Dirt in your teeth. Yup, rallycross season must be back! On February 28th, the NRSCCA kicked off it's 2016 Rallycross season with a full lineup of eager drivers, new and old, to give it a go in the dirt. Held at the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, the course design was great for equalizing the wide range of cars and experience levels and the conditions were great! Strong winds swept through pretty much the whole day that, while not ideal for the workers and spectators outside, quickly cleared the course of dust as each car passed through.
The event went well and I think we've got a whole new band of eager new talent planning to make Rallycross part of their balanced breakfast from here on out. While veterans laid down consistent times in close competition, the newer drivers showed great improvement lap after lap. There was lots of great feedback and praise for how the event flowed easily. Kudos to the great help from workers all around!
On my side of things, I couldn't be happier with this season opener for the Rallycross program! I am acting as the NRSCCA Rallycross Chairman this year, so I was a bit nervous to see how things would pan out for this first event. There was lots of help and behind the scenes work that made things run smoothly and I learned a lot! Speaking of learning, my codrivers continue to show that I have room to improve as a driver. This time my co-driver was a fellow Subaru owner and seasoned Rallycross driver who's car was out of commission for this event. He piloted my 2.5 RS Coupe and bested a LOT of quicker cars with his expert driving and skillful attacks at each turn. The car really delivered, too! New rallycross tires that were added at the tail end of last season did great and made it through the day with no issues. The newly reworked rear suspension also seemed to do well, adding a good amount of rotation through the twists and turns of the course. I did alright, but I'm always looking to improve and get more consistent. By the end of the day, my times were finally up-to-par with my codriver, but it took me all day to get it there! Hopefully I can apply what I learned today to get more competetive from the start of the day for the next event.
Great photos from GotCone.com put the icing on the cake for enjoying this event through and through. Looking back at all the great cars and fun driving through the dirt made it a memorable season opener. Really happy with how everything turned out overall and I'm looking forward to more fun in the dirt this year!
Great post.
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