Last Ditch Racing Blog

For Immediate Release

July 25, 2010

Bangor, Maine USA

Bangor's Last Ditch Racing were challenged by the 2010 New England Forest Rally and persevered, taking to the podium in Saturday's race.

The sixth and final round of the 2010 Rally America Championship, this year's event saw more than 65 teams from across the USA step up to take on the notoriously rough stages in the woods of Western Maine.

LDR started the event with a new ECU in the car. The Link G4 Extreme ECU was tuned via the internet with the expertise of Dave Heerdegen of DTECH Motorsport in Tauranga, New Zealand. "Using Skype, we allowed Dave to remotely log into the laptop while it was connected to the car. We were able to get a very good tune on the car that saw it running the best it has in many events," said driver/owner John Cassidy. "The tuning was completed in three very long days. We had a great time working with Dave, but the 14 hour time difference, working my day job and working all night in the shop was a bit surreal and not the way we prefer to spend the week prior to an event."

Friday's stages saw the team having some shifting issues after the jump on the first stage, the Mexico Super Special. The transmission kept popping out of second gear and Cassidy was forced to drive with one hand while holding it in gear. The assumption was that the geometry on the shifter was keeping the shifter from fully engaging the gear. The crew trimmed the shifter surround and sent the crew back out. The issue progressed over the next couple of stages. Said Cassidy, "I knew something was wrong-the car would now stay in second, but would pop out of 4th. We had planned on making time over a stage that had several new miles added to it for this years' event, but I spent most of it holding it in 4th and driving with one hand, trying to do my best Sitg Blomquist imitation. Dave told me that was the fastest I'd ever driven with one hand."

At the second service, Cassidy asked the crew to check the engine and transmission mounts. The driver's side engine mount was indeed broken, likely letting go over the jump on the first stage. Without a spare mount, the crew used a ratchet strap to secure the engine for the final few stages of the day. WIth the engine no longer bouncing up into the hood, Cassidy and Getchell headed back out and set some competitive times, besting their personal record on the famous Concord Pond stage by 1 second with a ratchet strap holding the engine in the car!

With assistance from the Valley Tire team of Steve Quigley and Dana Nauss, a new motor mount was fitted for Saturday's stages. Not unexpected, the car shifted well and stayed in gear! The team were hampered by a mysterious lack of boost for the day. The problem was consistent though, and Cassidy and Getchell felt it better to work with what they had, rather than potentially create more issues by starting down a diagnostic pathway in the middle of the event.

"We pushed fairly hard and had a great time on the rough stages. Having proper anti-lag on the car was an eye-opener. We were taking some corners at speeds that were initially a bit unexpected, but we got used to it quickly. We haven't had ALS on our car since T-2, and that was a few years ago. We won three consecutive Regional Open Championships without it, but it sure is a lot more entertaining with it!"

The team already has parts on order for further development of the car in preparation for the remainder of 2010 and the 2011 season. "We're going to optimize some of the systems on board, and we'll be starting with the wiring system, and then focusing on the cockpit. The driver/co-driver interface with the car needs a little work. Having our office laid out efficiently increases our comfort level in the car, letting us focus on faster stage times."

Cassidy and Getchell are honored and proud to have the best crew in the sport: Bronson Crothers, Duncan Matlack, Drew Gladu, Drew Simpson, Erik Lee, Cullen Derepentigny. Special thanks to Sean Glenn for joining the crew for this event. Cassidy would like to thank his close friend and personal trainer Scott Kahkonen for all the punishment in the gym-it makes it all easier on stage!

Last Ditch Racing would like to thank their 2010 Partners for their continued support:

VP Racing fuels, http://www.vpracingfuels.com
DTECH Motorsport, http://www.dtechmotorsport.com
Kartboy, http://www.kartboy.com
Triple Caution, LLC, http://www.triplecaution.us
Team O'Neil Rally School, http://www.teamoneil.com
Luke Dobie Designs, http://www.lukedobiedesigns.com/
Openpaddock.net, http://www.openpaddock.net

A special thanks to Mike at ACT clutch, Miles at Fine Line Import and Dave a Dtech for their support.

For more information on the New England Forest Rally, please visit: http://newenglandforestrally.com/

For more information on Last Ditch Racing, please visit: http://www.lastditchracing.com
Social Networking: Please search for us on Facebook and Myspace.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lastditchracing
LDR's Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/LastDitchRacing

To Purchase Last Ditch Racing Gear, please visit: http://www.cafepress.com/lastditchracing

Photo Copyright Pete Kuncis/Onalimbracing.com 2010

Sometimes mother nature has other plans for my body than I do. This week it happens to be some twisted combination of a sinus infection and bronchitis/pneumonia and crazy body aches. Lest you think I'm being overly dramatic, I've never taken only one sick day in the nearly 20 years I've been working in medicine. I've taken 4 in a row this week. That means I'm getting my ass seriously kicked. No gym, no training. Crazy. My chocolate lab, Chloe, is loving the increased couch time we're having.

