1999 ASCC Sno*Fall Rally

"At least there's more snow than last year!"

That was the general consensus of participants at the final rally of 1999 (the first of the 2000 Winter Rally Series), who remembered that the 1998 version of Sno*Fall was rather muddy with no snow to be seen. Warm temperatures -- and Wisconsin deer hunting season -- forced a postponement of the rally by one week, as rallymaster Tim Winker hoped for roads to smooth out from freezing instead of the quagmire caused by warmer temps and loads of traffic, for some snow to cover the roads, and for the hunters to return to other pursuits.

The Forehand/Starr Audi, waiting out time before Control 1. The other competitors can be seen in the backgroundThe postponement caused the loss of a competitor or two, so only three teams lined up for the start at The Village Pump in Solon Springs, Wisconsin. The odometer check and first leg took them to the sandy, rolling hills west of Gordon for some smooth, but winding surfaces and even some ice in protected areas. Then it was north to some rougher roads, starting with Holmes Camp Road (sight of the Great Windshield Bash of '98) and Jackson Box Trail. Jackson Box, in particular, was rather rough, and a CAST 36 was sufficient to keep competitors hard on either the gas or brake pedals. Lucas Road was a bit better, but still a challenge. Then it was south on Gregerson Road, another trail where a driver is seldom traveling in a straight line. That brought the teams in to Solon Springs again for a break.


Houser and Bialas attempt repairs to the exhaust on the MerkurThe team of Dave Houser and James Bialas needed the break to repair the exhaust on their Merkur XR4Ti. Rallymaster Winker had expressed some concern about the use of 60-series tires - even though they were snow tires - due to the roughness of some roads, but the crew said the failure came about on an off-course (though not off road) excursion.

The second half of the route returned to Gregerson Road in the opposite direction, and to such favorite Western Wisconsin trails as Breitzman Lake Road, Summit Tower Fire Lane and Empire Wilderness Trail. Appropriately enough, a light snow fall caused Breitzman Lake and other roads to become a bit slippery, particularly on shaded corners where ice became hidden under the powder. Ruts on Empire - a leftover from hunting season - caused a bit of concern, but all teams made it through without incident.

The Sno*Fall route was intended to give competitiors a chance to look at a potential ClubRally course, or at least to practice on some roads quite like those used on ProRallies, and with ProRally style instructions. Unfortunately no ProRally / ClubRally teams took the opportunity, so the plan for a ClubRally in that area has been dropped.

Since only three teams chose to participate, organizers may use the same course for another Winter Rally in February.

 

Sno*Fall Winter Rally
Dec. 11, 1999
Official Results

Car#  Driver/Navigator           Car        1    2   d3    4   d5    6   d7    8   d9   10 Total
  1   Scott Forehand/Gary Starr  Audi       4    5    0    0    0    0    3    4    0    0    16
  3   Randy Jokela/Jon Anderson  Toyota PU  0    0    3    0    0    0    5  3+5    0    3    19
  2   Dave Houser/James Bialas   Merkur     3    0    5   60    0   25    7   55   60   32   244
[* d = DIYC]

Workers:
Rallymaster - Tim Winker
RM Asst. - Diane Sargent
Controls - Mark Strohm
Lead & Sweep - Bob Carter, Don Schafer
6 Open controls, 4 DIYC
140 miles total distance.

Return to ASCC Winter Rally Series 2000