So anyone in NoVa know who this is with 3 rallycars, a 7-series, and an STi in his driveway?

For the last few years he's had a street-tagged 08 STi in full WRC livery parked there, along with other non-racey cars. I've seen him driving that car around here and there, don't think its caged, but not positive.

Then out of the blue this week there is an 06-07 STi on a trailer, an 06-07 STi in full WRC trim, caged, with number plates and names on the side, AND a civic in rally-ish livery with nubmer panels and names on the side, but oddly with some wierd hood scoop and no skidplate on it.....all in the driveway.

None of the local rally types seem to know about this person or these cars, oddly....

Nope, but I REALLY want to be his friend right now.

apparently the cars run in Latin American Rallysprint up at Summit Point (and elsewhere?)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Latinamerican-Rally-Racing-USA/207385835940630

You should go introduce yourself.

Not to call them out or anything, but considering the horrible english as a second language demonstrated on their facebook page, terrible pictures, and little to no info (very vague) pretty sure they are rally poseurs. AKA, rally-x (SCCA cone bashing style) cars done up to LOOK like rally cars. I sincerely doubt the cage is even any sort of sanctioning body legal.

If you have actual rally guys that live around you and have never met them, that further confirms my suspicions. Probably the kind of dude I'd avoid at most costs. The money put into "making" a car look like a rally-car gets you half-way to a real one...and basically makes the dude a ricer.

(there is nothing wrong with SCCA rally-x, I love it, I just don't like poseurs...)

Haters gonna hate.

HiTempguy wrote: Not to call them out or anything, but considering the horrible english as a second language demonstrated on their facebook page, terrible pictures, and little to no info (very vague) pretty sure they are rally poseurs. AKA, rally-x (SCCA cone bashing style) cars done up to LOOK like rally cars. I sincerely doubt the cage is even any sort of sanctioning body legal. If you have actual rally guys that live around you and have never met them, that further confirms my suspicions. Probably the kind of dude I'd avoid at most costs. The money put into "making" a car look like a rally-car gets you half-way to a real one...and basically makes the dude a ricer. (there is nothing wrong with SCCA rally-x, I love it, I just don't like poseurs...)

It is rare to see such a well thought out and composed post such as this one.

Thank you for sharing.

HiTempguy wrote: Not to call them out or anything, but considering the horrible english as a second language demonstrated on their facebook page, terrible pictures, and little to no info (very vague) pretty sure they are rally poseurs. AKA, rally-x (SCCA cone bashing style) cars done up to LOOK like rally cars. I sincerely doubt the cage is even any sort of sanctioning body legal. If you have actual rally guys that live around you and have never met them, that further confirms my suspicions. Probably the kind of dude I'd avoid at most costs. The money put into "making" a car look like a rally-car gets you half-way to a real one...and basically makes the dude a ricer. (there is nothing wrong with SCCA rally-x, I love it, I just don't like poseurs...)

Well, I rally-x so I guess I'm a poseur........

Also, I know they're not rally-x cars since I've been to every event this season locally....

Anyhow, these cars do latin rallysprint, which is on a rally-style course (with codrivers, etc) out at SUmmit point. It's definitely not poser stuff, it's real rally-style driving, just not multiple stages. It's a step above rally-x in the food chain, but below stage rally. I don't know what the sanctioning or rules are for it, but I don't have any reason to assume the cars don't have regulation cages in them. I don't know how you can make that assumption by looking at a blurry photo either.

Me having not met them is meaningless. I'm not trucking around looking for rally drivers to meet. I could have Ken Block living in my neighborhood and I wouldn't know him, lol. I do autocross and rally-x, but it's not like I"m a big player in the local rally scene or anything, lol....

vid: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Latinamerican-Rally-Racing-USA/207385835940630

so the local rally mailing list came through with information, from several guys who run with the rallysprint group as well. Actually sounds pretty cool, like I might want to try it out with the e30 next season between rally-x events :)

In fact, the guy who is leading SCCA rally-x PR class locally in his RX-7 also uses the car in rallysprint.

per Dave Shindle "Everyone is welcome and encouraged. I've been going for years and don't speak Spanish. Several other non-Latino stage rally teams have competed.

Their cage and safety equipment rules are more laxed than stage rally (primarily because speeds are slower) so its a good stepping stone from rallyX to stage rally. They do multiple laps of a 3 mile loop of technical course with 2 pass recce and is perfect opportunity for novice codrivers to practice writing notes and then calling instructions to practice timing of instruction to fine tune w/ every lap and no gotchas so if a mistake is made, no harm.

