Max-Attack.com - New England Forest Rally

MaxAttack! Series Point Standings for 2011

Shenan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:56:24 +0000

Driver	Total	Olym	NEFR	LSPR	Co-Driver	Total	Olym	NEFR
Wyatt Knox	25	25	1		Ole Holter	25	25	1
Christopher Duplessis	25		25		Karl Atkinson	25		25
Andrew Comrie-Picard	22	14	22		Don Burress	22	22
Tom Burress	22	22			Jeremy Wimpey	22		22
Dillon Van Way	20	1	20		Jake Blattner	20	1	20
Dave Henderson	20	20			Terrence McDowell	20	20
Brian Gottlieb	18	18	9		Patrick Darrow	18	18	9
Kevin M Turner	18		18		Robert Sockalexis	18		18
Adam Crane	16	16			Britta Nielsen	16	16
Gregory Healey	16		16		Cynthia Krolikowski	16		16
Luke Sorensen	14		14		Robbie Durant	14	14
Dave Hintz	12	12			Seth Strait	14		14
Edward McNelly	12		12		Pascal Belperron	12		12
Erik Potts	10		10		Richard Hintz	12	12
Kris Dahl	10	10			K. Edward Dahl	10	10
Garth Ankeny	9	9			Steven Case	10		10
Kristen Tabor	8	8			Russ Kraushaar	9	9
William Petrow	8		8		Janice Tabor	8	8
Bruce Tabor	7	7			Jeremy Neyhart	8		8
Justin Carven	7		7		Geoff Clark	7		7
Dave Clark	6	6			Tim Maple	7	7
Martin Walter	6		6		Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff	6		6
Erik Christiansen	5	5			Jenatte Clark	6	6
Tim Chevalier	5		5		Alan Moody	5		5
Scott Koch	4	4			Amy Floyd	5	5
Brian McGuire	3	3			Megan Kogut	4	4
Dustin Embrey	2	2			Jennifer Kraus	3	3
Phil Meyers	2	2			Jeffrey Stoner	2	2
Sean Medcroft	2	2			Jenne Medcroft	2	2
Wim van der Poel	2	2			John Isenberg	2	2
Blake Lind	1	1			Tracy Manspeaker	2	2
Bradford Ames	1		1		Angela Cosner	1		1
Cameron Steely	1		1		Billy Irvin	1	1
Chris Rennie	1		1		Brian Kirby	1		1
Doug Shepherd	1		1		George Loef	1		1
Jason Staats	1	1			Joe Vital	1		1
Kristin Przybysz	1		1		Joel Pacello	1	1
Michael Gillespie	1		1		John Dillon	1	1
Michael Reilly	1		1		Josh Benthien	1		1
Mike White	1		1		Josh Buller	1		1
Nick Allen	1	1			Josh Dampier	1		1
Phillip McGee	1		1		Karen Jankowski	1		1
Simon Wright	1		1		Keith Morison	1		1
Verena Mei	1		1		Meghan Roy	1		1
					Mike Kent	1		1

Events:

Chris Duplessis Dominates the Second Round of the 2011 MaxAttack!™ Rally Series, Presented by the Danza del Sol Winery

Shenan — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 04:35:53 +0000

Local hotshoe bests two dozen other two-wheel-drive rally competitors to claim victory at the New England Forest Rally.

Portland, OR (July 28, 2011) – The second round of the 2011 MaxAttack! Series, presented by the Danza del Sol Winery, witnessed a dominating performance by local hero Chris Duplessis and co-driver Karl Atkinson as they took a comfortable victory in their new Ford Fiesta R2. The duo rarely put a wheel wrong all weekend. For the efforts, Duplessis and Atkinson received a $1500 prize and are now tied for the lead of the quest for the prestigious Max Attack! Championship and the Jake Himes Cup.

Runners-up Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey continue to develop their Scion XD, and their finish certainly vindicates the potential of their Scion. The team faced a litany of problems, however, as a cracked oil pan and a cracked downpipe limited their speed on some of the stages. The top three was completed by Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner, in a Ford Fiesta. Also receiving prize money from the MaxAttack! series were Kevin Turner and Robert Sockalexis in a Subaru Impreza with their fourth-place finish, and the crowd-favorite Datsun 280Z of Greg Healey and Cindy Krolikowski, who finished in fifth.

