Man, I see in Rally Club the strongest and smartest rallyistas who have ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. Goddammit, an entire community online pointing out problems, placing blame, slaves with high speed internet. Advertising has us chasing Imprezas and Lancers, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, men; no reason to build or place to compete. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our Great War is a spiritual war. Our Great Depression is our seldom-used race cars. We’ve all been told by lawyers and sanctioning bodies that one day we’d all be horribly disfigured or fatally wounded. But we won’t; and we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.

. . .

Welcome to Rally Club. The first rule of Rally Club is: You do not talk about Rally Club. The second rule of Rally Club is: You do NOT talk about Rally Club. Third rule of Rally Club: If someone yells “STOP,” goes off, or hits the hazards, the stage is over. Fourth rule: Only two guys to a car. Fifth rule: One car at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: Races are pure. No booze, no smokes, no HANS. Seventh rule: Rallies will go on as long they have to. And the eighth and final rule: If this is your first time at Rally Club, you have to race.

- Tyler Durden (adapted)

In the glovebox:

• Busy, Busy, Busy
• Scottsdale Pavilions Car Show: Rally Fighter Edition
• Local Motors’ Rally Fighter in Phoenix

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Rally Club

Last night I completed my MGT521 class, which was an introduction to management and the MBA.
Next week, I start LAW531.  Dun dun dunnn!

The Galants
Some of the history of my Galants – the daily driver and the eventual-rally car – are still hosted on this site, but all new updates have been going on Tarmac-and-Gravel for some time now.  Recently, I’ve managed to fix a few odds and ends on [464], and [195] spent a couple weeks at AMM’s place for FINAL, final front end repairs.  I should resume stripping the interior for the beginnings of my roll cage soon.  Especially now that there’s more room back at the fort.

Arizona Rallyx
A couple months back, I met up with some local guys looking to start a rallyx series here in Arizona.  We get together once a month to “practice” (read: toss the cars around out in the desert), and we’re all working with regional SCCA leadership to ensure we are qualified to run legitimate events once we land one or two venues.  I’ve recently scaled back my involvement in this process due to my schedule being a bit overwhelming of late.

Gearbox Magazine
This project is still going and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.  We’ve expanded from Mitsubishi and GM to also include Gearbox Magazines for Rally, Honda, and Electric Vehicles.  At the same time, we’ve run into some issues with real life making things harder than they should be.  Some staffers have had life changing events come up which have led to slower than planned rollouts and sparse publishing schedules, but they remain passionate about the idea, so we’re going to keep on trucking.  Ricky Vigil has joined the team from Colorado and is running the Mitsubishi show for us these days, while I have taken over the Rally site for James.  All the Gearbox sites have been redesigned to better display stories and present a professional appearance to the world as well.  It’s been a busy, busy couple of months for Gearbox.

The Days Are Just Packed
Nearly every weekend in the next two months is already booked.  Here’s a glimpse into my schedule.

4/03: Helping my brother fix the HVAC controls in his car.  Apparently it’s stuck on heat.  Not good in Phoenix.
4/10: In SoCal, meeting with Mitsubishi NA’s social media/MOD team.  An upcoming interview for Mitsubishi Gearbox.
4/17: In Blythe, camping with Vanessa’s grandparents, who we haven’t seen in nearly a year.
4/24: I will be 32 years and 364 days old.  Maybe an AZrally meeting, maybe clowncare.  I wear long pants.
5/01: In Vegas for a wedding and 33rd birthday shenanigans.
5/08: HAMMARS, the 2GNT family is flying into Phoenix for a weekend of drunken debauchery.
5/15: In El Mirage, CA, for SCTA Land Speed Record racing.  A follow up interview for Mitusbishi Gearbox.

Then there’s a lull in the action, mostly due to nothing being planned out yet, but the weekend of 7/10 I’ll be back in SoCal at Mitsubishi for Mitsubishi Owner Day (MOD).  I hope to have [195] back together and drivable by then so I can take the beast out and show it off.

The DSM Shootout is the following month in Ohio.  My plans to drive there are canceled because it would be too much time and money to make it happen this year.  I’d rather put the money towards getting the Galant back together and maybe race it a couple times.

After the Shootout, V and I are hoping to spend a week plus in Europe, so we’re trying to plan that trip out now as well.

The days are just packed.

So there you have it.
A glimpse into what’s been going on.  I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but quite often I find myself unsure what day it is because there is just so much going on right now.  There is a plan of sorts, but a lot of it is fly by the seat of your pants and I’m hanging on to what feels like a whirlwind these days.  Like I said, I’ve got some ideas for better posts on this site in the coming future, but I need to figure out how I’m going to fit them into my schedule with some kind of consistency.

