In the beautiful Northern Michigan Autumn, the Lake Superior Performance Rally ruled the second weekend of October. Unfortunately, the Flying Moose Rally Team had little time to take in the amazing scenery as the team was chasing mechanical woes all weekend.
Recce gave a taste of what was to come: a fast rally and loads of fun. The roads were perfectly tacky and the flow felt good. By Thursday evening, the team was eager to get started.
The first of the problems struck early on Friday morning. The right front strut failed on the first pass of the practice stage. With the strut swiftly replaced, Ian and Jimmy took to the practice stage again, only to be plagued by a sticking throttle. Eventually the problem was located: a broken engine mount. Fortunately the team was able to find a welder to repair the mount and get it back in the car to start Day 1 on time. They wouldn’t make it far, ending the day early when the left front strut failed on SS1.
The team was able to replace the second broken strut overnight to begin Day 2. With spare front struts stiffer than ideal, the new goal was to learn the handling of the car and only push it if it felt comfortable. From the first stage, the team took the lead and dominated the rest of the day, winning every stage except the last one. Just a few short miles from the finish line, they broke the recently replaced left front strut. They were able to limp to the end of the stage, but they still had to drive the car to the final Main Time Control (MTC) to finish the rally and clinch the win. With their “Press on Regardless” attitude they drove on, dragging the left front wheel all the way back to Houghton, setting the scene for a dramatic finish. This perseverance earned them a hard fought victory to finish an amazing season and earning them the Central Region G2 Championship.
“The crew did an amazing job all weekend and this win would not have come without them,” says Ian Topping, driver for FMRT. “This is my favorite rally and I was really looking forward to getting up here and having a smooth, fun rally. Well, it certainly didn’t go according to plan but we made the best of it and we definitely had fun. And after all of the challenges, it feels great to come away with a win.”
The Flying Moose Rally Team is proudly sponsored by Thompson Racing Fabrication and eEuroParts.com.
You can follow FMRT on the following social media outlets:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flyingmooserallyteam
Twitter: @FlyingMooseRT