TeamD Adventures

Last weekend was the Olympus International Rally. Based in Shelton Washington and run on the gravel roads of the Olympic Peninsula, it’s the closest thing the Northwest has to a WRC event (in fact, the Olympus Rally was a WRC event from 1986-1988). Two years ago I (and others in RASC) worked one stage of the rally, lending our bodies to start control, finish control, flying finish timing (my spot) and course marshal. This year, on Sunday, I rode alongside Ron Sorem in car 00, the first of the pace cars.

Before the race cars take the road, three different cars come first to clear the stage and make sure all is well. The first car, the course clearing car, drives through the stage slowly, checking to make sure the banner tape (like police caution tape, blocking the possible roads that are not part of the course) is in place, that all course markers are visible, that the course is clear of spectators, and that the crews are ready for cars. Car 00, slow pace, follows approx. 30 before the competitors, and checks the same things but runs closer to the start time. Car 0 runs the course 10 minutes before the competitors and at approx. 80% speed. Unlike the first two, car 0 is a caged rally car. Once Car 0 is through and has confirmed that the course is ready, the stage is called “Live” and ready for the competitors. If either Car 00 or Car 0 finds problems, they can hold the start of the stage until the problem is corrected.

Since the roads are closed at this point and the course clearing car has (theoretically) already passed through, we are free to run the course at a good speed, providing that we can continue to do our check tasks at the same time. Since Car 00 is not fully caged , we did not run “full speed” but we ran fast enough. Ron has been in rallying since 1968. He has a great feel for the road and at no time did I feel we were on the edge of trouble (well, there was one fishtail that made me say “whoa” to myself but that was fine because Ron was too busy saying “whoa” out loud to look over and watch my face turn white).

My usual position is in the left-hand seat. In fact, aside from one Friday Nighter, I’ve never navigated so this was a new experience for me. I have to admit I found it a bit daunting. While I was reading the route instructions from the book to Ron, we were rushing down the road, watching for broken or missing banner tape, matching the instruction numbers to the markers on the course, checking locations of course marshals, and spectator viewing locations, and generally making sure the course was clear. I didn’t suffer from motion sickness (a concern when you are concentrating on reading in a car bumping and twisting on mountain roads) but I do now have a better appreciation for what Marvin does for me as we run rally together.

Volunteering for local Pro Rallys is a great way to get closer to the sport. You can do everything from monitoring spectators to working timing positions and you get an up close view of the proceedings and the appreciation of the competitors. I heartily recommend contacting the organizers. They are always looking for assistance.