Behind the top five, the rough stages took their toll on both finishers and non-finishers alike. Martin Walter and Ferd Trauttmansdorff were running a solid fourth-place for most of the rally in their Nissan 240SX, but two flat tires on Stage 8 cost them almost 15 minutes. Later in the rally they collapsed the right front strut, and spent the last stages picking their way around the biggest of the rocks and bumps. It was also a fraught weekend for the Honda Civic of Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow. They broke their skid plate early on, and their crew lashed together a replacement composed of polyethylene cutting boards purchased at a local store. Later the team cracked the Honda's transmission case, and on the last stage center-punched a tree. They were able to limp to the end of the stage, and were flat-towed to the finish by good samaritans Walter and Trauttmansdorff.

The rough stages took their toll on a number of competitors, with dented skid plates and cracked oil pans being a common complaint, along with blown struts, bent wheels, and flat tires. Verena Mei and Keith Morison ended Verena's debut rally as a driver with a soft rollover at the Errol Super Special. Pre-event favorites Doug Shepherd and Karen Jankowski broke a strut early in the rally and were among the first victims, a rare DNF for their Dodge SRT-4. Wyatt Knox and Ole Holter, winners of the Washington MaxAttack! round, were forced out of the rally with an engine fire, while local favorites Mike White and George Loef blew the head gasket in their SAAB 900. Kristin Pryzybysz and Meghan Roy damaged a wheel bearing, and later retired when their Subaru overheated. The Greasecar VW Rabbit of Justin Carven and Geoff Clark was slowed first by a gearbox oil leak, then an electrical short.

The MaxAttack! Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol consists of three events across the country, and each event features a $5,000 prize fund to be distributed among the top two-wheel-drive teams, as well as a season championship with the winners receiving coveted Jake Himes Cup. For more information about the MaxAttack! Series and the Rallysports Group of America, please visit http://www.max-attack.com.

The three events that will constitute the 2011 MaxAttack! Rally Series Presented by Danza del Sol are:
• Olympus Rally, April 30-May 1, Ocean Shores, WA, http://www.olympusrally.com
• New England Forest Rally, July 15-16, Bethel, ME, http://www.newenglandforestrally.com
• Lake Superior Performance Rally, October 14-16, Houghton, MI, http://www.lsprorally.com
The Olympus Rally and the New England Forest Rally are the west and east coast Qualifying events, and the Lake Superior Performance Rally is the central Shootout event.

About Danza del Sol Winery
Nestled in the rolling hills of the beautiful Temecula Wine Valley, Danza Del Sol Winery is a thirty-five acre estate winery located in Southern California’s Wine Country. While Danza Del Sol’s tasting room officially opened in February 2010, the winery itself already has a remarkable history. The estate was previously owned by Dr. William Filsinger and his late wife Katharine, who provided the Temecula Wine Valley with exceptional wines for nearly 30 years. Danza Del Sol is dedicated to producing a unique range of premium varietal and proprietary blended wines that are sure to exceed your expectations, at affordable prices. For more information, please visit http://danzadelsol.com/.

About Rallysports Group of America
Rallysports Group of America, Inc. (RSGA) was formed as an organization in 2006 to advance the sport of performance stage rally in the United States. By providing education on performance driving, car preparation and safety, and by fostering the growth of meaningful competition, RSGA seeks to provide a sustainable and competitive arena for the advancement of North American performance rally that promotes increased value for rally competitors, organizers, and sponsors alike. For more information, please visit http://www.max-attack.com.

About RallyCar, Inc.
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., RallyCar sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2011, RallyCar is conducting six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. RallyCar competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, RallyCar sanctions the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship featuring rally cars racing door-to-door on tricky tarmac/dirt race tracks. More information about rally and rallycross can be found at www.rally-america.com, and videos can viewed at www.youtube.com/rallyamericaseries.

