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Smoky Mountain Rally Recap--Another Rally North America Success


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Mid-July, two teams from CR competed in the 2015 Rally North America summer rally, the Smoky Mountain Rally. Rally North America was founded in 2009 by Tony Intrieri and Columbus Racing's own Scott Spielman (Spieldawg) and has now raised over $450,000 for charities. This year the charity was Hope for the Warriors, and over $120,000 was given to them.

Rally North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_North_America

RNA Facebook: https://www.rallynorthamerica.com/

 

The rallies are scavenger hunt style, timed road rallies. They've gone coast-to-coast over the years. Currently events are limited to 80 teams and they are fully subscribed before even opening to the public.

 

This year I drove 2,000 miles in the Smoky Mountains and traveled through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/DSCN1396_zpsdqdcxrgn.jpg

 

 

I chose to ride solo (no co-driver/navigator) because I went in the Slingshot. I didn't feel anyone should be subjected to that punishment besides me, and frankly, I needed the passenger seat for luggage.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/drivers%20front_zpsfiry9uas.jpg

 

Brian (Coaster) and his wife, Nikki drove their 2015 Mustang GT

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3591_zpsqa5dsfie.jpg

 

Even before starting in Knoxville, TN, I took more than a bit of ribbing from the other teams for choosing to do a rally alone and for bringing the Slingshot. These events are challenging enough alone, and four days in the heat and storms of the southern U.S. would prove to be a special challenge in the open vehicle.

 

Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire and his video team made up one team, and they will produce two episodes of the program sometime in the next few months to cover the rally. His podcast of Day 1 was full of chuckles over how I'd fare in the weather we faced that week.

 

Here's an eight minute video shot from the back of Brian & Nikki's Mustang of some of the weather changes we experienced on Day 1. I think the first two minutes of the video will give you the idea. :)

 

We had a bunch of interesting places to find, including the famous "Road to Nowhere." The Talking Heads song refers to a few different roads, but ours was the North Shore Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Nice winding road

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3803_zpsbo70avwm.jpg

 

to a long tunnel, which leads to nothing!

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3935_zpszzs3bhbv.jpg

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3933_zpspqdmgy5t.jpg

 

The route took us to some great overlooks and outstanding, remote waterfalls as well:

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3940_zpsd6qmazi9.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1391_zpsnpyywz2d.jpg

Edited by Doc
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As I mentioned, this rally was sold out before it even went public. Veterans of prior rallies were given first shot at subscribing, and in a few days 80 teams were paid in full. Within a short time another 80 teams were on the waiting list. Although I've driven with a number of the team members before, there were a few I never met. One name on the team list I didn't know was Glenn Beck--not a particularly uncommon name, I thought. It wasn't until later that I realized that this was the radio and TV commentator. Although he gave the rally some press after it was over, I appreciated that his participation was not treated as a "big deal" by the press or by the rally staff and participants. (And I was clueless because I'd never seen or listened to his shows.)

 

The cars were impressive:

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1405_zps9l7lphzm.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3684_zpsj38cwqyq.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3712_zpsb5lacqc5.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3714_zpsgbasfxzr.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3692_zps8wwmslam.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3690_zpshy6onh0i.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/10521879_480812258749109_2748238038243082043_n_zpsshyths7v.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1383_zpsfn42lafv.jpg

 

Some were funny, such as this one which had a team dressed as ghostbusters in their combat garb

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1386_zpsy7zezkqf.jpg

 

This one had a blow-up weapon (think beach toy) mounted on its side as it left the starting line. A concerned pedestrian called-in a suspected terrorist sighting, which caused some excitement.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1382_zpsxn9nkgtr.jpg

 

This one played ice cream wagon music

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3686_zpsxotk4gzy.jpg

 

I thought this team was brave

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1385_zpslvnyi7cc.jpg

 

One team tried the ploy of dressing as Fed Ex delivery guys as a way of rushing in and out of checkpoints. Unfortunately, they were disqualified from placing, but they did win the "Best Costume" award.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1373_zpshcrdafvd.jpg

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Days start with staging, usually with about an hour for the local press to cover the Rally and the charity. It also gives the local officials a chance to speak to the public and press.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1408_zpshevf7ul3.jpg[/url]

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1414_zpsltl8oyaa.jpg[/url]

 

My ride made the Hendersonville newpaper

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/11800220_911070062265523_4020120516560040476_n_zpsmkjbaczi.jpg

 

I enjoyed talking with the passers-by. Usually the Slingshot had its share of people wanting to sit in it (not just the little kids, either), and it was a good icebreaker to talk about the charity and the rally.

