Stage Rally Logistics on a Budget

Hey GRM,

My friend has recently got himself a prepped stage rally car, and since stage rally is awesome, I volunteered as crew. However, the more I look at this, the more I realize that it is very expensive to stage rally, even with a prepped car. Another issue is that the team right now is him, the driver, and me, the self-appointed crew chief. There is no co-driver. For OTR he was able to con a friend into it, but that friend won't do another event (Olympus) so soon. That's one problem. I know there's only so much that can be done there (if you are a co-driver in the PNW and have up-to-date safety gear, contact me).

The next problem, which is what I'm hoping for advice from you guys, is the transport logistics. It sounds simple, get a decent truck and a trailer and you're good to go. Were it so easy...

My friend lives in an apartment. He does have a garage, but the rally car takes up all the space, so buying a trailer is out of the question. Then we need a truck. A new truck is out of the question, and he seems set on being able to take the truck hunting and has preconceived notions about that (4wd, manual, not huge). Of course, those three things are the opposite of what you need for towing (2wd can be slightly better, auto is usually better, bigger is better). 

This sounds pretty bad now that I type it all out. Now before you say "why don't you buy a truck!" I'm not that good of a friend. I consider myself a great enabler, but as far as funding, I'm out.

I've looked at U-haul which appears to cost about $453 round trip for a truck and trailer. Add $200 for gas (truck and rally), $800 in stage fees and $100 for camping/food (after splitting) and we're looking at $1553 for the rally. 

Actually, now that I've done all that math, $1553 to do a rally is amazing. But I know how you guys like to read about other's exploits and expenditures. If anyone knows a cheaper way to make this happen, let me hear it! 

Hmmmm I have wanted to rally but its not in my budget.... But I am in the PNW..... And I have a tow vehicle (no trailer though).... And I might be able to co drive, although I have never done it.....

Olympus is coming up in a hurry......

PM me if interested?

Sounds like the reality check is that you should not be doing stage rally. Rather, you should be doing rally cross

The only cheaper option might be borrowing a truck from a friend.

An ideal tow truck may not be such a bad hunting truck. 4WD could be good for emergency traction - moving off on an uphill with a trailer and can't get traction? Use 4WD and then shift back to 2WD once you get moving before the drivetrain winds up too much.

Manual isn't easy for towing but it's not exactly bad - on the other hand, auto is technically better offroad, just less reliable and not as fun. There are ups and downs to both, and either can work. Make a compromise and choose.

Huge is bad for squeezing between trees and tends to be bad for transition/breakover angle unless the truck's floor is close to chest level. But are these really necessary for a hunting truck? Huge also means you can carry more gear and carcasses...

Nevermind, ARA required both driver and co driver to have their license. Guess I am out then :(

How far is the rally?  He can drive the car there if it's close, you drive any spares/tires/gas cans out there in your "crew" vehicle, and have a plan for trailer/tow rig rental if the car breaks.  Uhaul trailers are cheap, it's the truck that will cost you, so if you can find a capable tow rig in time you could get away with only renting the trailer.  Anything with enough capacity and a high enough rated hitch should be able to tow the car, and if he's rallying out of an apartment I doubt he has so many spares that you wouldn't be able to fit them in even the smallest of SUVs.

To find your codriver, hop on the various rally Facebook groups and start asking?  There are also a few "hired gun" type codrivers I know who might do it, but they'd all have to fly a long way to get to you.

Also, $1553 is really not bad for a complete rally weekend.  The only times I managed it for less than that were either running RallyMoto or RallySprints.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Its a two day rally too.... Not a bad price.

In reply to java230 :

Just brainstorming here... how about you become crew chief, OP codrives, and you tow with/stay in that sweet RV rig of yours?  Driver pays for your gas/food/beer rather than a hotel.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

That thought crossed my brain.... And the RV is the tow rig I was referring to :D

cargo van...

Also an option- I have rallied without a crew.  It's not recommended, and means that you'll have absolutely zero downtime in the service park, but it is possible.  You can codrive and crew chief at the same time!

Real quick, java320, the ARA license is only $50 for one event. 

Good news is that the driver's cousin is actually going to let him borrow his truck. This changed 5 minutes ago, and he's been calling his cousin for days. I did not have high hopes for it, hence this post. I also don't expect this to work for the next event, but hey, one day at a time.

The key to the co-driver is having current safety equipment. If that wasn't needed, we could use any schmuck off the street. I've been told that many of the folks popping up on Facebook don't have the PPE. I should probably verify this...

In reply to ValourUnbound :

There's still plenty of time for those people to upgrade their safety gear- I would expect any actual codrivers have the appropriate gear already.

