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**this is a long post, if you don't feel like reading, scroll to the picture links on the bottom and enjoy**
Team Gudmund, consisting of myself and Seth Strait (in my '76 99) and our helpful crew; Jonathan Dennis and Kelly Fisher, finished the '03 Maine Forest Summer Club Rally on Saturday evening in good standing. The car finished 5th (out of 10 finishers, 15 starters) in Group 2 (two wheel drive, open modifications, naturally aspirated with adjusted displacement of 2.4L or less) and 22nd out of 39 finishers (and 61 starters). The finish was really good for the oldest car in the rally (by 8 years). The first problem for the car rose on the 60 mile drive to pick up our time card on Saturday morning (we stayed up near the start of the first stage on Saturday). We started smelling coolant and the engine temp was quickly rising. A last-minute custom hose had popped apart and was quickly re-assembled and the hose clamp tightened more securely (we were using Sierra coolant so we may not have been as bad to the environment as we could have been, how thoughtfull of us). After driving for a few minutes we arrived at a lake and were able to put about a gallon of lake water into the cooling system (which stayed there for the duration of the event) using a small bottle and a Ziploc bag . Fortunately the car has a complete B motor 900 cooling system and we believe the water pump was kept from sucking in all air. The car drove for another 90 to 100 miles to the first stage without any problems. The first stage was rough but we managed to avoid any major hits and were able to keep a decent pace using the new (to us) stage notes. The first service was after the first stage and only consisted of a fluid check and quick check to make sure everything looked OK. The next two stages consisted of smoother, more wide open, roads and faster speeds. Somewhere in those two stages we lost five of our six new mudflaps and the window slider got sucked off of the co-driver's window. We pulled into the next service/lunch and replaced a front caliper U-pin cotter pin (which disappeared), rotated the wheels front to back and pounded out the dents in all of the wheels as best we could, and replaced a wire that held one side of the muffler to the body (with the only thing we had - 10 gauge electrical wire). On the next stage (the same as the first stage but run in reverse and with a different road in the middle portion) something got confusing in the stage notes at the beginning of the stage and Seth called a more open corner than what was actually ahead of us and in missing the proper call, a call for a large rock was also missed. We took the corner at a fast but approachable speed but hit the rock dead center with our skidplate, the car rocketed in the air but we were able to keep the car on course. We quickly heard the exhaust get really loud and Seth's feet started getting hot (from the header breathing right below). At service we found that the entire exhaust (with the exception of the header) had disappeared and the skidplate and lower cross member now have a big bend in them. The exhaust must have broken a weld to get off and probably broke in half in order to get pulled out around the rear axle. We later found that the exhaust must have knocked something in the fuel lines over on the passenger's side of the car because there is a noticeable gas leak there. With the help of our crew and some of John Groo's crew we checked the fluids, filled the tires, and wrapped some wires in aluminum foil to try to protect them from the extra heat from the header. The next stage (which was a repeat of the 2nd stage) went well and we were able to maintain good speed despite going deaf and having a fuel leak. The final stage (Parmachenee Long - our nemesis) started out with what felt like something very loose in the suspension. On rough corners and over bumps the steering wheel would shake violently in my hand. About 4 or 5 miles from the end of the stage the car started feeling worse and then started plowing to the outside of right hand turns, I had popped my first tire. I slowed down for right hand turns but pretty much held speed on straights and left handers. We finished the stage and then found a good place to pull over and change the left front wheel - which had a smoking tire and burned Seth's hand when he pulled it off. The tire was torn on the outer sidewall and the soccerball wheel has 3 major dents and an 8" long crack (who ever said soccerballs are indestructible was wrong). When the wheel was off we discovered a broken Bilstein shock on the left front, doh!
We missed the rallycross the next day because of the damage to the fuel line.
John Groo also competed in Group 2 in his "88" 900 and finished 2nd in Group 2, 13th overall. James Fox competed in the first five stages of the national rally (the first four taking place on Friday) and the first stage in the Club Rally (which was the same as the 5th stage for the national competitors) but gave up on the second stage on Saturday when a rear wheel bearing that was overtourqed by about 120 ft-lb started causing problems.
Check out the photos of our car (THANKS TO ALL WHO TOOK PHOTOS AND POSTED THEM!!!! We'd love to see more if anyone has them)
Team Gudmund:
Finish of Parmachenee Short:
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/modules.php?set_albumName=20030801-03-MFPR&id=P8020061_001&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Finish of Parmachenee Long (with damaged suspension and a flat tire):
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/modules.php?set_albumName=20030801-04-MFPR&id=IMG_2269&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Landing a Yump (rotate picture 34º for best viewing):
http://www.pkadev.com/cm/pa/2003/mfr03/display.cfm?id=4826
Close ups:
http://www.onalimbracing.com/2003maine/IMG_0321.jpg
http://www.onalimbracing.com/2003maine/IMG_0396.jpg
Groo:
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/modules.php?set_albumName=20030801-01-MFPR&id=DSC00444&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
http://www.onalimbracing.com/2003maine/IMG_0294.jpg
http://www.onalimbracing.com/2003maine/IMG_0377.jpg
wheel up:
http://www.pkadev.com/cm/pa/2003/mfr03/display.cfm?id=4699
Fox:
James goes wild:
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/modules.php?set_albumName=20030801-04-MFPR&id=IMG_1999&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Misc:
Subies don't float (but rumor has it that SAABs do) :
http://www.frozenmotionphotos.com/mf_im_07.htm
A spectator rolled and burned a WRX on the way into view a stage:
http://www.specialstage.com/forum/cgi-bin/DCForumID2/1627.html
Some young fans we must have trained in the past:
http://www.onalimbracing.com/2003maine/IMG_0343.jpg
-Geoff Clark
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