 

Day 1's start was on the bridge over the World's Fair Park. It's really a nice area of Knoxville.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1389_zpsj2fsgg6u.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3659_zpsqhmaltar.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1377_zpso1acte9m.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1378_zpsxs0v5pjs.jpg

 

The checkpoints are often quite unique and tend to be off the beaten path. We visited a Georgia prison from the 1800's, complete with the original gallows and trap door

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4368_zpsuqvsxxiu.jpg

 

the Judaculla Rock, an outcropping of soapstone with petroglyphs from the Archaic Period (8000 to 2000 years BC)

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4101_zpssecjo1lk.jpg

 

and this rather mysterious monument, called by some the Ten Commandments of the Antichrist, thought by some to have been commissioned by the Illuminati, praised by Yoko Ono as "a stirring call to rational thinking." With not many clues, we had to locate the Georgian Guidestones, also called the American Stonehenge. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones)

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4147_zpspuvjahyy.jpg

 

Some serious stops relate to our theme of helping veterans, such as this air force museum

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4406_zps4jct1wdd.jpg

 

and others are fun and silly, such as running around a little Georgia town trying to find as many of these Br'er Rabbit statues as you could for bonus points (there were 21 of them)

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4395_zpsa2m76s5v.jpg

 

There was also some racing, of course. I mean, the on-the-track kind of racing. At Atlanta Dragway

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4160_zpsjawuepxv.jpg

 

Brian's Stang spanked a Hellcat who later got his revenge:

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4276_zpsq5korfkc.jpg

Edited by Doc
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And we enjoyed Roebling Road in Savannah a lot more than we expected.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_1889_zpsiws40khe.jpg

 

It's a great track, and we had it to ourselves for our event.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/DSCN1418_zpsojulq4o7.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/DSCN1415_zpslkf8wvsi.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/Dscn1419_zpsw9jdxxhe.jpg

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/11745567_480812008749134_7441816036832810727_n_zps5xblpoiy.jpg

 

Brian shot this video which is edited to show one lap, just as he's catching me after a straightaway, following me through the curves, then blowing past me in the straights at the end. It was our first time driving on a course for real, not just paced laps or parade laps.

 

 

The track was 100 degrees when we arrived, and 101 when we finished. I laughed when I heard the other drivers complaining about having to wear helmets for our 15 minutes sessions with no A/C. That's what my world was like for 4 days! :p

 

I did get a chance to talk 1:1 with Matt Farah at the track. He had driven this Benzo GLE 63S AMG for the rally, but raced in a hopped-up BMW, IIRC.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/DSCN1421_zps0aua9gk7.jpg

 

Despite ragging on me early in the rally, he was very approachable and helpful at the track.

_______________________________________________________

 

Well, neither of the CR teams came home with podium finishes, but I think we held our own against some very tough veteran drivers.

 

Looking back, despite all the challenges of the heat, storms, rain, and fog

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3751_zpsg8mtadfm.jpg

 

I still am glad I drove the Slingshot. Driver and vehicle held up fine, which is more than can be said of some of the other entries.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3930_zpshxdxzmcr.jpg

 

The Smoky Mountains made for a great drive

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3610_zpsa5gmw2ql.jpg

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3996_zps2qp1gts6.jpg

 

We drove some of the best roads in the country, and I got to enjoy them with good folks.

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4072_zps7aumralu.jpg

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_3787_zps2yzlum2p.jpg

 

 

http://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af208/trentrbrts/IMG_4050_zpsyxquoag9.jpg

 

A final note

 

Way back when I began this rambling, I mentioned that these rallies are now impossible to join if you aren't a rally veteran. However, there is still an opportunity if you want to join in on the fun.

 

There is a second, small-scale rally that RNA sponsors. It's the Ohio Valley Rally. There are still some spots available. If you compete, you will attain veteran status and then will be able to register for the 2016 Rally when it opens later this year. The Ohio Valley Rally will begin Friday evening, October 9th, in Mackinaw City, MI, and ends Sunday evening October 11th at Kilkare, where we have a track rental. Here's the link to everything you need: https://www.rallynorthamerica.com/rallies/ohio-valley-700-fall-2015/

 

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or just need a little push to take the plunge. There have been over 20 CR members who have participated in RNA rallies since 2009, and I don't think you'll find any who will say that they didn't have a blast.

 

A final thanks to the sponsors who contributed to my team's charity donation: CR sponsors Wheel Medic, Lucore Automotive, JET Auto Group, and CR members Wagner, David and the guys at Kurtz Brothers, Robochan, Norm (Littleguy), Marc at US Savings Bank, Ben, Jim Rose (clone), and Mike (ShowHBK).

 

Brian and Nikki Goodman (Coaster), thanks for the photos and video, and thanks for your assistance during the Rally. I value our friendship. I hope that you can add to this thread with some of your photos and experiences from the trip. :thumbup:

Edited by Doc
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Great write up, Doc. And thanks for introducing CR and myself to this rally group. Next year looks to be another 5 day out West. I'm not likely to do that. OVR may happen for me next year. Although, this years route looks great for the time of year you'll be going through Michigan.

 

Glad is was a safe trip for all, with a good CR showing.

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OK so here goes my side of the rally.

 

We extended the three day rally into a whole week. We started out spending a couple days in Gatlinburg, TN with another couple from the rally (Team Too Cool with the ice cream XB).

 

We had the best parking spot in town, thousands of people walked past the car every day.

 

http://i.imgur.com/aPtFZ67l.jpg

 

 

We hit the Hollywood Star Cars museum while we were in town.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ivinp6Zl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/9Dspwv5l.jpg

 

We also found this little guy parked on the street.