Oh, and its a party. Most people bring food and cookout and socialize."

another +1 on introducing yourself. be sure to show up in your E30.

irish44j wrote: Oh, and its a party. Most people bring food and cookout and socialize."

Well, if Shindle says says so, he has proven me wrong more than once.

I also apply the same logic in my first post to people who don't read a whole post and then go off on somebody...

HiTempguy wrote: (there is nothing wrong with SCCA rally-x, I love it, I just don't like poseurs...)

If you try searching for information on the series mentioned, ZERO comes up on teh googles it seems, which typically also points to hackjob/poor planning/more stuff I don't want to deal with. And yes, in the US/Canada, if somebody doesn't have a fairly firm grasp at english, if I am required to make a quick judgement about how me meeting them will go down (especially from South America), I'd still say that. Every mexican-wannabe ricer on the face of the planet matches my description.

HiTempguy wrote: If you try searching for information on the series mentioned, ZERO comes up on teh googles it seems, which typically also points to hackjob/poor planning/more stuff I don't want to deal with. And yes, in the US/Canada, if somebody doesn't have a fairly firm grasp at english, if I am required to make a quick judgement about how me meeting them will go down (especially from South America), I'd still say that. Every mexican-wannabe ricer on the face of the planet matches my description.

Dey trrk rr JRRBS!!!

Josh, that sounds really, really interesting to me in general....hmm...when I lived in Springfield I'd often see the liveried car around your neighborhood, now I know :).

irish44j wrote: In fact, the guy who is leading SCCA rally-x PR class locally in his RX-7 also uses the car in rallysprint. per Dave Shindle "Their cage and safety equipment rules are more laxed than stage rally (primarily because speeds are slower) so its a good stepping stone from rallyX to stage rally."

I'm assuming by "lax" they mean "cages not required", since the interior modification needed to install a rollcage will put a car into Modified for SCCA Rallycross.

Oh, and its a party. Most people bring food and cookout and socialize."

Sounds like any Ohio based rallycross.

Well, if Shindle says says so, he has proven me wrong more than once. I also apply the same logic in my first post to people who don't read a whole post and then go off on somebody...

going off on someone without reading their whole post is an internet tradition. Get with the program.

HiTempguy wrote: (there is nothing wrong with SCCA rally-x, I love it, I just don't like poseurs...) If you try searching for information on the series mentioned, ZERO comes up on teh googles it seems, which typically also points to hackjob/poor planning/more stuff I don't want to deal with. And yes, in the US/Canada, if somebody doesn't have a fairly firm grasp at english, if I am required to make a quick judgement about how me meeting them will go down (especially from South America), I'd still say that. Every mexican-wannabe ricer on the face of the planet matches my description.

You act as if SCCA rulebooks are written in English

IDK what is ricey about it. They clearly do "rally-related motorsports" with the cars.

Otherwise, my e30 is pretty ricey

Knurled wrote:

irish44j wrote: In fact, the guy who is leading SCCA rally-x PR class locally in his RX-7 also uses the car in rallysprint. per Dave Shindle "Their cage and safety equipment rules are more laxed than stage rally (primarily because speeds are slower) so its a good stepping stone from rallyX to stage rally."

I'm assuming by "lax" they mean "cages not required", since the interior modification needed to install a rollcage will put a car into Modified for SCCA Rallycross.

no idea, though the rally email distro locally got some responses that seem to indicate that a cage is required, though not necessarily an SCCA/NASA-spec cage.

SCCA rally-x rules: Roll cages are strongly recommended in all cars [in all classes]. If installed it is strongly recommended that roll cages be constructed according to the rules for stage rally competition used in other sanctioning bodies

That said, he's running an RX-7, so no backseat to remove, he still has full carpeting (re-installed after the cage). The other guys in PR who are losing to him don't seem to have any complaints about him not being in compliance with PR rules. But IDK, I run in MR so don't much care anyhow.

Oddly, the RX-7 leading MR locally (moxnix) is NOT caged and is pretty much stock except for lacking carpet (which puts him in modified).

HiTempguy wrote: Not to call them out or anything, but considering the horrible english as a second language demonstrated on their facebook page, terrible pictures, and little to no info (very vague) pretty sure they are rally poseurs. AKA, rally-x (SCCA cone bashing style) cars done up to LOOK like rally cars. I sincerely doubt the cage is even any sort of sanctioning body legal.