Photo by Mat Janiak | WorldRallySport.com

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Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Saturday New England Forest Rally Update #2

Ben — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:56:48 +0000

From the rally finish at the Sunday River Ski Resort...

The five money-winners for the New England Forest Rally round of the MaxAttack! Series presented by the Danza Del Sol Winery are:

1. Chris Duplessis/Karl Atkinson - Ford Fiesta R2 - $1500
2. Andrew Comrie-Picard/Jeremy Wimpey - Scion XD - $1200
3. Dillon Van Way/Jake Blattner - Ford Fiesta - $1000
4. Kevin Turner/Robert Sockalexis - Subaru Impreza - $800
5. Greg Healey/Cindy Krolikowski - Datsun 280Z - $500

-We caught up with Jeremy Wimpey, who was co-driving for Andrew Comrie-Picard in the Scion XD. He gave us the lowdown on their rally weekend. They had a good start to the rally yesterday, although Chris Duplessis slapped them around on a few stages. They lost their oil pan on the third stage, and were towed into service by the Subaru WRX of Evan Cline and Greg Dorman. The crew fixed all that ailed the car within the half-hour service time, so they did not pick up any road points. A broken downpipe melted shifter cables and boost control cables, and they finished the rally with no third gear, no clutch, and no boost. The Scion is a solid car, although they backed off towards the end of the rally as they had a five-minute cushion over the third place car.

-Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner had no issues, and were happy to bring their Ford Fiesta home in one piece.

-Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson had no troubles with their Ford Fiesta R2. Chris wanted to push hard to the finish, but good judgment got the better of him and he decided to back off.

-Kevin Turner and Robert Sockalexis had no problems with their Subaru Impreza.

-Greg Healey and Cindy Krolikowski had no issues with their Datsun 280Z, they kept it on the road and everything went well.

-Luke Sorenson and Seth Strait welded a cap over their broken ball joint to keep it from blowing out, and their SAAB 99 was able to finish the rally.

-The Greasecar VW Rabbit of Justin Carven and Geoff Clark was eight minutes late leaving the Errol service as they sought to shore up the leaking gear oil. Once out on the stage, the car mysteriously died. They traced the problem to a blown fuse, and got going again. They hit the brakes, and once again, the car mysteriously died. It turned out a brake lamp had broken and was shorting out, so when they hit the brakes it killed the engine. They finally figured out what was causing the problem and removed the bulb, but by that point they had lost about 14 minutes.

-Tim Chevalier and Alan Moody broke another rim and bent three more, so they are ready to toss the stock Merkur XR4ti rims and try something else. They said the John Vanlandingham suspension worked extremely well in the rough conditions.

-The adventures of Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow continued on the latter stages. They got from service to the start of the penultimate stage, and poured two-and-a-half quarts of gear oil into the Honda Civic. They filled it again between the final two stages. On the last stage they took a Right 3 too wide and center-punched a tree, which damaged the radiator. Martin Walter and Ferd Trauttmansdorff stopped and pulled them back on to the road, and they were able to make it to the end of the stage. On the final transit back to Sunday River, the Honda died due to the lack of coolant. It just so happened that where the car died, Walter and Trauttmansdorff had stopped to take a swim in an inviting lake. The Nissan crew towed the Honda all the way back to Sunday River so they could be counted as finishers, a distance of over 50 miles.

-Speaking of Martin Walter and Ferd Trauttmansdorff, they collapsed a right front strut towards the end of the rally, and were gingerly picking their way through the remaining stages; thus the willingness to help out Gottlieb and Darrow. And the nice swim.

-William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart broke another rear skid plate bolt on their Ford Fiesta after service; then they broke a front skid plate bolt. By the time they made it back to Sunday River the skid plate was hanging on by just one bolt. They also hit something that both flattened their exhaust and dented their fuel tank. Petrow says the Fiesta is a great car, and he is looking forward to bringing it to the Lake Superior Rally in Michigan for the MaxAttack! season finale.

