STPR 2005

After the very long drive from Minnesota to Wellsboro Pennsylvania, Dad and I finally got to our hotel at 3:30 AM. Not the way you want to start an event known as the longest day in US rally. My Dad had been helping a lot this year, but a STPR he was especially critical since he did so much driving and had to put up with me in grouchy mode when things went so wrong so early.

It was a bit tough to drive around town with a trailer, but we eventually found registration, and my co-driver de jour Joshua Bressem.

STPR tech is known for being strict, and they found a few things they didn't like, but allowed me to fix run (requiring me to address their concerns before the next rally).

Joshua and I had hoped to do the practice stage since I'd never run this event, never run with him, and was running a tire that was very different than what I'd used in the past. That plan changed when, on the way back from tech, the Hood flew up (hood pins!), breaking the windshield, blinding me, then breaking off completely and flying onto the highway where my crew/dad almost ran it over. I drove to motel with no hood, disgusted to be starting this important rally already behind the game (I'd have to be working on the truck instead of sleeping the night before the event).

Back at the hotel, I set about fixing the hood. I discovered we hadn't packed the drill, requiring a midnight run to a Walmart in neighboring town to buy a drill, some rivets, and some small door hinges to up to splint the broken hood hinges on the fiberglass hood. Upon my return, I discovered my Dad had been able to borrow a drill from the motel owners (anybody want to buy a cordless drill, I now have a spare…). A couple hours later, the truck was ready. I was afraid the windshield cracks might get bad such that tech would pull us out of the event partway thru, but luckily the cracks stayed small

Every event has its trademarks; STPR has the big water splash on Stage 1. Hitting the water fast risks a DNF, but the fans love it. I knew my motor was pretty water resistant (all electronics mounted in the cab, and air intake above the motor with a foam wrap to baffle incoming water). Coming up to the famous water splash, I strained to see through the trees. I was focused on the water depth. If I didn't see any rocks in the water, the plan was to not slow down and try to hydroplane across the finish at full speed. I saw no rocks, didn't lift, then ca-BANG! There were some huge holes just before the creek that weren't in the notes and I didn't see (or see during studying old video of this event).

Turns out the bumps broke the right inner CV joint, which locked up the front end and stalled the motor before we even hit the water. We still made a pretty big splash for the fans though. However, we sat stalled with the RF wheel locked in the creek. Josh looked depressed--he had a number of DNF's at STPR and had never finished it. I couldn't refire the hot/wet motor. I figured we were DNF. Then the workers descended upon us like angels. The CV was locked, but rocking the truck got it loose enough to roll. We were pushed to the shore to join the other dejected dead-car teams. Josh was bummed, I was pissed since the guy who used my truck at rim had had a driveline shop completely rebuild the front end before and after Rim (where the same CV joint broke), and now the same joint had failed on stage one for the second rally in a row. I told Josh to get our card to the control just in case we got it going, but he didn't look optimistic…

First order of business was getting the motor running. Remove the soggy airfilter wrap and filter assembly. Won't turn over at all. Hydrolocked. Hmmm, some water got by the filter. No plug socket to remove the plugs to pump out the water. Guess I'll have to wait for the water to become steam or trickle out past the valves. While the engine was steaming itself back to health, I inspected the CV, inner joint is exploded and the tripod is flopping around trying to grab and wreck everything within a 10" radius. There is a service after this stage, maybe we can limp it there if I can only get it running. Tried the engine again, and it turned over about 90 degrees this time (that means at least one cyl is now pumped out). Wait another minute. Turned about 180 degrees this time (another 1 cyl cleared!). Wait another minute, now it turns over the full 360! but still won't fire. Pump pump pump the throttle to wash the plugs with gas then try again. Rrr, rrr, rrr sputter, sputter. Hold throttle open, rrr, rrr, rrr vroom! The crowd goes wild, Josh looks like he's just seen Elvis, we pack up the tools, put the air filter back together and hop in. I know the worst is yet come…

We start moving and the truck is making the sickest sounds I've ever heard from a vehicle. Each revolution of the axle is trying to tear pieces off the front end: KA RUNCH, KA-BANG, KA-RACK. We had no choice but to continue, since stopping would DNF us.

It seemed to take forever to get to service at 15 MPH. When we finally got there, I was only partially relieved. I asked Josh to forget about staying on time and calculate how much service time we could take without being DQ'd for being over 30 minutes behind schedule. I was still not happy, since I knew we were not equipped to do what needed to be done, and we only had a few minutes to do it… It takes a special socket to remove the CV shaft, and I couldn't find it when I was packing for this event (turns out it had rolled under a tool cart in the shop). Now we NEEDED that socket. I sent the crew to borrow a sawzall and generator to cut the axle shaft off at the inner joint to keep us in the event. The crew (my dad and David Johnson) somehow got a sawzall (thanks Matt Bushore!) and a generator (thanks Okula/Pelc team!). Problem was the sawzall wouldn't even scratch the paint on the axle. Oh well, nothing to lose, off we go. CRACK, CRUCH, POP, SNAP, BANG. We just can't go over 40 MPH or the destruction is so violent it shudders the whole truck. Josh says we gotta average 30, so I close my ears and keep it between 30-40 the whole stage (including the corners). WHACK, SMASH, CLANG,…

The problem has taken out the computer probe, so Josh is working blind. Sometimes on transits we need to wait for other cars to figure out where to go.

We couldn't go too fast, so the event was going un-eventfully from a driving standpoint, with no off-road excursions. We tried to give the spectators a bit of a show when possible, but it was a weak effort at best.

Eventually the CV blew itself apart at the inner CV and the remaining parts were laying on the lower a-arm. At one of the mid-event service stops we removed these parts and we were now free to go unlimited speed and have fun, albeit in 2WD. We didn't go fast, but we did have fun on the last 6 stages. 2WD wasn't as quick, but it was more fun since it is a more sideways driving style. 2WD adds the challenge of now having more power than traction, so I can't just floor it and steer out of the corners anymore.

I didn't leave Pennsylvania with a sense of a job well done, but it did feel good to snatch a finish from what should really have been certain DNF. And in rally, finishing is all-important when chasing the series points.