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williaty
01-19-2010, 10:01 PM
"You know this isn't a road, right?"

"What? But there's a hole in the trees! It HAS to be a road."

"I'm fairly certain that the technical term is 'field'."


This was the TiC Road Rally Team's first SCCA Divisional-level event. In true TiC-fashion, it was full of firsts. First snow rally. First rally with real snow tires. First rally run with MRDs. First rally with closed checkpoints. In the true spirit of rally, the car was being worked on feverishly 6 hours after it was supposed to have left for the event with final assembly completed on the morning of the event. However, once again in true TiC-fashion, an event full of firsts was well campaigned and brought to a strong finish.

The Son of Sno*Drift Road Rally is a TSD-style road rally held in Michigan just before the Sno*Drift rally. Campaigned over 9 hours in snow, ice, near-zero temperatures, and darkness, it takes the competitors on what is rumored to be a scenic tour of central Michigan. Of course, no one competing actually had time to notice that it was scenic, but all were assured that they had, in fact, driven by very nice things upon returning to rally HQ. Over 24 stages, 2 breaks, and 175 competitive miles, the TiC rallywagon managed to stay on course, on time, and on its wheels.

Finishing 4th in Limited, the TiC team was nearly 6 minutes ahead of the 5th place finisher. "I have faith that I'm a decent driver, and my fiancee has repeatedly told me she's a great navigator, but I was a little nervous about competing in my first divisional-level event. A lot of the guys I'm out here running against have literally been rallying longer than I've been alive. Coming into the event, we decided that not getting mauled by bears was our benchmark for success. To have come out on our first try and placed 4th in Limited, even finishing ahead of 3 Unlimited teams, was a great result!" said driver Ty Williams. Co-driver, navigator, and fiancee Michelle Carlton was heard muttering, "I swear, if he leaves that door open to the cold one more time when he gets out at a checkpoint, I'm going to navigate his side of the car right into a pond!"

The TiC Road Rally Team will contest the Columbus Alley Rally on the night of January 23rd and pick up the Great Lakes Divisional Championship battle at the Ohio Winter Rally on February 6th.

UP2MTNS
01-19-2010, 10:23 PM
so was there an actual bear sighting? that would be cool.

And what are 'MRDs'?

williaty
01-19-2010, 10:29 PM
so was there an actual bear sighting? that would be cool.

And what are 'MRDs'?
No, we, as per our goal, avoided getting mauled by bears. I felt it made a catchy headline :D

MRDs: Main road designators. Basically, ways of realizing, 2 miles too late, that back at that intersection where you went straight you should have turned left because a complex set of rules designated the "main road" to have gone left. This is typically how GLD SCCA runs stuff.

As opposed to "Most nearly straight" which is how CORC runs stuff. MNS is also a bitch sometimes because you'll whip around a heavily banked 90* corner on a well paved, lined, etc road only to realize that a tiiiiinnny little road went "straight" off the back of the banking where you absolutely couldn't see it.

UP2MTNS
01-19-2010, 11:22 PM
No, we, as per our goal, avoided getting mauled by bears. I felt it made a catchy headline :D

MRDs: Main road designators. Basically, ways of realizing, 2 miles too late, that back at that intersection where you went straight you should have turned left because a complex set of rules designated the "main road" to have gone left. This is typically how GLD SCCA runs stuff.

As opposed to "Most nearly straight" which is how CORC runs stuff. MNS is also a bitch sometimes because you'll whip around a heavily banked 90* corner on a well paved, lined, etc road only to realize that a tiiiiinnny little road went "straight" off the back of the banking where you absolutely couldn't see it.

they do that out here too. CA, in general, likes to really f*ck up how they name streets, and change the name of a street, even though you didn't turn or anything, but if you want to stay on the street you're on, you have to make a right or left at a main intersection.


So the instruction will be "at intersection, stay on Mr. Smith Road".....which IMPLIES that you would just stay straight....but really, if you do that, you're now on Mr. Anderson Rd., and you're off course.

Which doesn't seem that hard to figure out, but CA, in general, likes to hide their street signs.

TSD's frustrate me to no end.

Drew84
01-20-2010, 06:08 AM
Sounds like a trap rally. I think we use "Straight as Possible" in the NER Region. But yeah TSD; Harder than you think. I like doing them, but they can be very frustrating.

95 WRX STi
01-20-2010, 08:40 AM
Any pix from the event?

williaty
01-20-2010, 09:13 AM
So the instruction will be "at intersection, stay on Mr. Smith Road".....which IMPLIES that you would just stay straight....but really, if you do that, you're now on Mr. Anderson Rd., and you're off course.
There are no spoons in rallying!

Any pix from the event?
No, I always intend to take some but you're kinda running like mad from the moment you start until it's all over. We'd almost have to take someone with us to take picture of us.

KevinWelker
01-20-2010, 09:19 AM
Sounds like you had fun. I know the roads in and around Atlanta are nice at this time of year.

I had to pick our driver up from teh Traverse City airport one year on the last flight in, he knew the "quick way" back to Atlanta. Needless to say it was lots of fun.

TSDs are great fun but I never do too well. My codriver gets more carsick during those than stage rallys. Go figure....

95 WRX STi
01-20-2010, 10:00 AM
I just thought someone may have contributed some action shots.

RA Limited
01-20-2010, 02:45 PM
Yesterday i was looking at some (JDM) car mag at Lawson's (japanese convenience store)- they had an article on 24hrs at Thunderhill.
The TiC STi was filling the frame for the front of the article. It was awesome.

williaty
01-20-2010, 03:10 PM
Yesterday i was looking at some (JDM) car mag at Lawson's (japanese convenience store)- they had an article on 24hrs at Thunderhill.
The TiC STi was filling the frame for the front of the article. It was awesome.
Is there any way you can get us that magazine? I'm sure we can work it out where TiC will pay you for the mag and the shipping to get it to us.

williaty
02-03-2010, 03:22 PM
Here's a pic of the road conditions:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4328326715_77c695af98_o.jpg

sammyk
04-09-2010, 11:14 AM
Nice write up, I hope I have all my ducks in a row to do it next year, great result! Made my wife laugh she said "sounds like us!" Great job! :)

enginerd
04-12-2010, 08:05 AM
Nice going guys. Those roads look like what I try to go get lost on. Fun times. One day I'll try a TSD rally, but I don't know if they have too many out here in Colorado. I like the TiC Group, some time soon I'm going to have you guys help me out with parts for my suspension/chasis (KartBoy and TiC everything).:D


~There is no Spoon~