In reply to ValourUnbound :

Plus $25 to join the ARA, but is it really just paperwork? That seems silly.... Again, I have ZERO co driving experience, so I am probably not the best bet....

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

Also, $1553 is really not bad for a complete rally weekend.  The only times I managed it for less than that were either running RallyMoto or RallySprints.

Seriously, I spent probably $2500 at STPR last year, and that was working on as little budget as reasonably possible while still having a second hotel room for our crew (which they deserve), and owning my own tow rig and trailer, and rallying a car that sips gasoline (we only used like 12 gallons in all of STPR)....

ValourUnbound said:

Real quick, java320, the ARA license is only $50 for one event. 

Good news is that the driver's cousin is actually going to let him borrow his truck. This changed 5 minutes ago, and he's been calling his cousin for days. I did not have high hopes for it, hence this post. I also don't expect this to work for the next event, but hey, one day at a time.

The key to the co-driver is having current safety equipment. If that wasn't needed, we could use any schmuck off the street. I've been told that many of the folks popping up on Facebook don't have the PPE. I should probably verify this..

1. Join the North American Rally facebook page. Plenty of codrivers there with their own gear who would be happy to sit with your driver

2. NASA Rally Sport's page actually has a "codriver matchmaking service" but not sure if it can be used for a non-NRS rally (or if it would be "ethical" lol).

3. Borrow stuff. Rally HANS is the same as a track HANS. Helmets cross over too (aside from comms). Suits too. Codrivers do not need racing shoes or gloves (in fact, most wear neither of those things). 

4. Seriously, if your buddy is going to rally, he needs to at very least buy a tow vehicle.....an older SUV, cargo van, whatever. Trailers are cheap to rent (though UHauls are heavy), and a lot of guys rent trailers. But having a rig is necessary, both to tow with, to recover your broken car on stage, and to haul all your spares, gear, gas cans, etc. 

Btw, what car did he buy?

As far as truck goes...

1. Nothing wrong with 4WD for towing (most 4WD run in 2WD also). In fact, most rally guys tow with a 4WD vehicle since there's a good chance your trailer (or service area) could end up being in a muddy field. At STPR 2 years ago when I crewed, even the 4WD tow rigs were having trouble getting out of the trailer field. Plus, you may have to take the rig/trailer down a stage to pick up the car if it's wrecked or broken in a way that it can't be flat-towed off. PLUS at many rallies you can't use the rally car for recce, so will either have to rent a car, bring another car, or use the tow/service rig.

2. You don't need something huge. We towed for several years with a V6 4Runner, and several other rallyists around here tow with 4Runners, Pathfinders, Tacomas, F150s, etc. Sure, plenty of people have larger rigs, but that just makes it a bit easier and allows you to carry more gear (rally teams carry a lot of gear compared to road racers, since you may need to replace suspensions and stuff...).

3. I don't personally like manual transmission for towing, but plenty of people tow with M/T. Not sure why he needs a manual for a "hunting truck" though. Automatics are just as good in almost all off-roading as manuals anyhow, unless he's doing something extreme. 

4. The tow rig is NOT YOUR PROBLEM. It's your buddy's. No reason for you to sweat it. If he wants to rally, he's going to have to pony up and pay for the things he needs to do so.

5. As crew, your general responsibility is mostly to show up, drive the crew rig to service, fill up the gas jugs, and set up the service area. Your buddy will need things for that - at bare minimum a large tarp, four jackstands (plus some big square plywood bases for them, to use on soft surfaces), and a fire extinguisher for the service area (new rule). This isn't an autocross where you just show up, unload junk from the car, and go driving. Crew needs to handle some logistics and be good at planning, possibly move the service set to multiple service areas (at some rallies, not sure about that one), etc. The trailer usually isn't allowed at the service park, so you'll have to drop it off wherever the trailer parking is, and then drive the rig to service without it.

VERY basic service setup (we usually have way more stuff out):

In the end, there is a strong rally community, so my suggestion would be to touch base with other people doing the rally. Some teams are willing to "share crew" (Nonack and us and Dan Downey do that often), or at very least help out with crew logistics. There are rally forums, bu tthese days Facebook is really where most of the discussion and planning and meeting people happens (aside from events themselves). So I strongly suggest he/you get on those FB groups if you're on FB, and ask questions and see what other people are doing.

Josh Sennet (bluej) here on GRM is our crew chief, so maybe he'll jump in with advice, since he always does a great job having everything ready and figuring out logistics. Or PM him, perhaps.

Keeping in mind I haven't been involved in rally for about a decade now but when I was co-organizing a small rally we always had a few competitors who drove to and from the event. 