Of course, when you have friends like Dave Mirra, it precludes any whining. When Dave gets sick, he goes big. His recent bout of bacterial meningitis means that I don't have ANYTHING to complain about. Although I still whine when no one can hear me. ;-) Thanks to Dave, I can't really complain until it's something really bad. It's like that scene with Lance Armstrong and Vince Vaughn in the movie Dodgeball. Watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcQ4E1cxLJ4

So, the ritual of rice bag heating, motrin, tylenol, antibiotic and Robitussin DM continues. To say I'm stir crazy is an understatement. Work at the office will be attempted this afternoon.

This weekend will be a work weekend on the rally car. How much work I'll be able to do remains to be seen. They might have to put me outside the shop in a folding chair to supervise(which will also drive me crazy). The list of work for the car remains long as usual, and we want to attend the Team O'Neil Rally in early May ready to go!

I recently attended a workshop at Bowdoin College that was an introduction to the Russian Martial Art of Systema. Lead instructor Max Franz led us through two days of eye-opening concepts and movements. Incredible stuff and something that has opened my eyes to other possibilities. Thanks to Max for instructing and Dameron for arranging the workshop!

For Immediate Release

March 3, 2010

Bangor, Maine USA

Maine's Last Ditch Racing had a mixed weekend at the recent 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri, ultimately claiming third overall of sixteen regional entrants and third in Open Class in Saturday's 100 Acre Wood Regional Rally.

The 100 Acre Wood Rally, round 2 of the Rally America 2010 National Championship, also comprised the Regional Rally Championship. As 2009 Eastern Region Open Class Champions, the team had come down to race again other regional champions in an attempt to take overall honors. The woods of Missouri had other plans for the team, however.

Friday's event was eventful, but not in a positive way. A slight off early on SS2 rattled Cassidy and Co-driver Adam Kneiip, and then halfway through the stage the team's exhaust manifold on their 2003 Subaru STi fractured, causing hot exhaust gases to blow onto components in the engine compartment. "In addition to not having any power due to lack of boost, we started to see smoke and smell burning rubber," said driver John Cassidy. "We were forced to make the decision to retire from Friday's event in order to save the car and ensure we'd be able to compete in Saturday's event."

Friday night saw the crew of fellow competitor Dillon Van Way weld up the team's header. As it was the second such failure in the same manifold in a couple of weeks, the team did not trust that it would hold and looked for an alternative. A local media person and Subaru enthusiast soon heard that the team was searching for a manifold and met the team at their hotel with the replacement. New part in hand, the crew replaced it in the early hours of the Saturday morning and the team were ready for Saturday's stages.

Morning came with the crew feeling fresh and confident in the car. The first stage saw Cassidy and co-driver Adam Kneiip continue to acclimate to each other's styles. At a low water bridge on the second stage, a slip joint in the exhaust system separated, creating worry in the car that they had another serious exhaust system failure. "Even with our noise canceling intercom, it was incredibly loud and I thought we had another hole on our hands. Driving a bit further on, I realized that, despite the noise, we still had full power and all systems were go."

Saturday saw the team chasing fellow Open Class crews of Henry/Cindy Krowlikowski in their ex-Prodrive Subaru and Chris Gilligan/Joe Peterson in their EVO 4. Said Cassidy, "I wish we could have pushed Henry and Chris a bit more, but we did all we could with the car we had. We'll continue to work hard to increase the performance of the car on our next outing!"

The 100 Acre Wood Rally saw Colorado co-driver Adam Kneipp sit with Cassidy for the first time. "It was obvious from the first time that we talked over the phone that Adam is meticulous and goal oriented. Adam slotted into the car and team seamlessly. We had a great weekend overall and perhaps we'll be able to get him back into the car later in the season."

The Last Ditch Racing crew were highly regarded in the service area at the event, and Cassidy/Kneipp want to thank them publicly. Drew Simpson, Zachary Sennett and Drew Gladu swarmed on the car each service and worked into the morning hours making sure that everything was perfect for Cassidy/Kneipp. "This event saw the crew really coalesce. I was amazed by the ownership and assertiveness the lads showed this weekend. Their strong work allowed Adam and I to maintain our focus on the race and developing our relationship within the car. Our helmets' are off to them!," said Cassidy.

