Tag Archives: New England Forest Rally

Another Rally xD Podium at NEFR

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Our favorite rally team, the TEIN-supported Rally xD, had a pretty good weekend at round 6 of Rally America,  the New England Forest Rally event. Although not at the top of the podium, they were able to secure a 2nd place finish.

As they had dealt with in past events, a few troubles came their way. This time, a transmission swap was necessary to keep the xD in competition. After about 35 minutes, the team got the car back on the gravel.

xd nefr 3 (Custom)

By then, the damage had already been done. Driver Matthew Johnson had a lot of ground to cover. He and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey did well, cutting the margin to within a couple of minutes. Again, enough to garner a second place finish.
As always, the hard working driver and crew pushed beyond their limits to get the car to the finish.

xd nefr 1 (Custom)

 

Great job, guys!

 

 

New England Forest Rally Report

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We’re glad to see the Rally xD team embarking on another race on much more familiar territory- gravel. Fresh from their run up the summit of Pikes Peak, the team reconfigured their rally chariot for long stroke suspension and wheels/tires much more suitable for the task at-hand. The NEFR race was not exactly an easy one.

xD NEFR (Custom)

The team had dealt with transmission problems- a failed 4th gear. At least the team put down a quick repair and got the car back out, suffering a minimal penalty since they were unable to complete the swap in the allotted service time.

Next set of problems were the front axles breaking at two different stages of the race. Fortunately, those were an easy enough swap during the service interval.

xD NEFR Service (Custom)

They did as much as they could to make up the loss in time, eventually finishing the event in 3rd place. Just enough to maintain their points lead in the championship.

xD NEFR 3rd (Custom)

Once again, another great performance from the hard working crew. We will certainly be rooting for them as this series gets close to the season end.

FINAL ROUND of 2011 Rally America

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This past weekend was the final round (Rd. 6) of the 2011 Rally America series. TEIN sponsored Sparco Rally xD made the trip out to Maine for the New England Forest Rally. Andrew-Comrie Picard and Jeremy Wimpey returned as driver/ co-driver. The winning combo last drove the car at round 4 in Oregon to the 2WD class win.

At NEFR the newly improved xD faced a plethora of Ford Fiestas including 2010 2WD Chris Duplessis (who drove the xD last year), 2009 2WD Champion Dillon Van Way in another Fiesta and 2011 2WD Champion Wyatt Knox in a MazdaSpeed 3.

Since Oregon the xD has undergone major modifications mainly in the power department. Greddy tore down the motor and installed Carrillo forged rods and pistons to beef up the 1.8L. The fuel system was upgraded as well which netted a significant power gain. The 1.8L Scion xD now produces 200 WHP, up 35 WHP from the last outing. Not big by HP number but if you look at percentages that is a big difference.

Greddy engineers working on the 2ZR-FE.

Carrillo components help beef up the short block. Power is still left at a conservative 200WHP.

The HG suspension worked perfectly over the rough terrain and various sized jumps.

NEFR was a real test for the car and newly modified engine as it has some long stages, three 16 mile stages and one 19 mile stage. The crew tells me the motor ran flawlessly but there were other issues to deal with at every service. Loss of 3rd gear, a slipping clutch, damaged exhaust system, cracked wheel, punctured tires…

The crew working hard during service to inspect and repair the xD.

Some of the chassis modifications that Design Craft made prior to NEFR also paid off. This tubular brace was added to the underbelly of the car for added reinforcement against all the offroad abuse. Even with this, the oil pan took a hit. Without this who knows what would have happened to the oil pan.

At the end of the 2 day rally, the Rally xD finished second in class and sixth overall. OVERALL. Meaning against 4WD turbo STIs, EVOs and WRXs.

Left to Right – Kenji from Greddy, fabricators Gary, Len and Ben from Design Craft, Co-driver Jeremy W., Driver ACP, Team Manager Gordon, and Jason.

Look for a video soon.

New England Forest Rally VIDEO

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0-60 magazine just posted their video from the 2010 New England Forest Rally featuring their project Rally xD. Check out the soft landing at the 55 second mark. The HG dampers worked well under the especially harsh conditions of this rally and took the abuse of multiple jumps. Note: this car weighs in at over 3000 lbs. so it is in no way a light weight vehicle.

If you love rally racing, cars flying through the car and crashes check out this weekends X Games 16.  TEIN sponsored driver Stephan Verdier will be competing in his STi which is using TEIN Gr.N dampers.

Video courtesy of 0-60 Magazine and photo courtesy of Gordon Ting (0-60 Magazine).

New England Forest Rally 2010

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Recently arrived back from the New England Forest Rally (NEFR) in Maine. This was the final event for the 2010 Rally America series. Our sponsored 0-60 magazine Scion xD placed second in the FWD class losing to a high power Dodge SRT-4. Scion xD co-driver Catherine Woods clinched her first championship when the Scion crossed the finish line (driver, Chris Duplessis clinched his National title at the previous round).

The 0-60 rally xD has been a successful project finishing 2nd in two national events in two starts. An amazing accomplishment as the car is almost stock. Since the Oregon Trail Rally in May the car received a new Quaife differential, rear wing and slight weight reduction. The motor remains completely stock.

Car getting final prep work done before the rally inside driver, Chris Duplessis’s barn at his family’s farm, Pooh Corner Farm in Bethel, Maine.

NEFR is considered the harshest rally of the series. Of the 64 entries at Stage 1 only 41 started the final stage (Stage 12). The stages are littered with large rocks/ small boulders and even a few man made jumps.

Chris and Catherine blast through Stage 2.

One of five services throughout the two day event. Most service times are 30-minutes which gives the crew enough time to inspect the entire car, change wheels, clean brakes, adjust the suspension, make any needed repairs and of course keep the car shiny.

At the finish line. 2nd place in 2WD.

Video by Rally America recapping NEFR 2010 and the 2010 season.

Special thanks to Forest Duplessis and the entire Duplessis family.

Photos courtesy of 0-60 magazine, Gordon Ting, Benson Ting and Gary Castillo of Design Craft Fabrication.