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Last Ditch Racing: January 2010 Archives

01.31.2010

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


posted in by Last Ditch Racing

01.12.2010

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

01.09.2010

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


2010-Bring It!

posted in JoMo's Musings by Last Ditch Racing

01.01.2010

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

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