Last Ditch Racing would also like to thank the Organizers for a fantastic event, as well as the fans/residents of Salem and Rolla, Missouri and all the towns the event travelled through. "The people of Missouri are some of the friendliest folks we've met in rallying and we felt right at home in Missouri. Maine feels a bit like Missouri, but without the awesome BBQ!"

2010 sees LDR with several new partners. LDR has partnered with VP Racing Fuels in the Northeast to run the new 109e race fuel. "We've run VP in the past, but rule changes meant we had to switch to another brand. Now that VP has come out with a newly formulated fuel, we're able to use our preferred brand. We'll soon be remapping our ECU to take advantage of the new fuel." Kartboy products, maker of short shifters, shift knobs, swaybar links and other performance oriented parts is also stepping up support this season. "We've run Kartboy decals on the car in the past, but now they're bigger! Kartboy makes products in the USA that are second-to-none in quality and performance. We'd only consider Kartboy for our mission critical suspension and driver interface parts."

Luke Dobie, of Luke Dobie Designs worked with California graphic artist Craig Woida to create a graphic design for Cassidy's Peltor helmet for 2010. "Luke has been doing custom paint at the pro level for some time. When he approached me about putting custom paint on my helmet, I jumped at the chance. Between he, Craig and I, we came with a design in short order and Luke made it happen incredibly quickly, even hand delivering the helmet to me here in Maine." Openpaddock.net is an online motorsport news clearinghouse and community. LDR has partnered with Openpaddock for 2010 to help share some insight with fans into what it takes to field a rally team. Cassidy has appeared as a guest on two Openpaddock podcasts to discuss rallying in the US as well as share his thoughts on the WRC as a rally fan and driver.

Last Ditch Racing would like to thank their 2010 Partners for their support:

VP Racing fuels. http://www.vpracingfuels.com
Kartboy, http://www.kartboy.com
Triple Caution, LLC, http://www.triplecaution.us
Team O'Neil Rally School, http://www.teamoneil.com
Luke Dobie Designs, http://www.lukedobiedesigns.com/
32North.com, http://www.32north.com/
Openpaddock.net, http://www.openpaddock.net

To view the Rally-America official highlight video, please visit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8VnxwTu4OY

For more information on Last Ditch Racing, please visit: http://www.lastditchracing.com
Social Networking: Please search for us on Facebook and Myspace.
To follow us on Twitter, please visit: http://www.twitter.com/lastditchracing
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/LastDitchRacing

To Purchase Last Ditch Racing Gear, please visit: http://www.cafepress.com/lastditchracing

Back. Dear God does it feel good to sit on an object that's not hurtling through space(as LDR co-driver Dave Getchell is fond of saying). :-)

First off, we're not in Mexico. :-( The rental agreement was not as we had expected, so we decided to cancel and spend our hard-earned money elsewhere later in the season. We're hoping that Ken Block has a fantastic ride in his first WRC event in the Focus WRC! Wish we could be there in person, Ken! :-)

Missouri is a long way from Maine. About 3,000 miles round trip to be more exact. We do the trip down and back in 2.5 days each way, taking our time. The two days end up being 12 hours each, so it's not really a leisurely drive...

We arrived in Missouri as prepared as we were able to be. Day 1 saw the exhaust manifold break at a weld(no, not my weld!), leaving us with no boost, and a nice hot stream of exhaust gases blowing on everything under the engine. Worried about fire and other collateral damage, I decided to pack it for the day. The crew worked all night, and found another team that graciously welded the headers back up. Worried that the repaired headers might be too thin, the team sourced a stock pair of headers from a local Subaru enthusiast.

Friday had only given new(to the team) co-driver Adam Kneipp and I just two short stages to get acquainted with each other's styles.

Saturday dawned with promise and, although out of the Regional Rally Championship portion of the event, we were ready for the day's 100 Acre Wood Regional Rally.

Second stage saw us pull an exhaust slip joint apart, necessitating Adam yelling to me over the Peltor intercom. Slowed because of worry that something more sinister had happened, we gave up even more time to competitors Henry Krowlikowski and Chris Gilligan.

The giving of time continued through the day, despite us feeling as if we were giving a pretty good effort. Discouraging, but as I like to say, "A bad day at a rally is better than a good day at work." :-)

We ended the day third overall and third in class, with Henry first and Chris second. Not a bad showing and some points taken home, but definitely not the pace I'd hoped for.

