relative newcomer to rally

[M_anstrom]

As most of you know I've been lurking on here for a while and doing some posts. I Have offroaded my subaru many a time in the cornfields and gravel roads of rural illinois (sometimes landing in the cornfield after some over-correction on the gravel...lol).

I've been looking for local rally clubs but have only came up with the St Louis guys. My main consern is driving all the way there (I'm near the indiana border of illinois near champaign) and looking like a jerk or messing up my daily driver. Call me cautious or paranoid about it but, In the same vain I realize It's far safer than my 70+mph experiences on the back gravel roads also.

I'm just curious what kind of beginner tips you would recogmend for someone starting out in this style of racing. Also tips to prepare my car would be apreciated. BTW, My car is a stock 97' OBS with Ultra high performance tires. Obviously I'll soon be investing in some suitible tires.

~Mykal Anstrom

[sebhockey]

The biggest tip is get out there and practice. See how your car handles off road, find out what the limits are of it. Always practice with other people around in case you get injured or stuck.

And of course another good thing to do is attend a rally school.

[22b-righton]

As most of you know I've been lurking on here for a while and doing some posts. I Have offroaded my subaru many a time in the cornfields and gravel roads of rural illinois (sometimes landing in the cornfield after some over-correction on the gravel...lol).

I've been looking for local rally clubs but have only came up with the St Louis guys. My main consern is driving all the way there (I'm near the indiana border of illinois near champaign) and looking like a jerk or messing up my daily driver. Call me cautious or paranoid about it but, In the same vain I realize It's far safer than my 70+mph experiences on the back gravel roads also.

I'm just curious what kind of beginner tips you would recogmend for someone starting out in this style of racing. Also tips to prepare my car would be apreciated. BTW, My car is a stock 97' OBS with Ultra high performance tires. Obviously I'll soon be investing in some suitible tires.

~Mykal Anstrom

Mykal,

It sounds like you've had the car in gravel enough that you should have no trouble at a rally x. Try to go to one of your local events, and don't worry about "looking like jerk or messing up your daily driver". Everyone has to start somewhere, and many kill a bunch of cones the first run or 2 out..Also the courses are usually designed not to hurt street cars, as most entrants are in their daily drivers. Rally x helps build the basic skill base for stage rally, if you are ever planning on doing that.. The speeds are lower (and the risk), the course is tighter, and it helps get you focused on driving the car and setting it up in the turns. Also, being around other skilled drivers is a good thing to watch to help you technique, and ask questions if you have any.. Rally people generally like to help new drivers as much as possible.

Try to "practice" as little as possible on public roads, as there is always a chance for opposing traffic and a potential accident to end the fun..It's not an "if", but a "when" something will happen.. If it's on private land, then have some friends to help make sure the road is clerar, and a sweep rig to tug you out if you go off.:mrgreen:

Your OBS is a great starter car, especially if it's a 5 speed(autos do ok too). The 2.2 can take the abuse, the suspension is pretty good stock, and they can get through the cones with authority. For tires go for a gravel or mud rally tire on a 15", or a Mud/snow (silverstone) like a Winterforce radial. I like the gravels due to the stiffer sidewall, and the ability to lower the pressures more without debeading the tire.. The M/Ss do great, but have more flats and come off the rim more in hard cornering..Many people drive to the event with stret tires on, and the rally cross rims/tires in the back to swap out once at the event..

We've prepped many Imprezas of all sorts for rally and rally cross, so if you have any questions, feel free to post, pm or email me..

Short rally x prep list:
-tires/wheels
-mud flaps (in stock)
-skid plate
-rear diff guard

[409industries]

Mykal,

Barrett emphasizes one of the biggest points of rallyx. Dont be afraid to try it because you are inexperienced. Usually the worst thing that is going to happen is you'll mash a whole bunch of cones, or possibly debead a tire.

Out here, i've driven 7 hours (one way) to compete in a rallycross competition up north but having a second set of wheels and tires to abuse give me piece of mind that i can throw my street tires back on and make it home. This is key to progression in car control. Really pushing your driving ability in a safe and controlled environment.

I have met some of the nicest, coolest people ever at rallycross events. Most will go out of their way to explain tips that improve their driving in an effort to help you out. Also, take some time to ride along with other experienced drivers to see how they attack the course.

It may seem like a lot but a set of steelies and some M+S tires can be found for way cheap on subaru forums. Those along with the other things mentioned above (mud flaps, skid plate, and diff guard) youll be in good shape for rallyx!

