A crisp fall morning, a little dew on the grass, and the unmistakable sound of turbo Subarus and rev-happy Civics echoing through Independence Speedway was the story this past Sunday as the Iowa Region RallyCross crew wrapped up another action-packed day of sideways dirt-flinging fun. Potentially the dustiest event of the season, a stiff breeze prevented any delays due to visibility or angry neighbors. 17 racers from four different states threw down the gauntlet to try to bring home first place on a very technical course featuring four hairpin pivots.
Stock FWD was an in-law battle with Jeff W facing off against his son-in-law, Dan A, both behind the wheel of a 2010 Focus. Jeff jumped off to an early lead, putting 18 seconds on Dan in the first three runs. Dan clawed back some, nearly matching Jeff time for time as the day went on. However, he was unable to dig up enough speed to overtake his father-in-law. Jeff finished the day sitting in first for Stock FWD and 8th overall.
When it’s slick and technical, Hugh H is the man to beat in Stock AWD — and he proved it again today. The red ’96 Subaru SVX glided across the course like it was on rails, clocking in times consistently faster than the rest of the field. Even a ten second missed gate penalty couldn’t hold him back. Hugh’s performance also earned him 4th overall. Kirk E’s ’02 BMW 325xi, David L’s ’05 Forester, and Adam B’s $300 ’06 Impreza rounded out the field, all improving their times throughout the day on the exceedingly tricky course. When the extreme dust settled, David had taken 2nd with Kirk tight on his heels.
Prepared FWD was the battle of boosted 4 cylinders with Devin P in a ’14 VW GTI and yours truly, David C, in an ’04 SRT4. Devin’s times were quick right off the bat, whereas I lagged behind as well as picking up a couple cones. While I wanted to blame my poor performance on the terrible turning radius of the SRT4 with all the [damn] pivots, Devin truly drove the wheels off his GTI. His fastest lap was only bested by cars in the Modified classes. Devin also captured 6th overall for the day.
Prepared RWD was again a spec Ford Mustang class, with Sam S and Dustin P piloting the same ’98 GT. Dustin was a bit cone happy throughout the day, while Sam was consistently faster, opening a pretty wide gulf between their times. Disaster struck part way through the first heat, with the Mustang’s power breaking up right in the power band. They retired for the rest of the heat, but got things squared away to continue their battle in the afternoon. Sam headed home with 1st place and bragging rights until our November event.
Modified FWD was a pack of Hondas, all of which were flying! Andy W was incredibly quick as always in his ’99 Civic, staying out front all day. Shane B and Anthony W followed close behind in a ’91 CRX, proving once again that light, loud, and low works wonders on loose dirt. Sadly, the CRX ripped out its transmission mounts near the end of the first heat, forcing both drivers to retire. Andy didn’t slack off though, continuing to put down times that were only bested by one other car, in the Modified AWD class! Andy took home 2nd overall as well as the class win.
Travis H had Modified RWD all to himself in his Lexus GS300, but don’t mistake that for an excuse to slack off. Travis pitched his luxury barge, err sedan, into every corner, taking advantage of drifts to get around the four [damn] pivot cones with ease. Without a doubt, Travis also introduced the most dust to the atmosphere, allowing him to murder cones unnoticed. While a bit behind the fastest times, there’s no doubt that Travis had the most fun of all of us.
Subarus filled the Modified AWD class, with an ’05 Forester championed by Dave E, a ’95 Impreza wagon piloted by Aaron B, and an ’05 WRX sponsored by Rachel D, but driven by Eric L. Dave E, with less horsepower and far more weight than the other two, pushed hard trying to keep up, but quickly fell behind. Eric started off cone heavy as usual and it looked like Aaron might be able to snag first without much of a fight. However, Eric figured things out and took off, opening a gap by the end of the first heat. Aaron struggled with the [damn] pivot cones, which amusingly, he had inserted into the course design. In the afternoon, both drivers threw caution to the wind and traded times back and forth. Eric managed to hold onto first through the end of competition and also took home first overall.
Next up for Iowa Region is our annual Freeze Your Curds Off two day rallycross near Darlington, WI on November 8-9th. Entry includes a t-shirt, stickers, cheese curds, and door prizes, as well as some cool trophies. Don’t delay in signing up, as we have to enter our shirt order by 10/14, so we cannot guarantee shirt sizes if you register after that date. Get all the details at www.msreg.com/FYCORallyX