So ends the second round of the 2011 MaxAttack! Rally Series presented by the Danza del Sol Winery. MaxAttack! would like to thank all the rally participants and volunteers, the New England Forest Rally organizers for being so accommodating, World Rally Sport, and Rally America. We look forward to seeing you all in Michigan in October!

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Saturday New England Forest Rally Update #1

Ben — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:14:19 +0000

Before we begin Day 2 coverage for MaxAttack!, here are some updates from Friday action.

-Michael Gillespie and Brian Kirby had a gearbox let go early in the rally. It is shame to see their classic Mark II Escort out of the rally so quickly.

-Also out early was the Acura Integra of Bradford Ames and Mike Kent. On the very first stage, their distributor blew up and they were done.

-Michael White and George Loef blew a head gasket, and are running Saturday just for fun. They think they damaged the motor on their SAAB 900, though.

-Kristin Pryzybysz and Meghan Roy replaced their damaged wheel bearing. They also blew out their lower radiator hose. They borrowed another one from Kevin Turner, but when they re-filled the coolant the system was not adequately burped. Alas their Subaru Impreza overheated, and they were forced to withdraw from the rally.

On to Saturday...

Cars left the Sunday River ski area, with their first stop being a short one-mile Super Special in Errol, New Hampshire. There then followed two stages, Sturtevant Pond Long (19.5 miles) and Sturtevant Pond Short (16.2 miles) before teams returned to Errol for service.

A common theme throughout the field (all-wheel-drive and MaxAttack!) is skid plate damage and resulting oil pan problems due to the rough nature of some of the stages.

Going into the day, Chris Duplessis was leading Andrew Comrie-Picard, with Dillon Van Way holding on to third.

-Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey had their Scion XD towed in to service. They pushed the skid plate up and cracked the oil pan as they crossed the finish line of Stage 9. They also broke a down pipe. The Scion is fixed with a new pipe and oil pan and is ready to head back out. The team commented that the stages were extremely rough.

-Verena Mei and Keith Morison rolled their Ford Fiesta on the very first corner of the Errol Super Special. The windshield was damaged to the point that they were not able to continue.

-The Maine-based duo of Michael Reilly and Josh Benthien in a Ford Focus broke a CV joint, on the other side from the one they broke last night. This was also on the Errol stage. Alas this also meant retirement from their home event.

-Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson bent a tie rod on their Ford Fiesta R2, and did not have a spare. They straightened out the part to continue. They were seen leaving the Errol service area with fresh front tires, with the goal to get on the overall rally podium.

-Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner are bringing their Ford Fiesta in to service clean every time. They are having no problems and are just performing routine maintenance. They commented that the stages are rough, but that the Ford is handling it well.

-Martin Walter and Ferd Trauttmansdorff did well last night in their Nissan 240SX, holding fourth in MaxAttack!. However, on Sturtevant Pond Long the team suffered two flat tires. Luckily they did have two spares on board and were able to keep going, but the front flat made the car undrivable, so the team had to stop on stage to change the flats. They lost a lot of time.

-Greg Healey and Cindy Krolikowski have not had many problems with their classic Datsun 280Z. They were able to secure a replacement intercom from Robert Sockalexis (Kevin Turner's co-driver), so communications are much better today.

-Wyatt Knox and Ole Holter also suffered an oil pan problem, resulting in a small engine fire and a DNF for their Mazdaspeed3. They also never did get their fuel delivery problems solved from last night.

-Luke Sorenson and Seth Strait also smashed in a skid plate on their SAAB 99. They discovered a very bad ball joint after hitting a big rock and going airborne. They also have an intermittent fuel delivery problem, which they reckon have cost them about six minutes.

-The VW Rabbit of Justin Carven and Geoff Clark also has a bent skid plate and oil pan leak. The team is working on fixing the leak; otherwise they just plan to carry a lot of oil.

-The Erik Potts and Steven Case Ford Focus is also suffering from a damaged skid plate and oil pan.

