I’ve been interested in learning more about RallyCross, a form of single stage loose-surface rally racing with a course delineated mostly by traffic cones.  It’s very accessible, and a great practice arena for stage rallies.  The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has a good description here:  https://www.scca.com/pages/what-is-rallycross.

I drove to Hollytree, Alabama, not far from Huntsville, for the SCCA Tennessee Valley Region’s RallyCross #3 last weekend.  It was a lovely day and a beautiful venue, but they were a bit short handed, so I volunteered to help out with the timing.  In return I got to spend a lot of time with chatty Leon on in the timing tent — he’s one of the directors of the Tennessee Valley Region, has been involved with rally, AutoCross, and RallyCross for many years, and was very happy to fill me in on anything I wanted to know!  Much to my surprise he had brought his sister’s 1990 Toyota Celica to race that day.  I think that proves that you can race almost anything… but most people had slightly more interesting cars.

There was quite a broad range of experience in the group.  Deb was there for her first RallyCross…

But the guys in the Subarus were clearly very experienced.

This was my view from the timing tent.  The wind was blowing in just the right direction so that we got covered in grit after each run… great.

While watching the runs, I talked to everyone, got their opinions about their cars, and learned how the events were organized.  It all seemed very accessible, and they were very welcoming to newcomers.  So much so, in fact, that they started taking me for rides to show me different things.  The more I asked questions, the more ride offers I got!  They really were a friendly lot.  I tried to take more pictures, but it really just isn’t possible to get a clear picture from the passenger seat of a RallyCross car on the move…

One of the most exciting rides of the day was with Steve, who took me out in his Dodge pickup truck with mud tires.  He was an experienced rally and AutoCross driver, who had transitioned to RallyCross because he said it was more fun and relaxed, but he certainly wasn’t holding back.  Having a higher center of gravity in a pickup adds a whole new dimension to turns, and I would swear that we were on two wheels a couple of times!  In general, except when it provides an opportunity to learn, I prefer driving to being a passenger though.

Counting it as quite a successful day, I thanked everyone and returned to my camp near Huntsville to scrape off a layer of dust and grit.  I decided to go for a walk in the early evening, and discovered… the North Alabama Japanese Garden!  Well, that was unexpected…

The garden was only established last year, so is not very mature at this time, but was still a lovely peaceful place to wander.

I spent some time sitting at the tea house, just staring into space and listening to the birds in the trees.

That night at my campsite was a bit less peaceful, as major thunderstorms moved into the area.  I read that 15,000 people were without power due to the storms, and there were branches and trees down everywhere.  Even my campground was without power, and there was a large branch blocking the road until it was cleared.

So what were my thoughts after my day at the RallyCross…?  I need to do this!  But I need a garage so I can get a car… you know… eventually.  When I’m done travelling!