 

http://i.imgur.com/KzsdKNxl.jpg

 

We got up early the morning of the drivers meeting and headed down to Tail of the Dragon. We got there pretty early and I drove down and my wife drove back. We both got clean runs with no traffic. We had some nice scenery on the drive over to the dragon as well.

 

http://i.imgur.com/sgcvsqTl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/GAPZEQol.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Y4vETusl.jpg

 

Here are some pics from the night before and on the starting line the first day.

 

http://i.imgur.com/BOTkuJ7l.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/xdo86Zol.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/4fgOLKAl.jpg

 

Some of you may recognize Bill Tumas' car from the CJ Pony Parts videos.

 

http://i.imgur.com/k2rbpNNl.jpg

 

We did most of the navigation for Doc so he could just follow and enjoy himself(or not) . We picked up some others along the way. Here is our convoy from the second day at full strength.

 

http://i.imgur.com/8p4t5mRl.jpg

 

We hit a little fog that day...

 

http://i.imgur.com/SSAK6bwl.jpg

 

Big change from there to Atlanta Dragway. It was about 93 when we got there. Doc mentioned the Hellcat and I so since he shared me getting beat I'll share the pics of the run where I beat him.

 

http://i.imgur.com/sDBLFYrl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/KHlqorVl.jpg

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The day three stop at the aviation museum was really neat. It would be hard to see the whole place in a day.

 

http://i.imgur.com/gukUxIol.jpg

 

That night was Roebling Road Raceway. It was a blast. I'd love to go back when it was under 100F and with better tires. Later that night Doc and I tried to get a pizza, that's a story that needs told in person though...

 

http://i.imgur.com/t1cmEmLl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/RHxFhxol.jpg

 

Since we were so close to the ocean and we don't really take trips to the beach we went out to Tybee Island to watch the sun rise before heading home.

 

http://i.imgur.com/zGx7hRSl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/VlOInBVl.jpg

 

Then I had a suprise for my wife. We have a painting of a huge oak tree in our living room. Since the artist was from the Gatlinburg area we both always assumed the tree was somewhere around there as well. While scouting possible stops during the rally I happened to find it south of Charleston, SC. So we went to visit it and I didn't tell my wife where we were going. Luckily I let her drive that morning since some of the road names might have given it away before we pulled up.

 

http://i.imgur.com/ewEkTwzl.jpg

 

The next stop was Boone Hall Plantation to break up the drive a bit.

 

http://i.imgur.com/mmoxXfBl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/SxwWGcal.jpg

 

We spent the night in Mt Airey, NC on the way home and got to see some the the Andy Griffith Show sights.

 

http://i.imgur.com/liuO6cXl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/s3o7O6zl.jpg

 

Total trip stats

 

http://i.imgur.com/3b4YOcTl.jpg?1

 

And yes the decals do come off. That seems to be the first question most people ask. Only a couple people have had problems and only on non-factory paint. Even after baking in the Georgia summer sun I only needed goo gone on a couple of places.

 

http://i.imgur.com/zpMKCVpl.jpg

 

Like Doc said, if you ever want to do the big summer rally then the Ohio Valley 700 is your ticket in. You'll get to experience a rally while only investing a weekend instead of a whole week, and you'll get veteran status so you can register for the summer rally before it opens to the public (or doesn't). Feel free to PM me or find me at Cars and Coffee and ask any questions you have about Rally North America.

 

While it's all fun and games, we also raised $120,000 for Hope for the Warriors. Doc and I each raised a little over $1100. That money is going to fund a couple new programs that they've wanted to do but didn't have funding for.

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Looks like fun, lots of 15 mustangs there!

 

I'd like to do another rally soon.

 

There were a couple more 15s. At least everyone had a different color car so it was easy to tell them apart :)

 

http://i.imgur.com/qovh1Khl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/tdIGl2gl.jpg

 

 

And I forgot the action shots from the dragon...

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZUzt0mEl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Od4m878l.jpg

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Niki and Brandon were great fun to travel with. They were part of our little caravan most of the rally. Brandon enjoyed riding in the Slingshot on a few of the dry legs of the journey.

 

We missed having you along, Eric. Hope you can make it to an upcoming one.

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You and the wifey need to do the Ohio Valley Rally in October. Friday, Saturday, Sunday is all it takes, and the cost is low. The fall colors should be great between here and the UP. https://www.rallynorthamerica.com/rallies/ohio-valley-700-fall-2015/
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Cost of doing the rally is interesting to talk about.

 

Registration $300-$500

 

Usually four nights in hotels $450ish

 

Gas will vary, depending on what and how you drive. $300 -$500

 

Food $250 ish

 

Pre rally prep $300ish

 

Post rally maintenance $150, with no major repairs. Oil change, decal removal, and detail.

 

It's pretty easy to have $2,000 wrapped up in a rally. Wear on parts isn't factored in the above numbers, but tires, brakes and clutch (if you have one) get a workout. My last rally finished out a set of tires and the clutch. Obviously you can spend less and do the rally, but I would say the $2,000 mark is pretty close.

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