-It has been a busy weekend for the Dirty Drifters team of Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow. The service crew has been keeping busy with creative problem solving to keep the Honda Civic going in the rally. According to the Facebook page of one of their service crew members, the Honda lost its skid plate on Friday. They fashioned a replacement out of lashed together polyethylene cutting boards hastily purchased at a local Walmart. Today they snapped a rear lateral link, and had to jury rig a repair. They also cracked the transmission case, and there is a steady leak of gearbox oil. They obtained a large funnel from the service crew of Subaru Rally Team USA, and taped it in the engine bay. This way that can pour gearbox oil directly into the transmission.

-The Broken Motorsports Ford Fiesta of William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart keeps breaking the rear bolts from their skid plate. They have been catching people and suffering in the dust. They replaced all four shocks last night, installing new Bilstein units. The car is working much better on those.

-On Stage 9, Simon Wright and Angela Cosner hit a rock. The right front strut tower broke away from the body shell of their Ford Focus and punched up and damaged the hood. They are heading out to the forest to retrieve the stricken car.

-Edward McNelly is a chief mechanic for Tim O'Neil, and is a major part of the effort that has put eight cars in the New England Forest Rally field. He and co-driver Pascal Belperron are driving one of them, a VW Golf. They broke a front tie rod, but they had a spare and were able to replace it and keep going.

-Tim Chevalier and Alan Moody are happy with the shakedown of their new Merkur XR4ti. Despite the rough stages, they are having no problems and are going well.

-Kevin Turner and Robert Sockalexis are having a good day in their Subaru Impreza. They have hit lots of stuff, but seem to be getting away with it. Their car is tough!

There are 25 stage miles remaining in the event, the 13.2 miles of Fish Pond In and the 12.3 miles of Sturtevant out. A lot can happen in these remaining two stages! Stay tuned...

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Friday Newsflash!

Ben — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:20:49 +0000

The famous Concord Pond stage was halted after only about ten cars made it cleanly through the stage. An all-wheel-drive competitor went way off the road, and a red cross was thrown. Rest assured, everyone was OK.

Of the MaxAttack! competitors, only Chris Duplessis/Karl Atkinson and Andrew Comrie-Picard/Jeremy Wimpey made it through cleanly and will receive a time. All others will be assigned the slowest reasonably competitive time of the stage finishers.

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Friday Updates #5

Ben — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:43:55 +0000

Cars just returned from Stages 4 and 5, the 16.45-mile turnaround stages Icicle Brook North and Icicle Brook South. There was a service, after which cars headed out to the final stage of the evening, the infamous 5.76 miles and big jumps of Concord Pond.

-Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey report that since Oregon they have made some improvements to their Scion XD, and as a result it is much better handling. The team cracked their exhaust, but don't believe it cost them any time. They lost 20 seconds to Chris Duplessis on the inbound stage, but only 7 seconds on the return trip as the driver gets more comfortable.

-Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson have no issues with their Ford Fiesta and that they are going well. Duplessis said, maybe tongue-in-cheek, that he is going to keep pushing no matter how big a lead they build up. "Tell the guys behind that if they want to beat me, they should back off and see if I fall off the road."

-Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner have no problems with their Ford Fiesta. They are facing stiff competition, and just want to make it to the finish.

-In the Datsun 280Z, Greg Healey and Cindy Krolikowski are doing OK despite their lack of an intercom. They were faster coming out of Icicle Brook, and Healey feels good about that.

-Wyatt Knox and Ole Holter are trying DMack tires for the first time on their Mazdaspeed3 and are really happy with them. When they come up to heat they grip really well, and get a thumbs-up. For a while the team had a problem that when the chassis hit the ground, the fuel supply cut out. They re-wired the fuel pump straight to the battery with a manual switch, and hope that solves the problem.

-Martin Walter and Ferd Trauttmansdorff (Nissan 240SX) find the roads rougher than what they are normally used to. Their stock Nissan rims are not holding up to the abuse; they bent two rims (but didn't get any flats), and the team is just trying to manage their tires and rims.

-The Merkur XR4ti of Tim Chevalier and Alan Moody is also having wheel troubles, once again to the stock rims. They split one wheel right down the middle. The new car is working well, and they are very happy with it.

