2018 Show-Me Rally

Show-Me Rally 2018 complete! We don't think there is any other way to describe the events that took place other than INSANE. Read on...

We caught a car on stage 2 and ate rocks for a good 3/4 of a mile. Om nom nom. So much for those new fog lights and new windshield! 😂 Oh well!

On stage 5, there were numerous spectators standing in the road near an off car as we tried to get by. These spectators we're definitely enjoying themselves as they were flashing several of the competitors. We got flashed by a woman who could only have had boobs bigger than Rachel's head with the way that she was talking! These spectators were the topic of conversation for the rest of the stage and at service.

On stage 7, a severe thunderstorm/microburst/tornado hit while we still had about 2 miles of the stage to go. Giant limbs were falling and the rain was like a solid wall of grey which gave next to no visibility with the wipers on full blast. We didn't even know that we had completed the stage until we came up to finish control... Hot and saw the brake lights. 😕

Transit to 8 involved large branches in the road, more rain, flash flooding over the roads, and, combined with 2 sweaty humans, a windshield defroster that could not make headway quick enough. The first order of business at the stage was to find a long stick. Rachel wrapped her shirt on it and we practiced wiping the inside of the windshield... Just in case.

We left our car idling for over an hour as the road was inspected for safety after the storm subsided in order to keep the windshield somewhat clear. Eventually the decision was made to transit the stage. Great right!? Wrong... As soon as we pulled up to time control to listen for instructions, the car died OUT OF NOWHERE. It cranked and cranked but no go (still investigating 🤔). The man, the myth, the legend: James Haas appears out of nowhere and begins working on our car and coordinating a tow. To our amazement, the awesome guys from Tower City Race Team of Adam VanDamme and Andrew Herron (in the most under-powered FWD car for the job by the way) offered us not only a tow through the stage, but all of the way back to the finish line, which was 30+ miles!!!! Not just your average flat tow across stage... It was a flat tow with no lights and a rapidly fading battery that had JUST enough juice to get the wipers to crawl across the windshield about every 3 minutes to get the mud and water splash off so we could see when to brake. At one point, we got stuck on a steep hill and we got a tow train going! Adam Hardin and Andrew Ecker saved the day by helping the Rabbit. Jon Fugina and his crew provided support and lighting the whole way back! You guys are our heros!!!!

When we got back to service, the EcoTECH Import Auto Service gang were waiting for us to push the car on the trailer. Dylan Stevens and Jeff Hueser were kind enough to pack up our stuff and throw it into the truck for us since we didn't arrive back until an hour and a half after we should have.

To top things off, once the we were loaded up, we got word that we had podiumed! 1st in class regionally, 2nd in class nationally, 2nd overall regionally, and 5th overall nationally!!! 😮😮😮 It was a close race all day with the Poor Boy Racing team of Kevin Young and James Dallman... Just how we like it.

Thank you everyone that helped us throughout the day! We couldn't have done it without everyone's help! Thank you to all of the Rally America workers and volunteers. And thank you to our sponsors for continual support:

EcoTech Rally Solutions J-Spec Auto Sports Inc. Mishimoto Automotive

Now to diagnose, fix, and reprep for a quick turnaround to get to Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) in under 2 weeks!