Not poseurs in any way shape or form. But you will need a good command of the Spanish language if you go to their events. That was the first thing that a friend and I noticed when we went to one of their events; the PA announcer was speaking Spanish.

We strolled thru the pits looking at the cars and noticed several of them with Rally New York and Rally America entrant stickers on the windows. So there were a number of full out rally cars there.

Can't seem to locate the pics I took but there were some serious rally cars there.

irish44j wrote: SCCA rally-x rules: Roll cages are strongly recommended in all cars [in all classes]. If installed it is strongly recommended that roll cages be constructed according to the rules for stage rally competition used in other sanctioning bodies That said, he's running an RX-7, so no backseat to remove, he still has full carpeting (re-installed after the cage). The other guys in PR who are losing to him don't seem to have any complaints about him not being in compliance with PR rules. But IDK, I run in MR so don't much care anyhow.

But the trick is, you have to modify or remove interior components, which is not allowed in Stock or Prepared. Those holes in the carpet and dash and cutouts in the door panel aren't allowed, that's weight reduction you know. (insert rolleyes smiley here)

Yes, it's kinda dumb. FWIW, I know someone who built an FB RX-7 to Prepared RWD specs, and he had a rollbar (not cage) and awesome Sparco seats. Nobody cared, but it's protestable, and it could happen in a national level event.

Hmm. Wouldn't happen to be an orange car would it?

In reply to Knurled:

I suppose, though SCCA rules encouraging roll bar/cage install in all classes would seem to over-ride that rule. Wonder if anyone has ever thought to clarify that point.......damn, reasons why I generally hate SCCA events in general. Stupid conflicting rules. Like anyone in rallycross has a "fully stock" carpet inside. Yeah, I'm sure peoples old beaters don't have any wear-holes or cigarette butt burns (weight reduction!) in the carpet.....

and it's not as if a 100lb rollcage wouldn't KINDA make up for the "weight reduction" from removing a square of carpet and cutting a couple holes in the dash, hahaha.......

Frankly, I've always thought there should be no carpet requirement for ANY class in rallycross.....who the hell wants to have 100lbs of dirt in your carpeting after a season, lol....

yeah, slippery slope, etc etc etc...

Of course locally it's just 2 RX-7s (5 drivers) vs 4 e30s (9 drivers) in RWD classes, and nobody much cares. The PR RX-7 runs one driver up in MR, and one of the e30s run two drivers in SR and PR each....

and no, one RX-7 is two-tone red and black, and the other one is mostly red with some white.

I think they say you can only so they don't say you can't. If that makes any sense. They don't want to TELL you that you're not allowed to add safety equipment.

And yes, dusty carpet reeks! Having no carpet is a PITA and uncomfortable and cold if it's less than 80 degrees out but it's better than a car that smells like horse poop all the time.

^^reasons why I decided from the start to do modified, just so I could do whatever I want. Because bedliner'd interior is mucho easy to just spray out with the hose, pop the drains, and walk away.....

This Latin Rallysprint sounds interesting.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

irish44j wrote: Well, I rally-x so I guess I'm a poseur........ Also, I know they're not rally-x cars since I've been to every event this season locally.... Anyhow, these cars do latin rallysprint, which is on a rally-style course (with codrivers, etc) out at SUmmit point. It's definitely not poser stuff, it's real rally-style driving, just not multiple stages. It's a step above rally-x in the food chain, but below stage rally. I don't know what the sanctioning or rules are for it, but I don't have any reason to assume the cars don't have regulation cages in them. I don't know how you can make that assumption by looking at a blurry photo either. Me having not met them is meaningless. I'm not trucking around looking for rally drivers to meet. I could have Ken Block living in my neighborhood and I wouldn't know him, lol. I do autocross and rally-x, but it's not like I"m a big player in the local rally scene or anything, lol....

Just wanted to add my $.02, I've been to the Summit Point rally area during Hyperfest and helped to write some pace notes, and the course is definitely as you described it.....pretty much stage rally without the multiple stages. It looked reconfigurable for a variety of courses. Awesome!

I want one in my backyard...

Just thought I'd chime in, I plan to do some more RallyCross once my Subaru is no longer my daily driver (another 3 years or so). I did the first 2 WDCR-SCCA events back in 2000 with my CP Mustang:

Very Dukes of Hazard with the old motor (410 Cid W)