-The Broken Motorsports Ford Fiesta of William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart had its skid plate fall down again due to previous damage. But Petrow admits that the new Ford is "Fun as hell!"

-Kristin Przybysz and Meghan Roy, driving a Subaru Impreza, were held up on Icicle Brook North by a slower competitor that was having trouble. It took them a long time to be able to safely pass. On the trip out of they stage they were a full minute faster. They blew their left rear wheel bearing, but they were able to secure a replacement part from Kevin Turner (who drives a similar Impreza) and are continuing on.

-Kevin Turner and Robert Sockalexis, in their Impreza, tore a CV boot on the way in to the turnaround stage. They used a plastic bag and electrical tape to improvise a repair, and were able to get back to service. In service they replaced the axle.

-The VW Golf of Chris Rennie and Joe Vital broke a stub axle, so the team is out of Friday's rally.

-Edward McNelly and Pascal Belperron, also in a VW Golf, had a flat on Icicle Brook North and changed the flat. They borrowed a tire and wheel from the stricken Golf of Chris Rennie, which was fortunate as McNelly and Belperron also had a flat going back out on Icicle Brook South, so they were able to continue.

-Justin Carven and Geoff Clark demonstrated the power of rally karma in the Greasecar VW Rabbit. They had two flats on Icicle Brook North, and they too borrowed a tire and wheel from Chris Rennie. Rennie had borrowed a wheel and tire from Carven last year, so what comes around goes around.

-The SAAB 99 of Luke Sorenson and Seth Strait drove Icicle Brook North very aggressively, and bashed up the suspension. They didn't hurt anything, but they drove a bit easier on Icicle Brook South and lost a bit of time.

-Verona Mei and Keith Morison are getting more confident in their Ford Fiesta. Mei stated that Icicle Brook North was the fastest she had ever driven in a rally car. Having done it on the way in, she was much more comfortable with the speed on Icicle Brook South.

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Friday Newsflash!

Ben — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:18:11 +0000

Newsflash! Doug Shepherd and Karen Jankowski broke a strut on their Dodge SRT-4 on Stage 4. They tried to limp through Stage 5 but there was too much damage and the team was forced to withdraw.

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Friday Updates #4

Ben — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:11:29 +0000

-Edward McNelly and Pascal Belperron are driving their second rally in their ex-Chris Duplessis VW Golf. It is a proven car, and is now sporting a fresh refrigerator-white paint scheme.

-The Merkur XR4ti of Tim Chevalier and Alan Moody was finished just before the rally, so it is brand-new to them. They are using the New England Forest Rally as a shakedown for the car, which looks really nice.

-Simon Wright and Angela Cosner drove their Ford Focus through the Mexico spectator stage flying a large Stars and Stripes flag, as well as a large Union Jack, in honor of their USUK racing team.

-Justin Carven and Geoff Clark report that the Greasecar VW Rabbit is now equipped with a new suspension, which they are keen to try out on the rough Maine roads.

-Brian Gottlieb and Patrick Darrow are biding their time, waiting for the real stages to begin. They report no issues with their Honda Civic.

-Verena Mei, an a brand-new Ford Fiesta, felt very nervous before the first stage, but after the first stage the butterflies went away. She has enlisted experienced co-driver Keith Morison to read the notes. This is her first rally as a driver; she co-drove for Wyatt Knox in this year's Sno*Drift Rally.

-Cameron Steely and Josh Buller had some early mechanical problems with their Ford Focus. The intake split on Stage 3, the second running of the Mexico Rec Center, and they had to nurse the car through the stage. They are getting it fixed at service, and hope to be back up to speed.

-Erik Potts and Steven Case broke a shock on their Ford Focus on a jump. They were sharing spares with another team, and discovered that the spare shocks at their disposal did not actually fit their car. They were using an angle grinder at service on the strut mounts in the hope of getting the new shocks to fit.

-The VW Golf of Chris Rennie and Joe Vital had an off two days before the New England Forest Rally during a shakedown run. The car pirouetted around and landed on its side. They were able to bang out the damage, and were good to go for this weekend's event.

