"McSchmalex" (McSchmalex) 02/19/2014 at 09:54 • Filed to: None

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This weekend is the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Salem, Missouri!

Web page of the race event can be found here

Having never personally observed a rally race (but claiming to be a huge rally fan, I really should work on my rally fan street cred) I feel like this is the chance of a lifetime that can't be missed! The first day of racing is taking place on Friday the 21st, but I have this thing called a job, so I will only be able to see the second day of racing on the 22nd. This is the second event of the Rally America series, and seen as all WRC events are in crazy places like Ethiopia, I figure this is my best chance at seeing some world class sideways hoonage. The rest of the Rally America series is taking place in regions out of my reach like Oregon and New Hampshire. I live in Kansas City and Salem is about 4 hours away. Given the Parc Expose goes 8am-10am and first stage is at 10:30, I will have to wake up mighty early to catch the beginning. An early wakeup is fine with me, but it is going to be a tough sell to my girlfriend who is not going to feel like dragging herself out of bed on a Saturday morning at 5:00am to get ready.

I figure we can make sandwiches and bring a cooler with some drinks. Anything else I should bring? Folding chairs? Weather report says 52 degrees and overcast, no chance of rain.

Depending on how this goes, I am going to try and get a camping pass to go see Pike's Peak hill climb this coming summer. Pike's Peak is about a 9 hour drive (according to Google Maps) and I'll take time off work the day before to drive out there. Also, we will have to see how much my girlfriend feels like tromping around in the backwoods Missouri before we camp out trackside in Colorado. Also on my bucket list of crazy things to see is 24hrs of Nürburgring; as a fan of motorsport I can't think of a better way to spend my time than standing ankle deep in mud with a bunch of drunk Germans and loud GT cars screaming by all night as we get pissed on with rain.

But seeing this for real would be soooo coooooool! I have read and re-read articles about this event many times. One of my favorites is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! who in my mind is a legend for quitting his desk job and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! like a boss.

So, anyway, if I end up going to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood I'll take some pics and write up a nice article for you Oppos.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > McSchmalex 02/19/2014 at 09:57

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Looks like the weather will be in your favor this year. It's Missouri. Some years it's 60 degrees. Some years it 20's and sleet. This time is looking 40s and some rain.

McSchmalex > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 02/19/2014 at 09:59

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I'm going to bring a plethora (yes, a plethora) of clothing just to be ready for anything!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > McSchmalex 02/19/2014 at 14:25

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I attended the 100 Acre Wood a few years ago.

The Parc Expose was really great, but I was pretty disappointed with our experience seeing the actually stage. It was a long, slow, rough drive to the place we could park (not a field, but along the dirt road going in), then a really long walk to the spectator area, and then we were limited to a very small spot without a great view of any nice curves or anything... The marshals kept warning people who were trying to get a better view, even though they were way off the race course. Even made a guy climb down out of a tree. (Unfortunately, legal concerns sometimes make watching rally in the US a lot less fun than watching it in Europe and elsewhere.)

Add on top of it that I had my wife and our little kids, and her sister and her family along, and it was cold, and a wreck ended the action after we'd only seen a handful of cars go by, and it wasn't a great outing.

Not trying to get you down on the event, I just think we didn't have enough information going in. I'd try to do some reading to determine the best place to watch (consider access - what looks like a short drive can become a very long drive on rough dirt roads).

Enjoy! Looking forward to your pictures and write-up. I plan to watch from Tulsa!

http://www.rally-america.com/news/entry/201…

Dusty Ventures > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/19/2014 at 17:44

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One of the reasons organizers/marshals don't want fans roaming, aside from safety, is keeping the land owners happy. A lot of the owners don't want people driving/walking/hanging out on their property, especially since historically a lot of those said fans have been irresponsible with their trash and/or damaged something. Not to mention if one of these trespassing fans injures themselves on the property (trips in a hole and breaks an ankle), they could conceivably sue the land owner. These land owners could get rally stages or the entire rally itself cancelled indefinitely, so the organizers have to try and keep them happy.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dusty Ventures 02/19/2014 at 18:09

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Thanks for the additional perspective; like I said, I went in with good attitude (and am still glad I made it out there to see it), but came away pretty disappointed related to what I imagined it would/could be like.

I hope to attend again some day.

Dusty Ventures > McSchmalex 02/19/2014 at 20:31

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First, download the spectator guide. Second, plan out your day. Figure out what points you want to hit, and based on the stage schedule figure out what time you'll need to move to arrive at each (try to get to each stage about an hour before the stage opens). Bring something to entertain yourself with during the down time. Yard games like bean bag toss tend to be a favored option, as is beer (though that's also the cause of most spectator issues, if I'm honest). Bring comfortable shoes as there will be a lot of standing and a lot of walking (sometimes it can be up to a mile from where you park to the actual spectator point, being a rally spectator is not for the lazy). You can bring a folding chair, but unless you find a spot with primo visibility and is super safe (atop a high embankment, other side of a barrier) you probably won't/shouldn't use it. Bring snacks/lunch. And remember that the service area is always open to spectators as well, if you want to hang out there during service. Find TAG Rally Sport (black Yaris) and tell them Steve sent you :)

McSchmalex > Dusty Ventures 02/19/2014 at 21:04

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Cool man, thanks for the tips! I don't plan to be there all day, this is my first time ever seeing a rally in person and it will likely be my last chance for a while. I'll have to guage my girlfriend's interest - she has some motorsport interest, she has worked at NASCAR races at Kansas City Speedway and her Dad is a gear head who owns a performance parts distribution company. I would camp out the night before and stay there all night to watch night stages if I could!

McSchmalex > Dusty Ventures 02/20/2014 at 00:28

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Just confirmed, GF has to go work on Saturday so she can't come, which means I am going to be at Parc Expose at the crack of dawn and I'll likely stay through many of the stages and into the night.

I'm so pumped for this!

Dusty Ventures > McSchmalex 02/20/2014 at 01:17

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Awww yeah!

Looking at the schedule and map it looks like the best way to see the most action from the most places would be:

Parc expose
Spectator E
Spectator G
Spectator F/E
Finish line (or home, depending on the hour)

Remember that this isn't like most forms of motorsports, you're going to spend a lot more time traveling point-to-point and waiting than you are actually seeing cars. The trick is to go in expecting that and make it part of the fun. Enjoy the sights along the routes, chat with the rally people at the spectator area, bring snacks and/or games. The down time's only boring if you let it be boring.

McSchmalex > Dusty Ventures 02/20/2014 at 09:14

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Right, so game plan is to get up early and hit the road. I'm planning on getting wet and dirty, I'm bringing snacks/drinks in a cooler in the car, and I am looking forward to hiking from stage to stage throughout the day as needed.

I'm shooting to make it to Parc Expose before 9am, I should be able to get a feel for things. Already printed the spectator guide too. I'll just make friends as I go, follow the crowd, and snap a lot of pictures/take movies.

I also plan to rock my Blipshift hoodie that says "Just Röhrl with it" with an Audi Quattro jumping a crest :D I'm like that lame dude who wears a shirt with the name of the band playing the concert you are at...

Is somebody seriously entering a Yaris into this? Never thought of the Yaris as a legit rally car. But then again I have been watching old footage of other Rally America races and I keep seeing the same Yaris over and over in the video.

Dusty Ventures > McSchmalex 02/20/2014 at 10:17

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Yeah, that's our Yaris. I co-drove it at LSPR. Gutless motor and lousy gearing, but still a fun little car.