Thanks for stopping by.  If there’s anything you’d like to know, please feel free to ask.

In the glovebox:

• Scottsdale Pavilions Car Show: Rally Fighter Edition
• Local Motors’ Rally Fighter in Phoenix
• Organizing Arizona Rallyistas!

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Busy, Busy, Busy

With Barrett-Jackson and Russo & Steele going on right now, there’s a lot of stunning vehicles in and around town which, combined with the gorgeous weather we had today (after a week of unusual torrential rains), made for one great night to attend Pavs.

I was interviewed by the Local Motors crew about their moving headquarters to Phoenix in a few months and became one of the lucky few to catch a ride in the one and only Rally Fighter.  Good thing Vanessa insisted I take her Nikon out with me this evening (and good thing she had it set up for me).  I actually got some great shots.  Hope you enjoy!

In the glovebox:

• Quiet Time (Paint Prep)
• 2008 Has Arrived!
• Update: Evolution of a Blog

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Scottsdale Pavilions Car Show: Rally Fighter Edition

I started to check my Gmail to confirm that I had entered through the right gate, but then it hit me that it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was driving, possibly the wrong way, over a crest on a race track while fiddling with a cell phone.  I put the phone down and kept a vigilant eye, struggling to resist the urge to hit the few apexes along the way to where we were all parking on a straight.

I made my way past a row of shiny red Corvettes, past the other row of silver Cadillac CTS-Vs, towards the large, black hood raised in the distance.  Local Motors had quite a set up in place.  Quality Mexican food was catered in (they sent me home with nearly five pounds of enchiladas, taquitos and chimichangas – thanks, Ari!) and the weather was, in typical Phoenix fashion, fabulous.

The first thing I noticed, above the roar of drag boats at Firebird in the distance, was that the Rally Fighter had obviously seen some time off road.  The pristine gloss of the rear fascia had been carefully texturized by various indigenous plant species which had reached out and touched someone flying past at over 90mph in the Mexican desert the day before.

I love the notion that this is pretty much the first and only road-going Rally Fighter and yet Local Motors felt it important to take the rig through some paces while they were down at the Baja 1000.  The Rally Fighter had probably been wiped down hastily with rags or whatever was handy before being loaded into the trailer for the trip to Phoenix.  The tires were dirty and there will still rocks stuck between the tread.  This is not a crossover or sport utility vehicle, possessing minimal off road prowess and a pretty face.  This is a serious piece of off-road capable kit that you can strap your children into and drive around town.

So, what did I think about the Rally Fighter in general.  The exterior was amazing.  The satin black finish brings out all the subtle curves and angles in the body work.  As the sun was setting, I got a couple really good pictures that I think are just stunning.  This is a vehicle you just have to walk around and admire from every angle.  The pictures just don’t do it justice.

I loved the fact that I was able to walk up to members of the Local Motors team and they not only recognized me, but knew more about me than just my screen name on Twitter.

Some might feel that the way Local Motors is ‘crowdsourcing’ designs (they could very well be producing upwards of 30 new models every year, according to John Rogers) is shallow and takes advantage of the design community, but in speaking with these folks this afternoon, it was apparent that they are just as passionate about the people who make up their community as those people in the community are about designing cars.

Every ‘car meet’ I’ve ever been to – Pavilions in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cars and Coffee in Irvine, California, the DSM/EVO Shootout in Norwalk, Ohio – all have one thing in common; they’re a bunch of gearheads milling about, talking shop and looking at pretty things.  Today, I attended a different kind of car meet, one which I hope to attend more often.

Today I attended a car meet where the people in attendance were gearheads just like me, but everyone – regardless of income, position, background, or automotive pursuit – recognized that this sort of thing can only happen when we all work together.  This excellence, this excitement about seeing the first car of its kind – and knowing that others will soon follow – is the product of passion and community.

And it feels so good.  If Local Motors comes to your town, make sure you go meet them.  See the Rally Fighter in person.  Shake everyone’s hand.  Meet other gearheads in your own hometown that you never knew existed.  Experience why those cars you used to doodle in class or during a boring meeting  mean so much more now.  Experience Local Motors.

In the glovebox:

• AutoJournos, Meet Auto-Journo
• Organizing Arizona Rallyistas!
• Prescott Rally

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Local Motors’ Rally Fighter in Phoenix

Mike Foster and I left Phoenix in [464] without issue, but before we reached Cordes Junction on I-17, something popped and there was smoke everywhere.  We pulled over to the shoulder and, despite things smelling a little like Synchroshift transmission fluid, figured it was just the oil dipstick popping out, since it had, shooting oil all over the engine bay.

