April 1, 1992. New Westport, CT.
Just got back from running the 1992 AllBuster 250. It was definitely
the most interesting rallye I've run in the past week or so.
As a novice, I decided to take advantage of the three offered
seminars. My favorite was "Going Very Very Fast." Mr. O'Neil's
advice certainly came in handy for the actual rally. His most useful
piece of advice "keep the right hand pedal floored - no matter what"
was an inspiration.
The biggest hangup was the last minute change in safety regulations
which required replacing all the car's glass with shatterproof Lexan.
As inspection was at 3 AM, it was fortunate that the local 7 Eleven
recently started carrying large sheets of Lexan, so the biggest
problem was installation.
After the 3:28 AM start, the first three stages went remarkable well.
We made it through only ruining two tires! Although we didn't come
through as on-time as other entrants, we did lose less rubber. The
first three stages were really just a high speed romp through a dense
woods. Lights of over 20 watts (total) were prohibited out of respect
for the local wildlife.
The fourth stage was a high speed run on an non-abandoned railroad
grade. Having a RR radio installed the previous day helped use get
through this stage without problems. Although there were a few
incidents which reminded me of the fate of the DeLorean in Back to the
Future 3. The Lexan windshields in the rallye cars fortunately
reduced the amount of driver injury. We only lost one more tire.
After the fourth stage was lunch, at McDonald's. Commendations to the
rallye organizers for picking such a fine establishment for the midday
meal. After consulting the "Internal Combustion Handbook" we decided
we'd get more benefit from feeding the french fries into the fuel
injection; We figured on a 8 octane boost.
The afternoon stages were more tame than the morning. Stage 5
involved magnetic heading vector instructions to navigate the small
town of Nonrectilinearville, CT. That doesn't sound tough, until you
realize that Nonrectilinearville has no straight roads, so the magnetic
headings were graphs of headings versus distance, in order to follow
the curved streets.
Stage 6 was intended to fool the unwary. The RI "Enter Route 50 South
using the North Bound entrance" was not a typo. This stage
implemented a slalom incorporating moving centers. This was quite
fun.
The final stage, number 7, was a test of the reading skills of the
entrants. This being another night section, exterior lights of greater
than 20 watts (total) were prohibited. Interior lights were
permitted, however, of the same wattage, so reading the "essays in
parapraph form" instructions was possible. Unfortunately, the rallye
author used mixed metaphors, and non-Jungian ur-tales as analogy, so
the most recent Gene Henderson book "Jungian Ur-Tale Navigation" did
not really help. Instead we used a modified Freudian technique. We
finished, but didn't score all that well.
At the finish we were forced to replace the glass windshields, since
the rallye crew wanted to perform later tests on the Lexan to learn
more about its toughness.
All in all, it was a fantastic day. The rallye presented a variety of
challenges, and definitely forced the entrants to think in
non-traditional modes. Thanks to the Furfield County Sports Car Club
for providing an exciting, not to mention unique, rallye experience.
PS: Anybody interested in a non-rolling 1986 Celica Supra should get
in touch at earliest opportunity. Engine is fine, but body work,
frame, wheels, differential, axles, seats, and gas tank are all
slightly bent. Extras: 4 wheels (bent), winch (inoperative), and life
vests are included.
Daniel I. Applebaum