Idaho Rally 2007
Idaho Rally 2007
By Brian Calkins
For The Owyhee Avalanche June 16, 2007
Road Rallies come in two types: Time-Speed-Distance rallies and Stage or Performance rallies. The time-speed-distance rallies are conducted on roads that are not closed down to the public and are run at speeds at or lower than the legal speed limits. A driver and navigator work together to make it to the final checkpoint at an exact predetermined time that is unknown to the competitors. The team that arrives at the final checkpoint at the closest to the set time is the winner.
Stage rallies (like the Idaho Rally 2007) are conducted on short stretches of roads (stages) that are temporarily closed to public use. The cars race against the clock and not against each other. They are sent out at one minute intervals to avoid contact with competitors. The cars are traveling flat out and the navigator or co-driver is there to assist the driver to stay on the course. Good communication and trust is essential as the co-driver’s course notes are all that keep the driver from wrecking the car at some parts of the course where visibility is limited.
Some times the condition of the course can change and that’s when things get interesting. For instance on an asphalt course where a previous team may unintentionally kick up some gravel on the course and cause a following team to loose traction. Or sometimes course notes may not be accurate enough or a driver may make a misjudgment such as at the crest of a slight hill with a sharp turn close afterward.
This is what happened to three of the teams at the Idaho Rally 2007 last Saturday. While the 11 teams were individually nearing the end of stage 5 (a stretch of Colyer road near Bruneau) a crest of a hill followed by a sharp left hand turn left three of the teams off course. “Off course” is what they say in rally racing when you wreck your car. Three cars were damaged beyond what could be repaired easily and the teams were no longer able to compete and each received a “did not finish” or DNF for the day’s racing. Driver Chris Blakely was temporarily hospitalized with broken ribs and a few bruises. The others were a little sore but able to function. Driver Ron Crawford returned to the service area to pick up his trailer to go and retrieve his damaged car himself.
At the end of the last stage it was the veteran driver that scored the best overall time. The team of Bruce Davis, (a 30 year rally veteran from Sacremento) and co-driver Jimmy Brandt had the best overall time of 30.33 minutes. Andrew Southerland who traveled from Los Angeles to Idaho for this event had the second fastest time and in a borrowed car no less. His co-driver was Josh McConnell, a school teacher from Boise, Idaho. McConnell is a friend of Southerland and had never been in a race car before; he said it was “the scariest thing I’ve ever done”. Third best overall time was the team of James Bolin and Sunny Caughman of Colorado. This was their first rally event ever and the first time racing on pavement. They had raced hill climbs in the Colorado Hill Climb Association for the last two and half years and wanted to try a tarmac rally. Idaho Rally 2007 is the only all tarmac rally west of the Mississippi. Bolin and Caughman were in first place until they went off course on stage 10. Two minutes later they were back on course but the damage was done to their lead. Their overall time was within 40 seconds of the leader.
Jens Schkade, the promoter for Idaho Rally 2007, referred to Bolin as a “full bore guy” with a smooth but radical driving style”. When asked about Bruce Davis, Schkade said he is a “very consistent driver” and that’s what is “needed to win championships” and events. Indeed it is.
