Go-Rally USA competition
Hello everyone!
I know it has been a while since I sent an update so I thought I would tell you about a competition I was in recently. I entered the “Go Rally Drivers search” that was put on by Ivor Wigham and the European Rally School in Starke, FL. This was a completely different type of competition, I had never raced off-road and I had never driven a front-wheel-drive car (which is the standard for beginners in rally) to its limit. I went to the first round just looking to have a good time. I struggled at first with the terrain and the layout of the car, but the instructor was very helpful and I quickly began to feel at home over the bumpy surface and in the unfamiliar car. I was told that there were almost 60 drivers who entered the competition. I felt that my driving during the first round was not the best I had ever driven, but nonetheless I received a call two days after the competition saying that I was being invited back to join the top 32 in the competition.
I went back to Starke, FL for the second round with a little more confidence. I felt that if Mr. Wigham and his staff felt that I deserved to be in the top 32, I should strive to win the competition. I focused on being smooth, not necessarily trying to be the fastest driver, but the most consistent. This strategy seemed to pay off for me because I was invited to compete in the top 8 competition!
The winner of the top 8 competition was to be based strictly on speed.I was quite nervous going into the competition. My competition was very steep and many of the drivers had much more experience than I did. The day started with an all tarmac stage on the race track at the European Rally school in a Mazda Miata. We were to do two hot laps on a track that we had never been on. During my run I greatly overestimated the capabilities of the tires, which resulted in a slow time and a penalty for setting one wheel off of the circuit. The second stage we competed on was an all gravel stage in a Mitsubishi Lancer. Again, my nerves played into my performance. I focused on being smooth, which I was. Unfortunately, I was much too smooth and again was not fast enough. The third stage was another all gravel stage, but was must faster than the second stage. For the third stage we were put in a VW golf that had been prepared specifically for this type of racing. I had a good run until a mistake broke my concentration. I was being smooth and fast, but during a downshift to first gear, I accidentally placed the shifter in the Reverse position (which is this particular car is directly left of first gear). Luckily I realized this mistake before I let out the clutch, but it resulted in me fiddling with the gear selector for a few seconds before I could continue on down the stage. Overall the competition was a great experience for me. I learned a completely different style of driving, I met a lot of great people and I had a lot of fun. At the end of the day, I ended up finishing 6th overall. I was disappointed with this because I felt that I had the capability to do much better, but I have to learn from the mistakes I made and move onto the next race.
I know it has been a while since I sent an update so I thought I would tell you about a competition I was in recently. I entered the “Go Rally Drivers search” that was put on by Ivor Wigham and the European Rally School in Starke, FL. This was a completely different type of competition, I had never raced off-road and I had never driven a front-wheel-drive car (which is the standard for beginners in rally) to its limit. I went to the first round just looking to have a good time. I struggled at first with the terrain and the layout of the car, but the instructor was very helpful and I quickly began to feel at home over the bumpy surface and in the unfamiliar car. I was told that there were almost 60 drivers who entered the competition. I felt that my driving during the first round was not the best I had ever driven, but nonetheless I received a call two days after the competition saying that I was being invited back to join the top 32 in the competition.
I went back to Starke, FL for the second round with a little more confidence. I felt that if Mr. Wigham and his staff felt that I deserved to be in the top 32, I should strive to win the competition. I focused on being smooth, not necessarily trying to be the fastest driver, but the most consistent. This strategy seemed to pay off for me because I was invited to compete in the top 8 competition!
The winner of the top 8 competition was to be based strictly on speed.I was quite nervous going into the competition. My competition was very steep and many of the drivers had much more experience than I did. The day started with an all tarmac stage on the race track at the European Rally school in a Mazda Miata. We were to do two hot laps on a track that we had never been on. During my run I greatly overestimated the capabilities of the tires, which resulted in a slow time and a penalty for setting one wheel off of the circuit. The second stage we competed on was an all gravel stage in a Mitsubishi Lancer. Again, my nerves played into my performance. I focused on being smooth, which I was. Unfortunately, I was much too smooth and again was not fast enough. The third stage was another all gravel stage, but was must faster than the second stage. For the third stage we were put in a VW golf that had been prepared specifically for this type of racing. I had a good run until a mistake broke my concentration. I was being smooth and fast, but during a downshift to first gear, I accidentally placed the shifter in the Reverse position (which is this particular car is directly left of first gear). Luckily I realized this mistake before I let out the clutch, but it resulted in me fiddling with the gear selector for a few seconds before I could continue on down the stage. Overall the competition was a great experience for me. I learned a completely different style of driving, I met a lot of great people and I had a lot of fun. At the end of the day, I ended up finishing 6th overall. I was disappointed with this because I felt that I had the capability to do much better, but I have to learn from the mistakes I made and move onto the next race.
posted by Scott Robertson at
2:09 PM
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