But what had I expected? I had expected we'd be closer to Henry, but also knew that a new co-driver in the car would slow me somewhat. No matter how good the chemistry(and it was good), there's a relationship that needs to be built. It only happens with stage miles, and we didn't get a lot.

What's with the title of the blog then, JoMo?! Reflecting on the trip, it was an amazing time spent with friends. Getting to talk to fellow competitors and media folks I haven't seen in awhile. Watching the LDR crew coalesce into an amazing team was probably the most rewarding aspect. Drew, Drew and Zach took ownership of the team and equipment on site and simple made things happen. Maybe this is the first time I've actually given them the ability to do that? ;-)

Regardless, we had great team meals, team sauna time, team problem solving time. The only reason any of us were there was, "because," of the rally. The rally gave us all a framework to have these other experiences, and for that I'm grateful. :-)

The car is too slow, and perhaps I am too. We'll do some more work on the car and see what we can make happen between now and the next event. Until then, I'll keep smiling thinking of the smiles on the kids' faces as they sat in T-4 and the great times I had with my crew/friends and fellow competitors.

Cheers! John

Or should I say roll out?

The LDR crew has been working feverishly over the last several weeks in order to prep the rally car, service truck and support truck for the Regional Rally Championship event in Missouri next weekend.

We're 98% and will get the other 2% done before we leave tomorrow. Erik Lee and I have added a degree of difficulty to the process by entering Rally Mexico as well. Round 2 of the 2010 World Rally Championship, it's the closest WRC event to us North American rally folks.

Erik and I contested the event in 2010 with mixed results. We were consistently in the top 3 of the Peugeot 206 drivers and had a great time. We knew we could do better and vowed to return someday to give it another go. That someday is almost here! :-)

Why am I up at 11:30 the night before we leave?! Shouldn't be, I know. I'm up because I have to catch up on work for the office(yes, I have a day job). I'm wearing my wrist splints as I type for the first time in several months. All the recent wrenching on Subarus, Sprinters and Rovers has my wrists wishing they belong to someone else.

Won't help that I'll spend the majority of the next two weeks gripping a steering wheel-sometimes gently, sometimes not!

Exciting press release to come in the next 24-36 hours regarding some new partnerships for LDR and some new blingage for Senor Spank! All will soon be revealed. :-)

Taking my homemade TRX suspension training device on the road to give it a good workout(and vice versa). Trainer Scott will e-mail me workouts to do over the next couple of weeks. Should help balance the time spent in the car.

Space still available if you want to expose your product/business to the world via Rally Mexico. Contact me directly. Most bang for your buck you'll spend on advertising in 2010!

We'll have trials. We'll have tribulations(honestly, I don't know if I've ever had a tribulation-is that like a tank-slapper? If it is, then yes, I've tribulated!). ;-) We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll talk in our sleep-maybe even sleep walk.

Such is the life of a working class rally team. We'll try and bring you the smells and sounds, a-la Spinal Tap, via our blog and youtube videos! Look for the first video soon!

Cheers! John

So, here we are. I'm imaging you all in my living room, heads bopping to the sweet techno/trance on the stereo. Or perhaps you're shaking your head at me in that, "I'm so sorry, there's nothing we can do to help," manner.

The LDR crew: Drew-S, Drew-G, Sparky, Zach myself and others have been busting our backsides prepping the rally car, trailer, service truck and recce-mobile for the Regional Rally Championship at the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri in just over a weeks' time. And before you even ask, we're still not done. Just wanted to get that small detail out of the way before we continue.

So, to confuse and confound me even more, a friend from Mexico sends me a direct Twitter message about an, "indecent proposal." My day just got a lot better, worse or perhaps more interesting, I think. Rallyists' fantasies often consist of rally cars, so my expectations were meant when he explained there was Peugeot 207 rally car for rent. "Are you interested?" Friggin' rally crack dealer-there goes my 4 year Peugeot sobriety chip....

2006 saw Erik Lee and I compete in a Peugeot Mexico prepped 207. We ran near the back in a gaggle of similar 206's. We had a fantastic time and have wanted to return ever since. I message Erik. "Mexico-you in?" All Erik's brain remembers is signing his name to some fans'(female) breasts. Of course he was in!

What the hell do we do now?! Passports, FIA licenses, NASA licenses, book flights, etc. Not to mention we'll be away from home for two weeks straight. Two cars, two countries, two consecutive weekends. It's become our mantra.

