Intercity Lines

I was told by the organizers that the Rally was legit, above board and SAFE....

The Organizers have been asked to remove the Intercity Lines, Inc. logo from the RHR website, we'll see if they will honor my request.

Dave wilson

Circuit Motorsports

Well I'm glad I recommended Intercity to my neighbor down the road for a car move last week.

analogmike

I understand pulling sponsorship from the event, hopefully that will help the organizers to understand even MORE about the importance of safety. But it's too bad that had to happen.

The course in Tuxedo was terrible, a last minute change brought about by the town, which nobody in the RHR, including the organizers, wanted.

We all complained about it and many people went home. At the driver's meeting on the first day, after the incident, I tried to get the drivers to agree to end this event but did not have much support. After lunch, we had a meeting and the day was called off due to the unsafe course and we were told there would be a change for Saturday.

The start/end was made extremely safe (safer than many autocrosses) and there were no crashes at all. But I still feel the road was unsuitable, several people went home and several more took only one run. I took a slow first run to find out where it was dangerous, and a 2nd run where I was extremely careful in those areas.

Yesterday we got a note from the organizers that they are finally taking safety seriously:

1) NO SPECTATORS at all. Even my crew cannot get close to the course.

2) More Jersey barriers, hay bales, cones, etc will be used around the course and hot areas.

3) high speed sections will have created areas where you will be required to slow down (chicane type obstacles)

Actually, I am REALLY enjoying the event as it's a true challenge, and the other competitors are the best bunch of wacky misfits I have ever met.

You can continue to call us idiots and talk about how we are ruining rallying in the USA. I won't reply to trolls. But I will continue to try to make this event safer, as dropping out of it will not help anything, and I trust myself enough to know that the event is only as dangerous to myself as I make it. People have and will die autocrossing too.

Looking forward to a fast and safe event in PA in early September.

Here is the start/finish on Saturday:

MJR911

Mike, any idea where you'll be in PA in Sept?

gums

Mike and Tom, I tried to track you guys down on Friday to say hi but was obviously not successful. Tom's location was pretty obvious, but I didn't see your cars, Mike. Sorry about that.....

Veloce Raptor

That's funny. Thanks for the laugh!









Professional Racing and Driving Coach

Sean F

stay safe Mike

BostonDMD

Mike, good to hear you are OK.....

What is the scoop from Reid Speed, the other RL participant?

d15b7

hey guys.

the course at Tuxedo was very rough; by that, i mean the road was ROUGH; extremely bouncy and bumpy with a million patches. as mike said, the course was changed the day before we were due to race, and it was not the choice of the RHR to do so; it was the township's choice.

i brought the wrong car; i brought my 'fast' car, a honda civic with a lot of whp, and a very stiff suspension, and limited ground clearance (in my world, that is my version of mike's Cup car). i so so so wish i'd had the Probe! anyway, i made both runs, and went as hard as i could on the 2nd run, without flying off the track. the honda would have been perfect to use on the road were were supposed to race on....

as mike said, the group of drivers that comprise this event are all very nice; very personable, and really fun to hang out with and compete against. and for me? the excitement and challenge of driving as fast as i can on a public road; me against the clock, trying to drive the perfect lap? well, i can tell you that it is a different kind of thrill, compared to roadracing on a track; something completely different (i'm betting that mike feels it too). i'll stick with the rally til the end, one way or the other....

oh, and the PA leg is going to happen in early Sept; we don't know just where, yet.

todd
ReidSpeed

Steve113

I agree with Mike,Tom and Todd 100% and consider them more then fellow competitors , they are friends and I value there advice and opinions . What I cant understand is why if you are not one of the guys or gal participating why do you care whether its too dangerous or not? No one is holding a gun to our heads and we are big boys that can make up our own mind.

For me so far its been a great experience that I do not regret by any means. I have been racing cars for 20 years and been if I may say been very successful at it . I can say with out hesitation that this is the greatest challenge I have ever faced to date. Its insane but at the same time I want more.

gums

Because, Stevie Boy, the negative impact that someone getting killed, let alone a spectator, would have would affect all of us who love this sport as you do. At a time when we finally have nice new circuits properly designed to play on, who needs this kind of negligence?

Steve113

Frankie boy the whole idea is that we all all know how dangerous this is and how inherently dangerous it is to race on anything else but a proper race track (although many are very dangerous). This is the key - it should not be compared to any racing you or I have done . This is the extreme and unfortunately with all extreme niche sports people get hurt. ( Should we stop base jumping because it is way more dangerous the the standard form of skydiving or free climbing vs regular climbing)

Trust me I have anything but a death wish but at the same time I am trained to rely on what I have been practicing and developing for a long time. All of our skills come into play in this event more then anything else I have ever done. I know you may not agree and it may be correct for you and others but for me the event is about myself and my love of competing in a car at what I consider to be my biggest challenge to date.

gums

You know that I have a lot of respect for you as a sportsman and a racer, as I've told you many times before. I told you in private to get out of this event, but you went on with it. But, it's not you that I'm talking about, it's the spectators that were standing within mere feet of that careening Corvette, not to mention the wheel that flew over everyone's head, and the timers and scorers who looked up to see the underside of that car as it wiped their eqiupment out, and Marco who dove out of the way as his car was totalled, and the cop who made a miraculous save.....
Anyway, I hear that now there will be no spectators anyway, so you guys can go at it all you like.
I'm starting (starting?) to sound like a whiner anyway....

Sean F

speaking just for me, I'd rather not see any of our friends (or anyone for that matter) die from nothing more than negligence on the part of the organizers and more and more it's looking like a real possibility

gums

I don't even like seeing their cars get banged up!