<VV> Goin' rally-crossin'!

[Dale Dewald]

Hello Tom,

Having competed in several SCCA Pro Rallys (as navigator) and driven in 
several Rallycrosses, I think I could offer a few helpful suggestions.

At 11:07 AM 10/6/05 -0400, Tom Willcox wrote:
>Just wanted to drop a line to the group: if anyone will be in the 
>Allentown-Lehigh Valley PA area this Sunday, feel free to come out and 
>watch me thrash my 65 coupe on a "dirt autocross" course.  Or, join 
>in!  It's only $50.

This is really great entertainment for the money.

>The Philly region SCCA chapter is hosting their second "rallycross" event 
>at Grandview Speedway, near Bechtelsville, PA.  It is located on route 100 
>south of Allentown, PA.  Event is all day, this Sunday, from about 8 am on.

An important point to remember: Your runs are timed just like an autocross, 
with penalty time added for hitting cones, but your score for the is NOT 
for the best run.  The times for ALL of your runs, and penalties, are added 
together for a total run time of the day. It is best to drive each run as 
quickly as possible, but be conservative enough to avoid penalty 
cones.  Consistency is really a factor here.

>It sounds like a fun event, and I'm not ready to put my car away for the 
>winter yet, so I figured 'what the heck'--I'll do it and see how it 
>goes.  Anyone with any advice for car setup or driving on dirt, feel free 
>to enlighten me!

I have driven Corvairs and 4WD vehicles at autocrosses.  The Corvair has 
great traction but suffers from low ground clearance and, in stock form, 
moderate low-end engine torque.  It is easy to get bogged down in loose 
dirt exiting corners.  A well used Rallycross course will eventually get 
badly rutted and cause bottoming out of low cars.

Corvair set-up tips:
1) Make as many legal power improvements as possible.
2) Raise the car as much as possible
    a) Install larger, aggressive tread tires (snow tires work well in dirt)
    b) Install longer springs or insert rubber spacers to lift the existing 
springs.
    c) Remove low hanging stabilizer bars.
3) Improve/check the air cleaner for running in dusty conditions.
4) Remove the brake drums and clean out the dirt before driving home. (or 
switch to disks)

Enjoy!!

Dale Dewald
Hancock, (UP) MI