Who could forget the 2015 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood? We sure didn’t. Unpredictable road conditions changing from gravel, snow, and ice in a matter of feet, made every corner an unknown. Then, there was a blizzard on Saturday. Yes, a blizzard, in Missouri, at the end of February. And, oh by the way, there were no snow banks to use to keep the car on the road or act as a safety barrier from sliding off the ice and into the forest. With these conditions, the 2013 version of this event, the last time it snowed here, seemed like a walk in the park.
All of this meant the team could not push as hard as they wanted. They really had to focus on getting to the finish and getting good results. 100AW has always been a fun event with wide open roads where you could push the car without much fear of being caught out by a tree at the road’s edge or a random culvert in a ditch. No, 100AW is meant to be fast and fun. Well, this year all that was out the window. This time, they had to focus, not miss a note of ice in the middle of a corner, and be prepared for un-noted ice. But even with all of those challenges, it was a successful weekend for the Flying Moose Rally Team, finishing 1st on Friday in Trespassers Wil and 2nd on Saturday in 100 Acre Wood.
Ian Topping: “What a crazy event. On Friday, you had no clue what the road was going to be like around the corner. On entry it could look like gravel but then the apex or exit could be a sheet of ice, and by then it was too late to correct. It literally could have been an ice rink or dry gravel around the corner, it was a toss-up. If you decided to push on the wrong corner, you would have been done and into the woods.
Then, no one in their wildest dreams predicted a blizzard on Saturday. In the morning when we were unloading the car, we thought it was going to snow for a few hours with maybe three to four inches of snow. Well, we were definitely wrong on that. Thankfully, we kept the car in a Sno*Drift setup for the event and brought our winter tires. I have to be honest though, I’m happy that event is in the past. The team did an outstanding job braving the unexpected cold and snow and kept the car running top-notch. And, Jimmy did an amazing job with the notes. Without them it would not have been possible to finish as well as we did.”
Next, the team takes on the challenging roads at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Every event has its particular challenges that make it stand out from the others. That’s definitely true for STPR. With roads defined by their high crown, steep camber, and close trees there’s a high potential for disaster, but that’s STPR. Then there’s the weather. If it rains, the clay based roads will be slick, which would make things more interesting. What’s the team looking forward to most? Gravel!
Ian Topping: “The last time we competed at STPR we had a lot of mechanical issues, so we’re definitely looking for some redemption. We have to be careful though. The roads may look nice and flowing, but get on the wrong side of the crown or run wide on exit at the wrong corner and it could be disastrous. The whole team definitely needs to be on their game this weekend. I’m certainly looking forward to the challenge!”
The Flying Moose Rally Team is proudly supported by Thompson Racing Fabrication.
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