New Car - New Mindset

It would be silly to not return to rallying after it being such a big part of my life in my early 20s. I attended the 2024 Prescott Rally and suddenly got motivated to build another car - a Fiesta ST! Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss something until you get another taste of it.

Things are different now. Having already built a car in the past, I have much more experience to draw from this time around. To be honest, it's a bit crazy to think how I approached it back then, but then again, most young people starting out in rallying like me face those same constraints.

In doing whatever I needed to do to get on-stage and get seat time, I ended up neglecting a lot along the way without even realizing. The reality is that rally isn't just a motorsport discipline, but a logistical mountain that comes with a whole lot more than just prepping a car and showing up to the event.

When you're young, the one thing you can truly control is your effort. As long as you work your butt off, you'll get far. Most of us at that time don't have deep pockets or valuable connections, as we're just starting out in our careers. So we try our best with what we have - time.

In order for me to get on-stage, I had to learn so many new skills and buy many new tools. Being new to all of that prep work, you're bound to make mistakes along the way, even making bad choices without even realizing.

I treated rally like a sport when I started. A sport I wanted to get really good at, not just a hobby. I remember playing hockey in high school and pushing myself to reach the collegiate level. I was treating rally just like I treated playing hockey as a kid. You show up, you train, you work on your skills, you play, and you give it your all. But as a kid, you don't pay attention to all of the other things. Paying fees, traveling to events, buying equipment, coaching, scheduling, team camaraderie, and more. With rally, it's all on you. I was ready to build a car, practice at rallycrosses, and send-it out on the stages. But it wasn't that simple.

Here's what I missed when I participated in rallies last time. I will do better at these points this time around.

Treating a rally as a vacation

This can be a hard one financially, but I think it's important.

I remember only taking the minimum amount of time off work to make it to the rally. What that usually resulted in, was me scrambling on the last day to pack up vehicles and everything I need, arriving at my accommodations late at night, and then leaving ASAP after the rally was over. I had no idea where I was, or anything about the place that I visited. No only was this stressful for me, but also my crew. Some of my favorite times were just driving in the car chatting on the way to the event and back and trying new restaurants.

This time around, I want it to be a nice experience to simply visit a new place and enjoy the ride up to the event. Hopefully arrive earlier, maybe check something out around the area. Everyone took time off to be here, so I want to make it enjoyable and fun.

If the car isn't ready, don't push

I used to sign up for events while the car was still in pieces. Even with the rally two months out, I was always confident I’d have it back together in time. Sometimes our estimates are wrong though, despite how much we work on something. Arriving at an event already exhausted from a two-month crunch isn't fun. The real kicker is if something else comes up during the event after trying so hard to get there in the first place.

This time, if the car isn't ready, I'm not racing, but I will still go to the rally. I can take the family out and treat it as a vacation while spectating. I could volunteer or crew for a team. There is still so much to enjoy about a rally without actually being in a car.

Most performance upgrades are safety upgrades

I believe that anything you add to a car that increases control is a safety upgrade. Differentials? Safety upgrade. Suspension? Safety upgrade. Drivetrain reliability, quicker steering, rally lights, brakes, comms, and even driver cooling - all safety upgrades.

I want to finish all events that I attend, and I want to make sure that the car is built for rallying. I don't want to build a car that can hold up to rally, I want a car that is build to perform like a purpose-built rally machine. While this mentality can drive up costs significantly, that’s exactly why I chose the Limited 2WD (L2WD) class.

In this class, I can affordably compete to the limitations of the class. I can improve on all points of reliability and safety, without competing on weight, horsepower, and sequential gearboxes.

Testing often

After I modify or change something on the car, I now give it an extensive test, no matter how small. With my previous car, oftentimes I would be working on it between events, but I only tested it on the street the week of the event. I never gave myself enough time to test and tune the car because I overbooked events, even though I knew it was important.

This time around, even putting on mudflaps requires a test. I want to make sure I am fully comfortable before taking the car out to a stage. Luckily, living out in the southwest now makes it easier to find places to test the car out on rough roads.

I am also making some custom parts for the Fiesta on behalf of my prototyping and machining business - Bear Prototyping. These parts will be parts that I have on my car, parts that I stand behind and have been extensively tested at multiple events. I will list the parts on the Store Page of this site.

Things are different this time around. The goals are clearer, the prep is smarter, and the passion is stronger than ever. It’s been a long road back, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Keep an eye on the site for build updates and new parts, this is only the beginning. Let's send it!