to be changed or badly damaged body part to be repaired.
RALLY AMERICA
Rally America , based in Golden Valley , Minnesota promotes performance rally, including the national championship, in the United States.
