Dave532
15+ Year Contributor
- 98
- 0
- Jun 5, 2006
-
Minneapolis,
Minnesota
Lake Superior Pro Rally
Oct 21, 22
Houghton, MI
Pre-Race: Due to finances and more traveling I was unable to rally for a full season. The last rally at Shooting Star was disastrous...we DNF'ed on the first stage with a hole in the side of the transmission. Over the summer Chris from Metric built yet another complete transmission from my existing spares in the hopes we could compete at the Lake Superior Pro Rally in the fall.
I bought another set of Hankook rally tires and I headed up to the UP of Michigan with Chris as my navigator again for the last rally of the year. The was also going to the be last SCCA sanctioned Pro/Club Rally.
Friday Race: With some new stickers and a new transmission, the DSM was ready to run LSPR for the 3rd time. This is the toughest rally we encounter all year long so I did my best to make sure the car would stay in one piece. Parc Expose was packed with spectators and a bittersweet atmosphere pervaded. All the factory teams were still competing along with a record turnout of general competitors like me. The future of rally was uncertain in the U.S and everyone wanted to compete in the (possibly) last one.
Stage 1: Another classic LSPR stage. The weather was especially comfortable and dry this year. It hadn't been since 2003 since we were last in the car together. Shooting Star 2005 didn't count as we didn't even complete a stage.
.
Stage 2: I was experimenting with thinner tires hoping to dig into the soft surface found on many stages up here. Though I may have been digging deeper into the surface I seemed to be fighting for traction a bit more...during acceleration and cornering. Chris and I are slowly getting up to speed with the notes.
Stage 3: It is taking longer than I had hoped to knock the rust off my rally driving...the car is not handling like I had hoped and for some reason my confidence is waning on the notes Chris is calling. It just feels like we are slow.
Service: My fears are confirmed. Currently we are 4th in class. The WRX's are eating me and the DSM alive. Due to recent rule change PGT cars are allowed unlimited changes to the ECU (to combat the 32mm restrictor). The car owners with the larger wallets are squeezing out significantly more power by taking advantage of this new rule by mapping boost and fuel curves. I could only afford to run the stock ECU at 15 lbs of boost with stock injectors, etc. Maybe it is time to retire the 1G DSM as a rally platform.
Stage 4: Passmore: I love this stage but not today. I am nowhere near as fast as I was on this stage 2 years ago. My confidence is waning. By this time the tachometer had broken again along with the intercom. Chris's 'new' transmission was working well though.
Stage 5: A re-run of stage 1. I do the best I can but I just don't have the confidence in this car like I used to. About halfway though the stage I have difficulty changing gears...I can't feel the notches for 2nd,3rd and 4th gear. It's like my shifter has turned to jello. A few missed shifts later I do my best to make positive. clean shifts just to finish. I am not looking forward to my times when I get back.
Friday finish: We finish 3th in class, 16th overall. It's too dark and too late to investigate what is wrong with the trans. We get some much-needed rest for the night.
Saturday start: After investigating the transmission problem in the morning, Chris has found the shifter cables to have come apart on the transmission side. No one has a replacement so I have live with it during the rest of the rally.
Stage 1: A real fun stage that starts out very fast and closes up winding through some cabins. A classic LSPR stage.
Stage 2: Due to some overnight rains the surface has become very soft. We come upon a straight, fast section where some cars have already gone off/rolled. While attempting to avoid the carnage, I, too, almost lose control but luckily a bank stops me from hitting anything more serious. The road surface had become a black mud-like substance...obscenely slippery. We tip-toe out of this section and continue on with a little more caution.
Stage 3: A fast and fun half-paved stage. More rally car carnage as some drivers are taking the slower corners too fast. I am more comfortable with the bowl of soup I have for a shifter while our timing on the notes is getting better.
Stage 4: Delaware. The fastest stage all year long. Luckily for me less shifting...we use only 4th and 5th gear except for the Delta, a first gear chicane. And yes, I miss the shift from 2nd to 3rd on the exit in front of all those spectators
. During one of the faster sections Chris asked, is it normal for the car to vibrate this much? I respond, Yea...when I get over 120 mph it tends to rattle a bit 
Service: We have an opportunity to change tires for Brockway but I can only afford what I have so we top off the fluid and grab some lunch.
Stage 5: Brockway. A rollercoaster of a stage that winds its way up a mountain. We made some decent time here but still not setting any records in PGT. This was Chris's first ride up Brockway and was surprised at how often we were in the air.
Stage 6: Opposite run of Delaware. Aha! This time I nailed the up-shifts out of the Delta.
Stage 7: Opposite of stage 3. I am driving as hard as I can but I also have to give myself a second or two during each shift to make sure I don't lock the drivetrain on a gear too low or 'coast' the car into the trees on a gear too high.
Stage 8: Opposite of stage 2. We encounter some more 'black mud' while I late apex a left-hander. The right rear bounces off a back while I am trail-braking through the corner. No apparent damage and we continue...albeit a bit slower.
Stage 9: The last stage. A quick fun stage with a great water splash at the end where the spectators cheer everyone on.
Saturday finish: We finish 3th in class and 13th overall. After closer inspection I did a fair amount of paint damage on the right rear of the car but some rattle can paint should clean that up when I get home. During the Saturday night party we all say farewell to SCCA by burning our membership cards
. Much partying ensued. I spent the 11 hour tow home pondering whether rally would be around next year and if so, would I want to be involved.
I really wanted to start road racing but the SCCA has no real class for the DSM that I can afford (save for the Unlimited classes). About a month later in 2006 I attended a NASA (National Auto Sport Association) event where they announced they were starting a Midwest Region...and they had an affordable slot for the DSM...Production Touring.
