Off into the forests again.

It was back in June that I posted here concerning my availability as a co-driver for the upcoming Ojibwe Forests Rally. Things were very quiet for a long time though. The event was almost three months away, and drivers probably had other things, and other events on their minds, so I wasn't bothered about the silence.

It wasn't really until a month to go that requests started to dribble in. I even got a request to co-drive in the Summer Sno Drift rally, but I couldn't make the logistics work for an event that was an 11 hour drive away. Requests for Ojibwe co-drivers came from 20 event veterans in SP or OL class, they'd be looking for someone with more experience than I have (2 events in G2). So I wasn't bothered about being passed over in that case.

But requests from G2 (or even G5 drivers) were very rare. I was resigned to volunteering again, which would have been fine, volunteers are very important. I even registered to volunteer just in case. Then on Tuesday, Al Dantes of Tower City Racing, he of the three wheel finish at Headwaters, messaged me. His former crew chief was coming off a successful performance at Summer Sno Drift and wanted to compete at Ojibwe, but didn't have a co-driver. Was I interested?

Silly question. 

I texted the guy straight away and he called me back immediately. We got on well.

The upshot of this is I'm co-driving for Adam VanDamme in his 1991 Volkswagen Rabbit car #201 in class G2. It's his third rally. It will be my third too. We should be well matched. 

The Car, seen at Summer Sno Drift.

This is going to be an interesting experience, working with someone I won't even meet until the afternoon before the event. We've talked on the phone a couple of times though. 

Will I fit in the co-drivers seat? 

"How tall are you?" Asked Adam over the phone just now. 

"Just under six feet" I replied. That quickly established I should fit into the co-drivers seat.

The biggest difference will be in the field of communication as the car doesn't have a comms system. "We'll rely on shouting and hand signals." Adam laughed.

Don't you go laughing though, because that system garnered him a 4th place in class at Summer Sno Drift and a fastest stage time in class on stage 5 at Headwaters. Clearly Adam knows how to handle a rally car. I think I'm in good hands. 

Another difference as Adam is unable to get into town until Thursday afternoon, we won't have time for recce. No comms and no reconnaissance we really will be flying blind. 

"I'll drive to what I can see." He said. I feel the need for some serious video recce coming on.

However, our individual goals are the same. To have fun and get to the end. We both want to be there racing, in front of thousands of people at the Subaru Street stage on the lake front in Detroit Lakes on Saturday night. 

I'm very happy to be getting to compete in the event as I hoped, so a big thank you goes out to Al Dantes for helping to get us together. We may be rivals out on the gravel, but once the car engines are switched off, and we climb out of the cars we are mates. All of us. All looking out for each other. That's one of the things that makes rally so special.

If you see a Grey VW Rabbit on the stages, give us a cheer!