Duluth News-Tribune
November 30, 1998
Reprinted with permission.
Sporting Life
By Irv Mossberger
News-Tribune staff writer
Ever have the urge to enter a sports car rally, but never did because you don't have a sports car?
Well, even if you drive a mini-van, you can enter the Arrowhead Sports Car Club's Winter Rally Series, which starts Saturday with the Sno-Fall Rally.
You don't need to worry about outfitting that mini-van with rally lights or exotic and expensive equipment, either. ASCC member Tim Winker, a veteran of international and long-distance rallies, said equipment needs are pretty simple.
``All they'd need is a clipboard to hold the page of instructions, a pen to check off the instructions, and a watch to make sure they're on time,'' he said.
``If you wanted to get into it really heavy you could spend up to $1,000 for a rally computer,'' he said. ``These have been around quite a while, probably since the 1970s. I don't have one, but I have used them before. I prefer the challenge of working with a stock odometer.''
Ah, yes, the challenge. It isn't how fast drivers can get to checkpoints and eventually to the finish, but how close they come to finishing within the prescribed time.
``The idea is to be right on time,'' Winker said. ``A perfect score is 0, and if you're off by a minute you get 60 points -- it's a one-point penalty per second you're off.
``It's not uncommon for some novices to get 200 or 300 points. The real good guys, they can come in with zero points.''
For first-time teams -- a team is made up of a driver and a navigator who keeps the team on course -- even their time isn't the most important thing, Winker said.
``The first thing we tell them is don't worry about staying on time, just worry about staying on course. Once you've learned that part you can go for the time,'' he said.
``We try to give mileage at all the turns, but that doesn't mean someone won't miss a turn. I've missed turns. You're driving along and miss a turn and you can go half a mile down the road before you realize it.''
Teams are given a set of instructions to follow that takes them on a variety of roads. Most of the Winter Rallye Series events are in the Duluth area, but can follow roads many drivers aren't familiar with.
``We try to keep to country roads, the lesser-traveled country roads,'' Winker said. ``We like the twistier ones. Unfortunately snowmobiles and ATVs tend to like that type of road, too.''
That's why it's important that vehicles competing are safe, even mini-vans.
``That's our main concern,'' said Winker, ``that they've got good tires and the exhaust is holding up, and brakes and that the brake lights work.''
Cars are inspected before the rallies to make sure they are safe.
Competition is in classes, based on the amount of equipment in the cars and the experience of the drivers and navigators.
For winning, teams get ``trophies -- and the respect of your peers,'' Winker said. ``A lot of it is just the chance to get out and have some fun, just like snowmobiling or skiing. It's one more form of recreation and a chance for getting out and socializing.''
Winker and his wife, Diane Sargent, run in pro rallies in which the roads are closed and speed is a factor. They entered such a rally last month in Houghton, Mich., and Winker said he met all three goals he'd set for the rally.
``The primary goal was to finish, the second was to finish ahead of someone, and the third goal was to not break anything.''
In other words, not the type of rally you'd want to enter with your mini-van.
As published in the Duluth News-Tribune, November 30, 1998.
Reprinted with permission.