CenDiv news

[Bruce]

A few things:

- For 2003, the schedule will be a bit different. Magnum Opus will not be run, and I don't expect there to be any Arkansaw Rallysprints. There MAY be a Coefficient 2 or 3 in lower Michigan...either an April-May or September date is being considered.

- No word on the Lead, SD event. you'll know something when I know something.

- Top three finishers in each class for 2002 will be invited to the ClubRally National Championship at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood...no matter what you think you read elsewhere.

- About year-end awards for CenDiv: Do you like the shirts, or should I get trophies? Where would you like them awarded? I can probably get some time on the Sno*Drift banquet program if everybody will be there. It has been suggested that I fly all the winners and their significant others to Orlando for a banquet at Disney World, but my credit card company vetoed that.

(Can't you see the commercial? "You just won the SCCA Central Division ClubRally Championship in Production Class - what now?" "I'm going to Disney World!")

Bruce

[Foghorn]

>- Top three finishers in each class for 2002 will be
>invited to the ClubRally National Championship at the Rally
>in the 100 Acre Wood...no matter what you think you read
>elsewhere.
>
>Bruce

Since you carry the honcho title, that works for me. Barring last minutes changes it looks like we get invited. But could you explain the apparent discrepancy in 9.6.F.1? Paragraph One says top three will be invited. Paragraph Two says first and second place are invited and third only gets an invite if first or second declines.

Also re: possible lower peninsula Michigan event. Any hints on who to contact if someone is interested in providing organizing help?

Kent Gardam

[rallyfreak]

Bruce,

Thanks for the update on CENDIV, do you plan to make this a monthly/as needed kind of a thing? It seems to me to be a great way to let 95% of the CENDIV club ralliers find out about what's going on. The other 5% need to get computers....

Thanks,

[Bruce]

>Since you carry the honcho title, that works for me.
>Barring last minutes changes it looks like we get invited.
>But could you explain the apparent discrepancy in 9.6.F.1?
>Paragraph One says top three will be invited. Paragraph Two
>says first and second place are invited and third only gets
>an invite if first or second declines.
>

That's easy to explain...we (the ClubRally Stewards, approved by the PRB) changed the rule...it just didn't get into the book correctly.

>Also re: possible lower peninsula Michigan event. Any hints
>on who to contact if someone is interested in providing
>organizing help?

Well, if I let you know who's organizing it, I'd have to kill you. But Jimmy Brandt knows who to call.

Bruce

[Bruce]

>Bruce,
>
>Thanks for the update on CENDIV, do you plan to make this a
>monthly/as needed kind of a thing? It seems to me to be a
>great way to let 95% of the CENDIV club ralliers find out
>about what's going on. The other 5% need to get
>computers....

Unlike many people on Special Stage, I try not to post if I don't have anything to say, so let's leave it "as needed" OK?

If you have a question you think I can answer, I take private messages, personal emails, phone calls, faxes...I even got a letter once. If it's a question you think is of general interest, post it here...you'll notice I'm not hesitant to answer in this forum, and I read it almost daily.

I used to mail out a newsletter, but as the mailing list got bigger and bigger, it got more expensive and my tongue got callused from licking envelopes. I hope this forum works as well as you think.

Bruce

[Kim 100AW]

Bruce said:

Can't you see the commercial? "You just won the SCCA Central Division ClubRally Championship in Production Class - what now?" "I'm going to Disney World!"

Since Disney owns all the copyrights to Winnie-the-Pooh, that would loosely translate "Trespassers Wil and 100 Acre Wood!"

Kim DeMotte
Official Old Fart, etc.

[jblewis]

Don't even mention copyrights!

JBLewis

[Foghorn]

Thanks, Bruce. Jimmy and I have exchanged emails.

Kent Gardam

[Bruce]

Just an update:

I talked to Erick Nelson about the Arkansaw Rallysprint(s). It seems he's resolved the site issues, and I have sort of a firm "maybe" for one or more rallysprints. Now you know what I know. Of course, Erick is getting married in the spring...who knows what that will do to his rally planning.

I asked about the year-end trophies and got exactly zero response, so I'm going to do as I please...live with it.

Bruce
CenDiv ClubRally Steward

[Foghorn]

I'm guessing my thought doesn't matter much because I'm not in line for one (this year anyway) but I saw somebody wearing one of the denim shirts up at LSPR and thought it was pretty cool.