Travelled to Boston the other night, after realizing that my passport expired on President's day. To get an expedited passport renewal, one must travel to the regional passport office. I stood in a line, so that the nice(not really) man could give me a slip to go stand in another line. Beautiful. Janis, the passport agent, was in full, "Fat Tuesday," regalia with some beads around her neck. She was helpful and told me my new passport will arrive Saturday. I leave Monday. Breathe again, JoMo, breathe.

Ride home to Maine(4 hours) is spent texting and celling. I did punctuate the trip with a Grande Cinnamon Dolce from Starbucks-skinny of course. ACCUS office, USAC office, Facebook and Twitter direct messages. Facebook comments. I'm sure the cell phone tumor in my head is going to prevent my Peltor from fitting next week.

One of the messages I got was about a rental for Rally Turkey! These damn rally rental dealers sure have a network-my picture and contact info must be on a shared website someplace that has my picture with the word, "rally addict," photoshopped across the forehead! ;-)

So where are things at today, JoMo(I'm asking myself as an attempt at helping myself organize).

Rally Mexico: Passport-check. NASA license renewed-check. FIA license paperwork completed and faxed to USAC in Indianapolis-check. JPEG of my likeness e-mailed to ACCUS-check.

100 Acre Wood: Service truck paperwork. Send payment for entry/recce. Get Sprinter wheels balanced. Replace battery in rally car. Replace head gaskets in Range Rover.

Easy. Plenty of time. Piece of cake. Easy peasy. Slicker than sh$%. Look out folks-LDR is loading up and ready to take this show on the road! :-)

The pitch.....

For those of you that would like to be a part of this craziness, we are selling a limited number of decal opportunities for Rally Mexico. There's no hidden fee structure-time is too short and I'm not clever enough. $1,000USD buys you a 4×12" decal on the car. $1,750 gets you a pair. Payment through paypal. Send us the image file and we'll make the decals and get them to Mexico. We're social networking nuts and will work hard for all Rally Mexico partners to get them the exposure they deserve.

Check out these stats on Rally Mexico! http://www.rallymexico.com/content.php?page=marketing

My e-mail is on this site. If you want in, get on it now! :-)

Thanks for all the support everyone! :-)

Cheers! John
p<

There's a great prayer out there used by a lot of folks-the Serenity prayer. Could also be renamed the Rallyist's prayer, but I'm doubtful that'd go over well. ;-)

I know you've all gone and Googled it, but for those that don't want to leave this riveting page, it talks about finding peace despite(or in spite of) the things that you can't control. It also talks about wisdom to know the difference between the things you can control and those you can't.

Biggest uncontrollable category? People. Amazing, because I try to control them all the time, especially as a parent. It often leads to comical outcomes if you have a dry and somewhat warped sense of humor like the Mainer I am. :-)

JoMo(my nickname on team LDR-feel free to shout it out if you pass be me on main street, anytown USA! ;-)), what does all this prayer, wisdom and controllable/uncontrollable shizzit have to do with being a sexy rally driver/team principal(always wanted to use that phrase in reference to myself)?!

Everything. Abso-frickin-lutely everything. :-)

Rally is all about controlling every variable we can think of before and during the rally. As you've read in my other posts, this takes a lot of time, skill, money and the wisdom that comes from experience about what's mission critical and what's not.

Each night for the past three weeks, I've sent an updated to-do list out to the team members helping with the prep for 100 Acre Wood. Some days the list gets smaller, and the next it might grow as we turn our attention to an area we hadn't considered just a few days before.

Regardless of the size or content, the list represents things(we think) we can control. Torquing bolts, changing parts, ordering parts, etc.

What can't we control? I already mentioned people. I prefer to think that all of us on the team watch each other and try and shepherd each other. If one of us is having a bad day, someone else recognizes it and puts a plan of support into effect.

We can't control the weather. We can't always control our level of fatigue or mental stress. We can't always control our health. We can't control the local wildlife on event. We can't control whether or not the trailer gets a flat on a desolate country road at 2AM. We can't control our level of external funding. We can't control the perception of our team/personalities-even with all this social networking! ;-)

When we leave the driveway here at Triple Caution Farm in Bangor, Maine for rally destinations far afield, we're usually pretty confident, but we're not cocky. We know we didn't remember every single thing we needed to take. My wife's favorite parting phrase to me is, "Call me later and tell me what you forgot so I can send it along with crew tomorrow!" I love that woman! :-) Incredibly(although not surprising to you ladies reading this), I DO forget something and DO have to call her. Maybe she's just taking stuff out of my bag so I HAVE to call?! ;-)

So we arrive at our rally destination after 1-3 days of travel. We transport whatever we think we'll need to tend to ourselves, T-4, the truck and trailer. Tools, spares, fuel, generator, more spares and tools. You get the idea. And if you've ever seen men pack, you'd stand there and shake your head watching us make decisions about what HAS to go with us.