Naturally this isn't particularly advisable but you can do it if you plan ahead.

As mentioned some folks will share crew (pitch in for some of their expense)

You must must must, drive in a manner that will ensure the car finishes. When I was organizing I used my daily driver Volvo has course opening car or we used my fellow organizers Explorer. My times were often faster than a number of the competitors (I'd been down the stages dozens of times) but I was no where near the limit.

Basically a car built like a tank driven at 80% is capable of being driven two and from the event. Back in the 70s people actually drove the car to events. If your friend is capable of this approach forget driving to and from.

You must have an escape plan; if damage or irreparable break the car you need to get you and the car home. We dragged a car back to service once and made arrangements to store the car for the competitor, they came back the next weekend with a borrowed truck and trailer.

Reality is he needs to get a truck and trailer. A 4 wheel drive vehicle is actually a good idea for all the reasons previously mentioned.

There are ways to cut expenses; at some events it is possible to enter one day only, I don't know if that's still true or not but if so it's worth considering. 

To echo what's already been said if the entry fee is $800 and you spend $200 on gas that's pretty darned good. I do vintage racing cheaper than 99% of people out there and a 3 day weekend runs me $850 and I have manged 2 day local events for as little as $600.

In reply to irish44j :

He bought a CRX that is running a tuned CRV engine. The claim is 240 at the wheels.

To everyone else:

Thank you for all of the great info everyone! The idea of plywood under the jack stands is really good, I think I have some scrap that will fit. I really need to find/get an ez-up... We got lucky last time as it was cool. It's great hearing from people who have done this far more than I! It's hard for me not to help this along, but on the other hand I'm not racing, so why should I pay for anything.

V6 4Runner was in the contention for a tow rig but was priced out. As far as manual, that's just him being elitist. 

I think trying to get a second rally in less than a month after the first, and needing to find a co-driver, truck, and do car repairs is pushing it. Hopefully by the third rally he'll have all this sorted...

Maybe I'll log our efforts and add some content to the adventure section :)

ValourUnbound said:

In reply to irish44j :

He bought a CRX that is running a tuned CRV engine. The claim is 240 at the wheels.

To everyone else:

Thank you for all of the great info everyone! The idea of plywood under the jack stands is really good, I think I have some scrap that will fit. I really need to find/get an ez-up... We got lucky last time as it was cool. It's great hearing from people who have done this far more than I! It's hard for me not to help this along, but on the other hand I'm not racing, so why should I pay for anything.

V6 4Runner was in the contention for a tow rig but was priced out. As far as manual, that's just him being elitist. 

I think trying to get a second rally in less than a month after the first, and needing to find a co-driver, truck, and do car repairs is pushing it. Hopefully by the third rally he'll have all this sorted...

Maybe I'll log our efforts and add some content to the adventure section :)

The plywood under the jack stands are actually required. Also cut a bigger board to go under your floor jack. Everytihng you jack off of is usually soft at a rally, lol. The car itself should have a jack and a board for under it as well :)

IDK where exactly you are, but you may want to look into doing a rallycross or two first to get a feel for the car and sort out any issues with it. All secondhand rally cars will have some kind of issues that may not show themselves immediately. And "on stage" is the worst place to discover them :)

If you look in the readers' rides section here, there are about a half-dozen rally build threads, most of which have extensive information regarding car prep, what happens at events, etc etc. Mine is 7 years long (and lots of posts). Chris Nonack has another long one, and there are another several good ones there as well. You'll get a good idea of what is needed and what can/will happen to the car, driver, etc at any given rally if you read these threads!

I have one more thing to add that I forgot; if you're not going to be making the next rally my suggestion is volunteer at tech inspection. I learned a heck of a lot doing tech at Rim Of The World Rally. There were so many things the tech guys were pointing out on cars. Many of these car passed tech but didn't finish the event because of the things tech pointed out. 

So, how did Olympus go?

you can always rent a truck and trailer if you want, the cost is higher at the time but if you don't use it more than a few times a year then its an obvious possibility. You don't need to own your own people just like to own their own as they can customize them for support usage and etc. You don't have to have a 20k rally car to start rallying but some people like it and would not want to rally something else.

I could have borrowed a friends truck and bought a much cheaper VW golf and gone rallying but I didn't want to race FWD and I like having a truck around for impromptu truck stuff, then I also turned both into projects so... its a slippery slope.

I bought a 2WD Chevy 2500HD off an auction site for $750 and I'm buying a friends trailer for $1500. So for under $2500, I can tow my rally car.

YMMV - shop hard and look for deals.