Kent Gardam

[team blitz]

Bruce, is the Sunriser 400 never to be resurrected? What was the nail in the coffin? Norm

[Bruce]

>Bruce, is the Sunriser 400 never to be resurrected? What was
>the nail in the coffin? Norm

Some of the Ohio folks could answer this beter than I. There are some uniquely Ohio problems, I'm told, but the big problem seems to be leadership. If someone would come forward to organize the event, maybe it could happen - the workers are certainly available.

BW

[jimmy]

>Bruce, is the Sunriser 400 never to be resurrected? What was
>the nail in the coffin? Norm

Norm-
Sure, it can be done. "ALL" it takes is a committee, lots of work, enthusiasm, etc.
Personally, I would NOT try to do it as a National. Start as a Club event.
Find Dick Paddock for some of the old "why" it was canned. Last time I saw Dick, he said that many of the forest roads we used to use are now paved (now THAT would be a neat event).
It can be done, you can do it, just start small.

press on,

[Eric_Anderson]

>>Bruce, is the Sunriser 400 never to be resurrected? What was
>>the nail in the coffin? Norm
>
>Norm-
> Sure, it can be done. "ALL" it takes is a committee, lots
>of work, enthusiasm, etc.
> Personally, I would NOT try to do it as a National. Start
>as a Club event.
> Find Dick Paddock for some of the old "why" it was canned.
> Last time I saw Dick, he said that many of the forest roads
>we used to use are now paved (now THAT would be a neat
>event).
> It can be done, you can do it, just start small.



Interestingly enough, Dick's website (http://www.corc-rally.org) says that last year's Fall Phobia was supposed to use some of the old Sunriser roads.

I was co-clerk of course for the '76 Sunriser. It was a blast. I sure spent a lot of time on the roads in Shawnee and Scioto Trail.

The better stage roads are actually in Zaleski, which to my knowledge have never been used on any event.

I was clerk of course for the '75 Ohio Forest Rally, and we had looked at using them, but the Zaleski forest folks were really uncooperative unlike the folks in Shawnee.

Of course, that was 25 years ago.

The original course for the '75 OFR was pretty amazing. The event was about 200 miles with about 150 stage miles. The 40 miles were mostly the transit to Chillicothe and back.

If you were doing it today, you could start out of Lancaster and go south... save the stretch from Columbus to Chillicothe or Portsmouth.

There's one section of gravel forestry road which I would argue is the single best stage in the U.S. It's about 20 miles long with long, sweeping bends, with excellent sight lines. The road wickers along a ridgeline before plunging down a hill side and cruising along a creek. For OFR, we looked at using this stage three times.

One of the stages we wanted to use, but didn't was Eagle 18. One of the townships took a township road sign and put it on a creek. The first instruction from the start control was "Right into creek." The map actually shows it as going someplace, but it sort of dumped out in the middle of nowhere.

I was down through part of Zaleski last summer and the roads are still wonderful. Didn't make it to Shawnee, but that's on tap for this spring.

It would be great to bring back Sunriser.

[sunriser400]

I'm trying to track down all the threads that contain references to Sunriser and it's possible future.

I posted a longer note elsewhere , suffice it to say at this time:

I am looking into the possibility of bringing teh event back.

Central Ohio Rally Club will be running a TSD event over what we have laid out as a possible first day's 'core' (4 each 50-odd mile legs cointaining 20+ miles of stages per leg, loopin out oif a common Chillicoithe service area).

IF (big IF) I can muster a committee, find some backing, keep my company solvent enough to finance the start-up costs, and work out a method of obtaining insurance, etc. there coule be an event that would Start / HQ in Columbus with stages in the old rally areas (Tar Hollow, Zaleski, Scioto Trail and the surrounding County / Township roads)

The route we drove today would be about 50-60% paved stages, which I suspect would be typical given the 'creeping civilization'.

I hope to get some content at the old Sunriser site www.tsass.com/sunriser400 fairly soon to gather some comments from the rally community.

I will also be at Cherokee Trails (probaby working MTC IN / RGC in Cleveland) and will be feeling out the options and level of support there.

If you have comments you can email me at rpaddock@tsass.com

Dick Paddock

[mdhimes]

I think it would be a GREAT idea to have an asphalt or gravel/asphalt rally. Asphalt rallies are all to uncommon here in the united states and it would appeal to a different group of racing enthusiasts which would no doubt help the sport grow.

Maybe we could get Vin Diesel to show up with an S2000 or something!