So how do we deal with the uncertainty? I've already said we control everything we can, but we also know full well that things will transpire that we can't control. Defective balljoint? Water in fuel? Two flat tires with one spare? Lost a gear in the transmission? Wrong tires for the conditions? Tired? Hungry? Sick?

We've been at this awhile(11 years in 2010) and we've carefully screened our crew to create a, "chill," vibe within the team and on event. We try to avoid expending energy and time trying to control things we can't. It's a skill that has to be learned and practiced and some just can't do it. Some just don't recognize that they need to(and should).

A great example of this is long term co-driver Dave Getchell. He came from a Porsche enthusiast background, having a wonderful vintage 911 that he entered into concours events. I can't even watch car owners prep for these things-out come the q-tips, wax, rags etc. Everything has to be perfect, all the time. If it isn't, they have to take another Pepcid.

It was quite humorous to watch Dave's transition from concours nutjob to his much more appropriate laissez faire rally attitude. When he sees dirt on his daily driver, he actually wonders why this isn't more on it! :-) Good mental health, that!

A couple of experiences Dave and I have had illustrate this control issue quite well. A few years ago, at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary, Alberta, we were transiting across a very long valley towards service. Although we were moving along quickly, we never seemed to be getting any closer-such is the scale in the Rockies. Anyway, there was a nasty noise from under the car. It sounded rotational. Having nothing better to do, we started to attend to the noise, letting it create some nasty imagery in our heads about what was falling off the car. By the way, noises like this create more stress later in an event.

Dave suggested that something might be wrong with the transmission and wanted to stop and check it out. I chuckled and he was a bit incredulous. He asked me what was so funny. If the transmission were wonky(rally terminology), as he suggested, I asked he had become a transmission specialist? did he bring his spare in the trunk? Did he have his tranny repairing tools under his seat. He looked over at me, smiled, and said, "You're right-drive it until it breaks." For those dying to know-it wasn't the tranny-it was some underbody protection that was loose and flapping on the gravel.

Another great example was at the Maine Forest Rally 4-5 years ago. We...ahem, I, tore a wheel off the car by trying to take a corner on the Magalloway stage via a shortcut through the woods. When we got to service, the crew found we had broken a rear brake disc and had no spare. The rear struts had ripped the center out of both of the top mounts, letting them float and pogo around at will.

One of crew, Matt Robinson, took some safety wire and affixed a brake pad from the rear caliper sideways so that the brake caliper piston couldn't move. This allowed us to have the remaining three brake calipers function. As far as the struts went? The crew told us not to leave the ground with the car. :-)

Rallying continues to teach everyone on the crew lessons. Not simply automotive lessons, but life lessons. It teaches us to think quickly, laterally, and not to impart a lot of emotional energy to what's going on. As we have become fond of saying within the team, "It is what it is."

With Monday just a couple hours away, and it tending to be one of the most difficult days of the week for most folks, I challenge you to try an experiment.

Identify an instance where you're trying to get/have/obtain/create/buy/barter for control. If you can identify it and then stop, pat yourself on the back and laugh at how absurd our need for control is. If you don't identify the process and you actually get what you want or are thwarted, how do you feel? Powerful or ticked off? What was the cost of your control? Was it worth it?

While I was typing this post, my wife came in and asked me to help move a piece of furniture. I was put off to say the least, as I was all settled into my blog posting chair with some Switchfoot playing over Airtunes from my laptop. Hot chocolate on the side table. A bunch of excuses about why this was not a good time to move furniture started to come out of my mouth. Most, alright all, were ridiculous. So we moved some furniture. :-)

I'll stop rambling and once again thank the LDR crew for all their hard work in the shop today. The excitement is building for the 100 Acre Wood Rally/Missouri. I enjoy watching the crew get excited. I can't really get too excited until the stage start worker says, "3....2....1...."

Cheers! John

I know I'm running the risk of really boring everyone with too many blog posts, but it's therapeutic and helps me organize my thoughts a bit as the prep continues for our trip to 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri the end of next month.

As I mentioned in another post, we're relocating the battery to the rear seat of the rally car. This involves running new wires, removing old wires, extending wires, soldering, crimping, swearing etc. System upgrades seem deceptively easy when you're imagining them over your Life cereal in the morning, but the practical reality is often much, much different!

