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Re: rallye on a budget?

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Hey Luke,
<P>You wrote asking about rallyes within the reach of the more cash strapped
among us...
<P>I am a list newbie (currently spider hunting) so forgive me if I repeat
things you already know.
<P>My wife and I compete in every "fun run" type rallye we can find, even
going so far as to run with the Mustangs in their "poker runs." So far
we have not won a rallye because I always finish much too early. Sigh...
<P>In some of the rallyes my lovely bride of 34 years is still talking
to me at the finish line...
<P>I didn't see the "Cams" article you mentioned but I think my good friend
John Smallwood had the only Alfa in the Horn of Africa Rallye, so the article
was likely by or about John, the same fella who has been instrumental in
organizing the Roadrunner 1000/Luigi Vercotti Rallye to be held September
17, 18, &amp; 19 in Santa Fe, NM.
<P>This event is billed as "the event with '1000' in the name that does
not cost in multiples of a thousand bucks!" In fact, if I remember right,
$75, USD, covers the whole event weekend including a draft beer and appetizers
get together, the Luigi Vercotti Road Rallye (winner gets an "expenses
paid" trip for 2 to Las Vegas, NV), the concours entry (5 class winners
go to Durango, CO for a weekend), the awards banquet, and, of course,&nbsp;
a T-shirt!&nbsp; Plenty of good food, memorabilia, adult beverages, door
prizes, and good talk available at the appropriate times throughout the
weekend.
<P>The "concours" is an all marques show for pre 1975 cars.
<P>The road rallye to Taos (and back?) is the "premier" event held on Saturday
and includes a box lunch. The expectation is that due to very special arrangements,
the only "bears" we will see on the run will be furry and looking to raid
a garbage can.
<P>The last I heard, the plan was to make the Rallye a combination T &amp;
D and "sight rallye," which will judge results based both on time and distance
accuracy and on your ability to answer questions about the route.
<P>John, himself, is currently in KC, bench racing and hunting a decent
bobbycue house, but if you are interested in the RR/LV you should act pretty
quickly as all the low rate rooms will soon sell out. Drop me a line if
you'd like more info or if I can help you.
<P>Don't let the fact that the weekend is being sponsored by Jaguar hold
you back! You know that an event named in honor of our best 'snake hunter
and that creative businessman, Luigi Vercotti, has gotta be good! Besides,
if any Jags do show, they will likely have to stop halfway through the
rallye for a tuneup.
<P>--Colin Cobb, Las Cruces, NM, USA
<P>PS- If you hear of a nice late 80's spider (Quad preferred) for sale,
please give me shout.
<BR>&nbsp;
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<PRE>Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 09:45:13 -0700
From: "Luke Kowalski"&nbsp;<lkowalski@domain.elided>
Subject: rally on a budget?

Howdy,

For some reason, I am very fond of rallyes. When I finally snap and get
tired of the Silicon Valley grind, I want to take off and do one in a major
way, at a major expense (my ship has not come, kinda got lost at seas, but I
still have hope). I loved the article in the Cams about the guy in Africa,
driving his Giulia sedan, speeding by antelopes, hippos, and other
wildlife...(that is why people have those steel guards on SUVs in
California, no? Just in case a herd of zebras shows up on Hwy. 101 when they
are about to exit...)

In the meantime, is there anything like a weekend rally? I have never seen
clubs organize such events, nor have I seen them organized on a smaller
scale by others, you know,&nbsp; without airlifting the cars between continents
and going through deserts with 10 person support crew and aerobic trainers.
There is probably a reason, with US being so lawyer crazy, and the logistic
being more complicated than autocrosses at the local colleges. The other
events are fun, but my wife volunteered for navigator duty, and the treasure
hunt aspect of the timed rally runs really appeals to me.

I am not sure that I own a rally car, either. I might have to get that
Berlina that was advertised here a few digests back.
So...has anybody done a short rally on a limited budget? I can wait until I
am in the position to play with the big boys, but something in the interim
would make a fun vacation.

thx
luke, San Mateo, CA

74 Spider (no dust barrier here), 82 GTV6 (set up for the track, not
rallyes), 95 164 LS (too comfy for a rally?)</PRE>
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