The Gravel Rally Thread

[FLN75S]

Some footage from the speccie point at the Oberon Rally.

[PHaT MR30]

Ok so ill start this thread off with some pics from a rally I did 2 weeks ago

Bitter sweet as at the end of this stage we had a 26 second lead and won first heat... then rolled 2 stages later

[FLN75S]

That sucks, everyone ok?

Some more photos

[zebra]

Nice pics

how do the front drivers normally go in these events?

[zebra]

I ask because we bought this Cordial just for the wakie 6 hour..then the idea of rally came up....but dont want to be throwing money at something not worth while.

[bigkevracer]

If you're keen should head over to SA for an event. Our state championship is pacenoted!

Head over to www.sarally.com.au for more info, or PM me.

[FLN75S]

Well if they are set up well, then they do put in some good finishes, there is a civic in our series that runs in the top 10 pretty consistently but it has some nice bits in it.

[PHaT MR30]

Couple of front drivers that come to mind

Sunny Gti (non turbo FWD) has been past state champ and regular 2wd champ (has a big HP SR20DE)

Mirage Cyborg (the one and only Kel nav's in this one!)

This was the first gravel car I navved in

Surprisingly quick for 1.3 litres!

But with all the front drivers they just have to have an LSD and a close box to be remotely exciting (as the three I listed above all have).

Edited May 16, 2011 by PHaT MR30

[zebra]

Fair enough.

The other option is of course ditch the Cordial and get a shitbox R31 and slap an RB20 in the thing.

I do like the idea of epic sidewaysness lol

[zebra]

But with all the front drivers they just have to have an LSD and a close box to be remotely exciting (as the three I listed above all have).

LSD is the tricky part, ours has the 4 speed with a high/low range thingymebob.

No LSDs avaliable for the thing, and I doubt a front driver would like a welded centre lol

[warps]

FWD's regularly punch above their weight on the loose stuff.

Stock standard Excels hose much "faster" cars regularly. In my Civic, I usually take out my class (U16), as well as top 3 in the U2L and O2L in the 2WD categories, as well as a few of the AWD's in the dirt sprints I attend. Might be a different story in the forests, but I know that with a good steerer, my car is capable of top ten finishes at state level.

Well set up and driven FWD rally cars will almost always be quicker than their RWD cousins. Heck, I've seen some unlikely FWD's hose faster RWD cars (including a bock stock TR Magna auto)

You don't need a LSD and CR box, but it always helps. The general consensus is that a welded diff in a FWD is a very bad idea.

[zebra]

Well setup means $$$

I dont like spending $$$ lol espesially on a car that MAY have no potential what so ever

The thing im worried about is the lack of parts for a a Cordial...I mean when was the last time you saw a cordia compete in....well....anything?

It is something I will have to discuss at length.

[Marlin]

Dual range box....... are you sure you don't have a Colt, not a Cordial?

[FLN75S]

Dual range box....... are you sure you don't have a Colt, not a Cordial?

lol

Pic of an R31 that runs in amsag occasionally,

[zebra]

Dual range box....... are you sure you don't have a Colt, not a Cordial?

Yeah its def a cordia, its an early 1.6L one...so smae engine as the old colt afaik

[hrd-hr30]

Under PRC Regulations they aren't eligible, due to capacity...

Are you sure? I haven't looked at the PRC rules in a while, but back when I was rallying i don't think there was anything in the rules to stop a GTR from being eligible.

Edited May 16, 2011 by hrd-hr30

[Kel]

Did someone say Gravel?!

There is an R30 and a 1978 Datsun Skyline running around with us in the Tas Rally Series.

(Aaron & I in action in the mighty Mitsubish at the last round)

[MBS206]

Kel, I never knew you did Gravel too!

Zeb... I'm more worried about the driver then the car to be honest... ROFL

I'll speak to brad this week and question him on how much to cage it, VS doing an R31/R32...

[MBS206]

I normally get Khumo's from John Mills here in Sydney

not sure who to talk to in Canberra though

What Kumho's do you run?

I know a couple of people who can get tyres cheap...

[iplen]

Zebra, get in touch with Danny Murphy from DMA motorsport in Melbourne, tell him Ian Plendo sent you... He ran a turbo Cordia for a while, with very little success... The prob was with it being turbo and torque steering, he may have some good ideas as to setup. FWD is HEAPS better on dirt as long as you do it right. PM me when you are doing an Amsag and I will come say hello, spent 2 years rallying a Camira (1 in amsag) and 2 years in an AE101 levin including winning the NSW p2 championship. Then moved onto AWD. My hint would be to look into limiting the amount of steering lock, this will drastically extend the lifespan of your driveshafts. We do it by getting nylon spacers in the end of the rack.

The other thing is to get a feel for using your left foot on the brake, trick is to brake in with your right foot so you can use the clutch, then once you get the nose in go to left on the brake. I never actually used the handbrake much.