The engine has been torn down and it looks like our power issue is relate to bad rings. My engine man tells me that we rolled the edges of the rings and this is likely due to water in the engine. Some of you may recall we were excluded from Rallye Defi last year for max lateness after trying to fuel the rally car with 0 octane race water. That episode of bad fuel was the beginning of the end for those rings. We noticed the car getting progressively slower, and at New England Forest Rally we were significantly off the pace(although this made for a great scrap with Wyatt Knox).

So.....new rings coming from JE Piston in California. Turbo rebuild kit arrived today. Parts ordered from Subaru dealership. More electrical work on the rally car tonight, tires to mount this weekend. More work on the Sprinter service truck as well. You get the idea. The to-do list gets smaller, but then I sit down and realize it needs to get longer again.

Why expose this manic(and definitely dirty) side of rallying? For me(and most of you reading this), rally is a part of our day-to-day life. When we're not on event, we're either thinking about the next event or prepping for it. There is NO downtime for those of us who field a team over an entire season. It's a part of rallying that few see. Fans will see the X-Games and perhaps even see the rest of us out on a stage rally someplace in North America. Not many folks know how much time and effort it took to get us there.

Expectations about the season and the goals need to be laid out. "Let's race as often as we can and go like hell," is usually the LDR mantra. This is simple and intuitive, which I like. It's also the reality of the championship structure in North America and our geographical location. We can't contest the entire Rally America Championship. We can't contest the entire Canadian Rally Championship. Open Class Eastern Regional Champions three consecutive years....there's not much more to prove. Let's just go like hell and be faster than as many folks as we can!

So, the Regional Rally Championship is a somewhat odd event. The Rally America Regional Champions are invited to 100 Acre Wood to have a run-off of sorts. An event to see who's the best of the Regional teams at a centralized location in the country. Of course, it's an event that takes place in 2010 to decide the 2009 Regional Rally Championship. Really hard to explain that to anyone, let alone type it. ;-)

We've been twice. Won it in 2008, but lost on a penalty for speeding on a transit. In 2009, we were just plain slow(engine was likely ill at that point), but when the snow started to fall, we were having a ball! So, second place in the RRC two years in a row. Can an Eastern crew take the title for 2009?! Rally is a fickle mistress, but we'll be doing everything we can to show up with car and team that's ready to go like hell!

Stay tuned for more insightful, witty and completely nonsensical posts over the next few weeks as car prep continues. I'll try and add some photos to our flickr account by this weekend.

Cheers! John

No double espresso tonight. Sore and beat. Sore from the TRX suspension training session with my buddy Scott Kahkonen(a great rally driver name if I ever heard one), and tired from a full day in the barn working on T-4(the rally car) with Bronson and Drew.

Feel sorry for Bronson. Bronson is our resident welder and safety monitor. He tries to keep me from doing stupid things in the shop that might blow us up or cause me to loose a digit(or three). When he walks in the door, I usually ambush him-it goes something like this; "Bronson! Glad you're here-I've been thinking...I want to totally re-design the electrical system in the car and I need you to fabricate a few mission critical components." This is all before Bronson is fully awake.

He takes it in incredible stride. Usually, he fires back some scientific(and accurate) reason why I can't do what I want to, all while I stare back vacantly at him like I did my teacher in pre-calculus class. He finally sees the futility in trying educate a simpleton driver like me and sets about the cluttered shop, muttering about how friggin' messy it is, but an hour or two later has fabricated some jewel of a component.

So the tale of Bronson is one that I share because it illustrates the fact that Last Ditch Racing isn't just about me. It's about the team and the talent that get the car, co-driver and I to the start of each event. Volunteering their time in the barn weekend after weekend, they put up with my constantly revised to-do lists.

There's a much deeper, and perhaps, appeal to our time in the barn. We're creating something. The team that emerges at an event is akin to a butterfly that was once one of those Wooly Bear caterpillars that somehow made it across the road in the fall to a place to hibernate for the winter. You've seen them-those huge-furry caterpillars with the center black stripe-plodding across the road on warmish falls days. If you're like me, you're amazed that you noticed it while driving along at 45mph, but then you mutter to yourself, "Look at the size of him-I hope the big fella makes it across the road in one piece."

We're the Wooly Bear. We did, in fact, make it across the road. We found a nice barn to live in over the winter. Sometimes-like today-the barn gets pretty busy with lots of guys cracking jokes and complaining about how messy it is. They're always smiling and having a good time.

When they shut the compressor, lights and heat off and head out the door, they're always heard saying, "What time are you going to be out here tomorrow?"

The fatigue might be making me a bit emotional, but I love my team-love that they want and enjoy the adventure that is rally as much as I do.