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

Friday Updates #2

Ben — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:15:11 +0000

-Unfortunately, we've suffered our first casualty of the NEFR 2011 MaxAttack! Event. New competitors Briar McGee and Josh Dampier showed up in an awesome piece of engineering. They took a Suzuki Swift and placed a Suzuki Hyabusa superbike engine in the bay, with a chain coming off the stock countershaft and driving a final drive to the axles. I'll post photos of the arrangement, as the machine is just too cool. As can happen with fresh engineering projects, the weak spots are surfacing and the car suffered a broken axle after landing the jump at Mexico. This sidelines them for MaxAttack!, but they'll try to get going to get some experience. We look forward to seeing them continue the development of their car and their rally experience! And I'll definitely post pics of that 'busa engine sitting between the fenders!

-It seems the Mexico jump is catching some others out this year, too. As usual, it's a tabletop type jump, but this year the landing ramp is rather sharp edged without a long run out...more like a motocross tabletop. This makes it very hard to try to “clear” the jump, as it would require the attitude of the car to be very nose down and the length of the leap to be judged perfectly. Hence most cars just go easy, jump up on top, and then roll off.

-One car that suffered a lot from the jump was the Ford Fiesta of William Petrow and Jeremy Neyhart. The team judged the length about right on the jump, but since the landing was so steep, the car came down with the rear hitting the top lip first and slamming the front into the ground hard. They broke the front subframe and messed up the skidplate on the first run of the stage. They removed the skidplate and threw it in the hatch for the second run, and then got to work welding up the front end when they got to service. They're back out on the stages now.

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story

MaxAttack! New England Forest Rally Press Notes

Shenan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:10:58 +0000

Welcome to the MaxAttack! Event at the 2011 New England Forest Rally!

We have 25 cars entered in this year's east coast round of the MaxAttack! Two Wheel Drive Series presented by Danza del Sol!

The rally is already underway, so let's get you caught up to date.

-The cars left Parc Expose at Sunday River Ski Resort and did a spectator stage on the mountain before heading to Mexico Recreation area for the traditional spectator stages around the ball park. They ran 2 runs around the Mexico stage and then came into service before heading out to the forest for the proper road stages. Still, after just 3 presentation stages, the story is beginning to form...

-We'll start with Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey in the Scion xD. Says ACP, the car is further developed since the last MaxAttack! Round in Washington, and he was looking forward to the intense competition. He said that after the first few stage miles, Doug Shepherd, Chris Duplessis, Wyatt Knox, and himself were with a second or two of each other. He said he's really thirsting for this kind of competition.

-Speaking of Doug Shepherd, he and Karen Jankowski (both previous MaxAttack! Event/championship winners) are settling back into competition with the Dodge SRT-4. Doug says after 9 months of not driving it took a few turns into the first stage before the duck started paddling the water again, but now he feels he's up to speed, and he certainly looks it! Says the car has more torque than needed, and is running well.

-Chris Duplessis and Karl Atkinson are enjoying the ride in their new Ford Fiesta R2. Says Karl, they were taking no risks on the opening spectator stages, saving the push for the “big stages.” Still, the car looked very fast through Mexico and was beautifully navigated through the perfect line as we are used to seeing from Chris.

-Wyatt Knox and Ole Holter won the west coast round earlier this year at Washington, so they are in good shape with MaxAttack! Points toward the Jake Himes Cup, but they entered the MAZDASPEED3 in MaxAttack! In Maine anyway to try to earn a bit more MaxMoney. Wyatt said they had a slight spin on the first spectator stage at the bridge and lost a bit of time, but he's certain they'll be able to make it up.

-Dillon Van Way and Jake Blattner are piloting the turbocharged Ford Fiesta special and looked to have LOTS of power on tap in the little car. Dillon says the car continues to be developed and is really a potent weapon now. The car is very lightweight with lots of power. They opted for a Hewland S1600 gearbox due to the added torque of the turbo engine instead of the Sadev used in the R2 cars.

-Stay tuned...we have updates from ALL of our MaxAttackers. I'll be back with more updates in just a few!

Events:

New England Forest Rally

Content Type:

Event Story