[strat]

i'd say start slow too. don't go out your first time and try to blast through a corner at high speeds. gradually build up speed as your confidence level increases. also, keep in mind that even with confidence, mistakes will happen.

i've run out of talent at least once so far on a wet gravel road... LOL

[MConte05]

Defintily don't worry about the St. Louis events. I compete in those and the guys out there are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I know SubT is on here somewhere... he is one of the more experienced RallyX guys in St. Louis, I have only done 2-3 events. As for the distance, most of the competitions are in Ewing IL. It takes almost 2 hours to get there from St. Louis, so it might be considerably shorter for you actually, haha.

I compete in the RallyX's with my own daily driver and daily driver tires even, haha. First time I competed I rolled a bead, but learned at the next RallyX to pump the pressure in my tires up to around 40PSI to prevent that from happening. I pushed the car even harder in that RallyX and never had any problems (got completely sideways at a few points too at higher speeds).

I won't be at any of the upcoming St. Louis meets since I will be headed out to Baltimore, MD in about a week here for 8 months. But in the Fall I definitely will be out there racing again with all the guys. One of the guys who sets up the courses and races has a Rally-prepped STI that was the zero-car for the 100 Acre Wood rally in Salem, MO and he is always letting people ride with him, or riding with people to give them pointers and help improve their driving skills.

I really hope you make it out to the events there!

www.stlrallyx.org

[MConte05]

Also wanted to throw this out here. This is a video of the course they generally run on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7dzIwSQ9Yk&feature=user

Also, I believe SubT is running nearly the exact same car you have.... green 96 OBS.

[rollo]

I ran my first five or six rallyx events in my daily driver, on my increasingly treadless street tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-DS3 :D ), no protection or anything bar mudflaps (which do help a lot). Remember to air up before you run.

The first event will always be about learning the process (staging, gridding and stuff) but in my experience people are happy to help if you have questions. Once you're out there, your first couple of events are mainly about "get to the end without screwing up" rather than driving technique and so forth, all that comes later.

It is a blast though. Screwing around on a loose surface is all very well but the context of competition, where you get to publicly benchmark yourself against others, adds a certain intensity to it, it definitely pushes you to become a better driver.

And like Aaron I've found that rallyx people are an awesome group. I think there's something about dirt which you either get, or you just don't.

[M_anstrom]

Thanks for the tips guys. Yea I do competitive shooting (high power rifle and muzzleloader, another expensive hobby) so I understand the willingness to help other.
I looked it up and the ewing races are about 3 hours from rantoul. After school gets out (Yay, im a senior) I may get down there and see how I do.

[odi]

You'll have a blast. What helped me during my first event is driving slower than I was really capable of. You get pumped and just wanna push it, but driving slower got me going faster.

[M_anstrom]

all right next question (At risk of sounding like more of a subby nubey than I am....lol) I was looking at some new tires. Right now im eyeballing some pirelli winter carving tires for the turtle... does anyone else have any recogmendations for tires?

[wolfman79]

The winterforce M+S is a decent choice and hard to beat for the money. Used rally tires are another option and can be found for pretty cheap.

[Dirty D]

I agree with the winterforce. What type of surface will you be running on? I've had very good luck with Nokian WR's. It is the only all season tire with the severe service emblem. They are higher priced but perform fantastic in rain, on dirt or in light snow. They also seem to wear much better than a winter tire.

[MConte05]

The surfaces for the STL RallyX's are always either a packed dirt (grass parking lot) or else a rock hard dusty field with some sandy patches here and there.

[Galen]

The biggest tip is get out there and practice. See how your car handles off road, find out what the limits are of it. Always practice with other people around in case you get injured or stuck.

And of course another good thing to do is attend a rally school.

+15272343949. seat time, seat time, seat time!

I came from driving a 240sx, and i can tell you right now (im sure you already know) that AWD is amazing. its a point and shoot type of thing. again, the best thing is to just get some good ol seat time to figure things out.

oh, iv also learned that sideways isnt always the fastest way around a coroner, all be it the most fun!:mrgreen:

[M_anstrom]

thanks, yea this summer I think i'll get ahold of the guys from STL and try to make it to their rallyX... from the sounds of it I have a carload of people (all fellow gearheads) that want to come with me and watch when I go... so if something breaks I can inslave... I mean, volunter them to help...lol