We're getting better. Eleven years and we're still getting better. Wiser, fitter and quicker....

Time for some rest before another long, utterly enjoyable day in the barn with my friends. :-)

Cheers! John

Just finished a double shot mocha I made here while I'm watching the snow fall. Storm waning locally that extends over a three day period-hard to remember the last time that happened! Regardless, it's a great way to start the New Year-with a little adversity.

Speaking of adversity. I just finished one of my many e-mails to our team mailing list. A likely somewhat groggy team is faced with the following to-do list(s) as we prep for the 100 Acre Wood Rally. I don't normally share this info outside the team, but there are no state secrets here, just lots of work, and I think it's cool for folks to get a peek into our world to see what it takes to field a team for ONE event!

To-Do Lists

Sprinter
Winter tires-I'm in the process of trying to get some pricing. Crazy expensive to get 15" tires in the load range we need them in©. Got stuck int he driveway the other day, so they're a necessity.

Plug in jumper cable system. Ordered parts today and will buy 2-0 cable locally to put it together(see T-4 list)

Trouble shoot brakes/trailer wiring

Finish aluminum shelving in rear

Clean/organize/label boxes/bins/pack

Consider power inverter install for AC devices.

T-4

Remove non-relevant decals

Relocate battery and electrical disconnect system to rear seat area. Associated is lots of other auxiliary wiring as a result.

Install hardwired plug with leads to battery for jump starting. Current battery terminals are too small to fit regular cables. A plug/cable system would solve this problem

RS+SP are getting rebuilt

Install solid front strut top-mounts

Change brake fluid/bleed brakes

Select and mount tires

Alignment

Check driving light functions-photo from NEFR showed one light out

BDA-clean and paint undercarriage

Rebuild turbo or source new

Troubleshoot turbo drain leak(hose cracked? pressurized crankcase?) Leakdown test. Engine currently out and on stand

Change fuel filter

Oil filter and oil change.

Weld 1/4" bolts to bottom of fans so that they can be removed quickly

Miscellaneous

Order barrel of race fuel

BDA on trailer-make sure all hubs are tight and spinning freely.

Check trailer brakes

Truck inspection. Make sure all registrations and inspections(Truck, trailer, car) are current

Confirm generator function and consider oil change

Range Rover

Head gaskets.

Man, I'm tired just reading it. The list seems deceptively small(to me at least), but one item, like the shelving in the Sprinter(which involves procuring, cutting and welding aluminum angle) or the electrical work in the rally car, could take multiple days.

Other items can be purchased and the value of time versus cost always see-saws prior to event. As the event draws near, time is more precious than cash(usually).

In addition to all the work we need to do here, there's the 6 days on the road to be mapped, with hotel reservations needed in each city.

None of this makes me cranky-far from it! It's all part of my psychological run-up to an event. Checking things off a to-do list is always therapeutic, but the time spent with the rally car and service truck only boosts our confidence as the event looms.

Finding loose bits, replacing zip ties, putting fresh fluids in the rigs is similar to the scene in Rambo(the first), where he's putting 80 pounds of weapons and ammo on his belt, chest etc. Our montage is a bit slower and we're not nearly that buff. ;-)

Our additional challenge here in Maine is the weather. We have heat in the shop, but it struggles to stay at 50 degrees. Add to that a post-Holidays mental slump mixed with some seasonal affective disorder and we have a lot to overcome. The list helps, as does the incredible LDR volunteer crew. We're a motley crew of talented guys that simply likes to do it cheaper and better than the next guy-it's the Maine way.

I always get asked about our sponsors. For the record, our sponsors are US! :-) We have no external financial support(not that we wouldn't welcome a few mutually beneficial partnerships). There are always rumors that teams like ours have 6 figure budgets. Hang on.....ok, I'm done laughing! ;-)

Seriously, we have a term for the financial impact of our racing-"deficit spending." There is no substantial purse money and it's very hard to find and cultivate partnerships with dynamic businesses who can leverage what we do for their benefit. That's the nature of what we do, and it doesn't keep us awake at night(much). Our goal is simply to field the most consistent and professional team that we can with the resources we have. Sounds familiar to all our rally friends, I'm sure.

So wish us luck over the next several weeks. Lots of craziness and late nights in the shop working on a myriad of projects in order to take the fight to Missouri and put in the best performance of our rally career!

And that adversity I referred to at the outset of this espresso fueled rant? Without it, we have no measure of our potential, no means to set goals and no incentive to strive or overcome. Let's all find some adversity this year and kick it's ass! :-)

Happy New Years everyone! John