Seeing that the engine still idled smoothly and quietly, and the temp gauge was reading normal, Mike and I decided to press on up the hill.  We didn’t go five miles towards Prescott before Mike said he thought the transmission sounded funny.  We rolled up the windows and, sure enough, there was serious driveline noise going on.  We pulled off at the next stop and saw a trail of Synchroshift behind the car.

Michael Rodarte showed up on his way to the rally, so when the flatbed finally arrived to haul [464] into town, I asked him to take Foster with him on ahead.  With the Galant loaded onto the flatbed, I hoped inside the cab, feeling somewhat smug about adding another picture to my collection of Galants on flatbeds.  We went about a mile.

The flatbed died.  Danny, the driver, gave it a second, then re-started it.  We went another mile.  The truck died again.  Not that I didn’t take a picture of the first time we broke down, but with the tow company service vehicle behind the flatbed with the hood up, I thought this one was better.

Seemed like the engine wasn’t getting fuel.  It would start and idle, but it would sputter and die under any kind of load (as with dragging 3500lbs of Galant on your back up a hill).  Toby, who drove out to change what was thought to be a clogged fuel filter, jumped in the flatbed and Danny followed behind, as we got back on the road and crested the hill, where the truck died again, this time coasting into a small grocery store in Mayer.

It finally ended up that I grabbed my gear and road the last 30 miles to Prescott with a fourth guy, while Danny and the others continued to try getting the flatbed running.  By sunset, I got a text from Danny on my Blackberry.

But wait!  It gets better!

No sooner do I get dropped off in front of the hotel, Moose is calling that the rally car has died less than two blocks from the ceremonial start of the rally.  Ah, jeez.  I call Foster, who tells me Rodarte is on his way back to the rally car, while he’s coming to get me in Hakkan’s Dodge.

The three of us make it to Paulden’s “Depot 89″ where service is to be set up, only to get a call from Moose that the rally car has died again just outside of Jerome and they need us to go get them.  Well, there’s only two seats in the van and I’ve had my fill of broke-ass GVR4s for the day, so Mike and Michael head out.  I enjoy a bit of piece and quiet in service, watching the sunset.

About 45 minutes later, I get a text message from Foster.  “We just got a flat tire in the van while towing the broken rally car!”  Thanks to some quick thinking and generosity by the Rodarte clan (who lives in Prescott), the service van was back on the road and they were en route to the hotel.

I got back to the hotel after Hakkan and Morat left after what was a very easy service stop in an Eagle Talon.  Mike, Michael and I decided to go into town for a real meal before working on the rally car.  We ate at the Firehouse Grill, where the food was delicious and the service was exceptional.

When we got back to the hotel, Moose already had the alternator ready to come out, so we got to work.  Mike “Fix-o the Clown” Foster broke the handle on the oil dipstick, so Moose took it with him to find some crazy glue.

Turns out the alternator crapped out on the rally car, so Michael “Do it right the first time” Rodarte swapped in the new one, while Foster and I tended to other things like fluids, tires, and a seat belt.

Moose came back with the repaired dipstick, I used it to check the oil.  I told everyone it was low and that we needed to top it off before we checked out for the night.  Michael traced the charging issue to a short on the harness and then rigged up a rally repair to see if we couldn’t “get by” for one day of racing.

Michael was addressed the rat’s nest of bailing wire and recycled Christmas ornaments that was the wire harness on the rally car at this point (Moose credits this to as-yet un-named Russians who re-wired the car some years ago).  Mike, on the other hand, went to check the oil after adding a quart and *SNAP* off came the dipstick handle in his hand.  From this point on, we started calling him “Fix-o the Clown.”  We were slap-happy and exhausted.

By the time 2:30AM rolled around, we were the only ones left in the service park behind the hotel.  Everyone else had gone to bed.  Even the guys who had to cut off half the header on an Impreza who were asking for a welder earlier in the evening.

We replaced the alternator and battery and the alternator was charging the battery.  We added oil, replaced a thermostat housing gasket that crapped out on us, fixed a heater hose, fixed a heater hose again, and double checked everything.  This Galant would rally in the morning.

Three and a half hours’ rough sleep on a hotel room floor later, Moose’s cell phone goes off, blasting the dark hotel room with “The Gummy Bear Song.“  Dear.  God.

So we get out to the car, we start it up, it’s charging, we change tires on the front, and double check that it’s still charging.  Moose and Tony come down, suited up for racing, only to discover the alternator has died again.

We all went spectating instead.

In the glovebox:

• TWICs XXI
• Social Networking: It’s About People
• Gimme a Reason

I'd appreciate hearing what you think about Prescott Flatbed Adventures 2009