Oct 21, 22
Houghton, MI
Pre-Race: Due to finances and more traveling I was unable to rally for a full season. The last rally at Shooting Star was disastrous...we DNF'ed on the first stage with a hole in the side of the transmission. Over the summer Chris from Metric built yet another complete transmission from my existing spares in the hopes we could compete at the Lake Superior Pro Rally in the fall.
I bought another set of Hankook rally tires and I headed up to the UP of Michigan with Chris as my navigator again for the last rally of the year. The was also going to the be last SCCA sanctioned Pro/Club Rally.
Friday Race: With some new stickers and a new transmission, the DSM was ready to run LSPR for the 3rd time. This is the toughest rally we encounter all year long so I did my best to make sure the car would stay in one piece. Parc Expose was packed with spectators and a bittersweet atmosphere pervaded. All the factory teams were still competing along with a record turnout of general competitors like me. The future of rally was uncertain in the U.S and everyone wanted to compete in the (possibly) last one.
Stage 1: Another classic LSPR stage. The weather was especially comfortable and dry this year. It hadn't been since 2003 since we were last in the car together. Shooting Star 2005 didn't count as we didn't even complete a stage.
.Stage 2: I was experimenting with thinner tires hoping to dig into the soft surface found on many stages up here. Though I may have been digging deeper into the surface I seemed to be fighting for traction a bit more...during acceleration and cornering. Chris and I are slowly getting up to speed with the notes.
Stage 3: It is taking longer than I had hoped to knock the rust off my rally driving...the car is not handling like I had hoped and for some reason my confidence is waning on the notes Chris is calling. It just feels like we are slow.
Service: My fears are confirmed. Currently we are 4th in class. The WRX's are eating me and the DSM alive. Due to recent rule change PGT cars are allowed unlimited changes to the ECU (to combat the 32mm restrictor). The car owners with the larger wallets are squeezing out significantly more power by taking advantage of this new rule by mapping boost and fuel curves. I could only afford to run the stock ECU at 15 lbs of boost with stock injectors, etc. Maybe it is time to retire the 1G DSM as a rally platform.
Stage 4: Passmore: I love this stage but not today. I am nowhere near as fast as I was on this stage 2 years ago. My confidence is waning. By this time the tachometer had broken again along with the intercom. Chris's 'new' transmission was working well though.
Stage 5: A re-run of stage 1. I do the best I can but I just don't have the confidence in this car like I used to. About halfway though the stage I have difficulty changing gears...I can't feel the notches for 2nd,3rd and 4th gear. It's like my shifter has turned to jello. A few missed shifts later I do my best to make positive. clean shifts just to finish. I am not looking forward to my times when I get back.
Friday finish: We finish 3th in class, 16th overall. It's too dark and too late to investigate what is wrong with the trans. We get some much-needed rest for the night.
Saturday start: After investigating the transmission problem in the morning, Chris has found the shifter cables to have come apart on the transmission side. No one has a replacement so I have live with it during the rest of the rally.
Stage 1: A real fun stage that starts out very fast and closes up winding through some cabins. A classic LSPR stage.
Stage 2: Due to some overnight rains the surface has become very soft. We come upon a straight, fast section where some cars have already gone off/rolled. While attempting to avoid the carnage, I, too, almost lose control but luckily a bank stops me from hitting anything more serious. The road surface had become a black mud-like substance...obscenely slippery. We tip-toe out of this section and continue on with a little more caution.
Stage 3: A fast and fun half-paved stage. More rally car carnage as some drivers are taking the slower corners too fast. I am more comfortable with the bowl of soup I have for a shifter while our timing on the notes is getting better.
Stage 4: Delaware. The fastest stage all year long. Luckily for me less shifting...we use only 4th and 5th gear except for the Delta, a first gear chicane. And yes, I miss the shift from 2nd to 3rd on the exit in front of all those spectators
. During one of the faster sections Chris asked, is it normal for the car to vibrate this much? I respond, Yea...when I get over 120 mph it tends to rattle a bit Service: We have an opportunity to change tires for Brockway but I can only afford what I have so we top off the fluid and grab some lunch.
Stage 5: Brockway. A rollercoaster of a stage that winds its way up a mountain. We made some decent time here but still not setting any records in PGT. This was Chris's first ride up Brockway and was surprised at how often we were in the air.
Stage 6: Opposite run of Delaware. Aha! This time I nailed the up-shifts out of the Delta.
Stage 7: Opposite of stage 3. I am driving as hard as I can but I also have to give myself a second or two during each shift to make sure I don't lock the drivetrain on a gear too low or 'coast' the car into the trees on a gear too high.
Stage 8: Opposite of stage 2. We encounter some more 'black mud' while I late apex a left-hander. The right rear bounces off a back while I am trail-braking through the corner. No apparent damage and we continue...albeit a bit slower.
Stage 9: The last stage. A quick fun stage with a great water splash at the end where the spectators cheer everyone on.
Saturday finish: We finish 3th in class and 13th overall. After closer inspection I did a fair amount of paint damage on the right rear of the car but some rattle can paint should clean that up when I get home. During the Saturday night party we all say farewell to SCCA by burning our membership cards
. Much partying ensued. I spent the 11 hour tow home pondering whether rally would be around next year and if so, would I want to be involved.I really wanted to start road racing but the SCCA has no real class for the DSM that I can afford (save for the Unlimited classes). About a month later in 2006 I attended a NASA (National Auto Sport Association) event where they announced they were starting a Midwest Region...and they had an affordable slot for the DSM...Production Touring.
