“Real Cars! Real Fast!” is often the motto associated with rally racing, and although stage rally’s definitely live up to the slogan, there is no place where that slogan is more fitting than in RallyCross.
RallyCross is a true test of production equipment, there are no mandates for a roll cage, no installation of race seats and safety belts; instead you or I could take our daily driver, pay a registration fee, strap on a helmet and tackle the course.
Courses are usually laid out with cones and markings throughout private lands and have an official start and finish line. The winner of each class is determined by the sum of all their course runs. At the March 10th event at Crystal Motor Speedway drivers tackled the slick and muddy course 12-times each.
RallyCross is categorized into eight different classes, the classes are determined by drive train and modifications and are as follows: Rally Stock Front Wheel Drive, Rally Stock Rear Wheel Drive, Rally Stock All Wheel Drive, Rally Prepared (Non-Factory suspension, intake, or exhaust modifications allowed) Rear Wheel Drive, Rally Prepared Front Wheel Drive, Rally Prepared All Wheel Drive, and Rally Modified (The go big or go home class) Two Wheel Drive, and Rally Modified All Wheel Drive.
In Rally Modified it is not uncommon to see Rally America competitors such as Sam Kaltak bring his SubraRoots Rally #636 to the event.
My Crystal Motor Speedway backstretch view was definitely a unique one. Never would I have thought that I would be sitting in a passenger car on a dirt track, facing the wrong way, and watching a whole new form of motorsport, but RallyCross is enthralling and completely unique.
It is a true test of man and machine, a challenge for the most skilled of drivers, and a whole lot of adrenaline for those wishing to break into the sport.
RallyCross is a sport all its own, with 10 events on the 2012 schedule competitors get the chance to race nearly once a month year-round. Freezing cold or in the sweltering heat there are no limitations, it is great fun to watch and seems like it would be even more fun to drive.
I had a ton of fun and learned so much from race organizer Doug Harvey and Crystal Motor Speedway promoter Ron Flinn and I cannot thank them enough for their time and knowledge and I am already looking forward to my next RallyCross experience.
To learn more about RallyCross in Michigan you check out the Detroit SCCA website. Although there are multiple
spring and summer dates, the tour will also be making its way back to CMS on Saturday, August 18th where fans could take in a double header with RallyCross action in the morning and afternoon followed by a great night of racing on the oval track. It is sure to be a great time for all!
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Sounds like fun!